“We will secure the borders first when I am president,” he said. “Then we will move onto the other aspects of this issue, as importantly as tamper-proof biometric documents, which then, unless an employer hires someone with those documents, that employer will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

Obama has vowed to “fix the system” in such a way that it eliminates the need to address the immigration problem again in the near future. He has proposed tougher policies on employers who hire illegal immigrants. During a Democratic primary radio debate on National Public Radio, Obama summarized his overall position, noting specifically his belief that immigrants—illegal or legal—should have a pathway to citizenship and share in basic American rights.

“I think that if [immigrants] are illegal, then they should not be able to work in this country. That is part of the principle of comprehensive reform, which we’re going to crack down on employers who are hiring them and taking advantage of them,” he said. “But I also want to give them a pathway, so that they can earn citizenship, earn a legal status, start learning English, pay a significant fine, and go to the back of the line. But they can then stay here and they can have the ability to enforce a minimum wage that they’re paid, make sure the worker-safety laws are available, make sure that they can join a union.”

Minimum Wage Increase

If elected president, Obama said he will raise the minimum wage, something he often calls a “living wage,” to $9.50 an hour by 2011 and index it to inflation. He has repeatedly championed minimum wage increases.

“We shouldn’t raise the minimum wage every 10 years,” Obama told a Wisconsin crowd during the primary season. “We should raise it every year to keep up with inflation. If you work in this country, you should not be poor.”

In his August speech at the Democratic National Convention, vice presidential nominee Joe Biden chided McCain, for voting against Democratic-led minimum-wage hikes 19 times. McCain’s Senatorial career is peppered with various positive votes in favor of a minimum-wage increase, including one that would lift the figure to $7.25 per hour. As is common on Capitol Hill, some of his votes for or against the minimum wage were tucked inside other bills, such as a 2007 one on war funding.

In general, McCain supported minimum-wage hikes, but at a more modest rate than his colleagues to the left. In 2007, he joined 27 other Republicans in voting—unsuccessfully—to allow individual states the rights and flexibility to determine minimum wage. The Arizona senator has frequently said his rejection of a more robust minimum-wage increase comes from his concern that it would boost employers’ labor costs and thereby limit the creation of new jobs.

Paid Sick Leave

While up to 46 million American workers do not receive paid sick days, legislators in a dozen states have proposed laws requiring employers to provide them. Current federal legislation, called the Healthy Families Act, remains on the table and would require businesses to provide seven paid sick days each year to employees who work at least 30 hours a week. Obama touted his support for such legislation while McCain, true to his form of opposing federal mandates, said such rules further stifle employers, particularly during challenging economic times.

Restaurant Depreciation

While depreciation schedules for restaurants have remained consistent over recent years, the NRA continues to work for a depreciation schedule that would fall to 15 years from the current 39.5-year threshold. In April, Maryland restaurant owner and NRA member Fred Rosenthal told a congressional hearing that “shortening the write-off of restaurant buildings and improvements to 15 years would create immediate economic activity within the industry, which in turn would reverberate throughout the economy.”

Neither McCain nor Obama have clarified their positions on restaurant depreciation. Yet, McCain said he would allow businesses to immediately expense the full cost of three- and five-year business equipment purchased between 2009 and 2013. After 2013, businesses would again have to depreciate equipment over time. His campaign, however, offered no further comment on the matter, nor did Obama’s camp.