By TYLER HOWARD
The Delphos Herald

Ohio has played a crucial role in the past two presidential elections and this time around things appear no different. As a warm-up to the general election that will start in the fall,  this Tuesday, Ohio is one of four states (Texas, Rhode Island,  and Vermont) holding primary elections. There are several questions looming around Tuesday’s events;   the national media will pay  close attention as to  how Ohio votes.
Will Hillary Clinton win and revive her lagging campaign? Or will Barack Obama continue his surge of momentum and leave Clinton in his wake? Will John McCain dominate and thus legitimize his conservative credentials? Or will Mike Huckabee do well and open up more questions as to McCain’s support within his own party?
Ohio voters will help answer these questions and more on Tuesday. And to help voters pick the candidate that best represents their interests, here is a quick rundown of the candidates and their positions on major issues.

Barack Obama
Economy: Obama believes the first step to restoring fiscal discipline to Washington is the reinforcement of the PAYGO (pay-as-you-go) rules. This requires that all new spending is funded by cuts to other programs or new revenue, not simply by piling on more debt.
Obama plans to provide tax relief to the middle class by offering a “Making Work Pay” tax credit of up to $500 per person or $1,000 per working family. He vows to protect tax cuts for the poor and middle class but reverse tax cuts for the wealthy.
He promises to stop funding wasteful government programs and stop offering oil and gas companies subsidies that are allowing them to enjoy record profits. He claims that by closing the special- interest corporate loopholes that currently exist, he can level the playing field for all businesses. He vows to stop the practice of giving tax credits to companies that ship jobs overseas and start giving tax credits to companies that keep jobs in the U.S.
Iraq:
The only candidate who opposed the war since the beginning, Obama is quick to point out that as a candidate for Senate in 2002, he put his political future on the line by calling the invasion “an occupation of undetermined length, with undetermined costs, and undetermined consequences.”
He plans to start withdrawing troops immediately, one to two combat brigades per month, and have all of them out in 16 months. He wants to re-engage the United Nations and pressure the Iraqi government to take responsibility for their future. Although he plans to keep some troops in Iraq to protect our embassy and diplomats, he does not plan to build any permanent bases.
Healthcare:
Obama’s healthcare plan is a step toward universal coverage, but not a leap. It is similar to the plan Mitt Romney successfully enforced as Governor of Massachusetts, in that it is a combination of government and employer-based coverage. No one will be turned away because of a pre-existing condition, and no child will be left uncovered. Obama argues that his plan is realistic and enforceable and will focus on lowering costs. Clinton and other critics often argue that his plan will leave 15 million uninsured. He counters by saying that everyone who wants coverage will be able to afford it, but, unlike Clinton’s plan, he won’t require everybody to have it.
Education:
Obama plans to emphasize early education in an effort to prevent students from falling behind as they progress through school. He wants to reform “No Child Left Behind” by increasing funding and making sure all the efforts don’t go to standardized testing.
Obama plans to introduce the “American Opportunity Tax Credit” which will make the first $4,000 of college education free in exchange for community service.
Energy & Environment:
Obama’s plan aims to reduce carbon emissions 80% by 2050. It will do so through a market-based cap-and-trade system that ensures all polluters pay for every ton of emissions they release.
He vows to invest $150 billion over 10 years in clean energy and supporting next- generation biofuels. In doing so, he plans to reduce oil consumption by at least 35%, or 10 million barrels per day, by 2030. He also plans to double fuel economy standards within 18 years.

Hillary Clinton
Economy:
The similarities between Clinton and Obama’s positions on the issues vastly outweigh the differences. Both stress the importance of closing the gap between the wealthy and the middle class and both vow to repeal the portions of the Bush tax cuts that benefit the wealthy.
When it comes to trade, Clinton has received some criticism lately for flip-flopping on NAFTA, which was passed under her husband’s administration. She now says the agreement is effective but needs reform and vows to appoint a “trade enforcement officer” if elected. She wants to overhaul the Trade Adjustment Assistance program that ensures workers who have had their jobs shipped overseas receive the support they need.
Clinton plans to return the income tax rates for upper-income Americans to what we had under her husband in the 1990s.
Iraq:
Despite voting for the war authorization in 2002, Clinton now denounces the war and vows to start bringing troops home within the first 60 days. She would support the use of a U.N. representative to help encourage peace among the parties in Iraq.
After withdrawing the troops, Clinton plans to spearhead a multi-billion-dollar effort to address the needs of Iraqi refugees.
Healthcare:
Clinton calls her proposal the “American Health Choices Plan,” and claims it covers all Americans, lowers cost, and improves quality. The key word in Clinton’s plan is “choice.” She vows to offer citizens the choice between keeping their current plan or picking from dozens of government plans.
Unlike Obama, her plan is truly universal. The problem is that those who refuse to pay for their care must be dealt with by mandates or fines. This is where things can get complicated. Obama claims, under his plan, all those who want health care will be able to afford it. Clinton claims, under hers, everyone will have it. How it would be enforced is a matter of contention between the two candidates.
Education:
Similar to Obama, Clinton stresses early education and vows to invest heavily in nurse home visitation programs, quality child care, and pre-kindergarten for all four-year olds.
She vows to end No Child Left Behind.
Clinton’s plan emphasizes early-intervention mentoring programs and identifying at-risk youth. She will invest $1 billion in interventions and $100 million in a summer internship program.
Energy & Environment:
There is virtually no difference between Clinton and Obama’s stance on energy. Both want to increase biofuels, reduce oil dependency, and invest $150 billion in clean fuel over the next 10 years.

John McCain
Economy:
McCain initially opposed Bush’s tax cuts in 2001 and 2003, saying that too many of the benefits went to the wealthy. He has since changed his tune, and now promises to make those tax cuts permanent if elected.
McCain believes in increasing transparency and reducing the amount of taxpayer dollars that are diverted to special interest pet projects.
He plans to repeal the “Alternative Minimum Tax” which he claims will save middle class families an average of $2,700. He also plans to cut the corporate tax rate from 35% to 25%.
McCain believes in lowering barriers to trade, reforming social security, and controlling Medicare growth.
Iraq:
McCain’s goals in Iraq are the same as everybody else’s: Strengthen the Iraqi Armed Forces and accelerate the political progress and economic reconstruction. He believes that the way to achieve this is to send more troops to Iraq and strengthen our military commitment there. A strong proponent of the surge, he believes bolstering our troop presence is the key to success in Iraq.
In addition, McCain believes we need to intensify pressure on Syria and Iran and force them to change their behavior.
Healthcare:
McCain plans to reform the current system in an attempt to lower costs and improve care. He plans to do so by promoting competition and reforming the payment systems in Medicare. The key word to McCain’s view is “reform.” His Web site lists generic promises of improvement with little detail as to how that improvement would take place beyond simply “reforming” the system.
Education:
He stresses “excellence, choice, and competition.” He supports No Child Left Behind and believes that if a student is not feeling challenged at their school they should be free to change schools.  He emphasizes the role of parents and stresses the importance of making it easy for parents to move their children from failing schools.
Energy & Environment:
McCain vows to promote the diversification and conservation of our energy sources while reducing the impact of our energy consumption and dependency on foreign oil.
He calls himself a “leader on the issue of global warming.” He plans to limit carbon emissions by encouraging market forces to bring advanced technologies to the market. He believes that while the government should set reasonable goals, the market should be producing the means.

Mike Huckabee
Economy:
Huckabee wants to completely eliminate all federal income and payroll taxes, social security and Medicare.
Iraq:
Huckabee believes that the war is a key part of our “ideological war on terror.” He supports the surge and thinks that it will eventually provide a window of opportunity for the Iraq government to succeed on its own.
Health Care:
Huckabee calls the health care system “broken.” He believes we need to focus on preventive care in an effort to reduce the amount of money we spend on chronic disease.
Education:
He thinks that the education system should put more emphasis on what he calls the “Weapons of Mass Destruction,” — music and art. He also supports home schooling and charter schools and reforming No Child Left Behind.
Energy & Environment:
Huckabee vows that we will achieve energy independence by the end of his second term. He supports pursuing all avenues of alternative energy.

Ron Paul
Economy:
Paul supports lowering taxes but his Web site fails to mention any specific plan. He opposes all free trade deals.
Iraq:
A vocal critic of the war, Paul vows to withdraw all troops immediately if elected.
Healthcare:
Paul plans to make all medical expenses tax deductible, remove federal regulations, encourage competition, and offer citizens more choices.
Education:
Paul believes in abolishing the Department of Education and returning its functions to the states.
Energy & Environment:
Paul vows to restore a free-market in energy and repeal federal regulations and taxes that slow the development of new energy sources.