Bush vs. Gore:
A comparison by the issues
by Heather Edmonds

I have to admit that politics is not my forte. Most of the time, I would rather watch "Friends" than a presidential debate. The electoral college, the intricacies of campaign finance, and social security laws are all a mystery to me. While I would be content to leave these deep secrets to the George W. Bush's and Al Gore's of the world, the vote is less than a week away. So now I am digging into the issues, trying to look past the twists and turns of how each candidate talks about himself and figure out who I want running the country for the next four years.

This is by no means an extensive comparison, but rather a glance at the issues that stand out as I look at the next five to ten years of my own life; the possibility of having children, my concerns about the environment, the tension escalating in the Middle East, and the "new" economy.

George W. Bush says he will "insist on accountability, local control and the importance of teaching every child to read." He proposes:

• Annual testing for grades 3-8 to strengthen accountability.
• $5 billion in diagnosis of reading problems, teacher training, and intervention programs for disadvantaged children to ensure that every child can read by 3rd grade.
• Giving parents information and options. Bush supports vouchers, saying that if children are stuck in failing schools, parents should be given the federal money states are spending on that child in that school so they can send their child elsewhere.
• Improving the quality of teachers in all schools. Bush would spend $2.4 billion in the recruiting of teachers and an additional $345 million in incentives for science and math majors to teach in schools serving low income students. He also opposes teachers' unions, saying that competition and innovation are stronger in schools without the unions.
• A zero tolerance policy for violence in the schools. Bush would form a Safe School Task Force and provide character education grants to states and districts in order to train teachers to incorporate character-building lessons into their curriculum.

Al Gore stresses leaving the existing public school structure in place and making massive improvements. He proposes:

• High school exit exams to ensure that graduates can read and comprehend high school level math.
• A 10 year, $50 billion plan to make high quality preschool universally available, saying that "Most learning takes place in the first few years of life, and if kids get off to a good start before they ever get to kindergarten, the chances for them to succeed in life, to have good jobs, to lead fulfilling lives, is greatly enhanced."
• Turning around failing schools. If schools do not improve, Gore would shut them down and reopen them under new leadership.
• Supports unions while emphasizing the need for effective teachers. Gore suggests testing new teachers and setting standards for tenure based partly on student performance.

Bush favors a policy that would keep the federal government working in collaborative effort with states. He concentrates on three central issues:

• His first initiative is to clean up brownfields (polluted industrial sites) by working with private industries to develop new environmental standards.
• Bush is still waiting for the full story on global warming and agrees that it is a problem, but favors market-friendly alternatives over the Kytoto Treaty on climate change. He says we need to take global warming seriously, but is "not going to let the U.S. carry the burden for cleaning up the world's air."
• He encourages exploration of federal lands in order to keep gas prices low and says that we can drill areas like the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to take out energy, only leaving footprints.

Gore proposes making the next ten years the Environment Decade by introducing initiatives that "protect forests, rivers, and public lands so families have places where they can hike, climb, and experience nature firsthand; ensure that the nation's air and water is cleaned up' encourage smarter growth and more livable communities; invest more in conservation, renewable energy, and in technologies that combat pollution and global warming." This includes:

• Spending part of an expected budget surplus to create a new National Energy Security and Environment Trust fund.
• Encouraging public-private partnerships to emphasize voluntary measures and flexibility to meet the challenges in caring for the environment.
• Believes the U.S. should lead the world on the issue saying, "If the Unites States does choose to lead, the possibility of success becomes much greater. There would almost certainly be substantial economic and geopolitical benefits."

Bush believes America need to act as a leader for the free world and will strive towards improved human rights and living and working conditions worldwide. He believes this is best done by increasing trade by opening markets abroad. Bush also:

• Supports the development of an anti-ballistic missile system for both the protection of the Unites States and the protections of allies in the Middle East and around the world.
• Pledges to use foreign aid to encourage markets and reform. He says, "I want to help people who help themselves."
• Plans to rebuild the military, because "a dangerous world still requires a sharpened sword."

Gore also believes the Unites States is a role model in the world, and emphasizes using that position to cut down on corruption in official agencies around the world by leading by example. He has developed a New Security Agenda that encompasses these points:

• Continue the classic agenda that would build upon our key alliances and continue working with countries like Russia and China to see results instead of rhetoric.
• Build a new security agenda that addresses new global threats by confronting them before they spiral out of control.
• Resist new-isolationism. Gore believes we cannot ignore our leadership position in the world, but must assist countries in their transformation while being clear about our own concerns.

Bush says that the role of the federal government in the economy is to encourage ingenuity, hard work, and entrepreneurial venutres. He challenges Gore and what he calls "an era of big government." Bush proposes:

• Implementing a biennial budget, which he believes would lead to conservative budgeting and end the threat of government shutdowns. He would devote the off-year in the budget to examining which government programs should be eliminated.
• A $1.3 trillion tax cut, which would use about 35% of the surplus. He also plans on spending part of the surplus on social security (52%), important projects (13%), and giving money back to the people who pay taxes (35%).
• A New Prosperity Initiative in order to improve the status of the middle class. The initiative includes increasing access to the middle class, rewarding work, providing access to affordable health care, expanding homeownership, and building savings and personal wealth.

Al Gore is focusing on the last eight years of prosperity and telling voters "you ain't seen nothing yet." He asks the public, "Will we use our prosperity and record surpluses to prepare for the future?" He proposes:

• Pay $2 of projected surpluses toward debt reduction for every $1 he would devote to tax cuts or investments. Gore promises to pay down the debt every year until it is eliminated early in the next decade.
• A Prosperity for America's Families plan, which includes protecting social security and Medicare, increasing family savings, raising family incomes, and reducing poverty. He says: "The Gore-Lieberman economic plan has one guiding purpose: to help the middle class families who have always been America's purpose and pride, the people who pay the taxes, bear the burdens and live the American dream."
• A Surplus Reserve Fund, setting aside $300 billion that would allow for further debt reduction and act as a cushion to help cover unexpected future costs.