Dennis Kucinich in The Associated Press

On Crime: Ban the death penalty-98% of those convicted are poor

A: I oppose the death penalty and would ban it. Ninety-eight percent of defendants sentenced to death have been people who could not afford their own attorneys. One death row inmate is found innocent for every seven executed. African-American defendants are more likely to receive death sentences than others who committed similar crimes. And the death penalty does nothing to deter crime that can’t be accomplished at least as well without it.

On Education: Vouchers divert public money away from public schools

A: No. Sending a few kids somewhere else at the public’s expense and leaving the other children in a crumbling school even shorter on funds than before is no solution at all. Vouchers divert public money away from the vast majority of public school students. In most cases, these are the students who need it the most. As president, I will lead in the fight to improve public schools, and oppose alternatives that divert attention, energy, and resources from efforts to reduce class size, enhance teacher quality, and provide every student with books, computers, and safe and orderly schools.

On Energy & Oil: Raise CAFE standard from 27.5 mpg to 45, and 40 for SUVs

A: The technology already exists to make light trucks that achieve 40 mpg and cars 45 mpg, and I will establish those standards as one early step in a major shift away from the use of fossil fuels.

On Free Trade: Free trade encourages privatization, so avoid it

A: No, and my first act in office will be to repeal the existing ones. NAFTA has spurred a $418 billion trade deficit, costing 525,000 jobs, most of them in manufacturing. The World Trade Organization forced our president to lift steel tariffs, which will cost us more good jobs and hurt consumers. The Free Trade Agreement of the Americas would encourage the privatization of municipal services, including water.

On Health Care: Tax employers to pay for single-payer plan

A: I will include complete coverage of prescription drugs in a single-payer plan that provides every man, woman, and child with comprehensive health coverage from whatever doctors they choose, and does so through a tax on employers that is lower than what employers who now provide coverage pay on average.

On Immigration: Roadmap to citizenship for immigrants

A: Yes. I will clear out the backlog in the naturalization process and offer immigrants a clear road map to citizenship. I will work with our partners in Mexico to normalize the flow of immigrants by forging an agreement on migration.

On Jobs: Raise minimum wage to over $8.50

A: I favor restoring the value that has been lost to inflation over the past 35 years, which would mean a minimum wage of over $8.50. I favor indexing this to automatically keep pace with the cost of living.

On Principles & Values: Day 1: Pull out of Iraq, NAFTA, and the WTO

A: If the US occupation of Iraq has not ended, I will go to the UN for a resolution to bring our troops home in 90 days, putting the UN in control of the oil, the contracting, and the cause of Iraqi self-governance. If this has happened, my first action will be to repeal the NAFTA, withdraw from the WTO, and replace them with bilateral trade agreements based on workers’ rights, human rights, and environmental quality principles.

On Tax Reform: Keep child tax credit, and extend it to more families

A: I will repeal the tax cuts to the very wealthy, restoring the top two and a half income brackets and taxes on investments and estates (modifying the estate tax to protect small farms). I will retain the child tax credit expansion and extend it to the low-income families who were left out. I will retain the elimination of the marriage penalty.