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Opinion
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P rint
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lie presidential candidates, a closer look at the issues
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Voters will color the future with their number two pencils Nov. 7. The
presidential campaign is raging and many voters are frustrated by pertinent information
presented in an unaccommodating manner. To assist the voter, we present a synopsis of
the candidates’ political stands on the following topics: Social Security, Healthcare, Gun
Control, Abortion and Education.
The information provided is merely a compilation of candidate’s proposed platforms and
stands on issues. This article is for general information only and is not the opinion of, or a
reflection upon, the views of The Clackamas Print or the staff writer. Information was
gathered from a plethora of sources, including: SpeakOut.com, Politics.com, issues2000.org,
Vote-Smart.com, Voter.com, Dnet.com, algore2000.com, georgewbush.com. I encourage
you to visit these web sites to educate yourself further and to vote Nov. 7.
WEÚNEsdAy, NoVEMbER 1, 2000
G
O
R
E
Information compiled by Dana Palmer
How they Stand
imto ial Security: Bush supports privatization of Social Security and wants to
juld(ow |young people to place a share of their payroll taxes into the stock market,
allowing government
investment
in mv
the OIVVIV
stock 111CI1
market.He
will |71 pre-
y OF 3 'against uuvnuig
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le lovve t*ie Present disability and survivor’s benefit, and supports maintaining the
men(isting system for those at or near retirement.
for ;alth Care: Bush wants to help the uninsured obtain private insurance, rather than
. overpanding the current government programs with tax credits of up to $2,000 to the low
-won ome families and tax deductions for eldercare. Although as governor of Texas Bush was
L andrQSed t0 an HMO Patient’s Bill of Rights, he now says that he is in favor of the idea,
Social Security: Gore wants to protect the Social Security trust fund and Medicare. He wants
to maintain the existing Social Security system, and raise benefits. Gore wants to take the
current Social Security surplus and use it to pay down the national debt,and transfer the
equivalent of the interest saved to the Social Security trust fund. Gore supports providing
increased benefits to widows and women who take time off work to raise children and then are
left with lower earnings at retirement. He opposes raising the retirement age to 70.
Healthcare: Gore stresses his record of fighting for women’s health in the Senate and the
White House. Gore wants to expand the Clinton administration’s State Children’s Health
Insurance Program (S-CHIP). Gore calls for a strong HMO Patient’s Bill of Rights. For the
iisadph wants t0 commit $3.6 billion over 5 years to build new Community Health Centers,
elderly Gore will provide home caregivers with a $3000 dollar tax credit, and he wants to
peoww Control: Bush is largely seen as the gun-friendly candidate and supports the right to ■ give Americans between 55 and 65 the option of buying into Medicare.
ess-vn guns. He favors stronger enforcement of existing gun laws and child-safety locks, Gun Control: While in Congress Gore worked to enact the Brady Bill. He supports a ban
the push supports the current ban on automatic weapons and would raise legal gun posses- on assault weapons and would ban “junk-guns”.- He advocates requiring child safety
esidon age from 18 to 21. Bush is against registration of all guns, and favors instant back- locks and raising the age of handgun ownership from 18 to 21. He supports three-day
Supround checks at gun-shows, versus a more in-depth three-day check.
background checks and safety tests at gun shows. He would limit handgun purchases to
e stlo/rfon.- Bush is anti-abortion except in cases involving rape, incest and to protect the one-a-month. He opposes granting special legal protection to gun manufacturers and is
’ coire of the mother. He wants to reduce the number of abortions by increasing abstinence against weakening restrictions on concealed weapons.
3ushiUcation and through adoption. He wants to ban abortions funded by taxpayer funding Abortion: Gore supports women’s right to choose; he says that abortions should be safe,
iless to save the woman’s life. He supports both parental notification and consent for legal and rare. Gore is against partial birth abortions. He has said that he has always been
our inors seeking abortions. Bush has said that he will not use abortion as a litmus test for pro-choice but as a Senator in the 1970s and 80s he opposed federal funding for abortion.
ink pointing Supreme Court judges but that he will nominate strict constructionists.
Gore opposes parental notification and consent laws before a minor can have an abortion.
ducation: Bush strongly favors school vouchers. Bush supports a Charter He wants to provide $4.5 million for increased security at abortion clinics deemed at risk of
I'f'ihool Homestead Fund. Bush would take away federal funding from schools violence. In addition he has proposed $240 million be applied to a family planning fund;
■'*'!at are unable to show increases in student performance; in addition he would this would be used to prevent unwanted pregnancies and increase overall health, contra
asui;quire states to publish annual school-by-school report cards showing test re- ceptive counseling and services.
•xarjfts. He has called for the reform of the Head Start program and would inter- Education: Gore is strongly opposed to school vouchers, arguing that they would take
theVine Head Start with the Department of Education. He also supports increasing money from public schools and would undermine reforms that would aid all students. Gore
brHucation savings accounts, from $500 to $5,000 per student, and allowing par- has proposed the hiring of more teachers as well as a pay increases. Schools that meet the new
nthntslo withdraw funds tax free to help pay for education expenses from kinder- accountability standards, which include student test scores, will be rewarded. Schools that do
thearten through college. Bush wants to shift education from a federal to a state not meet requirements would be closed and re-opened under new leadership. Gore wants to
on)^vel responsibility; and would create a $2.4 billion fund for states to set up spend $170 billion on education over the next 10 years. He proposes $36 billion applicable
oretacher accountability systems.
toward college tuition after saving on Medicare and Social Security.
Measure 95 unwise, risky
°f| Ba|lot Measure 95, an initiative peti
perl on on the Nov. 7 ballot, would amend
maj ¡ie Oregon Constitution and would
learning is a process that involves two
people. If the teacher has emotionally
disturbed children, abused children,
lbeause the pay and job security of Or- slow-learning children or virtually any
!teiEon'teachers to depend on the perfor child that doesn’t have good test-tak
mance of their students.
ing skills, he could lose his job. In or
Car It would seem to me that there are too
der to keep their jobs
,ottnanjy
and earn enough
a r i -
money to keep up
bles
with inflation, teach
n |-
ers would have to fo
jolved
cus their efforts on
rfl a
the yearly test. This
.^Mfs
Tam Oliver would be true no mat
6 i eF ’
Feature Co-Editor ter how large the size
or -
of classes or how
r liance on a standardized test to hold poor or limited the teaching materials.
Another person, the teacher, 100 percent This would be true no matter how un?
Jticc|untable for it, but evidently, the suitable the material might be for stan
proponents of 95 don’t feel that way.
dardized testing.
They «re so sure they are right, they
This testing method of. evaluating
ire prepared to use $47 million dollars teachers wouldn’t stop, after high
_>f the school budget to implement the school. Universities and community
“program. After implementation, it’s es- college instructors would be subject to
n ¡mated.that testing will cost another the same criteria.-
522 (million a year.
Finally, Measure 95 would create an
Tne measure doesn’t spell out how other bureaucracy that would eradicate
:o implement this plan. It doesn’t deal the power of local school boards. This
with the child who doesn’t take tests bureaucracy would determine what is
¡well. It doesn’t provide for children who important for children to learn.
speak English as a second language
If you’d like your children to have a
]nd! would, consequently, be handi- good education, vote no on Measure
apped on a standardized test for En 95.
glish-speaking children.
( It completely ignores the fact that
Stand and
be counted.
94 will restore sentencing discretion to the judges
Measure 94 is a repeal of Measure 11, habilitation programs has been cut. For
which was written by State Represen the first time in Oregon’s history, more
tative Kevin Mannix (now running for is spent on prisons than schools.”
election as Oregon Attorney General)
These measures were financed by
and passed in 1994. That measure re corporate money and all promote prison
moved prison sentencing discretion labor.
from judges with mandatory minimum
“Inside Oregon Enterprises,” accord
sentences for certain crimes, whether ing to Frank Hayes, arguing in favor of
or not the crime was a first-time offense, Measure 94 in the Voters’ Pamphlet, “is
or self-defense, or was committed by a
a state-owned $19
teenager aged 15-17.
million business
The
using prisoners—
goal of
jobs that law-abid
Measure
ing Oregonians
94 is to
need!”
put the
Proponents of
power of
Measure 11 have
Shannon Recabaren misled citizens into
the
Staff Writer believing
judges
that
back into
Oregon’s crime rate
courtrooms and give first-time offend has decreased since its passage. In re
ers a second chance. Some people may ality, FBI data has shown that in the
be misled into thinking Measure 94 will years before Measure 11, violent crime in Or
be soft on crime, but that is the last egon had not been increasing. Therefore,
thing that Measure 94 is aimed at.
mandatory minimum sentences have had little
Over 56 percent of convictions since or no impact on the rate of crime.
the mandatory sentencing began have
Measure 94 will let the judges have the sen
been of first-time offenders, according tencing discretion they deserve. Since Mea
to Vern Beardslee, writing in favor of sure 11 passed, judges have been unable able
Measure 94 in the 2000 Voters’ Pamphlet. to hand out harsh sentences for some crimes,
“We are spending $90 million a year nor use their own consciences and experience
to imprison 3400 Measure 11 inmates," to decide which convictions merit leniency.
wrote Beardslee. " A $1 billion prison
With Measure 94, inmates will be re-sen
building project is currently underway. tenced to appropriate punishments. It puts
Money that used to fund successful re my mind at ease. Vote YES on Measure 94. -
When ever you get
the chance, dance