You know it is really hard to keep my mouth shut until the end. Brownback, Tancredo, Paul, and Hunt; and we are done. Thank the Gods….

http://www.fred08.com/Principles/PrinciplesSummary.aspx?View=OnTheIssues

 Energy Security The energy challenges our nation faces today are real and significant. Our dependence on foreign sources of oil threatens our national security and puts our economic prosperity at risk. America must rise to the challenge and take the steps necessary to become more energy independent before this becomes a crisis. No one solution will solve the energy challenges we face; all ideas must be on the table. Greater energy security will enhance our ability to pursue our foreign policy and national security objectives. Increasing our energy independence and investing in alternative energy sources will also produce a healthier environment. And while we don’t know for certain how or why climate change is occurring, it makes sense to take reasonable steps to reduce CO2 emissions without harming our economy. Overall, I am committed to:

• A balanced approach to energy security that increases domestic supplies, reduces demand for oil and gas, and promotes alternative fuels and other diverse energy sources.
• Investing in renewable and alternative fuels to promote greater energy independence and a cleaner environment.
• An energy policy that invests in the advanced technologies of tomorrow and places more emphasis on conservation and energy efficiency.
• Conducting research and development into technologies that improve the environment, especially the reduction of CO2 emissions.

Holy Molly Batman! Energy Independence in 8 years…Now that is a little different than zero emissions but still…

http://www.mikehuckabee.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Issues.View&Issue_id=21

Energy Independence

The first thing I will do as President is send Congress my comprehensive plan for energy independence. We will achieve energy independence by the end of my second term.

• Achieving energy independence is vital to achieving success both in the war on terror and in globalization. Energy independence will help guarantee both our safety and our prosperity.
• We have to explore, we have to conserve, and we have to pursue all avenues of alternative energy: nuclear, wind, solar, hydrogen, clean coal, biodiesel, and biomass.

Energy independence has been on our “to do” list for over thirty years, my whole adult life. In 1973, in response to OPEC’s oil embargo against us, President Nixon established Project Independence, which promised independence in 1980. We could have been energy independent a generation ago! The truth is, we are so pathetically behind the curve right now that federal spending for energy research and development is only 40% of what it was in 1979. Our efforts are haphazard and often pointless: today we have six million flex-fuel vehicles built to run on biodiesel or on E85, which is 85% ethanol, but only 2,000 pumps for those fuels in a country with 170,000 gas stations.

When energy shocks and crises come, we take aspirin to deal with the pain, but we don’t address the underlying symptoms. This oil addiction is killing us. We have to stop popping pain pills and get ourselves cured. For all these years, we’ve never lacked the means, just the will. We’ve never harnessed the real energy source that independence requires – the energy of the American people.

The first thing I will do as President is send Congress my comprehensive plan for energy independence. I’ll use the bully pulpit to inform you about the plan and ask for your support. I’ll use the bully conference table to meet with members of Congress until I have the votes. The plan will get underway during my first term, and we will achieve energy independence by the end of my second term. The Huckabee Administration will be remembered as the time when we finally, finally achieved energy independence.

We have to explore, we have to conserve, and we have to pursue all avenues of alternative energy: nuclear, wind, solar, hydrogen, clean coal, biodiesel, and biomass. Some will come from our farms and some will come from our laboratories. Dwindling supplies and increasing demand from newly-industrialized countries of fossil fuels are driving up prices. These price increases will facilitate innovation and the opportunity for independence. We will remove red tape that slows innovation. We will set aside a federal research and development budget that will be matched by the private sector to seek the best new products in alternative fuels. Our free market will sort out what makes the most sense economically and will reward consumer preferences.

We think of globalization as primarily an economic issue and the war on terror as primarily a military issue. Yet the same key unlocks the door to success in both, and that key is energy independence.

None of us would write a check to Osama bin Laden, slip it in a Hallmark card and send it off to him. But that’s what we’re doing every time we pull into a gas station. We’re paying for both sides in the war on terror – our side with our tax dollars, the terrorists’ side with our gas dollars.

Our dependence on foreign oil has forced us to support repressive regimes, to conduct our foreign policy with one hand tied behind our back. It’s time, it’s past time, to untie that hand and reach out to moderate Muslims with both hands. Oil has not just shaped our foreign policy, it has deformed it. When I make foreign policy, I want to treat Saudi Arabia the same way I treat Sweden, and that requires us to be energy independent. These folks have had us over a barrel – literally – for way too long.

Energy independence will ease the effects of globalization because the future energy demands of countries like India and China, as their middle class grows, are going to be tremendous. Even if Middle East supplies remain stable – a huge if – that increased demand will drive prices up dramatically, which will hurt our economy by making everything more expensive here. But if we are energy independent, we will be able not just to take care of our own needs and protect our economy, we will also create jobs and grow our economy by developing technologies that we can sell to the rest of the world to meet their needs.

Achieving energy independence will make us safer and more prosperous, and is yet another way that I intend to lift America up.

Unfortunately I can’t show you much of it because he is one of those video crazed netheads. I have hunch that is why Bidden’s page did not load up for me but I will put up the link and the text and you can see for yourself.

  http://www.mittromney.com/Issue-Watch/Energy

We must become independent from foreign sources of oil. This will mean a combination of efforts related to conservation and efficiency measures, developing alternative sources of energy like biodiesel, ethanol, nuclear, and coal gasification, and finding more domestic sources of oil such as in ANWR or the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS).

“We’re using too much oil,” Romney said. “We have an answer. We can use alternative sources of energy — biodiesel, ethanol, nuclear power — and we can drill for more oil here. We can be more energy independent and we can be far more efficient in the use of that energy.”– Governor Romney, Waterloo Courier, September 29, 2006.

For those of you too lazy to watch the video he starts with production and lists all the wrong ones: Driling off shore (including ANWR) for oil, nuclear power and coal liquification.But then he goes on to talk about floor prices for alternatives and imporved efficiency…so far the only Republican to do that to.

This is getting pretty ridiculous. In fairness he does have an “environmental” policy listed below, but confusing Energy issues with Environmental issues shows how little these fellows know. When you look at their websites its all gay marriage and military policies. Yuck! I think Bush II may have screwed the pooch for them for a long time to come.

http://www.johnmccain.com/Informing/Issues/65bd0fbe-737b-4851-a7e7-d9a37cb278db.htm

Stewards of Our Nation’s Rich Natural Heritage John McCain has a proud record of common sense stewardship. Along with his commitment to clean air and water, and to conserving open space, he has been a leader on the issue of global warming with the courage to call the nation to action on an issue we can no longer afford to ignore.America has been blessed with a rich and diverse natural heritage. In the tradition of his hero, Theodore Roosevelt, John McCain believes that we are vested with a sacred duty to be proper stewards of the resources upon which the quality of American life depends. Ensuring clean air, safe and healthy water, sustainable land use, ample greenspace – and the faithful care and management of our natural treasures, including our proud National Park System – is a patriotic responsibility. One that must be met not only for the benefit of our generation, but for our children and those to whom we will pass the American legacy. John McCain believes that America’s economic and environmental interests are not mutually exclusive, but rather inextricably linked. Our economic prospects depend greatly upon the sustainable use of ample and unspoiled natural resources. A clean and healthy environment is well served by a strong economy. History shows that poverty is a poor steward. As John McCain said, “Americans solve problems. We don’t run from them.” He believes that ignoring the problem reflects a “liberal live for today” attitude unworthy of our great country, and poses a serious and unacceptable threat to our environment, our economy, and U.S. national security. He has offered common sense approaches to limit carbon emissions by harnessing market forces that will bring advanced technologies, such as nuclear energy, to the market faster, reduce our dependence on foreign supplies of energy, and see to it that America leads in a way that ensures all nations do their rightful share. By addressing this problem responsibly, John McCain believes we can meet our obligation to be proper caretakers of creation, in a manner of which we can be proud – by protecting our country, strengthening our economy, and addressing the challenges of our time, rather than leaving a much worse problem for our children.

I know that I said in the beginning that I would with hold real comments until I had posted everyones energy policies. Furthermore, I have not really been looking ahead to “see” what everyone thinks. But this is incredibly shocking! The leading Republican candidate has no energy policy posted at his Website. I mean Hillary only spends a paragraph on it but in that paragraph she committs 50 billion $’s to energy research and alternative fuels. The GOP are trying to elect a dinosaur as President? That is just gross.

http://www.joinrudy2008.com/issues/

Yes I know all I have been doing is posting stuff with snide comments..(meant to be funny but probably not). Well the reason for that is I do not want to “compare and contrast” the plans until they are all posted. Still at this point, out of the Democrats and I hope I did not miss one…Gravel’s is the most interesting, Richardson’s is the best and I think Biden’s is the longest. Now on to the Republicans.

 http://www.gravel2008.us/issues.php

Global Warming—Climate Change
Senator Gravel believes that global climate change is a matter of national security and survivability of the planet. As President, he will act swiftly to reduce America’s carbon footprint in the world by initiating legislation to tax carbon at the source and cap carbon emissions. He will also initiate a massive scientific effort, integrating the world’s scientific and engineering community, to end energy dependence on oil and integrate the world’s scientific community in this task.

Progressive Fair Tax—A Green Tax
Senator Gravel’s Progressive Fair Tax proposal calls for eliminating the IRS and the income tax and replacing it with a national sales tax on new products and services. To compensate for the tax on necessities, such as food, lodging, transportation and clothing, there would be a “rebate” to reimburse taxpayers. This would be paid in a monthly check from the government to all citizens

Well here is another one. He makes some interesting points especially about the fuel standards and the requirement to sell alternative fuels nationwide.

 http://www.joebiden.com/issues?id=0007

Energy

“There is no question our oil dependence is threatening our national security. It helps fuel the fundamentalism we’re fighting. Our oil dependence limits our options and our influence around the world, because oil rich countries pursuing policies we oppose can stand up to us, while oil dependent allies may be afraid to stand with us. If we don’t change our policy, oil will further empower the countries that produce it, restrict our options, and undermine our economic and physical security. Where we can have the most impact is stopping our demand for oil from increasing as our economy grows. We know where to start: expand alternative fuels and improve vehicle efficiency. We can do this. We can absolutely do this.” – Senator Joe Biden

Joe Biden’s Plan: Energy Security for America

Joe Biden believes that in the near term, our energy policy should focus on energy security — which we can start to strengthen right now by reducing our own oil consumption and leading other major consumers to follow suit. He would:

Increase Fuel Efficiency of Vehicles

• Raise Fuel Economy Standards By 1 Mile Per Gallon More Each Year: Instead of focusing on a fleetwide average, Joe Biden would advance fuel economy by upgrading to a better system that combines protection for U.S. automobile manufacturing jobs with predictable increases in fuel efficiency standards for cars, SUVs and light trucks. The new system would set fuel economy standards based on the attributes of a vehicle (such as its size and weight), with individualized fuel economy targets that increase by 4 percent per year (or approximately 1 mile per gallon each year) reaching a 40 mpg average by 2017 which will save approximately the amount of oil we import from Saudi Arabia.
• Invest in New Super-Efficient Technology: The market for lithium ion batteries – those needed for super-efficient plug-in hybrids which can get 100 mpg – is dominated by foreign competitors like the Japanese, Koreans and Chinese. That is because these countries have invested hundreds of millions of dollars in developing and supporting the technology. Joe Biden believes the United States needs to make an equal investment in new technology like lithium ion batteries. He has proposed legislation that would double investment in the development of advanced lithium ion batteries needed for plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles – increasing it from $42 million to $100 million a year for five years.

Increase Use of Renewable Fuels

• Require New Vehicles Be Flex-Fuel Vehicles: Joe Biden would require all cars marketed in the US be capable of running on E85/flex fuel by 2017 (cost estimated to be $100/car). Together with Senators Lugar and Harkin, Joe Biden has proposed legislation which directs automakers to gradually increase flex-fuel vehicle (FFV) production, increasing ten percentage-point increments annually, until nearly all vehicles sold in the U.S. are flex fuel vehicles within 10 years. At this rate half of all vehicles sold in the US would be flex fuel vehicles in five years. Currently, flex-fuel vehicles — those able to use both regular gasoline and blends of up to 85 percent ethanol (E85) – make up only about ten percent of vehicles on the road today (7 million).
• Require Major Gas Stations To Sell Alternative Fuels: Only around 700 gas stations nationwide offer E85 to customers. Major oil companies (those that own 4,500 stations or more) should offer alternative refueling capability at 50 percent of stations they own by 2016. The Lugar-Harkin-Biden biofuel legislation would require large oil companies to install E85 pumps at their stations, increasing by five percent annually over the next 10 years.
• Increase The Amount of Farm-Grown Fuel In Our Fuel Supply: We should increase the amount of ethanol and biodiesel included in the nation’s fuel supply by extending and increasing the current renewable fuel standard and setting standards for biodiesel. Currently the renewable fuel standards set a benchmark of 7.5 billion gallons by 2012. (U.S. gasoline consumption is 140 billion gallons per year). Joe Biden would increase the benchmarks to: 10 billion gallons by 2010; 30 billion gallons by 2020; 60 billion gallons by 2030.

Invest in New Technology

• Create Incentives For Research: Joe Biden supports more than $5 billion in new incentives for research into: alternative fuel and energy sources, renewable energy and carbon capture and sequestration technologies that will allow us to use coal cleanly.

Increase Use Of Renewable Energy

• Set a National Renewable Portfolio Standard. Joe Biden would set a national renewable portfolio standard of 20 percent to require that at least 20 percent of the country’s electricity comes from clean, renewable sources like wind, solar, biomass and geothermal – just 2.3 percent of our power comes from these sources today.

Require the Federal Government To Be More Energy Efficient

• Set Renewable Energy Requirements. Joe Biden would require the federal government to purchase 10 percent renewable electricity by 2010 and 20 percent by the end of the next decade.
• Make Federal Buildings More Efficient. Joe Biden would increase federal building energy efficiency by requiring a 30 percent reduction in energy use over the next ten years.
• Save Money. Becoming more efficient will save taxpayers money – almost $4 billion dollars – and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by millions of tons.

Encourage Americans To Use Energy Efficiently

• Flip To Efficient Technologies. Joe Biden has introduced legislation creating the Flip-to-Save program to provide $50 million in funding to states to administer programs to educate consumers on efficient technology and distribute highly efficient compact florescent light bulbs which use a quarter of the energy of regular bulbs. If every family across the US replaces just one regular incandescent bulb with a CFL, we can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by nearly 7 million tons per year.
• Increase Use of Energy Efficient Appliances. Joe Biden would expand the “Energy Star Program” to include standards for more appliances and commercial systems.
• Support Green Building Codes. Joe Biden would support local updates to building codes to capture cost-effective energy efficiency opportunities in new residential/commercial construction
• Create Incentives To Go Green. Joe Biden supports increasing incentives for energy efficient commercial buildings and manufacturing sector.

Am I Being Mean?  Well Yes I Am. But it is Sunday and I am cranky and having to put up all these 1% candidates that said, “well its now or never” is torking me off. And then their websites don’t work #$^&*! This is the paragraph that leads you to his TRUE position paper which if I am right will be longer than the last one, and windows posted a “warning windows can not open this page” even though the top of it was clearly visible. (It was mostly quotes from Kerry and Gore, etc. about what a swell environmentalist he is) I mean if you can’t hire someone to run your website effectively…can you be President? Probably not. Anyway I have included the links below and if you get it to open let me know. 

 http://chrisdodd.com/issues 

Energy

The reviews are in – from environmentalists to the leading voices on the issue of global warming: Chris Dodd’s bold energy plan is setting the standard in the presidential race. With a Corporate Carbon Tax that makes polluters pay to his call for historic fuel efficiency standards that break America’s dependence on Middle East oil by 2015, Chris Dodd is the only candidate in the field with a plan to make America the world leader on climate change and bring energy costs down for families and businesses.

Chris Dodd’s Energy Plan »  This one don’t work,

But this one does…

Ending the Iraq War Responsibly and Safely »

I know, I know first I was bitching about Hillary’s being too short and Richardson/Obama/Edwards being fairly complete – I still personally like Richardson’s the best…still Dennis does everything here but announce his pick for Energy Secretary …now there is an idea. I still think John Edwards would make a great Energy Secretary!!

http://www.dennis4president.com/go/issues/a-sustainable-future/

Sustainable Future

Directly from Barack’s website. While Edwards and Obama’s policies are good, so far I think Richardson’s are superior because he recognizes that we all have to stop EMITTING. period!

 http://www.barackobama.com/issues/energy/

Barack Obama has proposed bold initiatives to put America on the path to a clean and secure energy future. Obama supports implementation of a bold market-based cap-and-trade system to reduce dependence on foreign oil and nonrenewable, polluting sources of energy. Obama will also dramatically increase federal investment in advanced clean-energy technologies and energy efficiency. The Obama plan to create an energy independent America will cut U.S. oil consumption by 2.5 million barrels of oil per day, take 50 million cars worth of pollution off the road, and save American consumers more than $50 billion at the gas pump.

Addressing Global Climate Change

We need to take steps to stop catastrophic, manmade climate change. If we do not act, the consequences will be devastating for future generations, especially for the poorest global populations. As president, Barack Obama will act decisively and creatively to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change.

Barack Obama supports implementation of a market-based cap-and-trade system to reduce carbon emissions 80 percent by 2050. The cap-and-trade system will include an initial partial auction of pollution credits to raise money to upgrade our energy infrastructure, create hundreds of thousands of new, high-wage jobs, and make America truly energy independent.

Tackling U.S. Dependence on Foreign Oil

Raise Fuel Economy Standards

“Today, there are two kinds of car companies – those that mass produce fuel-efficient cars and those that will. The American auto industry can’t afford to be one of those that will anymore. And America can’t afford to follow the world. For the sake of our economy, our security, and our planet, we must lead it.”

Due to congressional gridlock, Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards have remained frozen for 20 years. As president, Barack Obama will gradually increase CAFE standards while protecting the financial future of domestic automakers. In the Senate, Barack Obama introduced a bold new plan that brought Republicans and Democrats, CAFE supporters and long-time opponents together, and offered what the New York Times editorial page called “real as opposed to hypothetical results.” As president, Barack Obama will:

Increase and Strengthen CAFE Standards. Obama will establish a targeted 4 percent increase each year in CAFE standards – a rate that the National Academy of Sciences has determined is possible without changes in vehicle weight, safety or performance – unless the experts at NHTSA justify a deviation in that rate by proving that the increase is technologically unachievable, cannot maintain overall fleet safety, or is not cost-effective.

Provide Flexibility for Manufacturers. Obama will provide fairness and flexibility to automakers by establishing different standards for different types of cars. Currently manufacturers have to meet broad standards over their whole fleet of cars. Obama’s plan provides further flexibility by giving NHTSA the authority to allow companies to earn credit for improving fuel efficiency beyond the CAFE standard in one type of car, and using those credits to meet goals for other vehicle models.

Achieve Real Results. If the 4 percent per year target is met for 10 years after the continuous provision improvements go into effect, Obama’s plan will save 1.3 million barrels of oil per day and 20 billion gallons of gasoline per year. If gasoline is just $2.50 per gallon, consumers will save over $50 billion per year at the pump by 2020.

Help for Consumers

Under current law, tax credits of up to $3,150 are available for consumers who buy hybrid vehicles — but only if they buy one of the first 60,000 ultra-efficient vehicles produced by a given manufacturer. This irrational rule reduces both consumer incentives to buy efficient vehicles and manufacturer incentives to make them on a massive scale. Toyota reached the 60,000 mark in the summer of 2006. As president, Barack Obama will lift the 60,000-per-manufacturer cap on buyer tax credits to encourage more Americans to buy ultra-efficient vehicles.

Help for Domestic Car Manufacturers

“Healthcare for Hybrids’ stroke of genius is in connecting the dots – decreasing oil consumption is clearly a top national priority but it will not happen without a national investment.”

-Walter McManus
Director of the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute’s Office for the Study of Automotive Transportation

The auto industry must invest in more fuel-efficient cars if it hopes to compete with foreign competition and thrive in the future. With the challenges that U.S. automakers face, the federal government has a role in helping them do it. As President, Barack Obama will help American automakers meet these important goals. He will offer car makers a choice between the following two benefits:

Retiree health care relief. Participating automakers in the Health Care for Hybrids program could receive federal financial assistance to cover 10 percent of their annual legacy health care costs through 2017. Automakers would be required to invest at least 50 percent of these savings into manufacturing advanced, fuel efficient cars in the United States.

Generous tax incentives for retooling parts and assembly plants. Participating automakers could receive generous tax incentives for retooling their assembling plants to produce advanced parts.

Under Obama’s plan, autoworkers will get the health care they have been promised, the auto industry will be back on a competitive footing, and our reliance on foreign oil will be reduced.

National Low Carbon Fuel Standard

“It’s not enough to only build cars that use less oil – we have to start moving away from that dirty, dwindling fossil fuel altogether. . . . it’s time we produced, sold, and used biofuels all across America – it’s time we made them as commonly available as gasoline is now.”

Transportation accounts for 60 percent of U.S. oil consumption, and one-third of U.S. global warming pollution. As president, Obama will implement a plan to transition toward fuels that emit less carbon dioxide. In January 2007, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger issued an executive order to establish a low carbon fuel standard for transportation fuels sold in California. Under the California standard, the carbon intensity of California’s passenger vehicle fuels would be reduced by 10 percent by 2020.

Barack Obama will create a National Low Carbon Fuel Standard (NLCFS), which will:

Set a National Standard for Low Carbon Fuels. The lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions of the pool of passenger vehicle fuels sold in the U.S. will be reduced by 5 percent in 2015 and 10 percent in 2020.

Let the Market Work. The market, rather than the government, will determine which fuels are used by fuel distributors and blenders to meet the NLCFS. Because biofuels generally have lower lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions than gasoline, the NLCFS in effect would spur greater production of renewable fuels, such as corn and cellulosic ethanol, and biodiesel made from plant oils such as soybeans.

Real Results: Reduced Emissions. According to one estimate, the NLCFS would reduce annual greenhouse gas emissions by about 180 million metric tons in 2020 compared to 2007 levels. This is the equivalent of taking over 30 million cars off the road in 2020. If enacted in conjunction with Obama’s proposal to raise fuel efficiency standards, the NLCFS would reduce emissions by about 530 million metric tons of greenhouse gases in 2020, the equivalent of taking over 50 million cars off the road.

Real Results: Reduced Gasoline Consumption. By making greater use of home-grown, renewable fuels, the NLCFS could reduce the annual consumption of gasoline derived from foreign oil imports by about 30 billion gallons in 2020.

Expand the Use of E85 and Other Renewable Fuels

While there are more than 167,000 gas stations across America, only about 1,200 offer E85 — a blend of 85 percent clean-burning, domestically grown ethanol and 15 percent petroleum gasoline. Thanks to legislation that Barack Obama championed, gas stations are now eligible for tax credits for installing E85 ethanol refueling pumps. The tax credit covers 30 percent of the costs of switching petroleum pumps to E85. The tax credit will help create the infrastructure to support more flex-fuel vehicles. Obama also sponsored legislation requiring oil companies, that made at least $1 billion in profits in the first quarter of 2006 to invest at least 1 percent of their total reported first quarter 2006 profits into installing E85 pumps. Barack Obama also successfully authorized $40 million to bring a combined flexible fuel vehicle and plug-in hybrid car to the market within five years.

Building a Clean Energy Future

Require 20 Percent of Electricity to Come from Renewable Sources by 2020: Barack Obama will establish a 20 percent Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) to require that 20 percent of electricity consumed in the U.S. is derived by clean, sustainable energy sources. This requirement will spur significant private sector investment in renewable sources of energy and create thousands of new American jobs, especially in rural areas. As an Illinois state senator, Obama cosponsored a measure to create an RPS in Illinois that phased up to 10 percent.

Invest in Advanced Technologies: Obama will increase basic science and research funding for clean energy projects. Obama also will invest proceeds from his cap-and-trade proposal into improving the efficiency of our buildings and consumer products, investing into carbon capture and sequestration technology, and other advanced technologies that make use of our biomass, solar and wind resources.

Engage Disadvantaged Youth in Advanced Energy Job Sector: Barack Obama will create the 5-E (Energy Efficiency, Environmental Education and Employment) Disconnected Youth Service Corps. This program will directly engage disconnected and disadvantaged youth in energy efficiency and environmental service opportunities to strengthen their communities while also providing them with practical skills and experience in important career fields of expected high-growth employment. The program will engage private sector employers and unions to provide apprenticeship opportunities. The program also encourages summer high school students to stay in school, and provides GED help and other wrap-around social services for drop-outs.