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Reasons not to vote for Bush (Need Help)

From Herbert Walker
15 October 2000

ISSUE: Privatizing Government Services-

GORE: Rallied opposition against bush when he wanted federal permission to contract out 14,000 Medicaid and food stamp jobs in Texas.

BUSH: Sought an exemption to federal law to allow private companies to run the state welfare program: proposed privatizing a state hospital to benefit a former business partner/contributor.

ISSUE: Minimum Wage-

GORE: As Senator voted for increases three times and as Vice president pushed for an increase in 1996: is pushing for an increase now to $6.15 per hr.

BUSH: Opposes a real minimum wage increase: proposed allowing states to opt out of the proposed federal $1 increase.

ISSUE: Discrimination-

GORE: Co-sponsored the Civil Rights Act of 1990: Strongly supported the 1994 Crimes Bill, which included his Violence Against Women Act, and the Hate Crimes Prevention Act. 42% of Clinton-Gore appointees are women; 59% of judicial nominees are women and minorities, the highest ever.

BUSH: Opposes affirmative action. Refused to support comprehensive Texas Hate Crimes legislation. Less Than 1/3 of Governor Bush's appointees are women.

ISSUE: Protecting a woman's right to choose- (I don't debate this issue but but government or Christians have no right to tell me as a woman what I can or cant do it is a personal issue)

GORE: Supports the right to choose; is endorsed by the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League(NARAL).

BUSH: Is Anti-choice; signed almost 20 anti-choice provisions. Says he is the most anti-abortion governor.

ISSUE: Protecting Our Environment-

GORE: Supported Legislation to strengthen Safe Drinking Water Act, accelerated toxic site cleanups, negotiated treaty to reduce global warming, proposed bill to reduce auto emissions, and reached agreements to protect national forests.

BUSH: Texas has worst pollution in nation; 75% of its air pollution produced by companies that donated $500 or more to BUSH and were "grandfathered" out of the Clean Air Act in Texas. Texas ranks 3rd worst for toxic water pollution in 1999.

ISSUE: Right to organize-

GORE: Believes organizing is a "fundamental right that should never be blocked, stopped, and never, ever taken away" and personally lobbied for public sector collective bargaining in Maryland and Puerto Rico.

BUSH: Proudly touts Texas' Right to Work status. His Department of Economic Development brags about the state's low wages and anti-labor climate.

ISSUE: Paycheck Deception-

GORE: Opposed the anti-union "Paycheck Protection" proposal to deprive those represented by unions of their political rights.

BUSH: Supports so-called "Paycheck Protection" legislation.

ISSUE: Social Security and Pensions

GORE: Supports setting aside at least 2/3 of budget surplus to protect Social Security and Medicare; opposes raising the retirement age, cutting benefits, or privatizing Social Security; cosponsored the Employee pension Protection Act.

BUSH: Supports partially privatizing Social Security; would consider raising the retirement age for younger Americans. Broke campaign promise in Texas teachers by cutting funding for their public pension plan and proposed raiding the fund to pay for administrative costs.

ISSUE: Education-

GORE: Supports investing $115 billion to decrease class size, hire new teachers, and make preschool available to all; opposes vouchers that would take money from public schools.

BUSH: Ridiculed plan to hire new teachers, while Texas ranks 47th in reading skills and minority students are twice as likely to drop out as white students. Supported school voucher plan that would divert money away from public school education.

ISSUE: Equal Pay-

GORE: Strongly supports efforts to close the wage gap; was praised for leadership by the National committee on Pay Equity.

BUSH: Has taken no public position on pay equity for women.

ISSUE: Health Care-

GORE: Fought for Medicare to cover mammograms and supports adding prescription benefits; co-sponsored breast cancer legislation; fought for patients bill of rights with the right to sue HMO's and the right for women to choose their Ob/Gyn as their primary physician.

BUSH: Refused to support a request for $40 million in state funds for breast cancer exams, even though the state health commissioner supported it. Supported weak Patients Bill of Rights with no right to sue HMO's, final say by HMO's on what is medically necessary, and no right for women to choose their Ob/Gyn as their primary physician.

ISSUE: Taxes-

GORE: Helped expand the Earned Income Tax Credit. Proposes tax plan that helps working families, including expanding the child care and Earned Income Tax Credits, expanding health care coverage through targeted tax credits, and giving a deduction for college tuition.

BUSH: Proposed a tax plan so risky and costly that even House republicans avoided voting on it. The plan would drain budget surpluses and could force cuts in Medicare, education, and child nutrition programs to give tax breaks to the rich. Proposed over 70 tax increases in Texas despite a promise not to raise taxes. Poorest Texans shoulder most of the tax burden.

ISSUE: Working for our children-

GORE: Supports expansion of Family and Medical Leave Act: proposes spending $182 million for quality childcare. Under Clinton / Gore, largest drop in child poverty in 30 years.

BUSH: Texas ranks 48th worst state for raising children (including immunizations, dropouts rates, and teen pregnancy); 24% of Texas children live in poverty.

ISSUE: Head Start-

GORE: Increased Head Start funding by 68%, increasing enrollment by 200,000 children. Proposed a $600 million increase in funding. BUSH: Supports a tax plan that would cut $2.9 billion in Head Start funding and deny the program to almost $400,00 children. In addition to this I also remember that he was involved in the Silverado scandal and weaseled out because of his Presidential connections at the time. I cant find that specific article but I find it interesting that no-one has brought that up during this campaign.