Housing 

Barack Obama has a well-defined plan to end the housing crisis. He proposes creating a $10 billion fund to help prevent foreclosures--funded partly by penalties imposed on fraudulent lenders. He also wants to increase counseling and tax credits for homeowners, while eliminating many fees. Sen. Obama's plan will require better disclosure by lenders. He is committed to preserving the American Dream. 

John McCain doesn't really have a strategy to end the housing crisis.He says he would consider greater intervention by the federal government to limit effects of mortgage crisis if current measures fail, but believes a government bailout should only be a last resort. He is apathetic to the challenges many homeowners are facing. 

Immigration  

Sen. Obama is a strong supporter of immigration reform. He has co-sponsored legislation such as the DREAM Act, the Citizen Promotion Act, as well as supported the Comprehensive Immigation Reform Act and the Secure Fence Act. He strongly supports keeping families together and advocates a path to legalization. He understands the importance of decreasing incentives for illegal immigration and would toughen penalites on employers that hire illegal immigrants.

Sen. McCain also supported the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act and the Secure Fence Act. Unlike Sen. Obama, McCain believes that existing illegal immigrants should be "rounded up and deported." 

Education 

Education is an important issue to Obama. He is a strong supporter of public education reform--such as the expansion of early-childhood programs, increased funding, and improved assessment. Sen. Obama will overhaul No Child Left Behind. As for college, Obama support college outreach programs aimed at low-income families and wants to simplify financial aid process. His plan involves creating the American Opportunity Tax Credit to give free college money to many Americans--$4000 in exchange for 100 hours of community service.

McCain voted for No Child Left Behind. He strongly and consistently supports school vouchers, which use public education funds to help families pay for private school tuition, while taking both money and students away other districts. McCain voted against increasing federal student loans and Pell Grants and against expanding eligibility for financial aid, making higher education further out-of-reach for many American families. 

Retirement

Barack Obama is strongly opposed to privatizing Social Security. He will reject any Social Security plan requiring deep benefit cuts or a massive increase in debt. Obama understands the situations that American seniors face and is committed to finding a solution. 

John McCain wants to privatize Social Security with privatized, risk-based accounts and has supported deep benefit cuts. He voted to raise the retirement age, raise the Medicare age, and against protecting seniors from higher Medicare premiums. He has also voted to cut over $6 billion from Medicare and to use Social Security funds to pay off federal government debts, rather than to support America's seniors.