Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (May 15, 2000)
Al Gore continued from page 1 most questions addressed health care, University ASUO President elect Jay Breslow asked Gore if he plans to increase public funding for higher education to make uni versities less reliant on private donors. Breslow said private donors often use their contribu tions gain influence in a universi ty’s decision-making processes. Breslow illustrated his question by saying the University was deeply affected when Nike CEO Phil Knight curtailed future con tributions to the campus in re sponse to the University’s deci sion to join the Worker Rights Consortium. Gore responded by reiterating his commitment to improving ed ucation. “Education is my num ber one priority for investing in the future,” he said. “We live in an information age, and learning is far more important than it’s ever been in any previous periods. And it’s getting more and more important all the time.” Gore also expressed concern about medical researchers keep ing breakthroughs secret to maxi mize profits. Though Breslow said he didn’t believe Gore dodged the question, he did say Gore gave “a political answer.” Breslow said he was hoping Gore would directly voice support for dedicating more fed eral dollars to higher education. Gore also described his tuition savings plan, which would allow parents to save money for their children’s education in tax-free savings accounts shielded from inflation, and pointed out his past support of Pell Grants, Hope Scholarships and student loans. “While I’m a strong supporter of the student loan program, I think we’ve allowed ourselves to rely a little too heavily on loans rather than a mix of grants and loans,” he said, adding that stu dents often graduate so deep in debt that they in essence have “a . home mortgage without a home.” Breslow criticized Gore’s pro posed tuition savings plan and said it wouldn’t help families with low incomes. “I would have rather heard someone talking about Pell Grants and need-based scholarships,” Breslow said, “He needs to make education affordable if he wants a (.amarine Kendall tmerald Vice President Al Gore became the first major presidential candidate to visit Oregon this election year. Gore spoke at the Portland Community College Sylvania campus. viable workforce to pay into his Social Security plan.” Before his speech, Gore met pri vately with Sen. Wyden and Gov. Kitzhaber to discuss salmon preservation along the Columbia Snake river system. Kitzhaber, who advocates breaching dams to allow salmon to freely spawn through the rivers, has been critical of Gore for not taking a stance on the issue. At the beginning of his address, however, Gore announced that he would develop a plan to protect the river and restore salmon runs, though he didn’t say whether he supported breaching dams. “I pledge to work toward a quick resolution that will involve all of the effected parties, based on hard science,” he said. “Ex tinction, here, is not an option.” Kitzhaber, who only months before endorsed former New York senator Bill Bradley during early primary elections, emerged from the event saying he fully endorsed Gore. “He will be a leader in environ mental issues ... and will look af ter Northwest economies,” Kitzhaber said. Wyden also expressed support for Gore after the meeting. “What Al Gore demonstrated in the last hour-and-a-half is that he understands what this state is all about,” he said. While the microphone made its way around the audience, Gore answered questions and clarified his positions on health care, hate crimes, the environment and ear ly education. He said he would work toward providing universal health care and ensure federal assistance for pharmaceutical drugs, strive to eliminate discrimination of ho mosexuals in the workplace, find solutions to global warming and make preschool available to all families. Further elaborating his Social Security plan, Gore said he would balance America’s budget and pay back government loans, allowing the Federal government to funnel money, which is otherwise re served to pay interest on loans, into Social Security. Gore criticized the Republican plan to privatize Social Security, a program that will be strained when the baby boom generation reaches retirement age, saying the plan would leave the program vulnerable to market fluctuations and that taxpayers would have to bail it out in a severe bear market. Storage SERVING ALL OF EUGENE & SPRINGFIELD Electronic Gates 7 day access Resident Managers RV Storage Special rates Big Doors/Wide Drives • Truck rentals »Free Moving Guide - Free Use of Hand.Trucks ■ Locks & Moving Supplies Student Specials FREE STORAGE Pay 3 months, 4th month FREE expires 6/15/00, new rentals only 008902 SAV-N-LOCK 485-8654 3210 West 11th (across from Fred Meyer) EUGENE MINI WAREHOUSE 485-0011 3550 West 11th (next to Pietro’s) SPRINGFIELD MINI STORAGE 746-8251 2656 Olympic Ave. (next to Coast to Coast) OONT TAKE YOUR CREDIT CARD DEDTS__ TO YOUR FfflST JOR * Have you accepted a credit card company’s “generous” offer to provide you with a credit card? * Do you have significant credit card debt? * Is your credit rating in danger? if your answer to any of these questions is “yes”, consider a chapter 7 bankruptcy. Get your fresh start and enter the business world free of credit card debt. § Call our office for complete information on bankruptcy. i___ Appointments close to campus. Robert W. Nowack, Attorney at Law. 434-9112 We can work it out FREE kirth Control Supplies & inEE Sexual Health Services Call or stop by to see if you qualify. P Planned Parenthood 1 670 High, Eugene 344-941 1 ^atienf^ for a Clinical Trial Do you have... ASTHMA SYMPTOMS that wake you up at night, cause you to seek medical treatment because you can’t breathe, or otherwise interfere with your daily activity? If so, and you are between 15 and 65 years old, you may qualify for a medical research study to test a medication to treat asthma. Benefits of being in the study include free study medication, study related physician visits, and tab work. To find out how you may participate in this study contact: 683-4324 Allergy & Asthma Research Group 1488 Oak S^seet, Eugene e,®rra I Ne°e& Kraig W. Jacobson, M.D. • Robert F. Jones, M.D. r 8:00 pm Thursday, May 18th U of 0 Amphitheater !ome early to see the Clothesline Project and make yo^ ovm sign! Music begins at 7:00 pm. This event wdl be ASL interpreted and child care scholarships are available, <Z&72 hois in advance 346-409S. Organized by the ASUO Women's Center & co-sponsored by the Eugene Weekly, iden's discussion at 6:4B pm & 900 pm in the Walnut Room.
