^Wednesday, October 28, 1992
Opinion
The Clackamas Print
Pg. 7
Writers speak for candidates in mock forum
Greg Tully as Arkansas Gover
nor Bill Clinton
Frank Jordan as Independent
Candidate H. Ross Perot
■Robert A. Hibberd as Presi
dent George Herbert Walker
Kush
Questioning by Clackamas Print
Columnist Eric St. Anthony’s
In an effort to increase stu
dent voterawarenessof the Presi
dential Candidates, The Clacka
mas Print has put together this
little fireside chit-chat of the is
sues. Since the three candidates
■were not available, some staff
members will be representing the
candidates' positions to the best
of their knowledge.
Who do you feel is at fault
for the current economic cri
ps?
Clinton: The current eco
nomic disaster known as the Bush
any problem it is probably due to
congress’ mismanagement.
What do you think is the
best policy for economic growth?
Bush: Well as you may or
may not know I have appointed
James Baker as Economic Czar.
We have a plan for continued
economic growth that involves
free trade, tax cuts and spending
cuts. I’m calling for less regula
tion over American businesses.
The question I have to ask at this
time - and I direct this to the
American people - is: Who do
you trust to run the country? I
think that’s all I have to say on
this issue.
Clinton: It’s interesting that
Mr. Bush would mention de-regu-
lation. The idea seems to be: if it
worked so well for the S&L’s,
let’s try it with all American busi
nesses. On trust, Mr. Bush has
Decision 1992
resident George Bush
¡overnor Bill Clinton
. Ross Perot
administration has so pitifully mis
managed foreign affairs that we
currently have no strategy to deal
with the crippling national debt,
ballooning costs of health care or
the global recession. Twelve years
of trickle-down economics has
made the rich richer, the poor
poorer and dwindled the middle
class to an almost invisible en-
tity. The time has come for a
Range.
■ Perot: My volunteers have
entrusted me to work on getting
this five-star migraine headache
of a problem that we call the fed-
"Trie only way to get this
crazy aunt out of the base
ment is to put America back
to work...
-Jordan as Perot
eral debt under control. The only
®y to get this crazy aunt out of
R basement is to put America
Rk to work so we can have
Rare workers to help pay the
■Is. Do you hear me, people?
■ trillion is a little more than
Range in the collection plate.
Re time to start is now.
| Bush: That’s a good ques-
tion, Eric, and I’m glad that you
Reed it because I have been
muting to talk to the American
people about this issue of the
Rtnomy. I do not know why the
Rdia keep saying that we are in
R middle of an economic crisis
Ben I proclaimed just last year
Rt the recession was over. We
B streamlining government
Rending and we are providing
R breaks for the American people
Bl believe that the majority of
Rnericans are happy with their
Rjnomic situation. If there is
broken his tax pledge, embraced
an economic theory that he once
called “voodoo economics,” and
has ignored the problems of this
country for three and one half
years. I’ve spent the last 12 years
creating jobs and that’s why Ar
kansas has created more jobs in
the private sector than Bush has
in the other 49. My plan includes
tax fairness, investment in edu
cation and training, jobs programs
in the technologies of the future
and a trade plan that forces other
countries to play by fair rules or
we’ll play by yours.
Perot: We have got to get
America back to work. Enough
with the slow dancin’ that the big
mouthed Washington types just
waltz through year after year. Jobs
will stimulate economic growth
and we won’t need to raise taxes
to do that. My advisors are work
ing on the problem and it is up to
the voters to put me in to get the
job accomplished.
And “family values”... ?
How about the Family Leave
Bill?
Perot: Family values are im
portant, but this is not what is
ailing the country. Economic
growth will take care of the pros
perity that we all seek as Ameri
cans. Whatever the family unit
may be, put me in the house in
Washington and we will grab the
bull by the horns and solve the
problem.
Bush: I am the Family Val
ues President. My administra
tion and I have worked very hard
for the past four years to protect
and preserve the way of life en
joyed by those who have realized
the American Dream and I will
ensure that we continue to do so
in the next four years. Bar and I
are both equally concerned about
the status of American families.
We should stick it to those fa
thers who have abandoned their
family responsibilities and make
them pay for the children that
they have produced.
Clinton: I believe very
strongly in the American family.
When GeorgeBush talks of “fam
ily values,” he uses it as a coded
message for the type of hatred
and fear he has promoted every
time he seeks public office. I
believe in the Family Leave Bill,
which has been adopted by every
other industrialized nation on
Earth. The fact is Bush has done
nothing to crack down on delin
quent fathers, while it would be
one of the top priorities of a Clin
ton Administration.
What do you think is the
best policy for health care?
Clinton: Al Gore and I have
a plan that would cover everyone
with a basic package of health
insurance and, at the same time,
reduce the rising cost of health
care which threatens to cripple
the American family and increase
the national debt. This plan would
take on pharmaceutical compa
nies which make U.S. consumers
pay twice as much for medicine
as they charge in Canada for the
same drug. We would establish a
health care board to crack down
on the $75 billion a year in fraudu
lent billing. And we would pro
tect those on Medicare while
"As usual, Bush is sinking
to the desperate politics of
fear and lies.”
-Tully as Clinton
George Bu sh would decrease their
coverage.
Perot: Doctors make too
much money, hospitals charge
too much, and people running
those hospitals can retire at age
40. What do we have to do to get
affordable health care? My advi
sors are working on the problem
and I will have a solution by the
time I put my hand on the Bible
on January 20.
Bush: Our health care sys
tem is in just fine shape. The real
problem is those greedy lawyers
and their outrageous malpractice
suits. They have driven the price
of insurance up so high that it is
almost impossible for a doctor to
make a living. Governor Clinton
wants to set up a health care pack
age that will bankrupt the phar
maceutical industry, making it
impossible for senior citizens to
get the medicine that they need. I
won’t do that.
Clinton: If I could respond:
Malpractice costs are the lowest
in the country in Arkansas be
cause of sound policies. An inde
pendent study group has deter
mined that my plan would save'
hundreds of billions of dollars
and cover every American while
Bush’s “plan” would rise prices
tremendously and leave more and
more people without health care.
What about the abortion
issue?
Clinton: I’m pro-choice.
Period. Let’s get out of women’s
private decisions and on to the
issues that can move this country
into the twenty-first century.
for 12 years as an agent of change?
I know I can get this country
Perot: A woman’s decision
is her own. What I cannot under
moving again in the right direc
tion. End the politics of hate, end
stand is how the current Presi
dent can be against abortion, but
the era of a man who has run out
of ideas, creating fascist govern
for capital punishment. What do
ments in Panama and Iraq and
you do? It’s like throwing the
fish back after you catch it.
then sent our young men to die
removing them from power, and,
Bush: I have,a real problem
with the amount of abortions that finally, end the horrifying spec
happen each year in this country.
ter of “President Dan Quayle.”
I believe that if you do the crime
Vote for me and Al Gore for a
change.
than you should do the time.
Closing statements?
Perot: This country is in criti
cal condition. People are out of
Bush: If a major world cri
work, health care costs are sky
sis were to occur, who do you
rocketing, the education system
want to see on your television
when you turn it on to see who is
in control of the situation? Who
do you want to be the president if
"Who do you want to be the
something really scary were to
president
if something re
happen. I’m talking about a big-
time crisis, like a nuclear war or ally scary were to happen?”
something. Who do you trust to
-Hibberd as Bush
be on your TV, ? Do you trust
Governor Clinton, who betrayed
his country by dodging the draft
is poorly managed, and we are
and opposing the war, or do you
$4 trillion in debt. If you’all
trust me. You know, when I was
want to pussyfoot around and
shot down during World War II
stay the course, then vote for one
and I was awaiting rescue in the
of my esteemed opponents. If
big water, I thought about all
you want to get something done,
those war protesters and how un-
then I am your man. I love Amer
American they were. I am the
ica and all that it stands for. We
one you should trust I never
have the greatest country on the
dodged the draft or burned
face of the Earth. If you want
American flags in Moscow.
something done and done right
Clinton: As usual, George
now, then I am your man. I am
Bush is sinking to the desperate
doing this for one purpose and
politics of fear and lies .Who do
one purpose only. Because I love
you trust, a president who flip-
America and I want to leave some
flopped on unemployment bene
thing significant for my grand
fits, the civil rights bill, policies
children and your grandchildren.
towards Yugoslavia and the So
viet Union, “No new taxes,” “15 . Thank you very much, and I want
to again thank my volunteers.
million new jobs,” abortion,
Without you, I would not be stand
“voodoo economics,’’aid to L. A.
ing here today.
and lord knows what else? Or do
you trust a man who has worked
More than three to choose from
Consider all the parties
before you make your vote
Stott Writer
,
So^Stc^ tO jfêâir;
Wê can choosefrom:
GEORGE
BUSH, thècurrentpresidcnt,
the •toh^^ofr the Reagan
■ EçriracœniÎB:-i^aisj.^political
experience galore and more
on the federal level» onetime
representative from Texas,
onetime diplomat to China,
(Democrat) BILL CLINTON,
: the Arkansanian j Governor,■
with political experience on
the state level, having been
Attorney General prior to 12
• years of making Arkansas ' a
ROSS PEROT, the political '
newcdmerandptoven busi-
ness leader. •
But I am deeply disappointed
with the two major parties for
not getti ng any thin g done na- ■
tionally.For the last 130 years
er so, they held an oligopoly
on political power, and their
choices for what to do about
th is country’s problems read
l ike Çola Wars (because there
are two major players in that
one); s'
'v
And since there were two other
candidatoiW^
papers blatantly overlooked,
Idecided tobehistoric.Never
Won?
jktomtdisi dfe*
Cided tO-took at some other
candidates from other parties"
bd^^ttolnow;''
So what are we waiting for?
(Libertarian) ANDRE MAR-
’■ ROU, former Represen tat i ve
from Alaska, now the
flagbearer for the nation’s
third-most popular political
pairty^ijd''
(New Alliance) LENORA
FULAN1, the first woman to
run for President. the first Af
rican-American to run for
President, a psychotherapist
ouiof Harlem, New York, the
nation’s? largest ’ Africa#*’
: American. urban area on the
island of Manhattan; She is
the leader of . the nation's,
fourth-most popular pol itical
party.
What I am trying to say is that
you have more of a choice
than you think, so look at all::
candidates carefully, espe
cially those from the. other
political parties,:
ers' Pamphlet should rim down.
thelisttaihdidiates,;/.:.:<■