posted on February 10, 2004 10:00:35 AM newThe Associated Press chooses an issue three times a week and asks the presidential candidates a question about it.
Candidates on the Issues: Budget
BUDGET: Can the U.S. government achieve a balanced budget this decade?
Democrats:
Wesley Clark: "I have proposed a 'Savings for America's Future' plan to save $2.35 trillion over 10 years for deficit reduction and investment in priorities like health care, education and homeland security. My plan accomplishes these savings by reducing government waste, internationalizing the reconstruction of Iraq, cutting corporate welfare and tax loopholes and recapturing revenue from the portions of the Bush tax cut for those making more than $200,000 a year. It's not realistic or responsible to name a specific date for balancing the budget right now because there are too many uncertain factors, but my plan will be a significant first step toward a return to fiscal responsibility and my ultimate goal of balancing the budget."
Howard Dean: "The U.S. can achieve a balanced budget by 2010 if all of the Bush tax cuts are repealed, and aggressive action is taken to eliminate the billions of dollars in tax loopholes that benefit corporate special interests."
Sen. John Edwards: "We should cut the deficit each year and get on the path to a balanced budget by rolling back the Bush tax cuts, adding a new tax on the unearned income of those making more than $300,000, closing corporate loopholes, and eliminating wasteful spending. At the same time, we also need to make critical investments in education, health care, and homeland security. Anyone who says they can make those investments and guarantee a balanced budget in the near future is not being straight with people. We can and must bring the deficit down each year."
Sen. John Kerry: "I have put forward a sensible plan that will at least cut the deficit in half in my first term, while investing in economic growth and investing in workers. To restore fiscal discipline I will repeal Bush's tax cuts for the wealthy, cut excesses in government and implement the McCain-Kerry Commission on corporate welfare to cut special tax loopholes and pork barrel spending projects."
Rep. Dennis Kucinich: "It took an astounding string of misplaced priorities to turn the healthy surpluses of Bill Clinton into the stratospheric deficits of George Bush. Bush insists on spending more than $400 billion on the Department of Defense plus more than $150 billion extra for Iraq and Afghanistan, bottomless money pits with no end in sight. He also insists on enormous tax cuts for his wealthy campaign contributors. As president, I will reverse all three of these trends, thereby restoring some fiscal sanity to our great American house."
Al Sharpton: No response.
Republican:
President Bush: No response.
Candidates on the Issues: Security
HOMELAND SECURITY: Do you think the color-coded terrorist warning system is effective?
Democrats:
Wesley Clark: "No warning system - color-coded or otherwise - can protect us from terrorism so long as we don't devote the necessary resources to secure our homeland. I have proposed to create a two-year, $40 billion Homeland Security fund to invest in training first responders like local law enforcement and emergency medical technicians, and to secure critical infrastructure like ports, chemical factories, bridges and rail stations. The color-coded system can only be effective if it is integrated into a broader, more aggressive strategy to protect the homeland and a commitment to invest in the equipment and human resources necessary to do it."
Howard Dean: "No. We need to create a threat advisory system that actually makes Americans safer, by linking threat advisories to specific geographic areas and industries wherever possible, and by educating Americans as to what these advisories mean. We also need to establish a permanent fund to reimburse state and local governments for their incremental costs associated with terror threat level increases, separate from terrorism preparedness funds."
Sen. John Edwards: "It is not nearly as effective as it should be. The system still does not grade warnings for different parts of the country - when New York, for example, may face different threats than Nebraska. It does not do enough to tailor different messages for police officers, health officials, and the general public, which face different concerns. And we still have not provided families with enough useful information and how they can prepare for a possible attack and how they can contribute to the fight against terror."
Sen. John Kerry: "When the security threat is raised, communities have to spend additional resources such as paying police overtime and funding additional security measures. Many of these communities are already strapped for cash in the Bush economy, and these additional costs lead to cuts in other areas, such as health care and education. That is why I have proposed to create an 'Orange Alert Fund' to reimburse communities for some of the additional costs incurred by responding to a higher threat level."
Rep. Dennis Kucinich: "It is effective at increasing fear, but not at making us safer. It is not for the America I grew up in, the one that values personal freedom, personal liberty, personal responsibility. The color-coded terrorist warning system is only effective at scaring an already uneasy population and does nothing to effectively combat actual terror."
Al Sharpton: No response.
Republican:
President Bush: No response.
Candidates on the Issues: Global Warming
GLOBAL WARMING: Should the United States support the Kyoto treaty to limit global warming?
Democrats:
Wesley Clark: "Not only did President Bush pull out of Kyoto, but he has utterly failed to address the problem of global warming in a serious way at all, choosing instead to deny the science, effectively hiding his head in the sand. We need to re-engage with the international community to address carbon emissions and global warming more broadly. Whether it's rejoining Kyoto or finding other multilateral approaches, we have to address this global problem with global leadership."
Howard Dean: "We must reject the Bush doctrine of isolationism and rejoin the international dialogue on global climate change. A Dean administration will work to re-engage with the international community to deal with the environmental, economic and public health threats of global warming. We must also actively reduce our own emissions and set an example to our neighbors. The technologies for cleaner power plants, factories, and vehicles are present; now we need real accountability - firm and fair standards to level the playing field and give industries the incentives to adopt and improve these technologies."
Sen. John Edwards: "America must be a leader in the world's effort to reduce global warming. While the Kyoto agreement had problems, President Bush made a terrible mistake in simply walking away from Kyoto and our allies. We must work with other nations for an international framework that reduces global warming and maintains America's economic strength at the same time."
Sen. John Kerry: "Some of our most serious environmental challenges - and opportunities - are taking place on an international stage and they require American leadership in the international community. Unlike the Bush administration, I will not abdicate this responsibility and opportunity. I will make sure that the U.S. re-engages in the development of an international climate change strategy to address global warming, and identifies workable responses that provide opportunities for American technology and know-how."
Rep. Dennis Kucinich: "Conserving energy and complying with the Kyoto Protocol would promote national security and Mideast peace as well as curb global warming. As president, I will sign the Kyoto climate change treaty because we need it for our children and our grandchildren."
Al Sharpton: No response.
Republican:
President Bush: No response.
Candidates on the Issues: Guns
GUNS: How, if at all, should federal gun laws be changed?
Democrats:
Wesley Clark (news - web sites): "First and foremost, we need to do a better job of enforcing our existing gun laws. I will do better. Next, I will push for a law that closes the 'gun show loophole.' Many states already have laws requiring background checks for gun purchases at gun shows. This is just common sense: If background checks are a good idea at gun stores, then they're a good idea at gun shows. I will make this a federal law. Finally, we ought to make sure that guns are designed with safety as a priority. For example, trigger locks on handguns would prevent a substantial number of the accidental shootings that occur every year. In addition, guns should feature indicators that show when they are loaded."
Howard Dean (news - web sites): "I favor reauthorizing the federal ban on assault weapons and requiring use of the National Instant Criminal Background Check System for all sales at gun shows. I support all other existing federal gun laws and would vigorously enforce them. Beyond that, each state can decide if additional gun laws are needed."
Sen. John Edwards (news - web sites): "I grew up in small towns where gun ownership was a way of life. I have deep respect for that way of life, and I believe the Second Amendment protects it. At the same time, I believe we must support gun safety and keep guns out of the hands of criminals. To achieve these goals, I support modest changes in federal gun laws — closing the gun show loophole and requiring trigger locks on new weapons — which we should take while honoring the right to own guns for hunting, sporting or personal protection."
Sen. John Kerry (news - web sites): "I am a gun owner and hunter, and I believe that law-abiding American adults have the right to own guns. But like all of our rights, gun rights come with responsibilities, and those rights allow for reasonable restrictions to keep guns out of the wrong hands. I strongly support all of the federal gun laws on the books, and I would take steps to ensure that they are vigorously enforced. I will also close the gun show loophole, which is allowing criminals to get access to guns at gun shows without background checks, fix the background check system, which is in a serious state of disrepair, and require that all handguns be sold with a child safety lock."
Rep. Dennis Kucinich (news - web sites): "In this mobile society, national control of guns is necessary, just as it is with pollution. It is the right of Americans to keep and bear arms; however it is not the right of American felons to arm themselves. As president, I would support legislation to require background checks, identical to the background checks currently required for transfers by licensed gun dealers, for firearm transfers by unlicensed gun dealers at gun shows. Sensible laws to prevent guns from winding up in the wrong hands do not infringe on any constitutional rights."
Al Sharpton (news - web sites): No response.
Republican:
President Bush (news - web sites): No response.
Who'd've though that George Bush and Al Sharpton have so much in common?
