Mike Huckabee

www.explorehuckabee.com

The bolded Divided We Fail principle is listed first, then the statement we identified for the candidate. In some cases, we may not have identified a statement for the corresponding principle.

We believe all Americans should have access to affordable health care, including prescription drugs, and these costs should not burden future generations.

"We can make health care more affordable by reforming medical liability; adopting electronic record keeping; making health insurance more portable from one job to another; expanding health savings accounts to everyone, not just those with high deductibles; and making health insurance tax deductible for individuals and families as it now is for businesses. Low income families would get tax credits instead of deductions. We don't need all the government controls that would inevitably come with universal health care…As President I will…lead a complete overhaul of our health care system, not more of the same, paid for by Uncle Sam at the expense of hard-working families..."
(Campaign website, October 2, 2007) http://www.mikehuckabee.com/index.cfm...

We believe wellness and prevention efforts, including changes in personal behavior such as diet and exercise, should be top national priorities.

"We do need to get serious about preventive health care instead of chasing more and more dollars to treat chronic disease, which currently gobbles up 80% of our health care costs, and yet is often avoidable. The result is that we'll be able to deliver better care where and when it's needed. I advocate policies that will encourage the private sector to seek innovative ways to bring down costs and improve the free market for health care services. We have to change a system that happily pays $30,000 for a diabetic to have his foot amputated, but won't pay for the shoes that would save his foot." (Campaign website, October 2, 2007)

We believe Americans should have choices when it comes to long-term care - allowing them to maintain their independence at home or in their communities with expanded and affordable financing options.

"Both for the quality of life of the individual and maintaining people's dignity, as well as for the cost containment, we need to do whatever we can to keep people in their own homes…for as long as possible.

"We did a [pilot] program in Arkansas…called 'Independent Choices.' The way it worked…we allowed family members to provide [care] and we compensated the family members…Compensating family members and actually giving them the same kind of financial remuneration that we would have a private contractor brought about two things: the individual got to stay in their home a lot longer, and the care was provided by someone they knew, loved and trusted. So they were much more satisfied…(Divided We Fail New Hampshire event, October 17, 2007)

We believe our children and grandchildren should have an adequate quality of life when they retire. Social Security must be strengthened without burdening future generations.

The President was right to address Social Security and the fact that it's just out of control. I think his biggest mistake was that he used a word that scared the daylights out of people -- which was "privatization" -- at a time when people saw privatization as the stock market, insanity of...Enron and WorldCom, companies like it. What we need to be talking about, and we need to sit down with Democrats, acknowledge that we have a problem that is neither Democratic nor Republican…"
(Interview, Des Moines Register editorial board, posted July 25, 2007) http://www.secureourfuture.org/blog_posts_view.php?blog_postid=754

We believe workers should be provided with financial incentives to save, should have access to effective retirement plans, and should be able to keep working and contributing to society regardless of age.

"I'm a strong advocate of the 'Fair Tax…' It has a way of bringing about a tax code that is fair, flat, finite and family-friendly…It would be especially helpful to empower seniors and frankly people at the low end of the economic spectrum, because the provision of the 'prebate.' This could provide for the first time, since the instigation of the income tax, an opportunity where we don't penalize people for their productivity. But we reward them for their savings, we reward them for dividends, for capital gains, and allow them to make those without knowing that the government is going to come and essentially make them sorry they were ever prudent with their financial arrangements." (AARP Republican Candidate Forum, Sioux City, Iowa, October 25, 2007)

We believe Americans of all ages should have access to tools to help manage their finances, and save for the future and better, easy to understand information to help them increase their financial literacy and manage their money wisely.

"I think in a world where media is so available, not just the internet but digital television, there's so many different ways to communicate, it's inexcusable that we don't have a greater means of getting information out, and it can happen online, it can happen by way of television, but it also can happen by community meetings. I think there should be a public-private partnership to help bring financial literacy to communities across America, to give people the opportunity to understand about investing…" (AARP-NH candidate event with Governor Huckabee, October 17, 2007)

Republicans Mike Huckabee John McCain Ron Paul Mitt Romney

Democrats Hillary Clinton Barack Obama