BOOK SUMMARY by OnTheIssues.org:

This book puts OnTheIssues' web content into book form -- a direct comparison of issue stances -- not personal biographies, not political horserace analysis, not scandal histories. Each headline below is backed up with a referenced citation, in context, so you can compare for yourself what each candidate says. The comparisons are made convenient in a side-by-side layout, with book reviews and a VoteMatch issue summary at the end.

• Domestic Issues
• Economic Issues
• Social Issues
• International Issues
• Book Reviews
• VoteMatch questionnaire
• Other books in this series

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  Domestic Issues	Mitt Romney	Rick Perry
  On same-sex marriage:	MA Constitution, by John Adams, has no same-sex marriage	Gay marriage is not protected, but judges will declare it so
  On gays in the Boy Scouts:	1994: Gays ok in Boy Scouts	Homosexuals are inappropriate role model for adolescent boys
  On Mandatory Sentencing:	One Strike, You’re Ours: lifetime GPS tracking	Life without parole for certain repeat sex offenders
  On Capital Punishment:	Supports death penalty in heinous murders	Death penalty for aggravated rape
  On Gun Control:	Ok to ban lethal weapons that threaten police	Individual right to keep and bear arms
  On the War on Drugs:	Combat the ruthless narco-terrorists in Colombia	Drug trade causes soaring violence on southern border
  On medical marijuana:	Opposes legalization of recreational or medical marijuana	Medical marijuana OK for California, but not Texas
  On environment:	Clean environment will be a campaign theme	Stop declaring wildlife sanctuaries on water reservoirs
  On pollution permits:	States should be able to have their own emissions standards	Flexible permitting: cap emissions for entire facility
  On highway infrastructure:	Invest in infrastructure from growing economy by lower taxes	Trans-Texas corridor: 4000 miles of highway & utilities
  On technology education:	To compete globally, invest in education and technology	$40M for 5,500 students in Texas Technology Grants
  On insurance mandates:	Personal responsibility instead of employer mandates	Wipe out ObamaCare; block grant healthcare back to states
  On RomneyCare:	RomneyCare intended as state plan; never as national model	RomneyCare OK for Mass., but not for Texas nor US
  On federal vs. state health laws:	I stand by what I did in Massachusetts; but not ObamaCare	States innovate on healthcare; feds are one-size-fits-all

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  Economic Issues	Mitt Romney	Rick Perry
  On fiscal policy:	Avoid recession with immediate middle-income tax cuts	Balance our budget without raising taxes
  On small business:	TARP should not be used for auto company bailouts	Reduce business’ tax burden & regulatory climate
  On corporate regulation:	Corporations are people	Texas is the land of freedom from over-regulation
  On government spending:	The “Party of No” is ok when it comes to spending	Route to success is lower taxes & smaller government
  On capping government spending:	Cap how much government can spend as a percentage of GDP	Don’t trade tax increases for spending cuts; BBA instead
  On growth of government:	Liberals replace opportunity with dependency on government	America is great; Washington is broken
  On job growth:	Built long-term pipeline for MA jobs; so job growth is slow	We created 1M jobs in TX while US lost 2.5M
  On job losses:	FactCheck: Fewer US unemployed than Canadians employed	FactCheck: Texas job growth is strong, but pre-dated Perry
  On fixing Social Security:	Will try to fix Social Security without raising taxes	Trust Fund is an unsustainable Ponzi scheme
  On Social Security recipients:	Honor expectations of recipients, but take action for future	Solemn oath to people approaching retirement age
  On Social Security entitlements:	Entitlements: focus on future beyond next election	Entitlement programs are $115 trillion; we must cut them
  On tax relief:	Lowering taxes, like Bush tax cuts, grows the economy	Tax rebates & tax relief instead of government spending
  On taxing the rich:	Reduce the tax burden on middle-income families	Taxation is not the solution; live within our means instead

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  Social Issues	Mitt Romney	Rick Perry
  On Supreme Court and abortion:	Firmly pro-life; including Court nominations	abortion only for rape, incest, or maternal health
  On prenatal policy:	Was effectively pro-choice until cloning changed his opinion	Protect the unborn via sonogram requirement
  On legality of abortion:	No punishment for women who have partial birth Abortions	The right to privacy is fictitious
  On federal abortion laws:	Would be delighted to sign federal ban on all Abortions	Opposes federal abortion funding
  On stem cell research:	Stem cell research lofty goals don’t justify destroying life	Supports prohibiting human embryonic stem cell research
  On school prayer:	Schools can teach family values, but not religion or Prayer	Supports voluntary Prayer in public schools
  On school choice:	School choice over fat-cat CEOs of teachers’ unions	Choose from mix of public, charter & private schools
  On education vouchers:	Supported means-tested vouchers for public & private schools	Start a pilot voucher program in Texas
  On Department of Education:	Changed from closing Education Dept. to supporting NCLB	Do away with the Department of Education
  On a family values:	Child development enhanced by having a mother & father	Free speech for “Coming Out Day” but not “Family Values"?
  On family strength:	Strong military, strong economy, and strong families	We gravitate to bad behavior unless we revere authority
  On religious independence:	Freedom requires religion just as religion requires freedom	Supreme Court shouldn’t choose how & where we may pray
  On religious freedom:	Freedom requires religion in society, not in individuals	It’s about freedom OF religion, not freedom FROM religion
  On religious faith:	Americans want person of faith as president, whatever brand	Secular humanism emanates out of man’s sin of pride
  On homelessness vs. dependency:	Opportunity is in our DNA; dependency is death to initiative	Many homelessness chose their lifestyle; take a hard approach

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  International Issues	Mitt Romney	Rick Perry
  On energy efficient cars:	$20 billion package for energy research & new car technology	$5,000 incentive for Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles
  On climate costs:	Exporting carbon emissions to China hurts US and planet	Flexible permitting: cap emissions for entire facility
  On global warming:	They don’t call it “America warming” but “global warming”	Manmade global warming: “It’s-All-Our-Fault” theory
  On nuclear energy:	Develop energy technology like nuclear or liquefied coal	Use federal funds for nuclear cleanup, with state input
  On free trade:	Re-negotiate trade deals with China and other countries	Welcome market of united Europe & growing China & India
  On China policy:	China doesn’t want to have a trade war; so push hard	Focus on bringing jobs back from China like we did in Texas
  On border security:	Priorities: secure border, employer verification, no amnesty	Secure the Mexican border against drug cartels
  On illegal immigration:	I like legal immigration; let business determine visas	Illegal immigration cost Texas $928M in one year
  On immigrant benefits:	Turn off the magnet that attracts immigrants	Free in-state tuition regardless of immigration status
  On foreign policy:	Unless US changes course, we’ll no longer be superpower	America shouldn’t be in the business of adventurism
  On the War on Terror:	To win the war on jihad, we need friends in Muslim world	Iraq: combat terror on their turf, not ours
  On Guantanamo:	Closing Gitmo leaves America vulnerable to another 9/11	Unsettled policy on Guantanamo signals weakness to enemies
  On Afghanistan War:	Stay in Afghanistan until our generals say to leave	Secure freedom for oppressed people in Iraq and Afghanistan

  OnTheIssues.org excerpts:  (click on issues for details)

  Corporations     Mitt Romney: Rick Perry's corporate policy stances compared to Romney's.

  Education     Mitt Romney: Gov. Perry's education policy stances compared to Romney's.

  Foreign Policy     Rick Perry: Mitt Romney's foreign policy stances compared to Perry's.

  Health Care     Rick Perry: Mitt Romney healthcare stances compared to Perry.

  
  

  Click for quotations from other sources by:
  • Mitt Romney
  • Rick Perry

  The above quotations are from Perry vs. Romney On The Issues:
  Side-by-side stances on the issues
  by Jesse Gordon of OnTheIssues.org.

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  VoteMatch Social Issues	Romney	vs.	Perry
  Abortion is a woman’s right	Opposes		Strongly Opposes
  Require companies to hire more women & minorities	Strongly Favors		Neutral
  Same-sex domestic partnership benefits	Opposes		Strongly Opposes
  Teacher-led prayer in public schools	Strongly Favors		Strongly Favors
  Parents choose schools via vouchers	Strongly Favors		Favors
  VoteMatch Domestic Issues	Romney	vs.	Perry
  More federal funding for health coverage	Favors		Strongly Opposes
  Death Penalty	Strongly Favors		Strongly Favors
  Mandatory Three Strikes sentencing laws	Strongly Favors		Favors
  Absolute right to gun ownership	Opposes		Strongly Favors
  Drug use is immoral: enforce laws against it	Strongly Favors		Favors
  VoteMatch Economic Issues	Romney	vs.	Perry
  Privatize Social Security	Strongly Favors		Favors
  Make taxes more progressive	Strongly Opposes		Strongly Opposes
  Stricter limits on political campaign funds	Opposes		Opposes
  Allow churches to provide welfare services	Favors		Favors
  Replace coal & oil with alternatives	Opposes		Opposes
  VoteMatch International Issues	Romney	vs.	Perry
  Illegal immigrants earn citizenship	Opposes		Neutral
  Support & expand free trade	Neutral		Favors
  The Patriot Act harms civil liberties	Strongly Opposes		Strongly Opposes
  Expand the armed forces	Strongly Favors		Strongly Favors
  US out of Iraq & Afghanistan	Strongly Opposes		Strongly Opposes

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