Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney continues to enjoy the success of his first presidential debate in Denver last week with rising poll numbers among registered voters. Romney, who trailed President Obama in the polls, showed the first signs of improvement following the debate.
However successful his performance in Denver was, some of Romney's apparent policy shift had some Democrats saying that he concealed his real beliefs in order to appeal to more moderate voters.
Last week, Latinos Post took a look at where the GOP candidate stands on the issues of gun control, birth control and gay rights. In a further look at what Romney's policies are, Latinos Post took a look at where he stands on the issues of abortion, education, social security and taxes.
Abortion
The one-time governor of Massachusetts was once pro-choice but is decidedly not any more. Unlike his rival, Romney asserts that "abortion is a problem" and that the nations laws should reflect that belief.
According to his website, "Mitt believes that life begins at conception and wishes that the laws of our nation reflected that view. But while the nation remains so divided, he believes that the right next step is for the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade," which was legalized in 1973.
The GOP candidate also believes that federal funding should be cut for abortions. "Mitt supports the Hyde Amendment, which broadly bars the use of federal funds for abortions," his website reads. "As president, he will end federal funding for abortion advocates like Planned Parenthood."
Education
Romney and Obama discussed education during the Denver debate, with each denouncing each other's education plans. During the first debate, Romney claimed that Obama was in favor or wasteful education policy, while Obama accused Romney of wanting to cut education by 20 percent.
According to Romney's website, "He will take the unprecedented step of tying federal funds directly to dramatic reforms that expand parental choice, invest in innovation, and reward teachers for their results instead of their tenure." This plan would require voucher programs for students to attend charter and private schools, potentially taking federal funds from existing impoverished schools.
Social Security
According to the GOP candidate's website, the issue of social security and its future can be fixed by a two-step plan. "First, for future generations of seniors, Mitt believes that the retirement age should be slowly increased to account for increases in longevity," his website reads. Additionally, Romney believes that for future generations of seniors, "benefits should continue to grow but that the growth rate should be lower for those with higher incomes."
Taxes
Among the biggest issues debated by Romney and Obama is that of taxes and how they should be applied to various incomes. While both support cutting corporate tax rate and taxes for the middle class, they differ on who exactly makes up the "middle class."
According to his website, Romney believes "permanent, across-the-board 20 percent cut in marginal rates" should be applied to individual taxes. Along with eliminating the Death Tax and the Alternative Minimum Tax, Romney's website states that the GOP candidate would "eliminate taxes for taxpayers with AGI bellow $200,000 in interest, dividends, and capital gain."
Romney would also look to cut corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 25 percent. Many opponents argue, however, that Romney's tax cuts cannot be replaced by closing loopholes and reducing waste and that they would eventually increase the federal deficit.