2000 Election Essay Research Paper I have

2000 Election Essay, Research Paper I have selected to write about the 2000 election and who the two major candidates are and what their plans and ideas are for the presidential seat. This topic has interested me since the beginning of the New Year. With two terms ending for President Bill Clinton, the new election has had a lot at stake. At one end of the ring there is Vice President, Democrat, Al Gore in the hunt for the presidential seat. The other end is Republican, Governor of Texas, George W. Bush following in his father s footsteps. No matter the candidate s party, each of them has many ideas and plans if they are elected. Democratic candidate, Al Gore, is our current vice president. Gore presently 52 is from Washington, D.C., and has a great deal of political

experience. He has held a position in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1977-85, the U.S. Senate from 1985-93, and has been Vice President since 1993. Gore also has past military experience serving in the Army from 1969-71. When asked about the important issues facing the U.S. today such as; Education, Foreign Policy, Health Care, Social Security and Taxes this is some of Gore s positions on each. For education he wants to use $170 billion of budget surpluses for an Education Reform Trust Fund that would finance universal preschool, recruit high-quality teachers, increase salaries of teachers, reduce class size so that there is one teacher for every 20 or fewer students, and build new schools or modernize existing ones. Plus, ensure that there’s a qualified teacher in

every classroom. Also, use state assessments and accountability systems to identify failing schools and make sure they are improved quickly and to reward schools that are succeeding. In Foreign Policies Gore supports a strong military, but favors the reduction of weapons of mass destruction. He also supports free trade, human rights, favors expanding NATO, and supports comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. Gore also has a passion with the environment. As a senator he became an expert on global warming, the depletion of the ozone layer, the destruction of the rain forest, and new earth friendly technology. (www.infoplease.com/spot/algore.html) He supports strongly environmental protection. As for Health Care Gore thinks there should be coverage for every child by 2005 by expanding the

Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which funds state programs with federal money. The plan would cover children in families earning up to 250 percent of the poverty level (about $41,000 for a family of four). (The plan currently covers those children in families that earn up to 200 percent of the poverty level.) Gore’s plan would allow families that earn more than the 250 percent to buy into CHIP or Medicaid. He would also allow uninsured parents buy into CHIP. Also allow people between the ages of 55-65 to buy into Medicare. Gore supports Patients’ Bill of Rights that would guarantee patients critical health protections and access to specialists, give patients the ability to appeal decisions by HMOs, and expand patients’ and doctors decision-making roles. Gore s

ideas about Social Security are devote all Social Security Surpluses to Social Security and debt reduction. Opposes raising retirement age. Would extend solvency of Social Security through 2054 by strengthening Social Security by using long-term interest savings. Dedicate all Social Security money to the trust fund “lock box” that would only be used to pay benefits to retirees. His idea s for taxes are as follows; pay off national debt by 2012, dedicate the entire Social Security surplus to reducing the national debt and strengthening Social Security, would then apply the resulting interest savings to strengthen the Social Security Trust Fund, would increase the Earned Income Credit earnings threshold, would use the $2.17 trillion non-Social Security surplus for $480 billion