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Campaign Issues to Consider
Posted
5-26-2000
There are going to be a number of issues that permeate the elections this
November. They will effect the presidential election, the race for US Senate
between Rick Santorum and Ron Klink, and all of the races for the US House
of Representatives. I'd like to give you my perception of these issues so
you can compare what will be promised with what realistically can happen.
The first issue that we will
hear a lot about is Social Security. The fashionable Republican position is
to allow individuals to privately invest a portion of their Social Security
contribution. This position is really part of the whole Republican message
of privatization. It may sound attractive but it doesn't solve the real
problem. When baby boomers reach retirement age in large numbers, subsequent
generations aren't large enough to support the huge numbers of baby boomers
that will draw upon the benefit.
What is the solution? It
isn't privatization. It isn't maintaining the status quo because the fund is
headed toward a problem. If I knew the answer I'd be running for President.
Perhaps it require an increased contribution for future workers, a solution
you will NOT hear during an election year. The problem is a demographic one
that will be difficult to solve and lessening the amount put into the fund
won't help.
Another issue that is a hot
topic in the USA and one that draws a lot of unrealistic rhetoric is the
issue of gun control. While the NRA reacts somewhat irrationally and fearful
of someone taking away their guns, the idea that we can somehow legislate
gun control is simply implausible. There are more guns in the USA than
people, passing laws to register weapons is not going to make a dent in the
problem. Stiffer penalties for commission of a crime with a gun are dealing
with a consequence of the problem, not solving the real problem.
The gun issue in the USA is a
cultural challenge. Unlike any other westernized nation, the proliferation
of weapons is as American as apple pie. Rightly or wrongly, that is the fact
and efforts to register weapons or punish people are feeble efforts to deal
with the monumental effort to change our culture. Educating future
generations that violence isn't a useful resolution to problems and that
guns' role in our society should be for hunting and recreation will be the
only way to ever reduce the number of crimes committed with weapons.
The final issue I want to
mention that will be a highlight of the general election campaign is
education. I vehemently oppose any effort to weaken public education. The
public school system has been the backbone of educating our society and if
it has problems, let's fix them, not dismantle the system. I am fearful of
efforts to shift control of school curriculum to the local level. We now
compete globally and educational standards should be the same from
California to New York and everywhere in between.
I'm sure you'll hear George
W. Bush tout his Texas education record. Beware, because while they've
increased Texas standardized test scores, SAT scores have not improved and
many teachers in Texas are concerned that too much time is spent on
preparing for the Texas test rather than actually learning core subjects.
The primary challenges for public education in a state like Pennsylvania and
probably everywhere, is funding. Efforts should be initiated at both the
national and state levels to determine if a better means than local property
taxes can be identified to be the primary sources of funds for public
education.
No single investment of
public funds can be more important than education. America's future depends
on it and it is dangerous and impractical for local school boards to set
educational standards. Preparation for higher learning or entry into the
workforce depends on young people developing competitive skills that are
derived from a national standard.
The three issues I've
mentioned will be discussed and promoted by both parties and it will be fun
to watch which candidates articulate the most practical solutions. I
certainly don't have the answers but I know some of the rhetoric thrown
around is just that, rhetoric. It may sound good during a campaign but not
really solve some of our nation's primary challenges. |
