Wednesday, October 28, 1998
Based on policies, Boxer best bet in Washington
SENATOR: Toughness on crime, children’s safety concerns for
incumbent
Barbara Boxer is the better candidate for U.S. senator – she
supports public education, gun control, women’s rights and
environmental protection. Her experience and voting record indicate
her commitment to issues Californians currently face.
Her opponent, Matt Fong, lacks the experience and insight which
Boxer possesses. Fong focuses too much on increasing defense
spending and military powers and not enough on education,
environment or the economy.
Education
Boxer’s record illustrates her dedication to public education.
She introduced the After School Education and Safety Act of 1997,
providing safe environments for children during the hours when kids
commit most crimes. She authored the Computer Donation Incentive
Act in 1996, giving tax deductions to companies that donate
computers to schools.
Boxer’s plans for education are just as impressive. She supports
strong national education standards; plans to create afterschool
academic, recreational, and technology training programs; and plans
to put 100,000 new teachers in classrooms.
In contrast, Fong supports proposals that place limits on public
education. He opposed affirmative action and bilingual education by
supporting Propositions 209 and 227, which limit diversity and the
education of non-native speakers. Fong supports school vouchers,
and charter and magnet schools. Fong’s stance on education shows
that he does not have a clear grasp of what California’s education
needs most: funding, access to education and quality public
schooling.
Crime
Boxer’s voting record demonstrates her ongoing fight against
crime. She was an avid supporter of the Brady Bill and the assault
weapons ban which passed in the 1994 Crime Bill – both of which
placed limitations on the accessibility of weapons and guns.
Boxer plans to require all handguns to be equipped with child
safety locks and a ban on all "junk guns."
Fong, on the other hand, is excessively harsh on crime. His
"10-20-Life" legislation that adds 10 years to sentences if a
weapon was used to commit the crime, is an extreme solution to a
much more complicated problem.
Economy
Unlike Fong, Boxer’s proposals to strengthen California’s
economy don’t jeopardize other significant programs. She strongly
supports the development of technology in California’s high-tech
communities; she advocates the Research and Experimentation tax
credit, which was included in the president’s 1997 budget. A
champion of small business, Boxer backs the 50 percent capital
gains tax reduction on profits from start-up companies and promotes
the development of the environment and economy by supporting the
alternate fuel vehicle industry.
Fong, in contrast, intends to improve the economy through
educational reform – presumably by cutting education. Fong intends
to lower taxes yet also increase defense spending, which could
potentially lead to a cut in many programs that this nation needs,
namely, educational programs.
Barbara Boxer is not the perfect candidate. She can often be an
unbending liberal and an active participant in partisan politics,
as seen in her embarrassing attempts to apologize for the
president’s behavior in the Monica Lewinsky scandal. She is,
however, the best candidate for our state.
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