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to facilitate informed and active participation in government.
Pick a Candidate Checklist
The checklist below is a sampler of national issues. Print this page and add your own. Then make new charts for state and local issues. Rank the issues in order of their importance to you. Find out where the candidates stand on your top priorities. Which candidate most closely shares your views on important matters?
| Your priority number | The Issues | The candidate whose position is most like yours |
|---|---|---|
| The economy How do we reduce the deficit . . . and keep the economy healthy? How can unemployment be reduced? Should we cut government spending? For what? Should we raise taxes? Provide jobs-through public service programs? By stimulating the private sector? BY encouraging or limiting foreign trade? | ||
| Environment What needs to be done to preserve our air, water, energy, and land resources? How can we solve the problems of hazardous wastes? Acid rain? How should costs be apportioned? Are current regulations adequate? What about enforcement? | ||
| Government spending How do we set budget priorities? Are we spending too much on some programs? Too little on others? If cuts are needed, where and how should they be made? Do the effects of cuts fall unfairly on any one group? Is revenue adequate? What are the best revenue sources? | ||
| Foreign policy Should we take more of a leadership role in the world? What does that mean? What specific measures should we take to ease tension between the U.S. and the USSR? In the Middle East? In Latin America? Should we increase defense spending, or cut it back? How should defense dollars be spent? What about arms control? What should be the U.S. role in the United Nations? Should we invest more in economic development aid? | ||
| Social services What role should the government play in meeting the needs of the poor, the elderly, and the disabled? The special needs of women? How can we best help the disadvantaged to become self-sufficient? How can adequate housing be assured for all who need it? Should changes be made in Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare programs? Which levels of government can most fairly and effectively supply such services? |
