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Politics : Al Gore vs George Bush: the moderate's perspective -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Rambi who wrote (3305)	10/20/2000 6:11:28 PM
From: epicure	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 10042

Why don't we start by trying to get some list of of what these guys actually mean to do- let's compile these lists WITHOUT value judging them. We don't compile personality traits, we don't compile general statements of "I'm against..." or "I'm for..". I mean a list of concrete things these guys have said they want to do.

To: Rambi who wrote (3305)	10/20/2000 6:21:42 PM
From: epicure	Respond to of 10042

From league of women voters: International Policy: Who Supports What In general, Democrats are somewhat wary of the effect free trade will have on U.S. jobs and the environment. They tend to favor expansion of NATO and continuing America's role as peacemaker. The Democrats lean toward U.S. intervention in global crises on humanitarian grounds even when there is not a direct threat to U.S. security. For the most part, Democrats favor a continued U.S. role in the UN, including leading the reform movement. Although most Democrats do not support the NMD, those who do, tend to prefer renegotiating the ABM Treaty to allow the NMD. In general, Republicans advocate free trade. They tend to believe that America should not be the world's peacekeeper and should be more selective in the conflicts it does get involved in. For the most part, Republicans would like to see drastic reform of the UN, and they would prefer that U.S. troops never be put under UN command. In general, Republicans would rather back out of the ABM Treaty altogether than not proceed with the NMD. Social security: Who Supports What Over the years, Democrats generally have been opposed to changing the rules that govern the Social Security system, arguing that it provides a needed safety net for Americans and ought to be protected at all costs, even if that means increasing the revenues that support it. The Democratic philosophy on this issue is that government has an important role to play in protecting Americans from poverty in old age. Nevertheless, in recent years some Democrats have come out in favor of reforms such as raising the retirement age and investing Social Security funds in the stock market. In 1999, President Clinton proposed using interest savings achieved by reducing the federal government's debt to extend the life of the Social Security system. Many Republicans, on the other hand, traditionally have viewed Social Security as the ultimate "big government" program. They generally call for increased privatization-for example, by creating private accounts as a way to replace the existing system. The Republicans tend to think that Americans should fend for themselves when it comes to retirement planning and that government should have a minimal role. Responding to the Clinton plan to extend the life of Social Security, Republicans said it would merely defer the tough choices about reforming the system until later. Education: Who Supports What In general, Republicans favor alternatives to public schools and strict local control of schools. Thus, they tend to favor the use of vouchers and charter schools because they allow direct control over education. In the same vein, Republicans generally oppose increasing funding to schools, charging that it could end up feeding a bloated bureaucracy. Most Republicans do not support a national educational standard, believing instead that states and local districts should set their own standards. Republicans also tend to favor more law enforcement over additional gun control laws to stem the growth of violence in schools. In general, Democrats favor improving the public school system and therefore do not support vouchers. Generally, they do favor public school choice, which includes charter schools. Democrats tend to favor national standards to help all children meet uniform goals. Part of meeting such goals includes increased funding to hire more teachers. Democrats tend to favor gun control laws as one solution to the increase in school violence. Environment: Who Supports What In general, Republicans do not support the stricter clean air standards. They oppose the increased emission standards and increased CAFE standards. In these cases, they believe that industry should be allowed to pursue modifications that will keep automobiles affordable. Republicans also tend to take a more skeptical view of global warming, believing that more scientific study is needed before any drastic measures are taken, including ratification of the Kyoto Treaty. They tend to support control of water pollution at the state level rather than the federal level. They also believe that sprawl is a result of free-market development and consumer choice and should not be unduly restricted by government. Democrats tend to favor the stricter clean air standards. In general, Democrats support the tighter emission standards and would like to see higher CAFE standards. Democrats, in general, agree that global warming is a major concern that should be confronted and therefore support Senate ratification of the Kyoto Treaty. They also believe that water pollution is a problem that should be dealt with at the federal level and would prefer to see a strong Clean Water Act. Democrats tend to favor more government action to curb sprawl and preserve open space. Medicare: Who Supports What When it comes to changing Medicare, Democrats generally support making only minor changes to the program's core structure-and even expanding it by offering a prescription drug benefit and an opportunity for people under 65 to "buy into" Medicare. In 1999, President Clinton presented a plan to add a new managed-care option to Medicare, allowing beneficiaries to pay reduced fees and deductibles if they choose doctors and hospitals from a list of "preferred providers" who have shown a commitment to keeping costs down. Many Republicans support more aggressive efforts to privatize Medicare by giving beneficiaries a fixed amount of money with which to buy health coverage. Insurance plans would compete to cover individual Medicare beneficiaries, and the government would require insurers to offer only a core set of benefits. Currently, Medicare spells out a broad array of benefits that must be offered by participating insurers.