Bush and Kerry: A Study in Contrast
...unding. Nonetheless, Kerry has his faith, but does not base all his decisions upon it, or enforce it on others. In an interview he states, “We have a separation of church and state in this country. I will be a President who happens to be Catholic, not a Catholic President” (qtd. in Mehrens 57). However, Bush has taken moral standards. Ralph Nader, of the Green Party, summed up Bush critics: “Talk about separation of church and state; it is not separated at all in Bush’s brain. We want him to make decisions as a secular president” (qtd. in Mehrens 58). Bush relates both faith issues and politics, but many people seem to believe that he is more concerned about faith-based initiatives rather than politics. Homosexual marriage has been a big issue throughout America over the years. The number of children growing up with gay parents is on the rise and has affected the 2000 Census. The Census found that more than 150,000 same-sex couples have at least one child under the age of 18 in the home, and kids are being raised by gay parents in 96% of the counties in the United States (Johnson 53). There are many viewpoints on the issue of homosexual marriage. For example, Bush opposes homosexual marriage. He endorsed the Federal Marriage Amendment, which would define marriage for the entire country as the union of a man and a woman. However, Kerry supports partnership rights and civil unions. He is opposed to homosexual marriage, but at the same time opposes a constitutional amendment to ban the bond between two homosexual people. In other legislation dealing with homosexuals, Kerry voted to expand the definition of hate crimes to include sexual orientation and voted against the Defense of Marriage Act, which defined marriage as being between a man and a woman. Another issue affecting society in America is education. The children of today are the leaders of tomorrow. The need for a solid education for these children is crucial. Both candidates seem to be a lot more focused on issues of the war rather than the necessities of a good education for children. A liberal senator from Massachusetts said, “ A 49% increase in funding for education is not enough” (qtd. in Arey 8). Bush implemented the No Child Left Behind Act, which requires states to set achievement standards and test all students from grades three through eight in reading and math, and ties federal school aid to performance on those tests. Kerry voted for the No Child Left Behind Act. He proposed a National Education Trust Fund to fund federal education mandates, like No Child Left Behind. Bush increased the 2004 federal education budget from $11 billion to $53 billion (“Elite”). Bush also supported vouchers for low-income students in below-average schools. The voucher provision was stripped from education and the House passed the bill. On the contrary, Kerry voted against institu...