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Voting for a President

The Future of Our Country Is the Future of Your Child

By Carma Haley Shoemaker

So where do the candidates stand on the issue of gun control? Texas governor and presidential candidate George W. Bush supports intensive background checks for anyone wishing to purchase a firearm as well as placing a lifetime ban on any juvenile found guilty of a serious gun offense. Bush, however, does not support child safety locks or government-mandated firearm registration. Vice president and presidential candidate Al Gore supports stronger gun enforcement laws. His views also include mandatory gun registration and mandatory sentences for a crime involving a firearm, but Gore does not support background checks at gun shows, or laws to protect firearm manufacturers.

Another blanket issue, health care, affects a majority of the population in one aspect or another: extended leave for the birth/adoption of a child for mother and father, affordable health care insurance, transitional insurance when changing or losing a job and coverage for pre-existing conditions.

Christopher Atkins, a security officer and father of three, says, "I work hard for what I have. I have health insurance for my kids – but can't afford to have my wife or myself covered. If I were to get family coverage, it would take half of my paycheck." Christopher is not alone. According to the U.S. Government Board of Health Statistics, 38 percent of American families do not have insurance, and of those that do, 62 percent only have insurance for children in the home.

The candidates have addressed the issue of health care in various debates, interviews and public statements. Gore, if elected, purposes legislation that would decrease the number of extensions on drug patents, enabling other companies to market a generic, less expensive version sooner. Gore has also said he would increase the income limit to 250 percent of the poverty level to aid in increasing the number of uninsured children who are eligible for government health insurance, as well as including parents in the program. Bush has made very few statements regarding his stand on health care issues. The comments he has made show that he supports expanding the federal health insurance program to cover a wider range of the low-income family of the nation and also supports developing state programs to ensure "basic health care safety nets that trust people to make decisions for themselves," according to a statement released by MSNBC.