Transcripts For CSPAN3 Presidential Debates 2000 Presidentia

Welcome you to this third and final campaign 2000 debate between the democratic candidate of president , and Vice President al gore, and the republican candidate governor george w. Bush of texas, and lets welcome the candidates now. Hello. Hello, jim. Good to see you. Governor. Good to see you both. Nice to see you again. How are you all . Before proceeding tonight, we would like to observe a moment of silence in memory of governor mel carnahan of missouri along with his son and former chief of staff died in a private plane crash last night near st. Louis. A reminder, as we continue now, that these debates are sponsored by the commission on president ial debates. The formats and the rules were worked out by the commission and the two campaigns. Tonights questions will be asked by st. Louis area voters who were identified as being uncommitted by the gallup organization. Earlier today, each of them wrote a question on a small card like this. Those cards were collected and then given to me this afternoon. My job under the rules of the evening was to decide the order the questions will be asked and to call on the questioners accordingly, and i also had the option of asking followups, and which to get to more of the panels questions, i plan to do so sparingly and mostly for clarification. The audience is bound by the following rule. They shall not ask followup questions or participation in the extended discussion, and the questioners microphone is going to be turned off after he or she asks the question. Those are the rules. As in Winston Salem last week, no single answer or response from a candidate can exceed two minutes there. Is an audience in the hall, and they have promised to remain absolutely quiet as did the predecessors this year in boston, danville, and Winston Salem. Before we begin, a corruption from last weeks debate. I was wrong when i said that al gores Television Commercial call called governor bush a bumbler, it was from a different ad. Glad you were able to clear that up. And now n is going to be asked by mr. James hankins. How do you feel about hmos and Insurance Companies making the critical decisions that affect peoples lives instead of the medical professionals and why are the hmos and Insurance Companies not held accountable about their decisions . I dont feel good about it. And we should have a patient bill of rights to take the decisions away from the hmos and give it back to the doctors and the nurses. I want to come back to tell you why, but i would like to Say Something here at the beginning of the debate or the moment of silence for the siperts, and tipper and i were good friends with the mel and jeanne, and this debate is in a way a living tribute to mel carnahan, because he loved the vigorous discussion of ideas in the democracy and he was a fantastic governor of missouri. This state became one of the top five in the nation for Health Care Coverage for children under his leadership, and one of the best in advancing all kinds of benefits for children to grow up healthy and strong. Of course, this debate is taking place when the tragedy of the u. S. S. Cole is on our hearts and hands and insofar as the Memorial Service tomorrow with the memories of those who have died and those missing and injured, and extend our sympathies the. Now, mr. Hankins, the situation that you have described is completely out of hand. The doctors are giving prescriptions and recommending treatments and then their recommendations are being overruled by hmos and Insurance Companies. That is unacceptable, and i recommend a Strong National patient bill of rights. It is a strong area of disagreement. And the Dingle Norwood bill of rights is one that i support and the governor does not. Two minute response. I too, want to extend my prayers and blessings on the families whose lives were overturned last night. It is a tragic moment. Actually, mr. Vice president , it is not true, i do support a National Patient bill of rights and i brought democrats and republicans together to get a patients bill of rights through in texas. It requires to get it through and to get something done on behalf of the people, you have to put partisanship aside. And what we did is to say that a woman doesnt have to go through the gatekeeper to go through her gynecologist. It says that you cant gag a doctor, and a doctor can advise you, and the hmo cannot gag that doctor from giving you full advice, and in this particular bill, it allows the patients to choose a doctor, their own doctor if they want to, and we did Something Else that is interesting. We are one of the first states that said that you can sue an hmo for denying you proper coverage. Now there is what is called the independent review organization that you have to go through first, and it says if you have a complaint with the Insurance Company, you can take the complaint to an objective body, and if the objective body rules on your behalf, the Insurance Company must follow the rules, but however, if the Insurance Company does not follow the finding of the iro, then it is becoming a cause of action in the court of law. It is time for our nation to come together and do what is right for the people. I think that this is right for the people. You know, i support a National Patient bill of rights, mr. Vice president , and i want all people covered. I dont want the law to supersede good law like we have in texas. Governor, the time is up, sir. Jim, we have a direct disagreement on this. Just a minute, mr. Vice president , and the way that the rules go here, two minutes, and two minutes and then i will decide if we go on. Okay. So what i want to make sure that we understand is before we go on to another question in the health area, and would you agree that you two agree on a National Patient bill of law . Absolutely not. I referred to the Dingle Norwood bill, and it is the bipartisan bill that is pending in the congress. The hmos and the Insurance Companies support the bill that is pending the one that the republican majority has put forwarded and they like it, because it does not accomplish what really needs to be accomplished to give the decisions back to the doctors and the nurses and to give you a right to appeal to somebody other than the hmo and the right to go to emergency room before going to the hmo before you call 911 to get a specialist if you need to. It has strong bipartisan support and being blocked by the Republican Leadership in the congress, and i specifically would like to know whether governor bush is going to support the Dingle Norwood bill which is the main one pending. Governor bush, you can answer that, but i would like to know how you see the differences between the two of you and move on. The difference is that i can get it done. I can get something positive done on behalf of the people. That is what the question of this campaign is about. It is not the philosophy and the position of the issues, but can you get things the done. And i believe i can. What about the Dingle Norwood bill . I am not quite through. I talked about the principles and the issues that i think are important in a patients bill of rights. And it is kind of the washington, d. C. Folk in this committee or this sponsor, and if i am the president , we are going to have emergency room care, and we are going to have gag orders and we will have direct access to obgyn, and people taking their hmo company to court, and that is what i have done in texas and that is the leadership style i will bring to the presidency. And the next question is going to be asked by marie penn clafey to governor bush. Here you go. I have got some. Are either of you concerned with the feasible way to lower the cost of pharmaceutical drugs and such as minization and revamp the streamline of the drug Company Procedures instead of just finding more money to pay for them. That is great question. One of the problems that we have particularly for the seniors is that there is no Prescription Drug coverage in medicare and therefore when they have to try to purchase the drugs they do so on their own, and there is no collective bargaining or the power of purchasing amongst the seniors. So step one to make sure that Prescription Drugs are more affordable for Prescription Drugs, and those are the folks who are relying on them a lot these days and to reform the medicare system to have Prescription Drugs as part of medicare once and for all. The problem that we have today is that like the patients bill of rights and particularly with health care, there is a lot of bickering in washington, d. C. It is kind of like a political issue as opposed to a people issue. So what i want to do is to call upon republicans and democrats to forget all of the arguing and the finger pointing and come together and take care of our seniors with the Prescription Drug program. That says that we will pay for the poor seniors and we will help all seniors with the Prescription Drug, but in the meantime, it is important to have immediate helping hand which is a direct money to states so that seniors, and poor seniors dont have to choose between food and medicine. That is a part of an overall overhaul. The purchasing power, and i am against price controls. I think that price controls would hurt our ability to continue Important Research and development. Drug therapies are relace ing a lot replacing a lot of medicines as we know it, and we need to continue the research components, and we need to continue through the fda of course, and allowing a new bill that went through congress made since to allow for drugs sold overseas to come back and other countries to come back into the United States made since, but the best thing to do is to reform medicare. Vice president gore, two minutes. All right. Here we go again. Now, look, if you want someone who will spin a lot of words to describe a convoluted process and then end up supporting a group, that is your man, but if you want a man who is going to fight for the working class men and women who are sick and tired of having their parents and grandparents paying higher prices for Prescription Drugs than anyone else, then i want to fight for you, and you asked the great question, because it is not only seniors. Listen for 24 years, i have never been afraid to take on the Big Drug Companies. They do some great things. They discover great new cures, and that is great. We want them to continue that, but they are now spending more money on advertising and promotion, and you see all of the ads than they are on research and development, and trying to artificially extend the monopoly patent protection to continue to charge the high prices. I want to streamline the approval of the competing generic drugs and the new kinds of treatments that can compete with them so we bring the price down for everybody. Now, briefly, let me tell you how my Prescription Drug plan works. The governor talked about medicare. I propose a real Prescription Drug benefit under medicare for all seniors. And all seniors. This is how it works. You pick your own doctors the and nobody can take that away from you, and the doctor chooses the prescription that you need and nobody can overrule your doctor. You go to your own pharmacy and medicare pays half of the price, anded if you are poor, they pay a all of it, and it is extraordinarily high cost, they will pay 4,000 out of pocket and i will fight to bring the price down, and if you pass the price bill, nothing is going to happen. Another Health Question from vicki french, and it is for you Vice President gore. Vicki phrfrench, where are you . Okay. There. And we have spent billions of dollars on taxes, and would you be open to the idea of National Health care plan for everybody, and if not, why . If so, is this something that you would try to implement if you are elected into office, and what would you do to implement this plan . I think that we should move step by step to universal Health Coverage, but i am not in favor of the government doing it all. We have spent 65 years of developing a hybrid system partly private and partly public and 85 of the people have Health Insurance and 15 dont, and that is 44 million people, and this is a national outrage. We have to get the Health Coverage for those who do not have it, and we have to improve the quality for those who do with the patient bill of rights that is real, and that works, and the Dingle Norwood bill, and we have to fill in the gaps the and coverage for finally bringing the parity of the treatment of mental illness, because it has been left out. We have to deal with the long term care. These are the steps that i would take first of all. I will make a commitment to bring Health Care Coverage of high quality that is affordb to every single child to america within four years, and then we will fill other gaps by covering the parents of those children when the family is poor or up to 2 1 2 times the poverty rate. I want to give a tax credit for the purchase of individual Health Insurance plans and give employers 25 to encourage the providing of Health Insurance for the employees in Small Businesses, and i want to give the seniors who are well, the near elderly, and i dont like that term, because i am just about in that category, but those 55 to 65 ought to be able to buy into the medicare for premiums that are reasonable and fair and significantly below of what they have to get now. We have a big difference on this. And you need to know the record here. Under governor bush, texas has sunk to be 50th out of 50 in Health Care Insurance for their citizens. Last week he said that they were spending 3. 7 billion or 4. 7 billion on this. Mr. Vice president , your time is up on this. Governor, your time. And i am absolutely opposed to a National Health care plan. I dont want the federal government making decisions for consumers or providers. I remember what the administration tried to do in 1993. They tried to have a National Health care plan. And fortunately it failed. I trust the people, and not the federal government, and it is going to be one of the themes that you will hear tonight. I dont want the federal government to make decisions is on behalf of everybody. There is an issue with the uninsured, there sure is. And we have uninsured people in my state, and it is a big state and we share a common bord wer with another nation, and we are providing health care for the people, and one thing about insurance, it is a washington term. Are people getting health care, and there is a strong safety net, and there needs to be a safety net in america, and there needs to be more Community Health clinics for the poor to get health care, and we need a program for the uninsured and they have been talking about it washington, d. C. , and the number of uninsured have been going up for past seven years. We need a 2,000 credit rebate for people working people who dont have insurance and they can get into the marketplace and start to purchase it. We need to allow Small Businesses to write across state lines to afford it, and small restaurants can afford it. So Health Care Needs to be affordable, and so we need to trust people to get insurance. And if you are a senior, you can stay in medicare if you like it, that is fine, but we will give you other choices if you want to. Just like they do the federal employees and the people who work in washington, d. C. , for the u. S. Congress or the United States senate. Get a variety of choices to make in their lives. And that is what we ought to do for all people in america. Yes, sir. Governor no, not right now. Education. I am trying to find my light. These folks submitted 18 questions on education. And the first one is that we will be asked on education will go to you, governor, and it is going to be asked by angie pettig. Right there, governor. Hi, angie. I have heard a lot of education and the need to hold teachers and schools accountable. I certainly agree with that, but as an individual with an education background and as a parent, i have seen the instance where is the parents are unresponsive to the teachers or flatout uninvolved with the childs education, and how do you intend to hold the teachers and schools accountable, but also the parents accountable . Well, you know it is hard to make people love one another. I wish i knew the law, because i would sign it. I wish i knew that law that said we must be good parents. And i wish i knew that law that said to be a good parent we have to love our children with all of our heart. And i believe it is strong parental accountability, and i believe when you post results in the internet and the town newspapers, most parents say, wait a minute, my Vice President<\/a> al gore, and the republican candidate governor george w. Bush of texas, and lets welcome the candidates now. Hello. Hello, jim. Good to see you. Governor. Good to see you both. Nice to see you again. How are you all . Before proceeding tonight, we would like to observe a moment of silence in memory of governor mel carnahan of missouri along with his son and former chief of staff died in a private plane crash last night near st. Louis. A reminder, as we continue now, that these debates are sponsored by the commission on president ial debates. The formats and the rules were worked out by the commission and the two campaigns. Tonights questions will be asked by st. Louis area voters who were identified as being uncommitted by the gallup organization. Earlier today, each of them wrote a question on a small card like this. Those cards were collected and then given to me this afternoon. My job under the rules of the evening was to decide the order the questions will be asked and to call on the questioners accordingly, and i also had the option of asking followups, and which to get to more of the panels questions, i plan to do so sparingly and mostly for clarification. The audience is bound by the following rule. They shall not ask followup questions or participation in the extended discussion, and the questioners microphone is going to be turned off after he or she asks the question. Those are the rules. As in Winston Salem<\/a> last week, no single answer or response from a candidate can exceed two minutes there. Is an audience in the hall, and they have promised to remain absolutely quiet as did the predecessors this year in boston, danville, and Winston Salem<\/a>. Before we begin, a corruption from last weeks debate. I was wrong when i said that al gores Television Commercial<\/a> call called governor bush a bumbler, it was from a different ad. Glad you were able to clear that up. And now n is going to be asked by mr. James hankins. How do you feel about hmos and Insurance Companies<\/a> making the critical decisions that affect peoples lives instead of the medical professionals and why are the hmos and Insurance Companies<\/a> not held accountable about their decisions . I dont feel good about it. And we should have a patient bill of rights to take the decisions away from the hmos and give it back to the doctors and the nurses. I want to come back to tell you why, but i would like to Say Something<\/a> here at the beginning of the debate or the moment of silence for the siperts, and tipper and i were good friends with the mel and jeanne, and this debate is in a way a living tribute to mel carnahan, because he loved the vigorous discussion of ideas in the democracy and he was a fantastic governor of missouri. This state became one of the top five in the nation for Health Care Coverage<\/a> for children under his leadership, and one of the best in advancing all kinds of benefits for children to grow up healthy and strong. Of course, this debate is taking place when the tragedy of the u. S. S. Cole is on our hearts and hands and insofar as the Memorial Service<\/a> tomorrow with the memories of those who have died and those missing and injured, and extend our sympathies the. Now, mr. Hankins, the situation that you have described is completely out of hand. The doctors are giving prescriptions and recommending treatments and then their recommendations are being overruled by hmos and Insurance Companies<\/a>. That is unacceptable, and i recommend a Strong National<\/a> patient bill of rights. It is a strong area of disagreement. And the Dingle Norwood<\/a> bill of rights is one that i support and the governor does not. Two minute response. I too, want to extend my prayers and blessings on the families whose lives were overturned last night. It is a tragic moment. Actually, mr. Vice president , it is not true, i do support a National Patient<\/a> bill of rights and i brought democrats and republicans together to get a patients bill of rights through in texas. It requires to get it through and to get something done on behalf of the people, you have to put partisanship aside. And what we did is to say that a woman doesnt have to go through the gatekeeper to go through her gynecologist. It says that you cant gag a doctor, and a doctor can advise you, and the hmo cannot gag that doctor from giving you full advice, and in this particular bill, it allows the patients to choose a doctor, their own doctor if they want to, and we did Something Else<\/a> that is interesting. We are one of the first states that said that you can sue an hmo for denying you proper coverage. Now there is what is called the independent review organization that you have to go through first, and it says if you have a complaint with the Insurance Company<\/a>, you can take the complaint to an objective body, and if the objective body rules on your behalf, the Insurance Company<\/a> must follow the rules, but however, if the Insurance Company<\/a> does not follow the finding of the iro, then it is becoming a cause of action in the court of law. It is time for our nation to come together and do what is right for the people. I think that this is right for the people. You know, i support a National Patient<\/a> bill of rights, mr. Vice president , and i want all people covered. I dont want the law to supersede good law like we have in texas. Governor, the time is up, sir. Jim, we have a direct disagreement on this. Just a minute, mr. Vice president , and the way that the rules go here, two minutes, and two minutes and then i will decide if we go on. Okay. So what i want to make sure that we understand is before we go on to another question in the health area, and would you agree that you two agree on a National Patient<\/a> bill of law . Absolutely not. I referred to the Dingle Norwood<\/a> bill, and it is the bipartisan bill that is pending in the congress. The hmos and the Insurance Companies<\/a> support the bill that is pending the one that the republican majority has put forwarded and they like it, because it does not accomplish what really needs to be accomplished to give the decisions back to the doctors and the nurses and to give you a right to appeal to somebody other than the hmo and the right to go to emergency room before going to the hmo before you call 911 to get a specialist if you need to. It has strong bipartisan support and being blocked by the Republican Leadership<\/a> in the congress, and i specifically would like to know whether governor bush is going to support the Dingle Norwood<\/a> bill which is the main one pending. Governor bush, you can answer that, but i would like to know how you see the differences between the two of you and move on. The difference is that i can get it done. I can get something positive done on behalf of the people. That is what the question of this campaign is about. It is not the philosophy and the position of the issues, but can you get things the done. And i believe i can. What about the Dingle Norwood<\/a> bill . I am not quite through. I talked about the principles and the issues that i think are important in a patients bill of rights. And it is kind of the washington, d. C. Folk in this committee or this sponsor, and if i am the president , we are going to have emergency room care, and we are going to have gag orders and we will have direct access to obgyn, and people taking their hmo company to court, and that is what i have done in texas and that is the leadership style i will bring to the presidency. And the next question is going to be asked by marie penn clafey to governor bush. Here you go. I have got some. Are either of you concerned with the feasible way to lower the cost of pharmaceutical drugs and such as minization and revamp the streamline of the drug Company Procedures<\/a> instead of just finding more money to pay for them. That is great question. One of the problems that we have particularly for the seniors is that there is no Prescription Drug<\/a> coverage in medicare and therefore when they have to try to purchase the drugs they do so on their own, and there is no collective bargaining or the power of purchasing amongst the seniors. So step one to make sure that Prescription Drug<\/a>s are more affordable for Prescription Drug<\/a>s, and those are the folks who are relying on them a lot these days and to reform the medicare system to have Prescription Drug<\/a>s as part of medicare once and for all. The problem that we have today is that like the patients bill of rights and particularly with health care, there is a lot of bickering in washington, d. C. It is kind of like a political issue as opposed to a people issue. So what i want to do is to call upon republicans and democrats to forget all of the arguing and the finger pointing and come together and take care of our seniors with the Prescription Drug<\/a> program. That says that we will pay for the poor seniors and we will help all seniors with the Prescription Drug<\/a>, but in the meantime, it is important to have immediate helping hand which is a direct money to states so that seniors, and poor seniors dont have to choose between food and medicine. That is a part of an overall overhaul. The purchasing power, and i am against price controls. I think that price controls would hurt our ability to continue Important Research<\/a> and development. Drug therapies are relace ing a lot replacing a lot of medicines as we know it, and we need to continue the research components, and we need to continue through the fda of course, and allowing a new bill that went through congress made since to allow for drugs sold overseas to come back and other countries to come back into the United States<\/a> made since, but the best thing to do is to reform medicare. Vice president gore, two minutes. All right. Here we go again. Now, look, if you want someone who will spin a lot of words to describe a convoluted process and then end up supporting a group, that is your man, but if you want a man who is going to fight for the working class men and women who are sick and tired of having their parents and grandparents paying higher prices for Prescription Drug<\/a>s than anyone else, then i want to fight for you, and you asked the great question, because it is not only seniors. Listen for 24 years, i have never been afraid to take on the Big Drug Companies<\/a>. They do some great things. They discover great new cures, and that is great. We want them to continue that, but they are now spending more money on advertising and promotion, and you see all of the ads than they are on research and development, and trying to artificially extend the monopoly patent protection to continue to charge the high prices. I want to streamline the approval of the competing generic drugs and the new kinds of treatments that can compete with them so we bring the price down for everybody. Now, briefly, let me tell you how my Prescription Drug<\/a> plan works. The governor talked about medicare. I propose a real Prescription Drug<\/a> benefit under medicare for all seniors. And all seniors. This is how it works. You pick your own doctors the and nobody can take that away from you, and the doctor chooses the prescription that you need and nobody can overrule your doctor. You go to your own pharmacy and medicare pays half of the price, anded if you are poor, they pay a all of it, and it is extraordinarily high cost, they will pay 4,000 out of pocket and i will fight to bring the price down, and if you pass the price bill, nothing is going to happen. Another Health Question<\/a> from vicki french, and it is for you Vice President<\/a> gore. Vicki phrfrench, where are you . Okay. There. And we have spent billions of dollars on taxes, and would you be open to the idea of National Health<\/a> care plan for everybody, and if not, why . If so, is this something that you would try to implement if you are elected into office, and what would you do to implement this plan . I think that we should move step by step to universal Health Coverage<\/a>, but i am not in favor of the government doing it all. We have spent 65 years of developing a hybrid system partly private and partly public and 85 of the people have Health Insurance<\/a> and 15 dont, and that is 44 million people, and this is a national outrage. We have to get the Health Coverage<\/a> for those who do not have it, and we have to improve the quality for those who do with the patient bill of rights that is real, and that works, and the Dingle Norwood<\/a> bill, and we have to fill in the gaps the and coverage for finally bringing the parity of the treatment of mental illness, because it has been left out. We have to deal with the long term care. These are the steps that i would take first of all. I will make a commitment to bring Health Care Coverage<\/a> of high quality that is affordb to every single child to america within four years, and then we will fill other gaps by covering the parents of those children when the family is poor or up to 2 1 2 times the poverty rate. I want to give a tax credit for the purchase of individual Health Insurance<\/a> plans and give employers 25 to encourage the providing of Health Insurance<\/a> for the employees in Small Businesses<\/a>, and i want to give the seniors who are well, the near elderly, and i dont like that term, because i am just about in that category, but those 55 to 65 ought to be able to buy into the medicare for premiums that are reasonable and fair and significantly below of what they have to get now. We have a big difference on this. And you need to know the record here. Under governor bush, texas has sunk to be 50th out of 50 in Health Care Insurance<\/a> for their citizens. Last week he said that they were spending 3. 7 billion or 4. 7 billion on this. Mr. Vice president , your time is up on this. Governor, your time. And i am absolutely opposed to a National Health<\/a> care plan. I dont want the federal government making decisions for consumers or providers. I remember what the administration tried to do in 1993. They tried to have a National Health<\/a> care plan. And fortunately it failed. I trust the people, and not the federal government, and it is going to be one of the themes that you will hear tonight. I dont want the federal government to make decisions is on behalf of everybody. There is an issue with the uninsured, there sure is. And we have uninsured people in my state, and it is a big state and we share a common bord wer with another nation, and we are providing health care for the people, and one thing about insurance, it is a washington term. Are people getting health care, and there is a strong safety net, and there needs to be a safety net in america, and there needs to be more Community Health<\/a> clinics for the poor to get health care, and we need a program for the uninsured and they have been talking about it washington, d. C. , and the number of uninsured have been going up for past seven years. We need a 2,000 credit rebate for people working people who dont have insurance and they can get into the marketplace and start to purchase it. We need to allow Small Businesses<\/a> to write across state lines to afford it, and small restaurants can afford it. So Health Care Needs<\/a> to be affordable, and so we need to trust people to get insurance. And if you are a senior, you can stay in medicare if you like it, that is fine, but we will give you other choices if you want to. Just like they do the federal employees and the people who work in washington, d. C. , for the u. S. Congress or the United States<\/a> senate. Get a variety of choices to make in their lives. And that is what we ought to do for all people in america. Yes, sir. Governor no, not right now. Education. I am trying to find my light. These folks submitted 18 questions on education. And the first one is that we will be asked on education will go to you, governor, and it is going to be asked by angie pettig. Right there, governor. Hi, angie. I have heard a lot of education and the need to hold teachers and schools accountable. I certainly agree with that, but as an individual with an education background and as a parent, i have seen the instance where is the parents are unresponsive to the teachers or flatout uninvolved with the childs education, and how do you intend to hold the teachers and schools accountable, but also the parents accountable . Well, you know it is hard to make people love one another. I wish i knew the law, because i would sign it. I wish i knew that law that said we must be good parents. And i wish i knew that law that said to be a good parent we have to love our children with all of our heart. And i believe it is strong parental accountability, and i believe when you post results in the internet and the town newspapers, most parents say, wait a minute, my Childs School<\/a> is not doing what i want it to do, and they become involved in education. Some just dont care, but there are parents who feel like everything is going well in their Childs School<\/a>, and then all of the sudden they wake up and realize, wait a minute, the standards are not being met. That is why ai am so strong for accountability, and i believe that we should measure a lot, and 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8th grade. We do it in texas. One of the good things in texas, we have strong accountability, because you cant cure unless you know. You cant solve a problem unless you diagnose it. I strongly believe that one of the best things to encourage parental involvement is to also know that the classrooms are safe and secure, and that is why i support a teacher Liability Act<\/a> at the federal level that says if a teacher or principal upholds reasonable standards of classroom discipline, they cant be sued. They cant be sued. Parents will be more involved with education when they know that their childrens classrooms are safe and secure as well. I also belief that when we need to say to people that if you cannot meet the standards, there has to be a consequence. Instead of just the kind of the soft bigotry of low expectations, and that there has to be a consequence and we cant continue to shuffle the children through school, and one of the consequences is to allow parents to have different choices. Vice president gore . We have a huge difference between us on the question. I would like to start by telling you my vision. I see a day in the United States<\/a> of america where all of the Public Schools<\/a> are considered excellent, world class, where there are no failing schools, where the classrooms are small enough in size, number of students, so that the teacher can spend enough oneonone time with each student. That means recruiting new teachers for the Public Schools<\/a>. It means in my plan hiring bonuses to get 100,000 new teachers in the Public Schools<\/a> within the next four years, and it means helping local School Districts<\/a> that sometimes find the parents of schoolaged children outvoted on bond issues to give them some help with interestfree Bonding Authority<\/a> to build new schools and modernize the classrooms and give the teachers the training and the professional development that they need to including the paid time off to go visit the classroom of a Master Teacher<\/a> to pick up some new skills. I want to give every middleclass family a 10,000 a year Tax Deduction<\/a> for college t tuition so that middleclass families can send their kids to college. I want to work for universal preschool, because we know from all of the studies that the youngsters learn, kids learn more in the first few years of life than anywhere else. I said there was a contrast. Governor bush is for vouchers and in his plan he proposes to drain more money, and more taxpayer money out of the Public Schools<\/a> for vouchers than all of the money that he proposes in the entire budget for Public Schools<\/a> themselves. And only 1 in 20 students would be eligible for these vouchers and they would not even pay the full tuition to private school. That is a mistake. I dont think that we should give up on the private schools and leave the kids trapped in failing schools, but we should make it a number one priority to make our schools the best in the world, all of them. Governor, what is your position on that . I appreciate that. And any time we end in one of these attacks, it is appropriate to respond. Here is what i think. First of all, vouchers are up to the states. If you want a voucher program, that is fine. I strongly believe in the local control of the schools. And i am a governor of a state, and i dont like when the federal government tells us what to do. But i have said to the extent that we have federal government spent on disadvantaged children, we want the schools to show us whether or not the children are learning. What is unreasonable about that . We expect there to be standards met and we expect there to be measurement, and if we find the success, we will praise it, but when children are trapped in schools that will not change and will not teach and say, this is okay in america, and shuffle the poor kids through the schools, there has to be a consequence and the consequence is that federal portion of the federal money will go to the parent, and so that the parent can go to a tutoring program or another Public School<\/a> or another private school. You see, there has to be a consequence, and we have a society that says, hey, the status quo is fine, just move them through, and guess who suffers . And what is the other side on the vouchers . Well, the program that he is proposing is not the one he described. Under your plan, governor bush, the states would be required to pay vouchers to students to match the vouchers so that the federal government would put up, and here is and, the way it would happen is that under his plan, if a school was designated as failing, the kids would be trapped there for another three years and then some of them would get federal vouchers and the state would be forced to match that money. Under my plan, if a school is failing, we work with the states to give them the authorities and the resources to close down that school, and reopen it right away with a new principal, a new faculty and a turn around team of specialists who know what they are doing to be based on the plan of governor jim hunt in North Carolina<\/a> and that is working great. And no vouchers in a gore plan . If i thought that there was no alternative, then i might feel differently, but vi vt i obligation to fight to make sure there are no failing schools. And we have to turn them around, and most schools are excellent, but we have to make sure that all of them are. Andrew kosberg has a question of education right on this situation and it is for Vice President<\/a> gore. Mr. Vice president , in the School District<\/a> in which i work and countless others, we are facing crumbling buildings, increased violence, student apathy, overcrowding, lack of funding, lawsuits and the list goes on. I could mention low teacher pay, but i wont. What can you tell me and my fellow american teachers today about your plans for our immediate future . What grade do you teach . That is a violation of your rule, Vice President<\/a> gore . High school. [ laughter ] i mentioned before that the local communities are having a harder time passing bond issues. Traditionally, if you have been involved in a Campaign Like<\/a> that, you know that the parents with the kids in school are the ones who turn out to vote. It is ironic that there are now, theres now a smaller percentage of the voter made up of parents with children than ever in American History<\/a>, because of the aging of our population, but at the same time we have largest generation of students in Public Schools<\/a>. 90 of americas children go to Public Schools<\/a>, and it is the largest number ever, and they will break this record this year and for ten years running, and we have to do something about this. And it is not enough to leave it up to the local School District<\/a>, because they are not able to do it and the future depends upon it. Look, we are in the information age, and the Economic Future<\/a> depends upon whether or not our children are going to get the kind of education that allows them to go to college, and i want to make it possible for all middleclass families to send their children to college, and more pell grants for those in the lower groups also, and then to have job training on top of that and Lifelong Learning<\/a>, but it all starts with the Public School<\/a>teachers, and my proposal is going to give 10,000 hiring bonuses for those teachers who are, who get certified to teach in the areas where they are most needed. Now, accountability, we basically agree on accountability. My plan requires testing of all students. It also requires something that governor bushs plan doesnt. It requires the testing of all new teachers, including in the subjects they teach. We have to start treating the teachers the professionals they are, and give them the respect and the kind of quality of life that will draw more people into teaching, because we need a lot more teachers. Governor bush, two minutes. When you total up all of the federal spending that he wants to do, it is the largest increase in federal spending in years. And it is not going to be enough money. I have been a governor of a big state, a state, and i have made education my number one priority, and that is what the governors ought to do. They ought to say, this is the most important thing that we do as a state. The federal government puts about 6 of the money up. They put about, you know, 60 of the strings where you have to fill out the paperwork. I dont know if you have to be a paperwork filler outer, but it is mostly because of the federal government. So i want to send the flexibility and the authority to the local folks to choose what to do with the money. One size does not fit all. I worry about federalizing education if i were you. I believe strongly that the federal government can help, and they need to fund head start, and we need to have accountability, and the Vice President<\/a> s plan does not have annual accountability, and third grade or fourth grade or fifth grade and we need demand on results, and i believe strongly in the teacher protection act like i mentioned. I hear from the teachers all of the time about the lawsuits and the threats and the respect in the classroom. Part of it is because you cant, you cant control the classroom, and you cant have a consequence for somebody without fear of getting sued under the federal law. So i am going to ask the congress to pass a teacher protection act. I believe in the flexibility, and a National Reading<\/a> initiative for the local districts to access with k2 diagnostic testing and curriculum that works and phonics works and it needs to be a part of the curriculum, and flexibility for teacher training and teacher hiring with the federal hiring, and federal government can be a part, but dont fall prey of this money here or there, because, education is really funded at the local level, 94 comes from the local level. Vice president gore s the governor right when he says that you are proposing the largest federal spending in years . Absolutely not. Absolutely not. I am so glad that i have a chance to knock that down. The problem is that under governor bushs plan, 1. 6 trillion tax cut mostly to the wealthy under his own budget numbers, he is proposing spending more money for a tax cut just for the wealthiest one percent than all of the new money he is budgeting for education, health care and National Defense<\/a> combined. Now under my plan, we will balance the budget every year, and im not just tsaying this o talking, because i have helped to balance the budget for the first time in 30 years and paid down the debt. Under my plan in four years as a percentage of the gross domestic product, the federal spending is going to be the smallest, it has been in 50 years and our budget is interest on the National Debt<\/a> . We get nothing for it. We keep the good faith and credit of the United States<\/a>. I will pay down the debt every single year until it is eliminated early in the next decade. That gets rid of the third biggest intrusion of the federal government in our economy. Now, because the governor has all this money for a tax cut mostly to the wealthy, there is no money left over, so schools get testing and lawsuit reform and not much else. Governor, the Vice President<\/a> says youre wrong. Well, hes wrong. [ laughter ] just add up all the numbers. Its three times bigger than what president clinton proposed. The Senate Budget<\/a> committee three times excuse me, three times bigger than what president clinton proposed . That was in an ad, jim, that was knocked down by the journalists who analyzed the ad and said it was misleading. My turn . Yes, sir. Forget the journalists. He proposed more than Walter Mondale<\/a> and Michael Dukakis<\/a> combined. This is a big spender. And he ought to be proud of it, its part of his record. We just have a different philosophy. Let me talk about tax relief. If you pay taxes, you ought to get tax relief. The Vice President<\/a> believes only the right people ought to get tax relief. I dont think thats the role of the president to pick youre right and youre not right. I think if youre going to have tax relief, everybody ought to get it. And therefore, wealthy people are going to get it. But the top 1 will end up paying onethird of the taxes in america and they get onefifth of the benefits. And thats because we structured the plan so that six million additional American Families<\/a> pay no taxes. If youre a family of four making 50,000 in missouri, you get a 50 cut in your federal income taxes. What ive done is set priorities and funded them. And theres extra money. And i believe the people who pay the bills ought to get some money back. Its a difference of opinion. He wants to grow the government and i trust you with your own money. I wish we could spend an hour talking about trusting people. Its just the right position to take. Can we take the time governor yeah, hold on one second here, thought. The governor just reversed the thing. What do you say specifically to what the Vice President<\/a> said tonight, he said it many, many times, that your tax cut benefits the top 1 of the wealthiest americans, and youve heard what he said. Of course it does. If you pay taxes, you are going to get a benefit. People who pay taxes will get tax relief. All right. Why shouldnt they . Let me finish. Under my plan, if you make the top the wealthy people pay 62 of the taxes today. Afterwards they pay 64 . This is a fair plan. You know why . Because the tax code is unfair for people at the bottom end of the economic ladder. If youre a single mother making 22,000 a year today and youre trying to raise two children, for every additional dollar you earn you pay a higher marginal rate on that dollar than someone making 200,000, and thats not right. So i want to do something about that. Vice president gore . Yeah, look. Look, this isnt about governor bush, its not about me. It is about you. And i want to come back to something i said before. If you want somebody who believes that we were better off eight years ago than we are now and that we ought to go back to the kind of policies that we had back then, emphasizing tax cuts mainly for the wealthy, here is your man. If you want somebody who will fight for you and who will fight to have middleclass tax cuts, then i am your man. I want to be. Now, i doubt anybody here makes more than 330,000 a year. I wont ask you, but if you do, youre in the top 1 . It would be a violation of the rules. They couldnt im not going to ask them. But if everyone here in this audience was dead on in the middle of the middleclass, then the tax cuts for every single one of you all added up would be less than the tax cut his plan would give to just one member of that top wealthiest 1 . Now you judge for yourselves whether or not thats fair. Quick, and then were moving on. Good. 50 million americans get no tax relief under his plan. Thats not right. You may not be one of them, youre just not one of the right people. And secondly, weve had enough fighting. Its time to unite. You talk about eight years . In eight years they havent gotten anything done on medicare, on Social Security<\/a>, a patients bill of rights. Its time to get something done. Hey, ive got to answer that, jim. All right. Medicare i cast the tiebreaking vote to add 26 years to the life of medicare. It was due to go bankrupt in 1999 and that 50 million figure again, the newspapers i said you said forget the journalists, but they are the keepers of the score card and whether or not youre using facts that arent right. And that fact is just not right. Speaking of keepers of the score card, thats what im trying to do here, mr. Vice president and governor bush. Were gonna move on. Were gonna have to move on. All right, there were 12 questions on foreign and military matters, and the first one that were going to ask will be directed to you, governor bush. And David Norwood<\/a> is going to ask it. Mr. Norwood, where are you . There you are. What would you make what would make you the best candidate in office during the middle east crisis . Ive been a leader. Ive been a person who has to set a clear vision and convince people to follow. Ive got a strategy for the middle east. And first let me say that our nation now needs to speak with one voice during this time, and i applaud the president for working hard to diffuse tensions. Our nation needs to be credible and strong. When we say were somebodys friend, everybody has got to believe it. Israel is our friend and well stand by israel. We need to reach out to moderate arab nations as well to build coalitions to keep the peace. I also need the next leader needs to be patient. We cant put the middle east Peace Process<\/a> on our timetable. Its got to be on the timetable of the people that were trying to bring to the peace table. We cant dictate the terms of peace, which means that you have to be steady. You cant worry about polls or focus groups. Youve got to have a clear vision. Thats what a leader does. A leader also understands that the United States<\/a> must be strong to keep the peace. Saddam hussein still is a threat in the middle east. Our coalition against saddam is unraveling. Sanctions are loosened. The man who may be developing weapons of mass destruction, we dont know because inspectors arent in. So to answer your question, it requires a clear vision, a willingness to stand by our friends, and the credibility for people both friend and foe to understand when america says something, we mean it. Vice president gore . I see a future when the world is at peace, with the United States<\/a> of america promoting the values of democracy and human rights and freedom all around the world. Even in iran they have had an election that began to bring about some change. We stand for those values and we have to be willing to assert them. Right now our military is the strongest in the entire history of the world. I will i pledge to you i will do whatever is necessary to make sure that it stays that way. Now, what can i bring to that challenge . When i was a young man, my father was a senator opposed to the vietnam war. When i graduated from college, there were plenty of fancy ways to get out of going and being a part of that. I went and i volunteered, and i went to vietnam. I didnt do the most or run the greatest risk by a long shot, but i learned what it was like to be an enlisted man in the United States<\/a> army. In the congress, in the house of representatives, i served on the House Intelligence Committee<\/a> and i worked hard to learn the subject of Nuclear Arms Control<\/a> and how we can diffuse these tensions and deal with nonproliferation and deal with the problems of terrorism and these new weapons of mass destruction. Look, were gonna face some serious new challenges in the next four years. Ive worked on that long and hard. When i went to the United States<\/a> senate, i asked for an assignment to the Armed Services<\/a> committee. And while i was there i worked on a bipartisan basis, as i did in the house, i worked with former president reagan on the modernization of our strategic weaponry. In the senate i was one of only ten democrats, along with senator joe lieberman, to support governor bushs dad in the persian gulf war resolution. And for the last eight years ive served on the National Security<\/a> council. Can i say just one other thing here . No, sir. Well get that im gonna the next question is to you. Fine, ill wait. Its a related its a related question that is going to be asked by kenneth allen. Mr. Allen . I think he gets a oh, im sorry, youre right, go ahead. Mr. Allen, right there. Mr. Vice president , today our military forces are stretched thinner and doing more than they have ever done before during peacetime. I would like to know what you are i think we would all like to know what you as president would do to ensure proper resourcing for the Current Mission<\/a> and or more selectively choosing the time and place that our forces will be used around the world. Thank you, sir. Just to finish briefly, i started to say that for the last eight years ive been on the National Security<\/a> council. Last week i broke up i suspended campaigning for two days, or parts of two days, to go back and participate in the meetings that charted the president s summit meeting that he just returned from earlier today. And our team of our countrys team over there did a great job. Its a difficult situation. The United States<\/a> has to be strong in order to make sure that we can help promote peace and security and stability. And that means keeping our military strong. Now, i said earlier that we are the strongest military, but we need to continue improving readiness and making sure that our military personnel are adequately paid and that the combination of their pay and their benefits and their retirement as veterans is comparable to the stiff competition thats coming in this Strong Economy<\/a> from the private sector. And i have supported the largest pay raise in many a year, and i support another one now. I also support modernization of our strategic and tactical weaponry. The governor has proposed skipping a generation of technology. I think that would be a mistake, because i think one of the ways weve been able to be so successful in kosovo and bosnia and haiti and in other places is by having the technological edge. You know, we won that conflict in kosovo without losing a single human life in combat, a single American Life<\/a> in combat. Now, readiness. The trends before we before i got my current job were on the decline, the number of divisions were reduced. I argued that we should reverse that trend and take it back up. And im happy to tell you that we have. Now, in my budget for the next ten years i propose 100 billion for this purpose. The governor proposes 45 billion. I propose more than twice as much because i think its needed. Governor bush, two minutes. If this were a spending contest, i would come in second. I readily admit im not going to grow the size of the federal government like he is. Your question was deployment. It must be in the national interests, must be in our vital interests whether we ever send troops. The mission must be clear. Soldiers must understand why were going. The force must be Strong Enough<\/a> so that the mission can be accomplished. And the exit strategy needs to be welldefined. Im concerned that were overdeployed around the world. See, i think the mission has somewhat become fuzzy. Should i be fortunate enough to earn your confidence, the mission of the United States<\/a> military will be to be prepared and ready to fight and win war. And therefore prevent war from happening in the first place. There may be some moments when we use our troops as peacekeepers, but not often. The Vice President<\/a> mentioned my view of longterm for the military. I want to make sure the equipment for our military is the best it can possibly be, of course. But we have an opportunity we have an opportunity to use our research and development capacities, the Great Technology<\/a> of the United States<\/a>, to make our military lighter, harder to find, more lethal. We have an opportunity, really, if you think about it, if were smart and have got a Strategic Vision<\/a> and a leader who understands Strategic Plan<\/a>ning, to make sure that we change the terms of the battlefield of the future so we can keep the peace. This is a peaceful nation, and i intend to keep the peace. Spending money is one thing. But spending money without a Strategic Plan<\/a> can oftentimes be wasted. First thing im going to do is ask the secretary of defense to develop a plan so we are making sure were not spending our money on political projects, but on projects to make sure our soldiers are wellpaid, wellhoused, and have the best equipment in the world. Governor bush, another kind of gun question. It will be asked by robert lutz. Mr. Lutz . Governor bush yes, sir. Would just like to know what is your opposition to the brady handgun bill . Im sorry, i didnt hear that. Would like to know why you object to the brady handgun bill, if you do object to it. Because in a recent tv ad it showed that the National Rifle<\/a> Association Says<\/a> that if you are elected, that they will be working out of your office. I dont think the National Rifle<\/a> association ran that ad. But let me just tell you my position on guns in general, sir, if you dont mind. Excuse me, im not sure hes finished with his question. Im sorry. That kind of bothers me when i see an ad like that. I want you to explain that ad to me. Well, i dont think i ran the ad. I think somebody who doesnt want me to be president might have run that ad. That wasnt my ad. I think it might have been one of my opponents ads. Here is what i believe, sir. I believe lawabiding citizens ought to be allowed to protect themselves and their families. I believe that we ought to keep guns out of the hands of people that shouldnt have them. Thats why im for instant background checks at gun shows, im for trigger locks, i think that makes sense. Matter of fact, we distributed free trigger locks in the state of texas so that people can get them and put them on their guns to make their guns more safe. I think we ought to raise the age at which juveniles can have a gun. But i also believe strongly that we need to enforce laws on the books that the best way to make sure that we keep our society safe and secure is to hold people accountable for breaking the law. If we catch somebody illegally selling a gun, there needs to be a consequence. If we keep somebody you know, illegally using a gun, there needs to be a consequence. Enforcement of law, and the federal government can help. There is a Great Program<\/a> called project exile in richmond, virginia, where we focused federal taxpayers money and federal prosecutors and went after people who were illegally using guns. To me thats how you make society the safest it can be. And so, yeah, sometimes i agree with some of these groups in washington and sometimes i dont. Im a pretty independent thinker. The one thing im for is a safe society. And im for enforcing laws on the books. And thats what is going to happen should i earn your confidence. Vice president gore . Well, it was not one of my ads, either, governor. But i am familiar with the statement, and it was made by one of the topranking officials of that organization. Let me tell you my position. I think that some commonsense gun Safety Measures<\/a> are certainly needed with the flood of cheap handguns that have sometimes been working their way into the hands of the wrong people. But all of my proposals are focused on that problem, gun safety. None of my proposals would have any effect on hunters, or sportsmen, or people who use rifles. Theyre aimed at the real problem. Lets make our schools safe, lets make our neighborhoods safe. Lets have a threeday waiting period, cooling off, so we can have a background check to make sure that criminals and people who really shouldnt have guns dont get them. But i would like to use my remaining time on this exchange, jim, to respond to an exchange that took place just a moment ago. Because a couple of times the governor has said that i am for a bigger government. Governor, im not. And let me tell you what the record shows. For the last eight years i have had the challenge of running the streamlining program called reinventing government. And if there are any federal employees in this group, you know what that means. The federal government has been reduced in size by more than 300,000 people. And its now the smallest number that we have had since the the smallest in size since John Kennedys<\/a> administration. During the last five years, texass government has gone up in size. Federal government has gone down, texass government has gone up. Now, my plan for the future, i see a time when we have smaller, smarter government where you dont have to wait in line because you can get Services Online<\/a> cheaper, better, faster. We can do that. Steve luecker has a question, and it is for Vice President<\/a> gore. Mr. Luecker . There you are. Vice president gore. The family farms are disappearing and having a hard time even in the current positive economic environment. What steps would you or your administration take on Agricultural Policy<\/a> developments to protect the family farms for this multifunctional service they perform . Weve got a bumper crop this year. But thats the good news. You know what the bad news is that follows on that. The prices are low. In the last several years, the socalled freedom to farm law has, in my view, been mostly a failure. I want to change many of its provisions. Now, many here who are not involved in farming dont wont follow this, so just forgive me. Because the 2 of the country that is involved in farming is important because the rest of us wouldnt eat except for them. And you guys have been having a hard time, and i want to fight for you. I want to change those provisions. I want to restore a meaningful safety net. And i think that you pointed the way in your comments, because when you say there are multiple things accomplished by farmers, youre specifically including conservation and protection of the environment. And yes, farmers are the first environmentalists. And when they decide not to plow a field that is vulnerable to soil erosion, that may cost them a little money, but it helps the environment. I think that we ought to have an expanded conservation reserve program. And i think that the environmental benefits that come from sound management of the land ought to represent a new way for farmers to get some income that will enable them enable you to make sensible choices in crop rotation, and when you leave the land fallow and the rest. Now, ill go beyond that and say i think we need much more focus on Rural Economic Development<\/a> programs. I see a time when the internetbased activities are more available in the rural areas and where the extra source of income that farm families used to have from shoe factories is replaced by an extra source of income from working in the information economy. So we need to do a lot of things, but we ought to start with a Better Safety<\/a> net. Governor bush, two minutes. I would like our farmers feeding the world. Were the best producers in the world, and i want i want the farmers feeding the world. We need to open up markets. Exports are down, and every time an export number goes down, it hurts the farmer. I want the next president to have Fast Track Negotiating Authority<\/a> to open up markets around the world. Were the best. Were the most efficient farmers. I dont want to use food as a diplomatic weapon from this point forward. We shouldnt be using food. It hurts the farmers. Its not the right thing to do. Im for valueadded processing. We need more work on valueadded processing. You take the raw product you produce, i presume youre a farmer, off your farm, and you convert it. Valueadded processing is important. Im for research and development. Spending research and Development Money<\/a> so that we can use our Technological Base<\/a> to figure out new uses for farm products. Im for getting rid of the death tax, completely getting rid of the death tax. One reason family farmers are forced to sell early is because of the death tax. This is a bad tax. The president shouldnt have vetoed that bill. Its a tax that taxes people twice. It penalizes the family farmer. So should i be fortunate enough to earn your vote, i also understand i want to open up markets, but i also understand that farming is a part of our National Security<\/a>. Im from a big farm state. Were the second biggest state farming state in the country. And i hear from my farmers and friends all the time. The Vice President<\/a> is right, by the way. Every day is earth day if you own the land. I like the policies that will encourage farmers to put set aside land as well for conservation purposes. Thank you. A quick thing on the inheritance tax. There is a difference between the two of you on this. Vice president gore . Yeah. Im for a massive reform of the estate tax or the death tax. And under the plan that ive proposed, 80 of all family farms will be completely exempt from the estate tax. And the vast majority of all Family Businesses<\/a> would be completely exempt, and all of the others would have sharply reduced. So 80 now the problem with completely eliminating it goes back to the wealthiest 1 . The amount of money that has to be raised in taxes for middleclass families to make up for completely eliminating that on the very wealthiest, the billionaires, that would be an extra heavy burden on middleclass families. And so lets do it for most all, but not completely eliminate it for the very top. Whats the case for doing that, governor . Eliminating the death tax. Completely. For everybody. Because people shouldnt be taxed twice on their assets. Its either unfair for some or unfair for all. Again, this is just a difference of opinion. If youre from washington, you want to pick and choose winners. I dont think thats the role of the president. I think if youre going to have tax relief, everybody benefits. Secondly, i think your plan a lot of fine print in your plan, mr. Vice president , with all due respect. It is im not so sure 80 of the people get the death tax. I know this, 100 will get it if im the president. I just dont think its fair to tax peoples assets twice regardless of your status. Its a fairness issue. Its an issue of principle, not politics. New issue. New issue. And the question will be asked by joyce cleamer of governor bush. Joyce cleamer . There you are. Hi, joyce. Hi, governor. Im very concerned about the morality of our country now. Tv, movies, the music that our children are, you know, barraged with every day. And i want to know if theres anything that can be worked out with the hollywood, or whoever, to help get rid of some of this bad language and whatever, you know. Its just bringing the country down. And our children are very important to us and were concerned about their education at school. We should be concerned about their education at home, also. Thank you. Appreciate that question. Laura and i are proud parents of teenage girls, twin daughters, and i know what youre saying. Government ought to stand on the side of parents. Parents are teaching their children right from wrong, and the message oftentimes gets undermined by the popular culture. You bet theres things that government can do. We can work with the Entertainment Industry<\/a> to provide family hour. We can have filters on internets where public money is spent. There ought to be filters in Public Libraries<\/a> and filters in Public Schools<\/a> so if kids get on the internet, there is not going to be pornography or violence coming in. I think we ought to have Character Education<\/a> in our schools. I know that doesnt directly talk about hollywood, but it does reinforce the values youre teaching. Greatly expand Character Education<\/a> funding so that Public Schools<\/a> will teach children values, values which have stood the test of time. Theres afterschool money available. I think that afterschool money ought to be available for faithbased programs and charitable programs that exist because somebody has heard the call to love a neighbor like you would like to be loved yourself. That will help reinforce the values that parents teach at home as well. Ours is a great land, and one of the reasons why is because were free. And so i dont support censorship. But i do believe that we ought to talk plainly to the hollywood moguls and people who produce this stuff and explain the consequences. I think we need to have Rating Systems<\/a> that are clear. I happen to like the idea of having technology for the tv, easy for parents to use so you can tune out these programs you dont want in your house. Ill remind mothers and dads the best weapon is the off on button, and paying attention to your children, and eating dinner with them and being im sorry. I was on my peroration. My turn. Vice president gore. I care a lot about this. Its not just movies. Television, video games, music, the internet. Parents now feel like you have to compete with the mass culture in order to raise your kids with the values that you want them to have. Tipper and i have four children. And god bless them, every one of them decided on their own to come here this evening. I dont want to embarrass our oldest daughter. She and her husband made us grandparents almost a yearandahalf ago, and yet if shell forgive me, when she was little, she brought a record home that had some awful lyrics in it and tipper hit the ceiling. And that launched a campaign to try to get the Record Companies<\/a> to put ratings that warning labels for parents. And im so proud of what she accomplished in getting them on there. Ive been involved myself in negotiating and helping to move along the negotiations with the Internet Service<\/a> providers to get a parents protection page every time 95 of the pages come up. And a feature that allows parents to automatically check with one click what sites your kids have visited lately. You know, some parents are worried about those filters, that you will have to ask your kids how to put them on there. But if you can check up on them, thats real power. And recently the federal trade commission pointed out that some of these Entertainment Companies<\/a> have warned parents that the material is inappropriate for children, and then theyve turned around behind the backs of the parents and advertised that same adult material directly to children. That is an outrage. Joe lieberman and i gave them six months to clean up their act. And if they dont do it, were gonna ask for tougher authority in the hands of the ftc on the false and deceptive advertising. Ill tell you this, i want to do something about this. Respect the first amendment, but i will do something to help you raise your kids without that garbage. All right. Vice president gore, the next question is for you, and it will be asked by steven koosmann. Mr. Koosmann, where are you, sir . Youre right behind me as well. There we go. Right next to the last. It seems that when we hear about issues of this campaign, its usually medicare, Social Security<\/a> or Prescription Drug<\/a>s. As a college professor, i hear a lot of apathy amongst young people who feel that there are no issues directed to them. And they dont plan to vote. How do you address that . Weve got to change it. I spend a good deal of time talking to young people, and in my standard speech out there on the stump i usually end my speech by saying, i want to ask you for something and i want to direct it especially to the young people in the audience. And i want to tell you what i tell them. Sometimes people who are very idealistic and have great dreams, as young people do, are apt to stay at arms length from the political process because they think their good hearts might be brittle, and if they invest their hopes and allow themselves to believe, then theyre gonna be let down and disappointed. But thank goodness weve always had enough people who have been willing in every generation to push past the fear of a broken heart and become deeply involved in forming a more perfect union. Were america, and we believe in our future and we know we have the ability to shape our future. Now, weve got to address one of the biggest threats to our democracy. And that is the Current Campaign<\/a> financing system. And i know they say it doesnt rank anywhere on the polls. I dont believe thats a fair measure. Im telling you, i will make it the i will make the Mccain Feingold<\/a> Campaign Finance<\/a> reform bill the very first measure that i send to the congress as president. Governor bush opposes it. I wish that he would consider changing his mind on that. Because i think that the special interests have too much power, and we need to give our democracy back to the american people. Let me tell you why. Those issues you mentioned, Social Security<\/a>, Prescription Drug<\/a>s, the Big Drug Companies<\/a> are against the Prescription Drug<\/a> proposal that ive made. The hmos are against the patients rights bill, the dingell norwood bill that i support, and that gov. Bush does not support. The Big Oil Companies<\/a> are against the measures to get more Energy Independence<\/a> and renewable fuel. They ought to have their voices heard, but they shouldnt have a big megaphone that drowns out the american people. We need Campaign Finance<\/a> reform and we need to shoot straight with young and old alike and tell them what the real choices are. And we can renew and rekindle the american spirit and make our future what our founders dreamed it could be. We can. Governor bush, two minutes. Tell you what i hear. A lot of people are sick and tired of the bitterness in washington, d. C. And therefore they dont want any part of politics. They look at washington and see people pointing fingers and casting blame and saying one thing and doing another. Theres a lot of young folks saying, you know, why do i want to be involved with this mess . And what i think needs to happen in order to encourage the young to become involved is to shoot straight, is to set aside the partisan differences, and set an agenda that will make sense. Medicare, i know you talked about it, but medicare is relevant for all of us, young and old alike. We better get it right now. Tax reform is relevant for old and young alike. I dont think its the issues that turn kids off. I think its the tone. I think its the attitude. I think its a cynicism in washington and it doesnt have to be that way. Before i decided to run, i had to resolve two issues in my mind. One, could our family endure all this business. And i came to the conclusion that our love was Strong Enough<\/a> to be able to do it. The other was could an administration change the tone in washington, d. C. And i believe the answer is yes, otherwise i wouldnt be asking for your vote. Thats what happened in texas. We worked together. There is a man here in this audience named hugo berlanga. He is the chairman of the health committee. He came here for a reason, to tout our record on health in texas. Hes a democrat. I didnt care whether he was a republican or democrat. What i cared about is could we work together. Thats what washington, d. C. Needs. And finally, sir, to answer your question, you need somebody in office who will tell the truth. Thats the best way to get people back in the system. Governor bush, norma curby has the next question. And its for you. Norma curby, where are you . Hi, norma. Hi. How will your administration address diversity, inclusiveness, and what role will affirmative action play in your overall plan . Ive had a record of bringing people from all walks of life into my administration, and my administration is better off for it in texas. Im going to find people that want to serve their country. But i want a diverse administration, i think its important. Ive worked hard in the state of texas to make sure our institutions reflect the state with good, smart policy. Policy that rejects quotas. I dont like quotas. Quotas tend to pit one group of people against another. Quotas are bad for america. Its not the way america is all about. But policies that give people a helping hand so they can help themselves. For example, in our state of texas i worked with the legislature, both republicans and democrats, to pass a law that said if you come in the top 10 of your high school class, youre automatically admitted to one of our higher institutions of learning, college. And as a result, our universities are now more diverse. It was a smart thing to do. What i called it, i labeled it affirmative access. I think the contracting business in government can help. Not with quotas, but help meet a goal of ownership of Small Businesses<\/a>, for example. The contracts need to be smaller, the agencies need to be need to recruit and to work hard to find people to bid on the state contracts. I think we can do that in a way that represents what america is all about, which is equal opportunity and an opportunity so to answer your question, i support, i guess the way to put it, is affirmative access. Ill have an administration that will make you proud. Thank you. Vice president gore . I believe in this goal and effort with all my heart. I believe that our future as a not we can break down these barriers that have been used to pit group against group, and bring our people together. How do you do it . Well, you establish respect for differences. You dont ignore differences. Its all too easy for somebody in the majority in the population to say oh, were just all the same, without an understanding of the different Life Experience<\/a> that youve had, that others have had. Once you have that understanding and mutual respect, then we can transcend the differences and embrace the highest common denominator of the american spirit. I dont know what affirmative access means. I action means. I know the governor is against it, and i know that im for it. I know what a hate crime statute pending at the National Level<\/a> is all about in the aftermath of james byrds death. Im for that proposed law, the governor is against it. I know what it means to have a commitment to diversity. I am part of an administration that has the finest record on diversity. And incidentally, an excellent i mean, i think our success over the last eight years has not been in spite of diversity but because of it. Because were able to draw on the wisdom and experience from in missouri had the finest different parts of the Society Record<\/a> on diversity in any governor in the entire history of the state of missouri. That hadnt been tapped in the and i want to honor that among his other achievements here. Now, i just believe that what we have to do is enforce the civil rights laws. Im against quotas. This is, with all due respect, governor, thats a red herring. Affirmative action isnt quotas. Im against quotas, theyre illegal. Theyre against the american way. Affirmative action means that you take extra steps to acknowledge the history of discrimination and injustice and prejudice and bring all people into the American Dream<\/a> because it helps everybody, not just those who are directly benefitting. Governor, what is your are you opposed to affirmative action . If affirmative action means quotas, im against it. If affirmative action means what i just described what im for, then im for it. You heard what i was for. The Vice President<\/a> keeps saying im against things. You heard what i was for, and thats what i support. What about mr. Vice president , you heard what he said. He said if affirmative action means quotas, hes against it. Affirmative action doesnt mean quotas. Are you for it without quotas . I may not be for your version, mr. Vice president , but im for what i just described to the lady. A constitutional way of having affirmative action . Lets go on to another i think that speaks for itself. No, it doesnt speak for itself, mr. Vice president , it speaks for the fact that there are certain rules in this that we all agree to, but evidently rules dont mean anything. The question is for you, Vice President<\/a> gore, and lisa kee will ask it. Lisa kee, where are you . There we go, sorry. How will your tax proposals affect me as a middleclass, 34yearold Single Person<\/a> with no dependents . If you make less than 60,000 a year and you decide to invest 1,000 in a savings account, youll get a tax credit, which means in essence that the federal government will match your 1,000 with another 1,000. If you make less than 30,000 a year and you put 500 in a savings account, the federal government will match it with 1500. If you make more than 60,000 and up to 100 youll still get a match, but not as generous. Youll get an access to Lifelong Learning<\/a> and education, help with tuition if you want to get a new skill or training. If you want to purchase Health Insurance<\/a>, you will get help with that. If you want to participate in some of the dynamic changes that are going on in our country, you will get specific help in doing that. If you are part of the of the bottom 20 or so of wage earners, then you will get an expanded earned income tax credit. Now, the tax relief that i propose is directed specifically at middleincome individuals and families. And if you have a if you have an elderly parent or grandparent who needs longterm care, then you will get help with that. 3,000 tax credit to help your expenses in taking care of a loved one who needs longterm care. Governor bush . Let me just say the first this business about the entitlement he tried to describe about savings, you know, matching savings here and matching savings there, fullyfunded its gonna cost a whole lot of money, a lot more than we have. Youre going to get a tax relief in my plan. Youre not going to be targeted in or targeted out. Everybody that pays taxes is going to get tax relief. If you take care of an elderly in your home, youre going to get the personal exemption increased. I think also what you need to think about is not the immediate, but what about medicare . You get a plan that will include will give you options. Understan that medicare today is important, but it doesnt keep up with the new medicines. If youre a medicare person, on medicare, you dont get the new procedures. Youre stuck in a time warp in many ways. So it will be a modern medicare system that trusts you to make a variety of options for you. Youre going to live in a peaceful world. It will be a world of peace because were going to have a clear sight of Foreign Policy<\/a> based upon a Strong Military<\/a> and a mission that stands by our friends. A mission that doesnt try to be all things to all people. A judicious use of the military which will help keep the peace. Youll live in a world, hopefully, that is more educated so its less likely youll be harmed in your neighborhood. See, an educated child is one much more likely to be hopeful and optimistic. Youll be in a world in which fits into my philosophy. The harder you work, the more you can keep. Its the american way. Government shouldnt be a heavy hand. Its what the federal government does to you. It should be a helping hand, and tax relief and the proposals i just described should be a good helping hand. Governor, next question is for you, and leo anderson will ask it. Mr. Anderson. You want a mic . In one of the last debates held, the subject of Capital Punishment<\/a> came up, and in your response to the question, you seemed overly joyed and as a matter of fact proud that texas led the nation in the execution of prisoners. Sir, did i misread your response and are you really, really proud of the fact that texas is number one in executions . No, im not proud of that. The Death Penalty<\/a> is a very serious business, leo. Its an issue that good people obviously disagree on. I take my job seriously. And if you think i was proud of it, i think you misread me, i do. I was sworn to uphold the laws of my state. During the course of the campaign in 1994 i was asked do you support the Death Penalty<\/a>. I said i did if administered fairly and justly. Because i believe it saves lives, leo, i do. If its administered swiftly, justly and fairly, it saves lives. One of the things that happens when youre a governor, at least oftentimes you have to make tough decisions. You cant let public persuasion sway you, because the job is to enforce the law. And thats what i did, sir. There have been some tough cases come across my desk. Some of the hardest moments since ive been the governor of the state of texas is to deal with those cases. But my job is to ask two questions, sir. Is the person guilty of the crime . And did the person have full access to the courts of law . And i can tell you looking at you right now, in all cases those answers were affirmative. Im not proud of any record. Im proud of the fact that Violent Crime<\/a> is down in the state of texas. Im proud of the fact that we hold people accountable. But im not proud of any record, sir, im not. Vice president gore . I support the Death Penalty<\/a>. I think that it has to be administered not only fairly with attention to things like dna evidence, which i think should be used in all capital cases, but also with very careful attention. If, for example, somebody confesses to the crime and somebody is waiting on death row, there has to be alertness to say wait a minute, have we got the wrong guy . If the wrong guy is put to death, then thats a double tragedy. Not only has an innocent person been executed, but the real perpetrator of the crime has not been held accountable for it. And in some cases may be still at large. But i support the Death Penalty<\/a> in the most heinous cases. Do both of you believe the Death Penalty<\/a> actually deters crime . Governor . I do. Its the only reason to be for it. Let me finish, sir. I dont think you should support the Death Penalty<\/a> to seek revenge. I dont think thats right. I think the reason to support the Death Penalty<\/a> is because it saves other peoples lives. I think it is a deterrent. I know thats a controversial view, but i do believe its a deterrent. Next question is for you, Vice President<\/a> gore, and Thomas Fischer<\/a> will ask it. Mr. Fischer . Yes. My sixth grade class at st. Claires school wanted to ask of all these promises you guys are making and all the pledges, will you keep them when youre in office . [ laughter ] yes. [ laughter ] i am a person who keeps promises. And, you know, weve heard a lot about from the governor about not much being done in the last eight years, as if the promises that i made eight years ago have not been kept. I think the record shows otherwise. We have gone from the biggest deficits eight years ago to the biggest surpluses in history today. Instead of high unemployment, we now have the lowest africanamerican unemployment, the lowest latino unemployment ever measured. 22 million new jobs, very low unemployment nationally. Instead of ballooning the debt and multiplying it four times over, we have seen the debt actually begun to be paid down. Here are some promises that ill make to you now. I will balance the budget every year. I will pay down the debt every year. I will give middleclass americans tax cuts, meaningful ones. And i will invest in education, health care, protecting the environment and retirement security. We both made promises in this campaign. I promise you i will keep mine. Let me tell you about one of the governors. He has promised a trillion dollars out of the Social Security<\/a> trust fund for young working adults to invest and save on their own. But hes promised seniors that their Social Security<\/a> benefits will not be cut, and hes promised the same trillion dollars to them. So this is a show me state. Reminds me of the line from the movie, show me the money. Which one of those promises will you keep and which will you break, governor . Governor bush. Thank you for your question. [ laughter ] i theres an Old High School<\/a> debating trick, which is to answer something and then attack your opponent at the end. You asked about promises. You were promised that medicare would be reformed, and that Social Security<\/a> would be reformed. You were promised a middleclass tax cut in 1992. It didnt happen. Theres too much bitterness in washington. Theres too much wrangling. Its time to have a fresh start. One of the reasons i was successful as the governor of texas is because i didnt try to be all things to all people. When i campaigned in a race, a lot of folks didnt think i could win including, by the way, my mother. [ laughter ] i said id do four things, tort reform, education reform, welfare reform and juvenile justice reform. And i won. And i had the will of the people in my state behind me. And then i brought folks together to get it done. And thats what we need, i think, in this election. To me thats what its all about. Im sure your sixth grade kids are listening and saying, these guys will say anything to get elected. But theres a record, and thats what i hope people look at. One of my promises is going to be Social Security<\/a> reform, and you bet, we need to take a trillion dollars out of that 2. 4 trillion surplus. Now remember, Social Security<\/a> revenue exceeds expenses up until 2015. People are going to get paid. But if youre a younger worker, if youre younger, you better hope this country thinks differently, otherwise youre gonna be faced with huge payroll taxes or reduced benefits. And you bet were gonna take a trillion dollars of your own money and let you invest it under safe guidelines so you get a better rate of return on the money than the paltry 2 that the federal government gets for you today. Thats one of my promises. But its gonna require people to bring both republicans and democrats together to get it done. Thats what it requires. There was a chance to get this done. It was a bipartisan approach, but its been rejected. Im going to bring them together. Both of you both of you on this subject. There are other questions that also go to this skepticism, not necessarily about you, but all people in politics. Why is that . Well, first of all, jim, i would like to respond to what the governor just said. Because the trillion dollars that has been promised to young people has also been promised to older people. And you cannot keep both promises. If youre in your mid40s under the governors plan, Social Security<\/a> will be bankrupt by the time you retire, if he takes it out of the Security Trust<\/a> fund. Under my plan it will be its solvency will be extended until youre 100. Now that is the difference. And the governor may not want to answer that question, he may want to call it a high school debating trick, but let me tell you this. This election is not about debating tricks, it is about your future. The reason Social Security<\/a> he says it gets 2 . You know, its not a bank account that just pays back money thats invested. It is also used to give your mothers and fathers the Social Security<\/a> checks that they live on. If you take a trillion dollars out of that Social Security<\/a> trust fund, how are the checks going to be how are you going to keep faith with the seniors . Now let me come directly to your question. We have to go to the closing statements and well, can i answer that . One reason people are skeptical is because people dont answer the questions theyve been asked. [ laughter ] the trillion dollars comes out of the surplus so that you can invest some of your own money. Theres just a difference of opinion. I want workers to have their own assets. Its who you trust, government or people. All right. Now were going to go to closing statements. Vice president gore, youre first. Thank you very much, jim, and ill begin by answering your questions your last question. I believe that a lot of people are skeptical about people in Politics Today<\/a> because we have seen a time of great challenge for our country. Since the assassination of our best leaders in the 60s, since the vietnam war, since watergate, and because we need Campaign Finance<\/a> reform. I would like to tell you something about me. I keep my word. I have kept the faith. Ive kept the faith with my country. I volunteered for the army. I served in vietnam. I kept the faith with my family. Tipper and i have been married for 30 years. We have devoted ourselves to our children and now our nearly 1 1 2yearold grandson. I have kept the faith with our country. Nine times i have raised my hand to take an oath to the constitution, and i have never violated that oath. I have not spent the last quarter century in pursuit of personal wealth. I have spent the last quarter century fighting for middleclass working men and women in the United States<\/a> of america. I believe very deeply that you have to be willing to stand up and fight no matter what powerful forces might be on the other side. If you want somebody who is willing to fight for you, i am asking for your support and your vote and, yes, your confidence and your willingness to believe that we can do the right thing in america, and be the better for it. Weve made some progress during the last eight years. We have seen the strongest economy in the history of the United States<\/a>. Lower crime rates for eight years in a row. Highest private Home Ownership<\/a> ever, but ill make you one promise here. You aint seen nothing yet. And i will keep that promise. Governor bush, two minutes. Well, jim, i want to thank you and thank the folks here at Washington University<\/a> and the Vice President<\/a>. Appreciate the chance to have a good, honest dialogue about our differences of opinion. I think after three debates the good people of this country understand there is a difference of opinion. There is a difference between big federal government and somebody who is coming from outside of washington who will trust individuals. Ive got an agenda that i want to get done for the country. Its an agenda that says were going to reform medicare to make sure seniors have got Prescription Drug<\/a>s and to give seniors different options from which they can choose. Its an agenda that says were listen to the young voices in Social Security<\/a> and say were going to think differently about making sure we have a system, but also fulfill the promise to the seniors in america. A promise made will be a promise kept should i be fortunate enough to become your president. I want to have the military keeping the peace. I want to make sure the Public School<\/a> system in america keeps its promise so not one child is left behind. After setting priorities, i want to give some of your money back. I dont think the surplus is the governments money. I think its the peoples money. I dont think the surplus exists because of the ingenuity and hard work of the federal government, i think it exists because of the ingenuity and hard work of the american people. And you ought to have some of this surplus so you can save and dream and build. I look forward to the final weeks of this campaign. Im asking for your vote. For those of you for me, thanks for your help. For those of you for my opponent, please only vote once. [ laughter ] but for those who have not made up their mind, i would like to conclude by this promise. Should i be fortunate enough to become your president , when i put my hand on the bible, i will swear to not only uphold the laws of the land, but i will also swear to uphold the honor and the dignity of the office to which i have been elected, so help me god. Thank you very much. A closing piece of business before we go. The Debate Commission<\/a> wants reaction to the three kinds of formats used in the debates this year, and you may register an opinion at their website at www. Debates. Org. Vice president gore, governor bush, thank you. And good night from Washington University<\/a> in st. Louis. [ applause ] [ applause ] weeknights this month on American History<\/a> tv, were looking at past president ial debates. Tonight its the 2004 debates between president george w. Bush and democratic senator john kerry of massachusetts. The first debate was held at the university of miami. The candidates took questions on Foreign Policy<\/a>, especially the bush administrations response to the 9 11 terrorist attacks and the war in iraq. Enjoy American History<\/a> tv this week and every weekend on cspan3. American history tv on cspan3. Exploring the people and events that tell the american story every weekend. Coming up this weekend before election day, november 3rd, well look at president s and president ial elections. Saturday at 10 00 p. M. Eastern on reel america. A look at four films that explain the american electoral system, a tuesday in november. The election of john f. Kennedy, president of the United States<\/a>. Richard m. Nixon, the new president and election 1976, day of decision on sunday at noon eastern, the final president ial debate between Vice President<\/a> al gore and governor george w. Bush. Then at 2 30 p. M. Eastern, the first president ial debate between george w. Bush and senator john kerry, and at 8 00 p. M. Eastern on the presidency. University of Mary Washington<\/a> history Professor William<\/a> crawly on the personality, leadership and achievements of franklin roosevelt. Exploring the american story. American history tv this weekend on cspan3. Texas governor george w. Bush accepted the republican nomination for president in 2000 at the partys convention in philadelphia. [ cheers and applause ]","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"archive.org","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","width":"800","height":"600","url":"\/\/ia601906.us.archive.org\/21\/items\/CSPAN3_20201030_171600_Presidential_Debates_2000_Presidential_Debate_-_Al_Gore_v._George_W._Bush\/CSPAN3_20201030_171600_Presidential_Debates_2000_Presidential_Debate_-_Al_Gore_v._George_W._Bush.thumbs\/CSPAN3_20201030_171600_Presidential_Debates_2000_Presidential_Debate_-_Al_Gore_v._George_W._Bush_000001.jpg"}},"autauthor":{"@type":"Organization"},"author":{"sameAs":"archive.org","name":"archive.org"}}],"coverageEndTime":"20240716T12:35:10+00:00"}