ISSUES

Minimum Wage
The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 established protections agaisnt unfair employment practices of employers. It established a maximum work week of 40 hours, restricted the use of child labor, and instituted a minimum wage for any work. In 1938, the minimum wage was 25¢ per hour. In 2003, it is $5.15/hour.

Democrats are almost always trying to increase minimum wage, while Republicansare always trying to keep it at its current level. Democrats argue that if you increase minimum wage, you raise the living standards of those on minimum wage, help keep them out of poverty, and also ensure they are not dependent on any government subsidies.

Republicans argue that if an employer is forced to pay employees more, one of two things will happen: Either the employer will be unable to hire as many empoyees, thus being forced to let go current staff, or he or she will have to raise prices to help fund the additional payment for the current staff.

Most minimum-wage workers tend to vote Democratic, while most of their emplyers tend to vote Republican.

Abortion
Under the 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision, abortion was declared legal, and a constitutional right of American women to have an abortion during the first and second trimester without government interference was granted. This decision, however, didn't end the debate on what many consider the most controversial and divisive issue to face the nation since slavery.

Those who favor abortion call themselves pro-choice, and this group includes most Democrats. They argue that the government should not have the right to tell a women what to do with her body, and that the decision to terminate a pregnancy should be made between a women and her doctor.

Those who are opposed to abortion call themselves pro-life, and this includes most Republicans. They believe that life begins at conception or shortly thereafter and, therefore, that life must be protected.

Gun Control
The Second Amendment to the Constitution says, "A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

Most Republicans support a narrow interpretation of this ammendment, believing that any legislation that limits the availability of guns to free American citizens is a violation of the Second Amendment. Currently more than 20,000 laws are on the books around the country, and they argue that these laws should be sufficient - and should be properly enforced - to curb gun violence.

Most Democrats support tighter rules concerning gun use. They argue that the Second Amendment was written during a different time and refers only to "militia," not to individual citizens. The United States has an alarming rate of deaths due to gun violence, and Democrats often use tragic school shootings such as the 1999 case at Columbine High School in Colorado to illustrate their point.