Election 2000 – Democrat Al Gore

Jerry Hoffman

It just makes sense – Al Gore would make a better president.
I could recapitulate the last five months on the campaign trail to prove my
point, but would you, the voter, really be swayed by my opinion, political
analysts, excerpts from debates and television and radio ads?
No. Your vote will be swayed only if you find that you relate to a candidate
and support his platform. That being said, here’s a few highlights on the
Gore and Bush platforms.
Civil Rights – Gore strongly supports affirmative action to ensure equal
opportunity for African-Americans and other minorities, and has said that, if
elected, he will issue an executive order banning racial profiling by law
enforcement; Bush opposes Affirmative Action, and while he urges government
agencies and private business to reach out to minorities, he proposes reducing
the size of government contracts to attract applications from smaller,
minority-owned businesses.
Abortion – Gore supports a woman’s right to choose and opposes overturning
Roe vs. Wade; Bush favors banning abortion, and has implemented 18
anti-choice provisions into law making it as difficult as possible for women
to obtain an abortion in Texas.
Taxes – Gore wants to preserve most of the projected $4.5 trillion budget
surplus over the next 10 years to secure Medicare and Social Security and to
pay down the national debt; Bush has made tax cuts his centerpiece of his
campaign, citing a 39.6-33 percent tax cut for the rich and 15 percent for
low-income workers.
Gay Rights – Gore strongly supports laws to end on-the-job discrimination
against gays and lesbians, and backs hate-crime laws that include sexual
discrimination; Bush opposes employment nondiscrimination laws, and believes
that hate-crime laws should not include gays.
Guns – Gore supports mandatory registration of new handguns and a state-run
system of photo-ID licensing for hand-gun owners; Bush opposes new
gun-control laws and signed a law in 1995 extending the right of Texas
citizens to carry concealed handguns in public places, and signed a 1997 law
extending that right to include churches, hospitals and amusement parks.
Vouchers – Gore opposes a system of school vouchers to avoid draining money
away from public schools; Bush strongly backs a system of school vouchers,
and tried to establish a voucher program in Texas in 1999 but lost the battle
in the state Legislature.
Environment – Gore would ban logging in Alaska’s Tongass National Forest, the
nation’s largest, and in other pristine wilderness areas of America’s
national forests. Gore also opposes oil drilling in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife
Refuge, and one of his top priorities is to reduce oil consumption and reduce
the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
Bush objects to the Clinton-Gore proposal to protect 40 million acres in
roadless areas of national forests, supporting more logging and road
construction instead. He also favors drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife
Refuge, and opposes the Kyoto treaty to slow global warming.
And aside from the platforms, Gore served in the Army from 1967-71, and went
to Vietnam, giving him a better understanding of our nation’s military. From
1986-85, he served as a congressman, challenging price gouging in the
pharmaceutical industry, having hearings on toxic waste and co-sponsored the
creation of the federal Department of Education. From 1985-92, he served in
the U.S. Senate, introducing the Supercomputer Network Act of 1986,
introducing legislation for the creation of Earth Day in 1990 and in 1991, he
introduced the Working Families Tax Relief Act.
What are "Dubya’s" credentials for being president?
He began his career in the oil and gas business in Midland in 1975 and worked
in the energy industry until 1986. Would you really want someone working in
big oil to dictate environmental and energy laws?
He didn’t even forge into politics until 1988 – 12 years ago – when he helped
his father campaign.
Bush assembled the group of partners that purchased the Texas Rangers
baseball franchise in 1989 and served as managing general partner of the
Rangers until he was elected Governor on Nov. 8, 1994.
That’s it – he has no other experience in politics other than serving as
governor of Texas for six years and now he wants to get behind the wheel of
the most powerful country in the world.
This one is just a no-brainer.
We are living in an era of profound and rapid change. Al Gore understands the
implications of these changes, and is willing to implement the programs
necessary to answer the exploding population growth, environmental hazards
and the impending fuel shortage crisis.
I appeal to you through the wise words of Joe Lieberman: "You learn to
vote when you learn how to drive. When you put the car in R, you go in
reverse, when you put it in D, you go forward."