The Daily Tar Heel Monday, November 7, 198815
Opinion , 0
i .
Choose the presidential candidate who's right
Bush would build on Reagan-era successes i
lomorrow, the American peo
pie will vote to elect a new
president of these United
Spates of America. One choice rises
head and shoulders above the others.
That choice is George Bush. Never
in this century have we, the people,
had a better qualified presidential
Candidate than George Bush. His
resume is indeed impressive, but a
resume shouldn't decide this election.
In 1980, we needed a change in
leadership, a change from weak to
strong. We also needed a change in
policy, a change from failure to
success.
Now, as the 22nd amendment
requires us to elect new leadership,
vye will certainly not vote to change
he Reagan-Bush policy of success.
Unemployment is at a 14-year low,
interest rates are half what they were
when the party of Michael Dukakis
was in charge, inflation is also less
jhan half of what it was in 1980, and
most importantly of all, our national
defense is once again strong -and
respected around the world.
' ' The Reagan-Bush years will not be
recorded in the annals of history as
perfect, but they will be recorded as
an overall success, when America was
made strong again, and as the years
rof the longest economic expansion in
our history. President George Bush
I will continue to keep our nation on
! the right track with a commitment
'of peace through strength and a
Commitment to the values of the
' American people.
! The next president will face great
! challenges at home and abroad. Only
George Bush is poised to meet those
'; challenges. Superpower relations are
; at an all-time high since World War
II. The next president will have the
unprecedented opportunity to pursue
further arms reductions with the
; Soviet Union. But only George Bush
; understands that the continued policy
of peace through strength will achieve
j those goals. Unlike Dukakis, he will
; not discontinue important weapons
I systems such as the MX Missile and
the B-l and Stealth bombers.
The next president will be saddled
with an unprecedented national debt.
Only George Bush has realistically
addressed the issue of controlling
federal spending. Unlike Dukakis,
George Bush supports a constitu
tional balanced? budget amendment-
Vice 'Presidenr Bush has' also prcn"
-posed a "flexible freeze," a policy
designed to cap spending at its current
level with adjustment for inflation.
George Bush supports a reduction of
the capital gains tax to 15 percent,
a reduction that will benefit all
Americans who wish to invest in our
expanding economy.
Lloyd Bentson has been an out-
spoken supporter of capital gains tax
reductions before this election year.
Dukakis has once again illustrated
ihe liberal philosophy of tax and
-spend. Dukakis claims that $100
vbillion in federal taxes go unpaid each
year and should be collected by an
Tired of Dukakis? Fed up with
The choice is clear:
's election time again,
after eight years in the
1 Office the Reagans are
going to have to get used to the idea
of actually paying for Nancy's
Presses. We, the apathetic electorate
xf the United States, have a choice
to make that is somewhat akin to
choosing between liver and brussel
"Sprouts: no matter which we choose,
well find our choice hard to swallow.
After Dick Gephardt made distingui
shable eyebrows the latest fad, and
after the fiercely independent and
vocal funeral-attending style of the
vice president, we now must choose
between George "Poppy" Bush and
.Michael "the Greek" Dukakis. Neith
er's views excite me.
s On the left, there's Dukakis. "I am
he son of Greek immigrants (hand
i gesture), who will not deal with the
drug-dealing dictatorship of Panama
(another hand gesture). George Bush
chose J. Danforth Quayle (right
hand) to be the first member of his
cabinet (left hand). Speaking on
!:behalf of Greek immigrants' son,
.'where was George (look of incred
ulous disbelief, shoulder shrug, wink,
ohair toss, big finale two-handed
-gesture)?"
Then, on the right, there's Poppy.
"Well, you know, my wife Barbara,
and Dukakis is a liberal he is, uh,
a card-carrying member of the
ACLU, and where are our, uh,
common values, I mean, I wants to
be the gentlestest education president
unlike this LIBERAL BOSTONIAN
MUDSLINGER who gives FUR
LOUGHS TO MURDERERS, and,
uh, I think that if we all said the
Pledge of Alliance, no, uh, Allegiance
'together (I do have, 10 seconds left,
don't I?) . .
The choice is clear. There needs to
be another alternative, a lively,
'likeable candidate. OK, OK, if you
Bill Taylor
Guest Writer
UIRS army." But Dukakis has also
proposed $100 billion in new spend
ing on the campaign trail. This just
shows that a President Dukakis
would spend more just because he
would have more.
George Bush has vowed to use the
veto to show Congress he wants it
to get its act together. George TJush
understands that our nation faces
many problems, but only a strong
economy with an expanded tax base
will empower the president, along
with a disciplined Congress, to solve
those problems.
If you haven't made a decision in
this presidential race, perhaps the
difference in the campaigns can
provide insight into your choice. The
Bush campaign has been aggressive
in its actions. Dukakis campaign has
been passive and ideal. The Bush
campaign has attacked the liberalism
of Dukakis for more than two months
and the governor of Massachusetts
David Ball
Staff Writer
insist, 111 run for president.
The deficit. It's big. Really big.
Huge, even. Taking a cue from the
American people, I've decided that
America needs to make the mature
sacrifices necessary in order to pay
off this huge debt we've accumulated.
It's time that the U.S. got its own
Visa card and charged the deficit.
Then, before Visa can mail us the bill,
well change our address. Well have
the post office on our side, and we
can then spend and spend and spend
without making any sacrifices what
soever. When the bill gets too big,
we can write a check to ourselves or
use Diner's Club. I'm a president
wholl do everything he can to get
credit.
Rock music. It's a pretty divisive
issue, but I plan to unite the country
so that we can all march to the beat
of the same drummer (preferably
Tommy Lee). First, Wayne Newton
will be shot and all spandex pants
confiscated and burned in the parking
lot of the next Monsters of Rock
concert. Second, I'd ask Tipper Gore
and Frank Zappa to co-chair the
Parents Music "Rock on!" Center
(PMRC). The center would give local
residents a place to dance free of
charge to the music of Pat Boone,
Ozzy Osbourne, the Partridge Family
and Metallica (a playlist of
compromise).
Drugs. Like, dude, I think, uh, that,
um, the next like president should . . .
no way, man. Like total buzzkill! I,
like, serious forgot my plan! Just
don't hassle it dude well deal with
the prob' later, Tcay?
The environment. The Ball admin
waited until recently to respond.
Dukakis' reluctance to respond raises
questions about his "competence." If
some force of evil in the world should
attack democracy and freedom,
would a President Dukakis shrink
from the responsibilities of the most
powerful job in the free world and
wait to respond until after it was too
late? The United States and the free
world can't afford that risk.
President George Bush will lead
this nation and not apologize for "the
last best hope of mankind on earth."
Ifyoii'waririo return to" the "days
of malaise " therrvote for Dukakis.
But if you want to see this nation
remain strong with a healthy econ
omy, I urge you to vote for a man
that combines qualification with
experience, leadership with vision
and compassion with character. That
man is George Bush.
Bill Taylor, chairman of the UNC
College Republicans, is a senior
political science major from Trenton.
Ball for president
istration will operate on the if-you-make-your-bed-you-have-to-lie-in-it
principle. The CEOs from every
company that discharges toxic waste
into bodies of water will have to drink
from it and swim in it (water wings
strictly not allowed) every day.
Hunters will be forced to pay child support to the broken
animal families they create. People who litter will be
interned at Love Canal, with two-week vacations allowed at
either the beach (Times Beach, Mo.) or the coast (the
Savannah River Plant). As a concession to Dan Quayle, the
national bird will become the chicken.
Hunters will be forced to pay child
support to the broken animal families
they create. People who litter will be
interned at Love Canal, with two
week vacations allowed at either the
beach (Times Beach, Mo.) or the
coast (the Savannah River Plant). As
a concession to Dan Quayle, the
national bird will become the chicken.
Defense. By now, everyone's heard
about how expensive nukes are.
Nukes, Schmookes, we don't need
'em; all we need is to organize our
domestic armies. If I were
commander-in-chief, the first thing
I'd do in a war against the commies
is launch tactical airstrikes, dropping
red bandannas from Rumania to
eastern Moscow and blue bandannas
from Vladivostok to western Mos
cow. The SB (Siberian Bloods) and
the EEC (East European Crips)
would then be flown in, excited at
the promise of huge markets. Both
enraged gangs, upon seeing that the
lucrative property had already been
taken, would use their money, super
ior arms and expertise to capture
Soviet turf. When the two armies met
in Moscow, the U.S. would sponsor
a peace conference in Geneva
(obviously), at which representatives
Dukakis would
A merica faces a hemorrhaging
A national debt and the evap
JLJuLoration of middle-class
prosperity. These problems threaten
our security, and solving them will
require, strong, clear-sighted leader
ship. Mike Dukakis is the candidate
who'll orovide that.
Compare Dukakis record to that
of his opponent, George Bush. Vice
President Bush leads a tailed ami-
drug policy and dismisses middle-
class "squeeze" as liberal propaganda,
showing an insensitivity to young
people and average-income Ameri
cans. Also, Bush's desire to enrich the
wealthy at the expense of the poor
and his refusal to honestly face our
debt problem proves that he lacks the
integrity to solve our social and
budget problems.
Policies the vice president doesn t
lack and Bush fans read on, please,
for it's his policies that open the
Republican nominee to criticism, if
not derision.
Much of our economy's current
trouble stems directly from Reagan-
Bush spending and tax policies.
Specific problems that would worsen
under a Bush presidency include a
decrease in health care for" children
due to unaffordable insurance and an
increase in young couples who cannot
buy housing. Also, Bush presides over
the first income reduction in three
decades, as the average wages of
young people have dropped below
what they comparatively earned 10,
20, even 30 years ago. This squeezing
of the middle-class is due to eight
years of Reagan-Bush leadership,
according to recent articles in
Raleigh's News And Observer, Time
magazine and The New York Times.
Even worse, a two trillion dollar
debt willed us by the Republicans
lurks beyond the realm of mere
middle-class squeeze. Supporters of
Bush read the signs differently; their
interpretation is understandable
given the stakes of the presidential
election. Bush means to reward the
rich granting them tax breaks and
government programs that fatten
wealthy shareholders in oil and
defense industries so they hail his
feel-good politics. All the negatives
of decreased home ownership, a
staggering budget and disappearing
health care for children vanish with
, Bush's. tonic, ; ; : ?..r "vl"
Mike Dukakis, in contrast asks
what Bush's policies have cost us and
will cost in the future. Again, return
to the Republicans' record: massive
tax cuts yielding a more massive
budget fiasco, defense contractors,
Wall Street buccaneers gorging a
golden calf called Reaganomics, and
an American middle-class duped into
believing that prosperity rests upon
making the rich richer, the so-called
"trickle-down" theory. For those
fooled souls whoU vote for Bush
expecting to share the nation's
treasure, oily to find housing, health
insurance and college educations
harder to come by, "trickle-down
Bush?
of both gangs would be forced to sit
down and watch Colors wearing
those 3-D glasses with one red lens
and one blue lens. If the government
uses its Aeroflot "Frequent Floter"
coupons, this program won't cost a
cent.
The biggie. Because the vice pres
ident is a "heartbeat away from the
presidency" and all that, I've chosen
a running mate who embodies the
best of both Bentsen and Quayle and
is different from them in important
areas. He is old. He disagrees with
me on several key issues. He is not
Jack Kennedy. He's conservative. He
doesn't lick his lips every three
seconds. His wife is as fashion
conscious as Nancy Reagan. He is not
a U.S. citizen. He's hip, just a little
crazy and repressive, and he's looking
for a place to stay. Let's welcome the
world's favorite dictator and the next
vice president of the United States,
Ferdinand Marcos!
Folks who are interested in cam
paigning for me should have exper
ience handing out flowers and but
tons in airports (funky haircut not
a prerequisite). Hey, America, IVe
never held any office of any kind, but
why not give me a chance? Don't be
afraid to vote for Dave. Remember,
as Joe Biden once said, "We have
nothing to fear but fear itself."
David Ball is a freshman political
science major from Atlanta, Ga.
bring creativity and vigor
Chris Hood
Guest Writer
economics" means instead trickled
on.
Ihe tinal indictment ot the Repub-
lican nominee comes from this fact:
nis administration pays more interest
on the national debt than it spends
on all health, education, cultural,
welfare, science and technology
w r ci - f - 1
More on the
interest than' on programs for the
people! Economists and historians
agree: runaway government debt
causes economic dissolution and
social turmoil.
Mike Dukakis declares that we
have a choice we can pay our way
through less defense spending and
additional taxes. We don't have to
accept blown-away budgets and
sinking prosperity. Dukakis chooses
a course that Carolina students
should rally to because it guarantees
our economic future against the
ruinous policies of his opponent.,
Wishful thinking isn't enough
YDs rally a success
despite distortions
and CRs' presence
Election Day is only a few
days away, and we all
joyously await that auspi
cious day when all political com
mercials will cease. Most students
feel they fulfill their civic duty by
simply voting, but for many,
November 8 will represent count
less hours of hard work and
preparation. I am one of those
people, and I sacrifice my time
because I believe that our elected
representatives make decisions
which will determine the future of
our country. Since I plan to live
here for about the next 60 years
or so, I consider America's future
to be worthy of my time and
efforts. What is not worthy of my
time and efforts, however, is
listening to the distortions, demag
oguery and bickering which so
often accompany politics. I regret
that this national trend has now
become a local one as well'.
Sharon Sentelle provides a clear
example of what I abhor in politics
in her recent column, "Leaders
responsible for the rally failure."
Anyone who attended the Young
Democrats' Youth Unity rally on
October 25 can attest that the rally
was anything but a "failure;" it was
an overwhelming success. Over
450 students attended, according
to the DTH and local newspapers,
as opposed to Ms. Sentelle's
estimate of less than half that
amount. There was a small and
vocal Republican minority, but
they did not nearly compose one
fourth of the crowd, as she sug
gests. There was no last-minute
scramble for Democratic signs or
anything else. The entire event ran
precisely on schedule, and every
stage was planned well in advance.
for yoy
the candidate we elect faces major
economic and social problems: Duka
kis' plan for the budget and debt
works it does in Massachusetts
and makes a constructive alternative
to Bush's policy. The governor
pledges to end the evaporation of
middle-class dreams, On crime and
drugs, tne Democratic nominee
stands upon his record in Massachu-
seus, wnere lower crime ana nomiciae
rates and a successful anti-drug
program have improved citizens' lives
and offered poor and middle-class
ti
ll..,.
The Democratic candidate, there-
fore, outstrips his opponent in the
leadership and solutions needed for
economic and social problems. Sob-
erly, without the smoke and mirror
act weVe associated with Bush and
the Republicans, Dukakis will lead
a new course and guarantee our
economic security. ;.
Chris Hood is a junior interdisci
plinary studies major from Southern
: Pines. ' ' " - ''
Sandy Rierson
Guest Writer
The most ridiculous aspects of
Ms. Sentelle's column were her
charges of "inept leadership" and
her assertion that the CRs were
simply "better prepared than the
Democrats." Wayne Goodwin and
Phil Sheridan began planning this
rally in early , June.. All major
candidates for statewide office
were present, along with Rep.
David Price and Gov. Bill Clinton
of Arkansas. Young Democrats
from colleges and high schools
around the state prticipated, and
every branch of the local news
media covered the event. I believe
this required a bit more prepara
tion than giving people signs to
wave and telling them to be
disruptive. .
In the future, if Ms. Sentelle and
the rest of the College Republicans
want to expose UNC studens to
their candidates, ' I suggest they
organize and stage their own rally.
Waving a candidate's name,
around on a sign will not sway,
a large percentage of intelligent
voters. However, if the CRs wish
to utilize their "freedom of expres
sion" in this way, far be it from
me to object. Incidentally, if the
CRs feel that somehow during this
entire episode their First Amend
ment rights have been violated, I
suggest they contact the local
chapter of the ACLU.
Sandy Rierson is a senior pol
itical science and history major ;
from Summerjield.
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