The Homeschool Vote: Election 2012

Whom the U.S. chooses in the 2012 presidential election might well set the future course for homeschooling in America.

As families who cherish the freedom and right to teach our children with Bible-based homeschool curriculum, we need to be informed and scrutinize the agendas of each candidate. To help you make an educated vote next month, learn where Democratic President Barack Obama and Republican Gov. Mitt Romney stand on key issues.

(Note: The information listed on this page has been provided solely as a courtesy and does not endorse a political candidate).

President Barack Obama at a Glance
Profession - President of the United States, lawyer
Wife: Michelle
Daughters: Sasha and Malia

Gov. Mitt Romney at a Glance
Profession - Former governor of Massachusetts, CEO of Bain & Company
Wife: Anne
Sons: Tagg, Matt, Ben, Craig, and Josh

HOMESCHOOLING

Obama: In his 2008 book, The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream, Obama wrote, "None of these policies needs discourage families from deciding to keep a parent at home, regardless of the financial sacrifices. For some families, that may mean doing without certain material comforts. For others, it may mean home schooling ... Whatever the case may be, such decisions should be honored."

In his prepared remarks for a 2009 back-to-school speech to Virginia students, he said, "When I was young, my family lived in Indonesia for a few years, and my mother didn't have the money to send me where all the American kids went to school. So she decided to teach me extra lessons herself, Monday through Friday at 4:30 in the morning."

Romney: Romney believes parents who want to homeschool their kids should be able to do so. To help them, he will provide a tax credit to help defray the educational expenses of parents who homeschool their kids.

"I also believe parents who are teaching their kids at home, homeschoolers, deserve a break, and I've asked for a tax credit to help parents in their homes with the cost of being an at-home teacher," Romney said in 2009.

EDUCATION

Obama proposes doubling funding for Pell Grants and establishing a college tax credit, as well as:

• Partnering with states to raise K-12 educational standards and rewarding states for participating in the Race to the Top program

• Forgiving remaining student loan balances for teachers and public service professionals after 10 years of service

• Capping repayments on federal student loans at 10% of income

• Calling for incentives to keep the best teachers in the classrooms

• Giving states the flexibility to create their own plans for reform, relieving states from certain restrictions of the No Child Left Behind law

• Expanding and strengthening Head Start and Early Head Start

• Investing in community colleges to provide education and career-training programs

• Ensuring a good future for veterans through the post-9/11 G.I. Bill, which has helped more than 800,000 veterans and their families pursue an education

• Producing the highest proportion of college graduates in the world by the year 2020

• Allocating funds to develop tests that align with common core standards

Romney proposes replacing current regulation with innovation and competition, as well as:

• Allowing low income and special needs students to choose which school to attend by making Title I and IDEA funds portable

• Welcoming private sector participation

• Tying federal education directly to reforms that expand parental choice

• Building on the success of effective charter and digital schools

• Expanding the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program to serve as a model for the nation

• Reforming No Child Left Behind by emphasizing transparency and responsibility for results

• Attracting and rewarding great teachers through increased flexibility

• Strengthening and simplifying the financial aid system

• Rewarding teachers for results instead of tenure

HEALTH CARE

Obama supports increasing the access and affordability of health care, as well as:

• Strengthening Medicare through The Affordable Care Act

• Putting women in control of their health and stopping insurance companies from charging women more than men for the same coverage

• Ensuring access to free preventive care for everyone through Obamacare

Romney proposes repealing and replacing Obamacare, as well as:

• Pursuing policies that give each state the power to craft a health care reform plan that is best for its own citizens

• Promoting free market, fair competition and empowering consumers to make their own choices

• Blocking grant Medicaid and other payments to states and limiting federal standards on both private insurance and Medicaid coverage

• Preventing discrimination against individuals with pre-existing conditions who maintain continuous coverage

JOBS & THE ECONOMY

Obama supports initiating the Recovery Act, as well as:

• Continually adding jobs to the manufacturing industry and encouraging growth

• Eliminating tax breaks for companies that ship jobs overseas and creating incentives for businesses to bring jobs back to America

• Reforming Wall Street and ensuring that big banks operate by the same rules

Romney supports rebuilding the economy through free enterprise and innovation, as well as:

• Reducing taxes, spending, regulation, and government programs

• Increasing trade, energy production, human capital, and labor flexibility

• Relinquishing power to the states

TAXES & THE BUDGET

Obama supports cutting taxes for working Americans, as well as:

• Asking millionaires to pay their fair share of taxes with no household making more than $1 million annually paying a smaller share of their income than a middle-class family pays

• Investing in education, manufacturing, and infrastructure

• Bringing discretionary spending to its lowest level as a share of the economy in more than 50 years

• Reducing the deficit by more than $4 trillion over the next decade

Romney supports a fairer, flatter, and simpler tax policy, as well as:

• Repealing the Alternative Minimum Tax

• Making a permanent, across-the-board 20 percent cut in marginal rates

• Maintaining current tax rates on interest, dividends, and capital gains

• Switching to a territorial tax system

CIVIL RIGHTS

Obama supports equal pay for equal work, as well as:

• Ensuring that women can get birth control, preventive care, and breast and cervical cancer screenings with no co-pay or deductible, which are stipulations of Obamacare

• Allowing women's health care choices to be personal decisions

• Supporting marriage between same-sex couples

Romney supports overturning Roe v. Wade, as well as:

• Barring the use of federal funds for abortions, as outlined in the Hyde Amendment

• Preserving the tradition of marriage between a man and a woman

• Repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"

Sources: www.barackobama.com, www.mittromney.com

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Comments(17 comments)

JASON M 10/04/2012 06:30:07

While this list shows what each candidate has said, Obama has had four years to do and has not. He has cancelled vouchers for lower income families to get into private schools (where his children go). The affordable heathcare act isn\'t affordable. It has pused up the cost of insurance $2,500. a year. Obama says he supports manufacturing job grow but we have seen no growth in 4 years. Romney has a record of creating job, Obama has a record and its all in the wrong direction. Not to mention the crush of relegious freedoms by Obama already. Can you imagine what 4 years of unchecked power would look like against Christians. \"The future does not belong to those who slander the prophet mohamed\" - Barack Heussen Obama

SARA K 10/04/2012 07:21:42

I also wanted to explain that Obama\'s health care does not include previous conditions. I know because I have one and for 6 months my bills didn\'t get paid by my insurance because I was fighting with them every day. They finally in the end paid them but if I had changed jobs, which is what they were saying, and maybe didn\'t have health care for one day or week, the law states they could give me year waiting period. So I could have health care but not for my condition. So if I couldn\'t afford it I guess I would die. I read the law, it was very confusing and not what Obama said. The insurance company was not nice about it either and I did a lot of praying during that time.

JENNIFER I 10/04/2012 07:45:03

I think the comments about where Obama stands are misleading. They are taken from his book. His book? You need to look at what he is trying to control. You need to look at his ACTIONS and his policies and not some emotionally charged literature written for the sole purpose of making him a \'likeable guy.\' I\'m not really pleased with this article because all the facts are not there. This article is very misleading and could deceive a lot of people who aren\'t in touch with the realities of what is happening in these different areas. I\'m shocked. Truly shocked at this!

LAURA D 10/04/2012 08:56:17

I agree with the other comments so far. I think they are very misleading. These \'facts\' on Obama are what he says when it is beneficial for him, but it is not at all what he does or believes. I am disappointed in AOP.

ANDREA W 10/04/2012 09:39:39

Who wrote this article?!

First, it starts out comparing the two candidates then after first comparison it turns into an ad for Obama.

Second, like others have pointed out, these are just talking points. They aren\'t proof that he has done ANYTHING! From where I sit, the education system has been on a downward spiral and Obama has done absolutely NOTHING to stop the downfall and correct the damage.

He certainly hasn\'t done ONE SINGLE THING for homeschoolers.

BOBBIE H 10/04/2012 10:42:05

We need to make sure that Obama is not our president any longer let us Christians take a stand.

PAMELA R 10/04/2012 11:29:15

WOW! Who wrote this Barack Obama\'s press secretary! I would have expected much better from Alpha Omega! This is definitely making me think twice about them. Alpha Omega states that they are posting this to help people make a more informed decision, ok, but this sounds like the lame stream media spoon feeding Obama\'s talking points without any intellectual honesty! Many of these points are factually inaccurate. Very disappointed!

KIM J 10/04/2012 12:43:11

Regardless of who is president, it\'s Congress who makes the laws. Presidents may be able to propose, politic, and veto, but they are unable to do what they SAY they are going to do without cooperation of the rest of the Federal government. Personally, I take all campaign promises with a very large gain of salt.

LISA H 10/04/2012 13:39:56

Obama \"says\" a lot of things - but his actions have shown repeatedly that what he says and what he does are opposite things. I have to agree with Pamela R. above.

The #1 \'thing\' that stands out to me is the FACT that Obama and his administration and the Democrats (who have been in \'control\' for the most part) of Congress, would like very much to push through the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child - to sign this \'treaty\' would effectively sign away any rights to home school in our Country...it may not be immediate, but it will happen. The UNCRC is against home schools, the right of parents to \'parent\' their children or have any real \'say so\' in raising their children with regards to education, health, discipline etc. This is why HSLDA and Michael Farris have been working SO hard to pass the Parental Rights Amendment.

So, this article is bogus in its\' attempt to paint Obama as \"home school friendly\" - he is quite the opposite.

I too am beginning to wonder who at Alpha Omega Institute could allow such biased writing. I\'ve used AOP materials for nearly 15+yrs and this has me a little worried.

JENNY M 10/04/2012 14:25:10

I am beyond stunned! This looks like nothing but a blatant endorsement of Barack Obama. I am rethinking my use of Alpha Omega curriculum.

KATHY D 10/04/2012 20:13:37

I agree that this article is misleading! Why would AOP put this out? Since when is Birth Control a Civil Right?!! \" Allowing women\'s health care choices to be personal decisions\" like Romney will not allow women to make health decisions? CRAZY! Boo AOP!

KARI B 10/05/2012 08:54:57

Kari B.

This is supposed to be a christian publisher!! Why would this publishing company support Obama, who clearly does not stand up for biblical morals and values!

LORI P 10/06/2012 07:06:49

AOP is simply presenting each candidate\'s stance on these issues AS THEY HAVE BEEN PRESENTED in order to be fair and responsible - it is up to us to use the brains that God has given us to understand what is true and what is not. It is easy, in our crazy hectic lives, to quickly lose track of what each candidate has claimed - this is extremely helpful to me to get everything on one page again so I can see for myself what they\'ve put on the table... to reinforce each candidate\'s credibility. Obama has spread out his stale lies from 2008 with no new plans but to continue taking us down the same wrong and destructive road, so all of his bullet points score him a big fat zero in my grade book.

Track records aside, there are significant differences in ideologies, even as claimed by the candidates, which make it clear where their hearts actually lie or where those ideologies stem from. For instance, Obama simply says he\'s fine with folks home schooling if they want to... well yippee, right? Romney shows his compassion for the struggles the home schooling family faces and has a plan to help them financially... he truly understands the value of home schooling and wants to encourage more people to consider it an option.

Another example: Obama is so intent and focused on his Socialist ideologies that he can\'t get beyond his \"fair\" fixation. Tax the rich into oblivion because they have to pay their \"fair share\". Where does that land us? Business goes bankrupt and unemployment goes through the roof. He likes this because it places more people in a position where they must be dependent on the government... dependency = control. Romney\'s solution is based on common sense, not a selfish fixation: If you cut taxes a little to help businesses prosper, more people can enter the work field. More workers, ultimately a lot more tax revenue than if you try and bleed the rich folks dry. I know this works - it is a very basic principle that works in many different fiscal arenas, and Obama clearly is an unqualified participant when it comes to our economy if he cannot understand it. IMO he understands it just fine, he is just more intent on weakening our country to make us vulnerable and ultimately make us \'pay\' for being a wealthy nation.

And as many here have noted, there are many stances that have been touted over the last four years that we know are nothing more than empty campaign promises and white-washed facades. Anyone who watched the debate likely cheered - as did I - when Romney strongly called Obama out on the fact that these are the same stale promises that he had four years to make good on but has either failed, neglected or just outright taken the opposite direction. We are not a stupid people, though every statement that emanates from Obama shows he thinks we are. As with any campaign, claims and promises are made ON BOTH SIDES... we must be astute and take the dialog that has been provided and read between the lines... and do our homework. I truly believe that if people had done this in 2008, we would never have seen Obama set one foot in the White House.

P.S. - something everyone needs to be aware of, if they aren\'t already... our votes in November are gong to be tallied by a foreign company outside of our borders. http://www.dailypaul.com/228915/spanish-company-owned-by-geo-soros-will-count-americas-votes-overseas-in-november Aside from the fact that the Obama administration is fighting the voter ID laws AND trying to prevent our military from being able to vote, I see this as a HUGE breach of security and opens the door to immeasurable amount of fraud. Given the support that is growing for Romney, given the number of former Obama supporters who have (thankfully) seen the light and given what we know is the general consensus of the American people, we need to be vigilant and not just grimly accept if Obama somehow manages a \'miracle\' and stays in office like we did in 2008. It will be more obvious than ever that fraud has taken place and we must not remain silent this time... we can\'t afford it!! Be ready!

HEATHER L 10/06/2012 10:07:25

I am glad AOP published this. It caused people to comment which shows the support of having Christain values in our government.

LYNNETTE K 10/07/2012 09:23:50

I completely agree with Lori P... very well written. I am not and never was an Obama supporter. I don\'t believe AOP is supporting Obama or either candidate for that matter. AOP is just stating the facts based on what each candidate has claimed to be their stand. We need to fill in the blanks based on these individuals track records. They can make all the claims they want, but the proof is in the actual outcome. We also need to be careful about ALL of the representatives we vote for... congress can be a huge stumbling block.

Thank you for the additional information about how the voting process will be handled this year. She\'s right...we need to be praying, paying attention and be ready!

ROSALYN G 10/08/2012 22:02:06

Kudos to AOP for simply stating what each candidate stands for and not endorsing anyone. Although I do not agree with his support of gay marriage, there are many accomplishments that Obama has made on behalf of this country. He is the ONLY candidate that takes education SERIOUSLY.. By the way, I would NOT vote for Romney if he was running for dog catcher. The presidency is an honor not an entitlement. My ancestors did not take a dime of government welfare, they worked all their lives for their medicare that they received. His 47 percent comment is an insult to us all.

As for Obama\'s support of women taking control of their health and bodies, I come from a lineage of women you were taken from their families, beaten, and raped by the slave master. They were forced to bear the child of the slaveMONSTER, just to have that child to endure the same cruelty. I wish folks would put more emphasis on the sick men, husbands, uncles, pastors, businessmen,coaches, etc. who are raping women and girls every six minutes in this country.You hear that? Silence. THAT IS THE REAL PROBLEM. Maybe if you fixed that, there would not be as many abortions.

I would like for my Christian brothers and sisters to practice the love that Jesus showed-not HATE.

KRISTIN S 10/23/2012 08:37:35

My eyebrow was definitely raised the whole time I read this.......I guess when you write down what the candidates say they believe in and what actions they plan to take, they both really do look appealing. BUT....... as I tell my son often \"Your actions always speak louder than your words.\" Lets just make sure that we all do some research and base our decisions on their true records, not just what the mainstream media decides is relevant to splatter on tv.


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