By Clarion Staff
This year’s presidential candidates are Democrats Bernie Sanders (U.S Senator from Vermont) and Hilary Clinton (former U.S. Secretary of State), and Republicans Donald Trump (businessman) and Ted Cruz (U.S. Senator from Texas). Here are the candidates’ views on five topics that might be important to teens.
Candidates / Women’s Rights / LGBTQ Rights / Guns / Education / EnvironmentBernie Sanders / Supports passage of the Paycheck Fairness Act, which would “help secure equal pay for equal work” for men and women.
He also supports Planned Parenthood and access to abortion. / Supports marriage and adoption rights for the LGBTQ community. / Wants to strengthen background checks, close “gun-show loophole,” which allows people to buy guns at gun shows or from private sellers without going through a background check, and supports assault weapon ban. / K-12: Supports Common Core standards
College: Make college free and increase faculty / Invest in “clean, sustainable energy” to combat climate change.
Opposes fracking, a controversial method of oil extraction using high pressure water and chemicals.
Hilary Clinton / Supports Paycheck Fairness Act, Planned Parenthood and access to abortion / She tweeted: "Every loving couple & family deserves to be recognized & treated equally under the law across our nation.” / Wants to strengthen background checks and close “gun-show loophole;” supports assault weapon ban / K-12: Finds Common Core standards “useful.”
College: Ensure no student has to borrow to pay for tuition, fees or books in their state. / Wants 500 million solar panels installed; generate enough renewable energy to power every home in America.
Fight climate change by cutting greenhouse gases to 30% below 2005 levels.
Would put conditions on fracking.
Donald Trump / Has not stated a position on the Paycheck Fairness Act; has said
“You’re going to make the same if you do as good a job.”
Opposes abortion; wants to eliminate federal funding for Planned Parenthood. / Wants to reverse Supreme Court’s ruling in favor of same-sex marriage; supports “religious freedom” laws, which allow people with strong religious beliefs to not provide services to homosexuals if it’s against their religion. / Believes gun laws are ineffective at preventing violence, and wants people in all states to be able to carry concealed weapons. He no longer supports ban on assault weapons. / K-12: Ban the Common Core.
College: No federal government profit from student loans. / On climate change, Trump Tweeted: “The concept of global warming was created by the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive.” He wants to eliminate the federal Environmental Protection Agency. “Oil is this country’s lifeblood.”
Supports fracking.
Ted Cruz / Opposed the Paycheck Fairness Act; says he supports equal pay.
Opposes
abortion; wants to defund Planned Parenthood / Wants to reverse Supreme Court’s ruling in favor of same-sex marriage; supports “religious freedom” laws, which allow people with strong religious beliefs to not provide services to homosexuals if it’s against their religion. / Second Amendment rights help us feel more “safe, secure and free.” / Eliminate Common Core and the federal Department of Education. / Doesn’t believe in global warming.
Introduced a bill to “prevent the federal government from regulating greenhouse gas emissions.”
Supports fewer restrictions on fracking.
Sources: Hillaryclinton.com, berniesanders.com, thinkprogress.org, feelthebern.org, cruz.senate.gov, energyfuse.org, worldenergysource.com, ontheissues.org, Twitter.org, donaldjtrump.com, washingtonexaminer.com, huffingtonpost.com, ACLU.org