Perng is a fourth-year political science student and executive
director of the Bruin Republicans.
By Simon Perng
These past few weeks, we have watched the presidential debates
take place on television. It is clear that despite several
interruptions from Vice President Al Gore (verbally or
not-so-verbally), Governor George W. Bush presented himself
positively to the American people.
Without a doubt, Bush talked less than Gore, but then again, I
don’t think anyone could respond fast enough to Gore’s
variances with his stances and the truth.
I’m pleased as punch that both Bush and Gore got to talk
about foreign relations in the second debate, given the situation
in Yugoslavia and the Middle East. Bush articulated his position
well on the specific level of commitment the United States would
play in the world’s affairs, probably more clearly than
Gore.
Bush recognizes the sensitivity that comes with direct U.S.
intervention into trouble spots around the world. He knows that
many nations resent some U.S. influence and intervention. On the
other hand, Gore’s stance on world affairs might
unnecessarily commit U.S. resources to futile causes, and endanger
U.S. prestige and credibility with its allies.
Yet this only represents one area where both candidates strongly
disagree. One especially important issue that was debated is tax
cuts. Based on the debates, we see that once again, Gore has misled
the American people on Bush’s tax cuts. Bush’s tax cut
benefits everyone who pays taxes, not just the rich as Gore likes
to claim.
Bush’s plan would relieve six million families from paying
income taxes. The people it would benefit the most though are not
the rich, but the poorest income earners. The wealthiest Americans
still continue to pay the current 60 percent of the tax burden
under the Bush plan.
Another advantage of the Bush plan includes the elimination of
the marriage penalty. As stated in the Oct. 17 debate, Bush’s
plan promises as much as 50 percent reductions for the typical
middle-class taxpayer. Simply put, under the Bush plan, every
taxpayer gets tax relief, not just the wealthy.
In contrast, under the Gore tax plan, it’s not guaranteed
that every American will get this tax relief. Everyone will still
have to qualify for tax relief. Consequently, if you do not fit
into a qualifying government category, then you may not even
receive it. Again, another flaw in Gore’s platform.
Furthermore, Gore expressed earlier his desire to take the topic
of military readiness out of the debates, saying that it would be
foolish to play politics with our most vital national security
interests. Well, I believe the status for military readiness is
just as relevant today as it was in 1960 when another Democrat,
John F. Kennedy, talked about it in great detail. Certainly, Gore
cannot possibly think that our military is running smoothly when
it’s got many early officer retirements, overworked officers
serving too many missions at once, rampant cannibalism of working
vehicles for spare parts and lowered troop morale.
In addition to his sorry stance on the military, it is also
important to note the extremely hefty price tag Gore’s
proposed new government proposals will carry. In fact, the
non-partisan Committee for a Responsible Budget say that
Gore’s programs will “produce the largest spending
increases since (Lyndon B. Johnson) and the Great Society”
(Robert Novak, Chicago Sun Times, Oct 19).
Oddly enough, both Bush and Gore will significantly increase
funding for programs run by the Department of Education. But
there’s a distinct difference between Bush’s and
Gore’s priorities.
According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress
(NAEP) and the U.S. Department of Education, overall spending in
education has gone up during the Clinton-Gore years, yet reading
test scores for grade-school children have remained low. Bush
expressed his case well for restoring real learning standards for
students and real teaching standards for teachers.
Bush has a great track record on education in Texas, where
nearly 90 percent of fourth graders passed the state readings
skills test in 1999 (an increase of about 15 percent since the time
that Bush took office in 1994). Similarly, nearly 90 percent of all
students passed the state math test in 1999, an increase of about
30 percent since Bush took office (Texas Education Agency). All of
these advances were accomplished during Bush’s tenure as
Texas governor. Altogether, I think it’s one thing to throw
money at a problem and another thing to do something about it.
Overall, Bush presented himself as a consensus-driven,
issues-oriented leader, contrasting his presence to a deeply
partisan, attack-dog Washingtonian.