• Mike Huckabee has strongly reiterated that good and actual leadership is the one which
recognizes the after-affect of political decisions on the man on the street like the waiter who
waits at the tables, the man who collects the garbage, the driver of the truck and the laborer who
shifts freight.
 
• Discussing about the First Amendment, Mike Huckabee is of the opinion that the main
intention of the Amendment was to encourage the voices of faith instead of being prohibitive and
restrictive. He has stated that although the First Amendment is often used illegitimately to shut
out the voices of faith, the expression of faith does not come under the Government's jurisdiction
or responsibility.
 
• Mike Huckabee has expressed support for continuation of the TANF, the Temporary Assistance
for Needy Families which is a state-based program to eradicate poverty. This stand has won him
appreciation of a number of state Governors who hold the opinion that maintenance of flexibility and
funding levels are crucial for the success of the program.
 
• The reason for supporting TANF grants to states, according to Mike Huckabee, is that it is
due to these grants that a large number of individuals have sought employment, families have become
self sufficient and there has been a rise in personal responsibility.

• Mike Huckabee has proposed to increase the funding for Low Income Home Energy Assistance
Program so that more number of low-income households can be provided with energy efficient
improvements and adequate heating and cooling assistance.   

• During his campaign in 2008, Barack Obama voiced a firm commitment to reduce poverty by
announcing that it is through the conjoined efforts of everyone involved that poverty could be
reduced to half its actual figure during the next ten years. 

• Assigning poverty the status of being a national priority, Barack Obama has supported the
introduction of a new Federal measure of poverty which is supposed to be more accurate and helpful
in tackling its after-effects on the following generations. Hence, the modern guidelines of federal
poverty are meant to reflect the costs of living and study the various sources due to which the
American families face economic pressure.

• In order to translate his statements to reality, Barack Obama outlined a plan consisting of
various proposals in a bid to fight rural poverty. Some of the salient points of his proposals were
development of telecommunication technology in rural America, improving the infrastructure by
investing in water and sewer system and building small city airports.

• In his urban poverty program, Obama vowed to create twenty dream neighborhoods in various
cities across the country based on the lines of the Harlem Children's Zone in New York City.

• The urban poverty program has also been designed by Obama to fight concentrated poverty in
American cities by creating more economic opportunities, recruiting more teachers and making the
profession of teaching attractive by augmenting the salary and providing support services. 

• A noteworthy proposal made by Obama in the direction of reducing urban poverty was the
creation of 'Affordable Housing Trust Fund' as a result of which 112,000 new affordable units would
be added in the mixed income neighborhood.     

• Sarah Palin has been a firm supporter of the Salvation Army and as a result has not only
provided them with recognition but has also encouraged charity to the organization as a whole.

• Through her various statements, Sarah Palin feels that although there is adequate funding
for faith-based initiatives, the municipal revenue should be shared between the states so that each
of the local areas can attend to their own priorities.

• In her opinion, there should be a rural energy plan which should be established and
followed by each of the states.

• One of the points about which Sarah Palin has been particularly vociferous throughout her
campaign is the Earned Income Tax Credit, also known as EITC. According to her, since EITC is a work
support program for low-income families, people who are qualified must put in their applications and
avail the various benefits. It is on her initiative that thousands of welfare recipients were
incorporated as a part of the active work force by the EITC.

• Sarah Palin has categorically stated that she opposes actions which cut off Alaskans from
the American Fisheries because of the fact that today many coastal villages depend on commercial
fishing as the main economical activity.

• Her support for the Salvation Army springs from the fact that it is an organization which
is deeply rooted in the region's history and has served people not only in the region but all over
the world. It is in recognition of their efforts that Sarah Palin has proclaimed the celebration of
Red Kettle Day in Alaska and has also urged with the people of Alaska to support the Red Kettle
campaign.

• Mitt Romney holds the opinion that the biggest reason for the success of Americans is their
belief in God and their ability to capitalize on opportunities. Saying that the American DNA is
laced with opportunity, he blames the welfare programs of the yesteryears for having created a
culture of poverty which he feels is still lurking and threatening to destroy the American culture.

• Being opposed to the issue of giving cash hand-outs to poor workers, Mitt Romney feels that
a better way of dealing with the problem is to bring about growth in the business sector, create
jobs and thus generate more income.

• When the state proposed a project with the intention of overcoming and preventing
homelessness and assigned a huge amount for the issue, Mitt Romney, the then Governor, vetoed the
entire program and reduced the amount significantly for one program because he disapproved of it
completely. However, both programs would receive funds which would enable them to carry out their
objectives.

• Mitt Romney has suggested three major policy changes namely requiring the recipients to go
to work immediately, eliminating firms which invest in inner city enterprise zone from paying taxes
on capital gains and awarding tax credits to companies which hire poor residents and provide them
with stable employment.

• Mitt Romney has also proposed minimum sentences which would not only be mandatory on
criminals but would also be tough. This is to ensure the reduction of crime through tough measures
and its ultimate crackdown. 

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