Where President Obama stands on selected issues from the campaign.

CHINA

President Obama has drawn criticism from the Romney campaign for not being tough enough on China. The Obama Administration has actually made diplomatic moves such as securing passage for Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng when he escaped house arrest and made it to the U.S. Embassy.

Military presence in the Asia-Pacific has been beefed up including an increased navy presence and a planned deployment of 2,500 troops in Australia for joint training exercises.

Obama also mentioned policies for companies with Chinese interests in his 2012 State of the Union address.

“From now on, every multinational company should have to pay a basic minimum tax. And every penny should go towards lowering taxes for companies that choose to stay here and hire here in America,” he said.

The Obama administration is taking steps on cracking down on illegal trade stemming from China.

“We’ve brought trade cases against China at nearly twice the rate as the last administration,” Obama said in his 2012 State of the Union address. “Tonight, I’m announcing the creation of a Trade Enforcement Unit that will be charged with investigating unfair trading practices in countries like China.”

In September Obama ordered a Chinese company, Ralls Corp., to divest its interest in four wind farms in northern Oregon citing national security concerns. The last instance a president made a decision like this was in 1990.

ENERGY 

President Obama promotes energy independence by investing in clean-energy jobs and taking steps to improve the quality of our air and water. The administration says investment in clean energy will create jobs, help protect the environment and reduce national dependence on foreign oil.

(Source: http://www.barackobama.com/record/environment)

HEALTH CARE

Despite strong opposition from Republicans, President Obama and the Democratic Congress passed the Affordable Care Act in an effort to ensure that nearly all Americans would have access to basic health care needs. Among other things, the act:

• Prevents insurance companies from denying coverage to people with pre-existing conditions.
• Makes health care available to 32 million more Americans.
• Holds insurance companies accountable for they way the spend money collected in premiums by requiring customer rebates if they spend too much on overhead and not enough on health care.

The changes were funded by an individual mandate, that requires people to have insurance.

(Source: http://www.barackobama.com/record/health-care)

EDUCATION

President Obama’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act set aside $100 billion for education, creating several new grant programs including “Race to the Top.” This program provided grants to states that adopted certain educational reforms and initiatives. More than $4 billion has been spent to help turn around the nation’s lowest-performing schools. He has work to build on the No Child Left Behind law, amending provisions to allow states more flexibility in meeting standards.

(Source: www.Edweek.org)