When looking at the candidates and where they stand on each issue and how they are going to represent the United States many people forget to consider their vice presidential nomination. The vice president is just as important as the president because they would be the person who takes over if anything were to happen to the president.

For the 2012 election, the two people running for the vice presidential position is incumbent Vice President Joe Biden and Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan.

Vice President Biden was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania and moved to Delaware. Biden graduated from The University of Delaware and Syracuse Law School. At age 29, Biden became the youngest member of the Senate and continued as a member of the Senate for 36 years until being sworn in as Vice President in 2009.

Joe Biden is vice president for President Barack Obama for the Democratic Party.

Congressman Paul Ryan was born and raised in Janesville, Wisconsin. Ryan attended the University of Miami in Ohio where he earned his undergraduate degree. Ryan is currently serving his seventh term as congressman where he is chairman of the House Budget Committee, and senior member of the House Ways and Mean Committee.

Paul Ryan is running to be vice president for Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney for the Republican Party.

Both vice presidential candidates feel very differently about each of the issues.

When it comes to health care Vice President Biden wants to ensure all people under the age of 26 receive health care under their family’s health care plan. He would also like to create a pool of private plans similar to that for federal workers.

Biden fully supports Obamacare, which is currently being implemented.

Paul Ryan has proposed the Ryan Act, which would replace Medicare with a voucher-based system to allow seniors to buy health insurance from private companies. This would not allow people under the age of 26 to be covered under their family’s health care plan.

When considering the current economy, Joe Biden would like to repeal the Bush tax cuts for top one percent of earners, extend middle-class cuts and freeze estate taxes at 2009 levels. He also supports alternative minimum tax for the middle class but has voted against full repeal.

Conversely, Paul Ryan would like to implement tax cuts for all income levels. This would mean no income tax on capital gains, dividends, and interest, no corporate income tax, estate tax or alternative minimum tax. He would also like to privatize Social Security, tax breaks for employer-sponsored health insurance.

Another controversial issue being dealt with is immigration. Joe Biden’s position on immigration is he would like to legalize undocumented immigrants, which requires the learning English and paying fines. He would also like to toughen penalties for employers who hire undocumented immigrants.

Paul Ryan on the other hand opposes any form of forgiveness for undocumented immigrants already in the U.S, and he would like better border security and a more up-to-date employee verification system.

Lastly, the topic of gay marriage and abortion, Joe Biden strongly supports gay marriage and Roe v. Wade but opposes public funding for abortion. Paul Ryan is strongly opposed to gay marriage and would like to overturn Roe v. Wade.

However, there are some issues where their positions are the same.

Both candidates support the death penalty, and they also both supported the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act.

The vice presidential candidate could also make or break an election, many people running for president will choose their vice president not only based on their ability to serve this country but also how they will appeal to the American people and how they will balance out the president. The vice president is not something to overlook; it is very crucial when considering who citizens would like to represent and serve the United States of America.