What is PCTvote?

PCTvote is a blogsite created by Pennsylvania College of Technology students of the Spring 2008 Special Topics class of ENL2993 (Argument in the Real World) with one goal in mind: to educate and actuate college-aged students on the issues they care about. Our goal is to get students to register to vote in the 2008 election by focusing on issues you, the students, care about. We're focusing on a few issues that may not get as much mainstream attention and yet may directly affect you in some way or may be an issue you care deeply about.

We're here to inform you not only on these issues, but to make you aware that you can make a difference by voting for a candidate that supports your views. This blogsite was created more specifically to educate you on what the presidential candidates' stances are on a few issues you may care strongly about. We then hope you stop by the Susquehanna Room on May 1st, 2008 between 9:30AM and 11:00AM to learn even more and register to vote. We will be providing voter registration forms at the booth.

Drug Policy

Like drugs? Hate Drugs? Want marijuana legalized or decriminalized? Want it to remain illegal? Whatever your stance is on drug policy in the United States, voting in the 2008 election could change current laws on drug policy. The information below was taken courtesy of OnTheIssues.org.

Barack Obama (Democratic Jr Senator (IL)):
* Look at needle exchange; and expand treatment. (Feb 2008)
* Fight to rid our communities of meth. (Feb 2008)
* Expand drug courts; help prisoners with substance abuse. (Feb 2008)
* 2001: questions harsh penalties for drug dealing. (Oct 2007)
* Not first candidate to use drugs, but first honest about it. (Oct 2007)
* Do not lower drinking age from 21 to 18. (Sep 2007)
* Experimented with cocaine but turned down heroin. (Aug 2007)
* A "secret smoker", especially around reporters. (Aug 2007)
* Smokes cigarettes now; smoked some pot in high school. (Feb 2007)
* Admitted marijuana use in high school & college. (Jan 2007)
* Deal with street-level drug dealing as minimum-wage affair. (Oct 2006)
* Understand why youngsters want to use drugs. (Aug 1996)
* Require chemical resellers to certify against meth use. (Sep 2007)

Hillary Clinton (Democratic Jr Senator (NY)):
* Reduce sentencing disparity for crack, but not retroactively. (Dec 2007)
* 1969: held herself aloof from college drug counterculture. (Jul 2007)
* Divert non-violent drug offenders away from prison. (Jun 2007)
* Address drug problem with treatment and special drug courts. (Oct 2000)
* Involved parents most influential in reducing teen drug use. (Sep 1996)
* Require chemical resellers to certify against meth use. (Sep 2007)

John McCain (Republican Sr Senator (AZ)):
* Mexico should extradite drug dealers to the US. (Mar 2007)
* Administration is AWOL on the war on drugs. (Mar 2000)
* Public/private partnerships for drug treatment. (Jan 2000)
* Prevention & education apply to alcohol as well as marijuana. (Oct 1999)
* We’re losing drug war - just say no. (Oct 1999)
* $1B for detection equipment for more border interdiction. (Mar 1999)
* Mexico: balancing act between free trade & stopping drugs. (Mar 1999)
* Restrict methadone treatment programs. (Feb 1999)
* Stricter penalties; stricter enforcement. (Jul 1998)
* Voted YES on spending international development funds on drug control. (Jul 1996)

Ron Paul (Republican Representative (TX-14); former LIbertarian for President):
* War on drugs is out of control; revert control to states. (Dec 2007)
* Repeal most federal drug laws; blacks are treated unfairly. (Sep 2007)
* Inner-city minorities are punished unfairly in war on drugs. (Sep 2007)
* $500B on War on Drugs since 1970s has been a total failure. (Sep 2007)
* Legalize industrial hemp. (Jan 2007)
* Drug War fosters violence at home & breeds resentment abroad. (Oct 2001)
* Societal inconsistency on alcohol contributes to drug use. (Dec 1987)
* Voted NO on military border patrols to battle drugs & terrorism. (Sep 2001)
* Voted NO on subjecting federal employees to random drug tests. (Sep 1998)
* War on Drugs has abused Bill of Rights . (Dec 2000)
* Legalize medical marijuana. (Jul 2001)
* Rated A by VOTE-HEMP, indicating a pro-hemp voting record. (Dec 2003)
* Rated +30 by NORML, indicating a pro-drug-reform stance. (Dec 2006)
* Allow rehabilitated drug convicts get student loans. (Jan 2008)

For full quotes and more information please visit the OnTheIssues.org Drugs page here: http://ontheissues.org/Drugs.htm

The Environment

Courtesy of OnTheIssues.org, below are the presidential candidates' views on environmental issues. If you care about the environment, selecting the right candidate that supports your views on the environment can help make a difference on the issues you care about this coming election.

Barack Obama (Democratic Jr Senator (IL)):
* Regulate animal feeding operations for pollution. (Feb 2008)
* Will end the notion of Yucca Mountain nuclear storage. (Jan 2008)
* Promote green technologies and fuel efficiency standards. (Dec 2007)
* Organized inner-city recycling; fought environmental racism. (Oct 2007)
* Reduce mercury and lead to protect community health. (Aug 2007)
* Protect the Great Lakes & our National Parks and Forests. (Aug 2007)
* 1985: Organized asbestos removal in Chicago housing project. (Aug 2007)
* Passed lead abatement & 24 other laws in IL Senate. (Aug 2007)
* Give Katrina contracts to locals, not to Halliburton. (Jun 2007)
* Scored 60% on Humane Society Scorecard on animal protection. (Jan 2007)
* Three months working on minority students recycling. (Aug 1996)
* Voted YES on including oil & gas smokestacks in mercury regulations. (Sep 2005)
* Tax credit to remove lead-based housepaint. (Nov 2005)
* Establish commission to examine Katrina response. (Sep 2005)
* Sponsored health impact bill for environmental health. (Apr 2006)
* Strengthen prohibitions against animal fighting. (Jan 2007)

Hillary Clinton (Democratic Jr Senator (NY)):
* $5B for green-collar jobs in economic stimulus package. (Jan 2008)
* Voted against and consistently opposed to Yucca Mountain. (Jan 2008)
* A comprehensive energy plan as our Apollo moon shot. (Jan 2008)
* Advocate a cap and trade system. (Dec 2007)
* Better track kids' products for exposures to toxic materials. (Dec 2007)
* Support green-collar job training. (Aug 2007)
* Put someone in charge of Katrina recovery who actually cares. (Aug 2007)
* Overcome almost criminal indifference to Katrina rebuilding. (Jun 2007)
* Launched EPA study of air quality at Ground Zero. (Jun 2007)
* Scored 100% on Humane Society Scorecard on animal protection. (Jan 2007)
* Stands for clean air and funding the EPA. (Sep 2000)
* Reduce air pollution to improve children’s health. (Jun 1998)
* Voted YES on including oil & gas smokestacks in mercury regulations. (Sep 2005)
* Voted NO on confirming Gale Norton as Secretary of Interior. (Jan 2001)
* Remove PCBs from Hudson River by dredging 200 miles. (Apr 2001)
* Rated 89% by the LCV, indicating pro-environment votes. (Dec 2003)
* EPA must do better on mercury clean-up. (Apr 2004)
* Sponsored bill for tax credit to remove lead-based paint. (Nov 2005)
* Sponsored bill for commission to examine Katrina response. (Sep 2005)
* Sponsored health impact bill for environmental health. (Apr 2006)
* Strengthen prohibitions against animal fighting. (Jan 2007)

John McCain (Republican Sr Senator (AZ)):
* Support much tougher regulations on emission requirements. (Jan 2008)
* FactCheck: Criticized $3M "bear DNA" study, but voted for it. (Nov 2007)
* Economic & environmental interests not mutually exclusive. (Sep 2007)
* Scored 40% on Humane Society Scorecard on animal protection. (Jan 2007)
* Preserve and help our National Parks. (Jan 2000)
* Repeal ban on new roads in wilderness due to bad process. (Dec 1999)
* Use park visitor fees for park development bonds. (Dec 1999)
* Preserve natural resources for future. (Jul 1999)
* Voted YES on including oil & gas smokestacks in mercury regulations. (Sep 2005)
* Voted YES on confirming Gale Norton as Secretary of Interior. (Jan 2001)
* Voted YES on transportation demo projects. (Mar 1998)
* Voted NO on reducing funds for road-building in National Forests. (Sep 1997)
* Voted NO on continuing desert protection in California. (Oct 1994)
* Voted YES on requiring EPA risk assessments. (May 1994)
* End commercial whaling and illegal trade in whale meat. (Jun 2001)
* Supports grants for brownfields remediation. (May 2002)
* Make EPA into a Cabinet department. (May 2002)
* Rated 53% by the LCV, indicating a mixed record on environment. (Dec 2003)
* EPA must do better on mercury clean-up. (Apr 2004)
* Focus on results, not regulation. (Sep 1998)

Ron Paul (Republican Representative (TX-14); former LIbertarian for President):
* Neglected property rights during the industrial revolution. (Jan 2008)
* Property rights are the foundation of all rights. (Sep 2007)
* Scored 14% on Humane Society Scorecard on animal protection. (Jan 2007)
* Voted NO on increasing AMTRAK funding by adding $214M to $900M. (Jun 2006)
* Voted YES on barring website promoting Yucca Mountain nuclear waste dump. (May 2006)
* Voted NO on speeding up approval of forest thinning projects. (Nov 2003)
* Rated 5% by the LCV, indicating anti-environment votes. (Dec 2003)
* Give tax breaks for start-up farms for 10-year commitment. (Jan 2008)

For full quotes and more information please visit the OnTheIssues.org Environment page here: http://ontheissues.org/Environment.htm

Student Loans/Grants

Student loans and grants can be a primary concern amongst college students. Below are the main presidential candidates' views on this issue.

Barack Obama (Democratic Jr Senator (IL)):
* Create the American Opportunity Tax Credit: Obama will make college affordable for all Americans by creating a new American Opportunity Tax Credit. This universal and fully refundable credit will ensure that the first $4,000 of a college education is completely free for most Americans, and will cover two-thirds the cost of tuition at the average public college or university and make community college tuition completely free for most students. Obama will also ensure that the tax credit is available to families at the time of enrollment by using prior year's tax data to deliver the credit when tuition is due.
* Simplify the Application Process for Financial Aid: Obama will streamline the financial aid process by eliminating the current federal financial aid application and enabling families to apply simply by checking a box on their tax form, authorizing their tax information to be used, and eliminating the need for a separate application

Hillary Clinton (Democratic Jr Senator (NY)):
* Create a new $3,500 college tax credit.
* Increase the maximum Pell Grant.
* Strengthen community colleges through a $500 million investment.
* Create a graduation fund to increase college graduation rates.
* Increase to $10,000 the college scholarship for those who participate in AmeriCorps full-time for one year.
* Get rid of the red tape in financial aid.
* Hold college costs down and hold colleges accountable for results though an online college cost calculator, a college graduation and employment rate index, and truth in tuition disclosure.
* Challenge selective colleges to expand access for students from low-income communities.

John McCain (Republican Sr Senator (AZ)):
While an advocate of charter schools and school vouchers, McCain believes that more than the market is needed for schools to produce educated, thoughtful and well-rounded citizens. He’s mentioned starting a corps of retired professionals to tutor children, teaching values in school, and helping unqualified teachers find another career (while rewarding effective teachers). McCain has not overlooked higher education, co-sponsoring the Education A-Plus Bill allowing parents to open tax-free savings account for education and related expenses. He is a proponent of states taking the lead in education.