Energy
OBAMA - Supports offshore drilling. Would give incentives to the nuclear power industry to build 45 new nuclear power reactors by 2030. Would not give subsidies to the wind and solar power industries. Would offer tax credits and prizes to encourage car companies to develop automobiles with zero carbon emissions.
MCCAIN- Supports some offshore drilling. Supports subsidies for wind and solar energy but not nuclear, at least until safety concerns are resolved. Would increase federal investment in clean-energy technologies. Would increase federal fuel economy requirements beyond 35 mpg. Aims to put 1 million plug-in hybrid vehicles on the road by 2015 by giving $7,000 tax credits to people who buy them.
Global warming
OBAMA - Supports a cap-and-trade system that would require companies that exceed limits on their carbon emissions to buy emission credits from companies that pollute less. Calls for carbon emissions to be reduced 60 percent from 1990 levels by 2050.
MCCAIN- Supports a cap-and-trade system to control carbon emissions. Proposes a 10-year, $150 billion program to produce "climate friendly" energy to reduce carbon emissions by 80 percent from 1990 levels by 2050.
Education
OBAMA - Would reward successful Head Start education centers with extra funding. Would redirect federal money into preschool programs that offer children basic health care. Would allow families to choose schools by giving vouchers that could be used for tuition at private or charter schools. Supports No Child Left Behind. Has no plans to increase student aid in higher education.
MCCAIN- Would put $18 billion a year toward expanding existing preschool programs and toward merit pay for the best K-12 teachers. Would overhaul No Child Left Behind to change the way student progress is assessed. Would implement Teacher Service Scholarships, which would pay for four years of undergraduate or two years of graduate teacher education for those who agree to teach at least four years in needy districts. Would give a tax credit of up to $4,000 for college students who give 100 hours of community service.
Social issues
OBAMA - Calls for Roe v. Wade to be overturned. Supported a Supreme Court decision that upheld Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act but would not seek a constitutional amendment to ban abortion. Supports stem-cell research on existing lines of embryonic stem cells but not new lines. Supports a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage in California but opposes a federal ban.
