SARAH PALIN: WHERE SHE STANDS

FIREARMS

Palin is herself a hunter and a strong advocate of the Second Amendment.

TAXES

As an Alaska mayor, Palin bolstered her conservative reputation by reducing taxes, even though an expanding tax base for her city allowed her to increase spending on infrastructure. As governor, however, she has pushed to increase taxes on the oil industry.

HEALTH CARE

Palin believes that allowing free market competition in the health care field will drive down costs and reduce the need for government subsidies.

GAY RIGHTS

She opposed gay marriage and supported Alaska’s state constitutional amendment banning it.

ENVIRONMENT

She opposes federal regulations that would limit economic growth to protect the environment and favors opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas development. She opposes the Bush administration’s decision to list polar bears as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act and her administration sued Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne earlier this month to try to overturn the initiative.

ABORTION

She opposes abortion except to save the life of the mother and in her own case, carried to term a son born in April whom she knew would have Down syndrome. She also opposes embryonic stem cell research.

EDUCATION

Palin favors the teaching of creationism in public schools.