Presidential Candidates at-a-glance Series .... continued

BARACK OBAMA: date of birth- 8.4.61; married to Michelle Obama, two children- Malia and Sasha; United Church of Christ; Harvard Law School, Occidental College, Columbia University; Lawyer and Senator from Illinois.

BARACK’S ISSUES and what stood out:
* Plans to begin to withdrawing troops immediately those engaged in combat will be withdrawn at a pace of one or two brigades every month, to be completed by the end of next year.
* Has a detailed health care plan --- will save a typical American family up to $2,500 every year on premiums by:
Providing affordable, comprehensive and portable health coverage for every American;
Modernizing the U.S. health care system to contain spiraling health care costs and improve the quality of patient care; and
Promoting prevention and strengthening public health to prevent disease and protect against natural and man-made disasters.
* Obama plans to cover the uninsured and employers will be required to contribute a percentage of payroll toward the costs of the national plan. It will be mandatory that all children have health coverage and Medicaid and SCHIP will be expanded.
* Wants to ensure that all working people have the right to unionize, an estimated 60 million Americans would join a union if given the chance. Too many companies (including the one I work for) deny their employees the right to organize a union.
* In education, Obama plans to increase funding for Head Start, put high quality teachers in low income classrooms, give more summer school opportunities to low income students, and make college more affordable (wants to increase Pell Grant’s maximum amount to $5,100.
* Believes there needs to be a focus on both urban and rural poverty, and still believes there are things that need to be done in New Orleans for Katrina victims.
* Obama believes we should be taking better care of our veterans.
1. Shelter and rehabilitate homeless veterans
2. Fight for Illinois veterans fair share of disability benefits
3. Feeding recovering wounded veterans
4. Treating Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury
5. Ease the transition of veterans into society when they come back from war

www.barackobama.com