Gary Johnson
Student Debt: Federal student loan programs should be blamed for the higher education bubble. Without the guarantee of student loans, universities will be forced to drive down prices to stay competitive and fill classrooms.
Gay Marriage: Gay marriage should be allowed, but religious institutions should be allowed to follow their own beliefs and not be forced to perform any ceremonies that go against their faith.
Women’s Rights: Women should be allowed to make their own decisions regarding their pregnancy until the point of fetal viability or the ability of the fetus to survive outside the womb.
Economy: Serious reforms need to be made to Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, and spending and taxes should both be cut. Inefficient military spending should be cut, the Internal Revenue Service should be abolished and federal involvement in the economy should be restricted.
Health care: The Affordable Care Act needs to be repealed. Less government intervention will allow competition and state innovation to help make health care more affordable. Block grants should be given to states that find them necessary.
Jill Stein
Student Debt: It is necessary to provide tuition-free education from kindergarten until college and to forgive the existing student debt from the “current era of unaffordable college education.”
Gay Marriage: Discrimination against same-sex couples should be ended, and marriage equality needs to be promoted. The federal government, not the state, has the responsibility to defend all human rights and the Defense of Marriage Act.
Women’s Rights: Women should have greater access to the morning-after pill, which the Obama administration currently restricts. Increasing sex education and social services could help reduce the number of abortions, and abortions should be legal.
Economy: More jobs need to be provided in sustainable energy, mass transit, clean manufacturing, social work and education. Military spending should be cut, taxes for the rich need to be higher and the current Medicare and Social Security programs need to be protected.
Immigration: Undocumented immigrants who are working and living in the United States should be granted full citizenship. Border crossings in North America should be demilitarized, and the North American Free Trade Agreement should be repealed to reduce the inflow of immigrants.
Virgil Goode
Student Debt: The government should not interfere with education costs. By ending government loans and letting the private sector freely compete among students, interest rates on loans will decrease.
Gay Marriage: Marriage is defined as a union between a man and a woman. Gay marriage and gay civil unions should not be allowed, and the federal Marriage Protection Amendment needs to be supported.
Immigration: Illegal immigration costs Americans billions of dollars every year, and the government should use troops, fences and legislation that grants amnesty should be stopped. Children of illegal immigrants should not be granted citizenship.
Economy: To reduce the deficit, spending cuts should be applied to the National Endowment for the Arts and No Child Left Behind. Veteran benefits, however, should be protected. More jobs can be created with less government regulation and energy independence.
Energy/Environment: The United States must develop its own alternative energy resources, such as biodiesel and hydrogen, to become less dependent on foreign fossil fuels. Nuclear power should be utilized, and domestic and offshore drilling for natural gas and oil should be increased across the nation.
Economy: Serious reforms need to be made to Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, and spending and taxes should both be cut. Inefficient military spending should be cut, the Internal Revenue Service should be abolished and federal involvement in the economy should be restricted.
Health care: The Affordable Care Act needs to be repealed. Less government intervention will allow competition and state innovation to help make health care more affordable. Block grants should be given to states that find them necessary.
A version of this article appeared in the Friday, Oct. 26 print edition. Esha Ray is deputy special issues editor. Email her at [email protected].
