Elect-o-rama 2000: The candidates

by Michael A Kazanjian assistant a&e editor

With less than a week to go one of the closest races in presidential history is winding down. As of this moment Republican candidate Gov. George W. Bush has pulled into the lead in both the popular vote and the Electoral College projections. Yet still many people are confused by what Bush stands for. Some of the biggest misconceptions have to do with two major issues: Taxes and abortion. When it comes down to trucesGore is trying to emphasize that Bush only cares about getting money back to the wealthiest one percent of America. Not true. While Bush does want to give money back to the top 1 percent, he also wants to increase the amount that they pay out initially. By raising the amount of dollars that the wealthy pay out during a given year it provides less of a tax burden on the middle class. The major effect that this will have on the middle class is that they won't receive as high of a return but the amount that they pay out will be cut. For those in the top bracket of economic wealth -not the top I percent- their taxes would be cut from 39.6 percent to 33 percent and the bottom bracket from 15 percent to 10 percent. Bush also wants to increase the tax credit for each child in a family from $500 to $1000.

The other heavy weighted issue is the subject of abortion. Contrary to popular belief, Bush does not want to put a ban on abortions, he simply wants to reduce the amount of abortions that take place in America. Bush does believe, however, that the FDA's decision to approve the use of the abortion drug RU-486 was wrong. His biggest fear is that the drug will allow abortions to happen much more commonly than they do at this point. The Gore campaign is skewing this information by saying that Bush wants to do away with abortions all together and the Democrats are pushing the fact that Gore said earlier in the year that "a woman's right to vote is sacred."

Other issues like the death penalty and education are also huge factors but it's the previous two that has the country up in arms. So while the candidates are fighting over similar issues, the public isn't willing at this point to pick out the obvious differences. And without letting Ralph Nader and Pat Buchanan debate, it may be harder to make a distinction among the two. Election day is coming soon, check the facts.

by Matthew Cough/In assistant news editor

Gore. Bush. Nader. Buchanan.

Vote Gore.

Everyone wants to make tax cuts.

Gore plans on middle class tax cuts that would enable a larger portion of Americans to enjoy the current economic boom.

Bush wants to spend nearly half of his tax cut plan on the wealthy few whose income exceeds $300,000 per year. You may remember Ronald Reagan, and his successor, George Bush. They followed an economic plan known as trickle-down economics. The theory behind trickle-down economics is that if the rich get richer, then the poor will become less poor. By giving the rich truebreaks, they will have more money to spend on building up our nation. This depends upon the people at the top of the economic ladder investing their money into our economy and creating jobs and business.

However, the past shows us that this does not happen. What happens is the rich have more money, less goes into the economy, and after a few years we have another deficit.

Under Gore's plan the money is spread out over a larger percentage of the population.

Bush says that Gore's number are wrong and that his plan gives money to all.

Don't believe the hype.

While Nader may be an excellent choice for president, the truth is that he will not win. Like Nader, Gore supports the environment. Bush does not. Bush is big business. He comes from a wealthy oil fat family. The kind of family that will benefit from his tax plan.

Vote for Gore, to keep the Bush out of the White House. Vote for Gore, to reduce your taxes. R

By Renee Tomcanin assistant news editor

When I tell people that I am voting for Ralph Nader and Winona LaDuke in the upcoming election, they often tell me it's a waste of my vote. Well, that is usually after I explain to them that they are the presidential and vice presidential candidates for the Green Party. In fact, I had someone tell me this evening that it was better not to vote than to vote for Nader at all. It is not that way. Every vote will count in this election, as the polls are telling us. I cannot, in good mind, support either George W. Bush or Al Gore. When it was decided that they would be our choices from the Republicans and the Democrats, I sought out other candidates. Ralph Nader was the one that I felt represented my viewpoints. And when Bush and Gore refused to let him, a man who makes far more sense than Ross Perot ever did, participate in the televised debates, any doubt I had about voting for a third-party candidate diminished. I could not support these men, so I chose to vote Green.

Most importantly, there are the issues to consider. Nader has a new and interesting view on many of the debated topics. Take for instance his stand on abortion. While he is prochoice like both Bush and Gore, his policy doesn't stop there. He suggests that instead of haggling over whether or not a woman has the right to do with her body whatever she chooses we should seek out ways to eliminate the need to have abortion in the first place. This is indicative of Nader's ideas.

Nader is anti-death penalty. To quote him on CNN's "Burden of Proof": "The death penalty has been shown, in study after study, not to deter homicides; it has been shown to be discriminatorily applied to the poor and the defenseless, especially defendants who don't have lawyers who stay awake at trail." The death penalty does not stop murders and violent crimes; it instead discriminates against minorities and is not effective.

Social Security will have a big impact on our generation, so it is important to find a candidate that bas a solid plan for its future. Nader is against privatization as Bush suggests it. It is fully dependent on the stock market continuing to grow. Many analysts say that the market is unstable as it is, so it is not a sound idea to place our futures on it. Nader instead suggests making gradual changes to benefits and revenue structure. "Social security does not need to be 'saved,'" Nader points out. "It needs to be improved."

Education has been another big issue in this election. "Education for everyone" is a credo Nader's campaign has been following. Nader places the responsibility for education in the hands of state and local governments. However, the federal government should support all students in their educational development. He calls for full funding of Head Start, a guarantee of preschool for all children, smaller class sizes, and free tuition to a public university or community college for all high school graduates. Nader also wants to steer clear of standardized tests unlike Bush and Gore. He finds these tests an inaccurate measure of a student's ability. He instead encourages teachers to pursue a line of teaching that is not aimed at preparing for a test, but one that expands on the creative and critical thinking.

Our next president needs an open and new approach to his foreign policy. Nader provides such an outlet. Instead of placing all of our time and money in war, we should devote that energy into finding ways to promote peace. He calls this "preventive diplomacy." Nader suggests that we should prevent needless violence between people and continue to anticipate these conflicts instead of dealing with them later.

I know that Ralph Nader will not win this election. However, I feel that a vote for Nader ensures my peace of mind. I cannot support either Bush and Gore because I disagree with them too often. I am choosing to vote for a third-party canidate instead of not voting because I believe in promoting Nader's ideas. When Perot appeared on the political scene, the nation reconsidered these other candidates as viable opponents. I am not wasting my vote; I am instead bringing to the mind of the public the fact that Nader's views are important. Hopefully, Bush or Gore, whoever buys the most votes, will see these numbers and the polls and hopefully look into Nader's ideas. The numbers will show that more of the American public disagrees with the current ideals that the Republicans and Democrats promote. It shows that they are looking for another party to bring change to the political system.

"Bush and Gore make me want to Ralph! Vote Nader!

Pat Buchanan

by Mike Butler perspectives Editor

Buchanan is strictly pro-life and wants to pass a "Human Life Amendment" to protect the unborn.

In foriegn affairs, he wants to end foreign aid and pull all US troops out of United Nations command and from places like Bosnia and Kosovo.

Buchanan is for cutting federal taxes and for establishing a flat tax. He is in favor of downsizing the IRS as well.

As for social security, Buchanan favors saving, not reforming social security. He is for privitization, but only if it will not force people out of the current system.

Finally, Buchanan is a strong supporter of the death penalty and wants to increase the number of crimes that can be punishable by execution.