Web Winners: McCain and Obama on the economy

How do the presidential candidates, Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama, stack up on the economic issues that will hit our wallets? These sites could help you sort them out.

Economic stimulus. The quick reports on this page from CNN describe how both candidates have said they would stimulate the swooning economy. The proposed solutions listed are starkly different. From Obama, there would be tax cuts and spending "targeted to working families, seniors, homeowners and the unemployed." The McCain entry says he'd lower corporate taxes.

About.com. The About.com site has a more detailed assessment of Obama's economic platform. It says the candidate has focused on major issues, including job creation, labor protection, and protection of homeownership.

And here is the same site's take on McCain's economic policy, where we're told he's for repealing the alternative minimum tax, adding personal accounts to Social Security, and giving tax credits for health insurance.

Public Radio. The NPR Web site provides this side-by-side candidate comparison on economic issues. When we looked, it still included Hillary Rodham Clinton, whose bid, we understand, has ended. The section on McCain starts with the candidate's intention to make permanent the Bush tax cuts. The Obama entry says he would reverse the cuts for upper-income taxpayers. The site links to a full election-issues site comparing candidates' views on Iraq, health care and other issues.

Nightly Report. The "presidential candidates grids" presented here from PBS's Nightly Business Report show include one on government and taxes. It may be most useful because of its brevity. Similar grids cover jobs and trade, immigration, and additional business matters.