The Daily Tar Heel Monday, November 7, 19887
T.Uction '88
Presidential hopefuls brio
classroom - oinito campaoeiros
By WILLIAM TAGGART
Assistant State and National Editor
In a presidential campaign where
issues received little attention, both
presidential candidates believe educa
tion is important for the next pres
ident to tackle, campaign officials
said.
."George Bush wants to be known
as, the 'education president," said Jim
Carroll, communication specialist for
the Bush campaign.
-"Governor Dukakis feels very
str.ongly about education," said Tripp
Jones, press aide for the Dukakis
campaign. "He believes a strong
education system is one way in which
we, can make sure the country will
be nationally secure in the future."
Bush wants a renewed emphasis on
efementary and secondary education,
Carroll said. This emphasis includes
aYpecial focus on the early develop
ment of minority and poor children
wrjo are most at risk.
. The vice president would expand
the Head Start program, which
provides preschool education for low
income children.
r Stimulating local education reform
is, another goal, Carroll said. "Some
areas are far behind we want to
level the playing field of education,"
he said. This includes helping states
take over failed school systems,
although states should be allowed to
run systems that work for their
region, he said. Federal intervention
would serve only as a safety net.
-Cutbacks in education spending by
the Reagan administration have
caused major problems, especially
Caimdodafe - propose o
By STACI COX
Assistant State and National Editor
- Relieving poverty must be a top
priority of the next administration,
according to both presidential can
didates, who have outlined various
plans to handle the problem.
Bush would begin with increased
funding to federal programs aimed
at pregnant mothers and small
children, said Richard Porter, a
domestic policy adviser to the Bush
campaign.
"The whole focus of our programs
is on the people in greatest need,"
Porter said.
.'.Included among the programs that
would receive increased funding in a
Bush administration is Head Start,
a. federal preschool education pro
gram. Porter said.
"Mr. Bush feels that Head Start
is very important in ending poverty,"
he said.
: Dukakis agrees that funding for
Head Start should be increased but
sees that as just the beginning of
Bush, Dukakis disagree 00
rational security measures
By ERIC GRIBBIN
Staff Writer
Presidential candidates Michael
Dukakis and George Bush agree that
national security is a top priority, but
they disagree on the size of the defense
budget and on which aspects of the
military should be emphasized.
Vice President Bush supports
continued research and eventual
deployment of the Strategic Defense
Initiative (SDI), said David Sander,
campaign spokesman for the Bush
campaign.
- "He supports current funding
levels," Sander said. "He plans to
deploy it as soon as research and
development indicates that it is
ready."
The Republican candidate also
sjupports continued arms-control
negotiations with the Soviet Union,
Sander said.
"Obviously, he has said that we
need to continue to negotiate from
a'position of strength," he said. "We
can, for the first time, seek verifiable
reductions. This is what we saw in
'the INF treaty. We will certainly seek
further negotiations with the Soviet
Union."
Massachusetts Gov. Dukakis
"believes SDI research should con
tinue, but he also feels spending
should be cut in certain areas of the
'defense budget, said Tripp Jones, a
Dukakis press aide.
" '"He's in favor of continued
research, and he feels that we need
to stay ahead of the Soviet Union in
this respect," Jones said. "They're
doing research; we should do the
same. He feels we should cut some
spending in this particular area,
though. We should continue
(research) at about $1 billion a year.
"He (Dukakis) is excited about the
opportunity for further negotiations
and treaties with the Soviet Union,"
Jones said. "He's excited about the
INF treaty. He looks forward as
president to continued negotiations
with inner-city and minority educa
tion, Jones said.
"These are problems that deserve
sincere and serious attention," he said
in a telephone interview. "Governor
Dukakis would give it and provide
leadership and incentive for others to
get involved."
Dukakis believes in improving the
quality of education at the local level
across the country, Jones said. Areas
of the country where school systems
have fallen behind would get special
attention.
Bush would also work for higher
teacher quality. To increase teacher
pay, Bush supports a merit system,
Carroll said. He would create a
national teacher evaluation model to
standardize the criteria by which
teachers are awarded merit pay.
"Governor Dukakis has made it
clear that teachers need good training
and adequate pay, which they aren't
receiving now.
"We need to find a way to inspire
young people to go into teaching,"
Jones said.
Part of this program is Dukakis
loan plan for college students. This
plan calls for students to pay off their
college loans through deductions
from their paychecks once they get
a job after graduation.
Deductions would be based on a
percentage of students incomes
students with larger incomes would
pay more per paycheck, Jones said.
Students who want to go into teach
ing or public service jobs would not
have to be as worried about being
burdened by loans after college.
federally funded programs to help
educate the poor, said Tripp Jones,
a Dukakis press aide.
Dukakis has outlined a welfare
training program that would provide
day care facilities to parents who are
training for better jobs, Jones said.
Such a program would allow welfare
recipients and the working poor a
chance to move up into higher income
brackets, he said.
"The governor would also create
a National Day Care Partnership to
discuss the possibilities for increased
day care services," Jones said.
The partnership would be com
posed of representatives of business,
government, education, labor and
families who would not only propose
solutions to the day care shortage but
provide standards for day care
personnel.
"The idea of partnership is (Duka
kis) way to get all affected involved
in finding a solution," Jones said.
The Bush child care program is
with the Soviet Union."
Bush advocates a "flexible freeze" ,
defense spending policy, which entails
the maintenance of current levels of
defense spending (with allowances for
inflation) and the possibilty of
increased spending in priority areas,
Sander said.
"If some defense spending need
were to suddenly arise, we want to
remain flexible to increase spending
to accommodate such a need."
Defense is a priority for Dukakis,
Jones said.
"Our national security is obviously
extremely important," he said.
"National security comes from both
a strong defense and a strong econ
omy, and he will work for both."
Bush and Dukakis disagree some
what on how to use conventional
forces.
"(Bush) is dedicated to continuing
to keep up our conventional forces
and to maintaining the upkeep of
military hardware worldwide,"
Sander said. "We have seen an
improvement in this area during the
Reagan administration over the
Carter administration."
Dukakis wants to concentrate on
conventional forces, Jones said.
"Gov. Dukakis has said he is in favor
of improving and strengthening our
conventional forces."
Bush believes America should
maintain its current levels of chemical
and biological weapons, but he
opposes the continued production of
such weapons, Sander said.
"He has very recently called for a
ban on the (further) production of
chemical and biological weapons,"
Sander said. "If you don't have (these)
weapons, you don't have a bargaining
chip to bring to the table to compel
others to reduce their levels of
weapons."
Dukakis opposes the use and
further production of chemical and
biological weapons, Jones said.
Bush supports continued moderni
Dukakis also supports the contin
uation of federal aid to education, like
Pell Grants, as part of his program
to make college affordable. "Gover
nor Dukakis wants to assure qualified
students can get a college education,"
he said.
College savings bonds are a main
part of Bush's program for higher
education. The bond helps families
save for college, working the way a
U.S. savings bond would except the
interest is tax-free, Carroll said.
"The program is geared toward the
middle-income family," he. said. It
could not be used as a tax shelter
because the interest is not tax-free for
families with incomes over $80,000,
Carroll said.
Bush also supports Pell Grants,
guaranteed student loans and
income-contingent loans. 4
"Bush believes in rewarding edu
cational entrepreneurs allowing
creativity but holding schools to the
highest standards of accountability,"
Carroll said.
Despite its importance, the issue of
education has not been addressed
enough in the campaign, Jones said.
"When you've had the sort of distor
tions and negative style of campaign
ing spearheaded by the Bush cam
paign, it is very difficult to get
involved in a debate on how to
improve education."
Dukakis is extremely frustrated
because "he has had to spend time
responding to wild allegations that
don't deserve the sort of time that
they received," Jones said.
divided into four major points, said
Margaret Garikes, a policy analyst
for the Bush campaign.
First, Bush would provide an
across-the-board refundable tax
credit of up to $1,000 for each child
under 4 years of age.
The next step in the Bush child care
program would be to require all
federal agencies to provide day care
programs, she said.
"The federal day care would serve
as a model for private businesses to
follow," Garikes said. But businesses
would not be required to provide day
care.
The Bush plan outlines the provi
sion of seed money for individual,
innovative child care programs
throughout the nation, she said. His
proposed expansion of Head Start
completes his child care plan.
"All these programs amount to
one-half of one percent of the budget,
and money gained from a flexible
freeze could finance Mr. Bush's
zation of the MX missile, Sander said.
"What we've seen in general with
peristroika, glasnost and the INF
treaty with the Soviet Union is
encouraging, but we can't become
complacent," Sander said.
Dukakis has a slightly different
stand on the MX missile, Jones said.
"He is in favor of maintaining the
MX missile and weapons systems like
the Stealth bomber and the D5, but
he feels that a system of weapons on
railroad cars is unnecessary," Jones
said.
"He feels that we should spend
money on things that need more
attention. Vice President Bush, in the
first debate, was asked which three
weapons systems he would eliminate,
and he named three systems that have
already been eliminated. This should
tell us how he stands on this issue."
Governor
education in North Carolina. Bob
Jordan pushed for the Basic Educa
tion Program which ensures equal
opportunity for every child in North
Carolina. Martin fought that plan,"
said Phil Wells, Jordan's campaign
press secretary.
"Bob Jordan pushed for the teach
ing fellows program which provides
scholarships for university students in
education who will go on to become
teachers in high schools in North
Carolina," Wells said. "Teaching
salaries have gone up under Bob
Jordan. If we had followed Jim
Martin, that would not have
improved."
Jordan also proposes building
more schools.
"We have oversized classrooms
and overcrowding, and that is a threat
to good education here," Wells said.
Jordan supports the United Plan
for Education, which calls for con
tinuation of funding into the 21st
century.
"We want to protect the programs
'
ytt5(D)!ni to pwertty ku
programs," Porter said.
While child care and education are
extremely important, Dukakis thinks
there must be an increase in the
minimum wage to help the working
poor out of poverty, Jones said.
"The minimum wage now does
people no good. When the legislation
to raise the minimum wage was being
considered, Bush took no position.
Perhaps if he had taken the initiative
and shown a little compassion, we'd,
have it right now," Jones said. r j
Bush supports a limited minimum!
wage increase that would not include
youth workers or trainees, Porter
Presidential campaigns address
U.S. drug problem, death penalty
By CHRIS LAN DG RAFF
Staff Writer
Michael Dukakis and George
Bush disagree on the death
penalty, but both say that a top
priority of their respective admin
istrations would be to bring the
nation's drug problem under
control.
Dukakis personally opposes the
death penalty in all cases but
would not take an active role in
lobbying against it as president,
according to campaign workers.
"The opposition to the death
penalty is a personal conviction of
Michael Dukakis," said Amy
DeHart, communications director
for the N.C. Dukakis-Bentsen
campaign. "This issue, however, is
not a campaign issue. He knows
the majority of the voters support
the death penalty and does not
view the election as a referendum
on the death penalty.
"The president traditionally has
little to do with death penalty
policy because the state govern
ments make the decision."
Bush would take a more active
role in making his support for the
death penalty a federal policy.
already in existence, making sure
Republicans like Jim Martin don't
cut basic education so they could give
tax breaks for the wealthy," he said.
"Bob Jordan has been a leader in
education, not a follower."
Jordan also opposes the 10 percent
increase in tuition within the state
university system that Martin pro
posed, Wells said.
And Jordan has criticized Martin
for opposing an increase in funding
for the education of Jhandicapped
children when he was a congressman.
"You've got to be a bastard to get
up in the morning and decide to vote
against funding for educating handi
capped kids," said Michael Plante,
research director for the Jordan for
Governor Committee.
Another major issue in the gub
ernatorial campaign has been jobs
within the state.
"Since 1985, there's been a net gain
of 380,000 new jobs in North Carolina
. . . unemployment is at its lowest
said.
"These people are usually getting
paid their value to the company," he
said.
Raising the minimum wage reduces
jobs and drives people out of the
economy, Porter said. Bush would try
to work against poverty within the
framework of the free enterprise
system, he said.
In addition to raising the minimum
wage,., .Dukakis .would require all
employers, ;tp provide health, insur
ance for their r workers, a plan that
would cost the government nothing,
Jones said.
"Bush would certainly appoint
Supreme Court justices who share
his views on the death penalty,"
said Scott Gregory, communica
tions director for the North Caro
lina Bush-Quayle campaign.
Bush would also support legis
lation to apply the death penalty
to drug kingpins who were
involved in killings. "Big-time,
repeat offenders who could be
linked to slayings would be subject
to the death penalty," Gregory
said.
The campaigns agree that the
drug problem is the most impor
tant issue in the election, but the
candidates' solutions for the prob
lem are quite different.
Bush's proposals would mainly
consist of increased funding for
Reagan administration drug
enforcement and education
policies.
"Bush would increase funding
for interdictions around our
borders. This would mean more
money for the Coast Guard to
make inspections and would
include support for other border
patrols," Gregory said.
level in 12 to 15 years," Pittman said.
Martin also stresses recruiting new
industries and then supporting the
state infrastructure, he said.
But 80 percent of the new jobs
created in the state came from the
expansion of existing companies, not
from Fortune 500 companies, Plante
said. Fewer companies are now
relocating in the state. Five years ago
one in three companies relocated
here. Now, only one in five companies
chooses to relocate in the state, he
said.
Throughout the campaign, Martin
has emphasized his achievements in
improving the state's roads.
"In 4, Jim Martin made only one
highway promise and that was to get
1-40 under contract from the moun
tains to the coast. He has fulfilled that
commitment," Pittman said.
Martin has also proposed a "stra
tegic corridors plan" which will create
major interstates by having county
commissioners of neighboring coun
ties to submit the road proposals as
Dukakis would also create health
care programs for pregnant women
and their small children.
"Caring for them early on would
save the government in the long run,"
Jones said.
To help all families buy homes,
Dukakis proposes a "Home Start"
program that would allow people to
use IRAs and other alternative
savings programs to buy a house.
By continuing , the economic
growth of, the. past few ' yearsji. Bush
feels he can help the poor by creating
greater job markets and opportuni
ties, Porter said.
Bush would address the demand
side of the drug epidemic through
increased education. "Drug edu
cation would be a top priority for
the Department of Education in
a George Bush administration,"
Gregory said.
The Dukakis administration
would alleviate the drug problem
through centralization and coor
dination, DeHart said.
"The governor would appoint a
'drug czar' who would coordinate
the fight against drugs. The cur
rent approach is too spread out
and unorganized," she said.
More pressure would be exerted
on foreign governments to coop
erate with U.S. efforts to stop
drugs from being brought into the
country.
"We need to send foreign coun
tries the message that they will
suffer severe consequences if the
drug flow is not controlled,"
DeHart said.
Dukakis would also aid local
officials in the war on drugs by
increasing funds and personnel for
fighting drugs in communities, she
said.
from page 5
a team.
"We're trying to take the politics
out of roadbuilding. This will build
support around one cause rather than
have each area ask for a different
road. You are not going to build a
highway by working on pieces of a
road here and there," Pittman said.
But Jordan dislikes Martin's
tactics.
"We feel that Jim Martin has
politicized the road-building process
by haphazardly offering a road here
and a road there," Wells said. "Jim
Martin makes a lot of promises but
there's no way in the world he could
build all the roads he's promised
without raising taxes a lot."
Jordan and the current secretary
of transportation appointed a com
mission to study highway needs which
will report to the legislature in
January, Wells said.
Staff writer Lauren Martin con
tributed to this article.
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