ECONOMIC RESCUE PLANS

McCAIN's plan would rely mostly on tax cuts, with the lion's share of the benefits going to seniors. He would temporarily suspend IRS rules that require anyone aged 70 and 1/2 to begin withdrawing from their retirement accounts, allow seniors to withdraw up to $50,000 in 2008 and 2009 from their retirement accounts and pay only a 10% tax instead of their normal marginal rate, cut capital gains rates for two years from 15% to 7.5% and allow investors to deduct up to $15,000 in losses in 2008 and 2009 instead of the usual $3,000 limit.

OBAMA would also temporarily suspend mandatory withdrawals from retirement accounts, and he would allow savers under 59 and 1/2 to withdraw 15% of their money, up to $10,000, without having to pay a penalty. They would still have to pay taxes on the money, however. He would also immediately cut taxes on households making less than $250,000 by $1,000 and allow a 10% refundable tax credit on mortgage interest for taxpayers who don't itemize.

OBAMA would also extend unemployment benefits; McCAIN would make jobless benefits tax free.

OBAMA would offer a $3000 tax credit to companies for each new hire above current staffing, and he'd invest $25 billion to repair roads and bridges to create more jobs. He'd also give states $25 billion in aid.

OBAMA would ban most foreclosures for 90 days and require financial institutions accepting government help to agree not to act against homeowners if they are making a good faith effort to pay their mortgages. McCAIN wants the government to spend up to $300 billion to purchase mortgages that exceed the value of the underlying homes and reissue them at lower amounts to homeowners.