On The Issues
Specific Issues Addressed by Governor George W. Bush
Education:
Outlined a plan to give states, local districts and parents more authority to set priorities and chart the path to greater student achievement
Supports making federal funds to states and local districts more flexible in return for greater accountability and improved student achievement
Called for the creation of charter states that would receive maximum flexibility with federal funds in return for meeting high performance measures in increasing student achievement
Supports implementation of state accountability systems in which students are tested every year in grades 3-8 in reading and math. States will be free to choose their own tests, and the federal government will equally share the cost
Supports paying for states to participate in an annual National Assessment in Education Progress sample exam in reading and math to gauge progress
Supports establishing a $500 million incentive fund to reward states for improving student performance
Supports establishing a reward fund to reward schools that show the greatest improvements in student achievement
Supports empowering parents with information by requiring states to publish school-by-school report cards with annual test results
Supports increasing choices for parents in the education of their children by allowing federal funds to be used for public and private school choice and innovative education programs
Supports expanding education savings accounts for parents to increase their annual contributions from $500 per student to $5,000 and withdraw funds tax free to pay for education expenses from Kindergarten to college
Supports establishing a Charter School Homestead Fund to provide $3 billion of loan guarantees to help establish or improve 2,000 charter schools nationwide in two years
Supports giving parents of Title I students trapped in persistently failing schools federal education dollars in a portable account to use in a school or program of their choice
Called for the reform of Head Start to ensure children are ready for school by teaching pre-reading and numeracy skills that will put them on the path to literacy
Supports moving Head Start from the Department of Education to emphasize a renewed focus on education preparedness
Supports increased and focused research in education to determine what works in educating children
Establish Project Sentry a federal-state partnership to prosecute juveniles who bring guns to school or use them illegally and the adults who provide guns
Expect states and districts to establish a zero tolerance policy on disruption, empowering teachers to remove violent or persistently disruptive students from the classroom
Enact a Teacher Protection Act to shield teachers, principals, and school board members from meritless lawsuits arising from their efforts to maintain discipline
Require states and districts to provide all students in persistently dangerous schools with the option of transferring to a safe school
Triple character education funding and incorporate character-building lessons into federal youth programs
Hold states and districts receiving federal School Safety funds accountable for measuring and demonstrating improved safety
Call for a uniform reporting system on school safety and publish the results widely
Establish the American Youth Character Awards to honor acts of character in Americas young people
Lift barriers to information being shared between schools and law enforcement agencies
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Taxes:
Outlined a bold plan which:
Doubles the child credit to $1,000
Replaces the current five rate structure of 15, 28, 31, 36, and 39.6 percent with four, lower rates: 10, 15, 25, and 33 percent
Expands the charitable deduction to non-itemizers
Increases the annual contribution limit on Educational Savings Accounts from $500 to $5,000, and expanding them beyond college, down to Kindergarten
Eliminates the death tax
Restores the Reagan 10 percent deduction for two-income married couples, greatly reducing the marriage penalty
Eliminates the Social Security earnings test
Supports an extension of the moratorium on Internet sales taxation at least through 2004
Opposes taxes on access to the Internet
Would veto any increase in personal or corporate income tax rates
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Social Security:
Pledged to fulfill the solemn commitment of Social Security; no reduction in benefits for retirees or near retirees
Called for dedicating all Social Security money to Social Security (lock box)
Opposes any tax increase for Social Security
Supports making personal retirement accounts part of Social Security reform
Opposes government investment in private stocks or bonds
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Medicare/Health Care:
Wants to strengthen Medicare by providing more choice and more private sector alternatives for the elderly
Supports offering a prescription drug benefit to Medicare recipients through more options and greater choice of plans; also supports giving financial assistance to poor seniors to help pay for the plans
Supports medical savings accounts as a health insurance option for all Americans
Supports giving patients in federally governed health care plans protections similar to those already enacted in Texas; opposes legislation that would supersede reforms already enacted by states
Highlights of the Texas reforms include:
Allow patients to appeal denials of care to an independent review panel and in some cases take the HMO to court
Require coverage and payment of emergency services
Allow patients to choose their own doctor, outside their plan, as long as they are willing to pay any additional cost
Require report cards on the performance of HMOs
Prohibit gag clauses, which discourage doctors from communicating with patients regarding treatment options
Require HMOs to give women direct access to their obstetrician-gynecologists
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Defense:
Supports rebuilding America's military strength to keep the peace
Would increase by $1 billion the recently passed military pay raise to encourage the best and brightest to enlist and reenlist in the armed forces
Would renovate substandard military housing and improve military training
Would maintain longstanding U.S. commitments, but order an immediate review of overseas deployments in dozens of countries, with the aim of replacing uncertain missions with well-defined objectives
Would deter terrorist attacks by ensuring that every group or nation understands that if they sponsor such attacks, the U.S. response will be devastating
Supports accelerated research for and deployment of both theater missile defenses and national missile defense, as soon as possible
Prepared to cancel ABM treaty with Russia if unable to convince Russia to amend the treaty to allow deployment of missile defense systems within a short period of time
Would strengthen our intelligence community's ability to detect terrorist threats, and develop long-range strike capabilities to eliminate such threats before they arise
Would promote cooperation with our allies, who should share the burden of defense
Would order a comprehensive military review to develop a new architecture for American defense designed to meet the challenges of the next century
Would seize the opportunity to skip a generation of weapons, not merely improving existing systems, but replacing them with a new generation of technology
Would earmark at least 20 percent of the procurement budget for acquisition programs that propel America generations ahead in military technology
Would increase defense R&D spending by at least $20 billion from FY2002 to FY2006
Supports a continued moratorium on nuclear testing, and opposed ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty
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Foreign Policy:
Would refocus America's policy in Asia on friends and allies
Would redefine relationship between China and U.S. as one of competitors, not strategic partners
Supports 'one-China' policy
Supports the Taiwan Relations Act
Supports the Taiwan Security Enhancement Act
Opposes any further IMF loans to Russia
Would work with Russia to achieve verifiable strategic arms reduction and prevent the spread of nuclear weapons
Would press Moscow for an accurate inventory of all Russian nuclear material
Would substantially increase funding for the Nunn-Lugar program in order to dismantle as many of Russia's nuclear weapons as possible, as quickly as possible
Would redirect American assistance, investment and loans to the Russian people, not to the bank accounts of corrupt officials
Supports reaching out to a new generation of Russians through educational exchanges and programs to support the rule of law and a civil
society
Would support the nations of the Baltics, the Caucasus and Central Asia, along with Ukraine, by promoting regional peace and economic development, and opening links to the wider world
Would withhold international financial assistance from Russia because of the Russian government's attacks against civilians in Chechnya
Would work with India to increase trade and investment and ensure that India is a force for stability and security in Asia
Would work to strengthen NATO and America's other alliances through greater consultation and sustained American leadership
Supports moving the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and he would set the process of moving the Embassy in motion immediately upon taking office
Would work to reestablish weapons inspections in Iraq
Supports keeping the current sanctions on Cuba until there are free elections, free speech and freedom for political prisoners
Supports helping America's friend and longstanding ally Australia with logistical support in East Timor
Supported U.S. intervention in Kosovo because it was in our strategic interests
Said option of ground troops should not have been taken off the table in Kosovo intervention
Would never place U.S. troops under U.N. command
Supports a U.N. role in weapons inspections, peacekeeping and humanitarian efforts
Supports payment of dues to the United Nations only if its bureaucracy is reformed and America's disproportionate share of its costs is reduced
Would press for reform at international financial institutions such as the IMF and the World Bank, including greater transparency and accountability at these institutions themselves
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Proposals to Promote Faith-Based and Community Organizations:
Lift federal regulations that hamper faith-based institutions from involvement in the delivery of services to the needy
Expand the federal charitable deduction to taxpayers who do not itemize
Permit a credit against state taxes for contributions to charities addressing poverty
Permit individuals over 59 to contribute IRA funds to charities, without having to pay income tax on the amount withdrawn
Raise the cap on corporate charitable deductions from 10% to 15% of a company's taxable income
Provide civil liability protection for corporate in-kind donations of equipment or facilities to charities
Expand 'Charitable Choice' to all federal social service programs, allowing religious organizations to be eligible for funding on the same basis as any other provider, without impairing their religious character
Establish an 'Office of Faith-Based Action' in the Executive Office of the President
Provide federal matching funds for the establishment of state offices of faith-based action
Promote alternative licensing regimes that recognize religious training as an alternative form of qualification for delivery of non-medical social services
Launch a new program, offering competitive grants to faith-based and community groups, to address the needs of children of prisoners
Open certain federal after-school programs to faith-based and community groups
Fund certificates to help lower-income parents pay for after-school activities
Establish a 'Compassion Capital Fund' a public/private partnership to identify and invest in charitable best practices
Make performance-based drug treatment grants available to the states and ensure that non-medical, faith-based providers are eligible for funds on the same basis as other groups
Provide funding for pilot, faith-based prison pre-release programs
Establish pilot 'Second Chance' maternity homes, through a block grant to the states for certificates to individuals or competitive grants to providers
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High Tech
Supports making the R&D Tax Credit permanent
Supports increasing defense R&D spending by at least $20 billion from FY 2002-2006
Supports an extension of the moratorium on Internet sales taxation at least through 2004
Opposes taxes on access to the Internet
Supports permanently banning Internet tariffs
Supports meaningful, broad-based tort reform to protect our most innovative companies from frivolous and junk lawsuits
Supports lifting the current limit on H-1B visas; believes long term solution to the shortage of high tech workers is education
Called for reforming the high tech export control system by allowing American companies to sell products in the international marketplace when these products are readily available in foreign or mass markets
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Farm Policy:
Would work aggressively to open markets for U.S. products and producers
From this point forward, would not use food as a unilateral sanction or diplomatic weapon
Called for emergency disaster relief, both through direct payments to farmers and through reforming crop insurance
Supports tax incentives for use of ethanol
Calls upon European Union to abide by the rules of the World Trade Organization and allow importation of genetically modified farm products
Will ensure aggressive enforcement of antitrust laws and will move forcefully against any agribusiness entities that are conducting anti-competitive practices
Supports reviewing and expanding the H-2A temporary agriculture workers program so that willing workers can provide much needed help to America's farmers
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Trade:
Supports restoration of 'fast track' negotiating authority for the President
Called for eliminating trade barriers and tariffs everywhere so the whole world trades in freedom
Called for strict enforcement of anti-dumping and other unfair trade laws
Supports expansion of NAFTA throughout the Americas
Supports China's and Taiwan's admission into the WTO
Supports revising export controls, to tighten control over military technology and ease restrictions on technology already available commercially
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Abortion/Social Issues:
Pro life with exceptions for rape, incest and life of the mother
Set the goal that all children should be welcomed in life and protected
by law
Supports parental notification, banning use of taxpayer funds for abortion, and banning partial birth abortion
Supports efforts to increase adoptions
Opposes doctor assisted suicide, believes the role of a doctor is to relieve pain and suffering, not to end life
Opposes same sex marriage
Make permanent the $5,000 adoption tax credit
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Abstinence:
Proposed spending at least as much on abstinence education as on teen contraception programs
Proposed ensuring that faith-based organizations can compete for federal abstinence education grants
Proposed studying the effectiveness of federally funded sex education programs
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Affirmative Action:
Opposes quotas and racial preferences
Supports 'affirmative access' to open the doors of opportunity through programs such as the Texas 10 percent plan, where those who graduate in the top 10 percent of their class are automatically admitted to any state college or university
Advocates needs-based contracting and breaking down government contracts to smaller sizes to encourage entrepreneurship in all communities
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Environment & Natural Resources:
Believes environmental standards must be based on the best science, market-driven technologies can provide solutions, and government should encourage innovation and going beyond compliance
Recognizes that global warming should be taken seriously but will require any decisions to be based on the best science; opposes Kyoto Protocol
Supports moratorium against offshore drilling in California and Florida
Opposes breaching dams in Pacific Northwest
Supports conservation of land, wetlands and habitat, particularly by private landowners
Supports protection of private property rights
Reinvest in America's natural resources by fully funding the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) and guarantee a 50% share of the LWCF for state and local conservation
Supports alleviating the substantial repair and improvement backlog facing our national parks, wildlife refuges and other public lands
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Campaign Finance Reform:
Supports banning 'soft money' contributions from labor unions and corporations because members/shareholders have no say in how those contributions are given
Supports enforcement of the Beck decision and enactment of effective 'Paycheck Protection' legislation so union members have the right to decide whether to direct money to political activities
Supports raising individual contribution limits
Supports instant disclosure of contributions; was the first presidential candidate to voluntarily implement this reform with near-real-time disclosure on the Internet
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Judges:
Would appoint strict constructionists who would interpret the law, not legislate from the bench
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Gun Laws:
Supports stronger enforcement of existing gun laws, would provide more funding for aggressive gun law enforcement programs such as Project Exile in Richmond, Virginia
Supports automatic detention for kids who commit crimes with guns
Supports requiring instant background checks at gun shows by allowing gun show promoters to access the instant check system on behalf of vendors
Supports law-abiding American's constitutional right to own guns to protect their families and home
Supports the current ban on automatic weapons
Supports banning juveniles from possession of semi-automatic "assault" weapons
Supports increasing the minimum age for possession of a handgun from 18 to 21
Supports banning the importation of foreign made, "high-capacity" ammunition clips
Supports voluntary safety locks
Opposes government mandated registration of all guns owned by law abiding citizens
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Other:
Supports meaningful, broad-based tort reform
Called for Y2K tort reform
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