Get rid of Bush - Who are the alternatives?

Dick Gephardt

(Abridged from Guardian, UK, 12/01/04)
www.dickgephardt2004.com

Gephardt's stance on specific policy issues is as follows:

Gun control Gephardt support the "vigorous enforcement" of "balanced, fair gun-safety laws at the federal level". He has promised to close loopholes in the 1993 Brady bill and extend the 1994 assault weapons ban to include copycat weapons.

Iraq He supported the war in Iraq, he says, on the basis of CIA intelligence that convinced him Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction that could threaten the US. He also backed Bush's request for $87bn to continue military operations and reconstruction both in Iraq and Afghanistan. But he has called White House foreign policy "a miserable failure", principally in its failure to win broad international backing for its actions.

Environment Gephardt's supports US ratification of the Kyoto protocol, and his energy policy proposals focus on renewable energy. He calls for "environmentally smart" energy solutions that would make the US independent of foreign oil within a decade, and is committed to investment in hydrogen fuel cell technology and the production of hybrid cars.

Economy/tax Gephardt has pledged to repeal the Bush tax cuts and instead provide healthcare for every US citizen. "We cannot fix the economy until we fix the healthcare crisis," he has said, arguing that his plans to bring every family under the healthcare umbrella would create significant economic growth. He claims his economic proposals would create 22m new jobs in the US economy. His proposals are seen as an old-style Democrat platform involving large-scale government spending.

World trade Gephardt opposes NAFTA, permanent most-favoured nation status for China and "any trade agreement that does not include enforceable standards to protect workers and the environment". He believes in the WTO as the forum to debate and implement international trade agreements, but insists that any such deals should "raise standards across the globe, not send American companies scouring the globe for the cheapest labour". He has made much of his call to introduce an international minimum wage.

War on terror Gephardt supports the "unrelenting" international pursuit of terrorists, but believes in coalition building to combat the causes of terrorism. "We need to re-direct our foreign assistance to help countries end the indigence and fear that makes people turn toward terror," he has said. He has also pledged to unshackle the US from its relationship of dependence with the Saudi royal family, and criticises the Bush administration for not speaking out on the Saudi funding of al-Qaida. In terms of homeland security, he calls for a balance between "constitutional due process" and the need for security, and accuses the attorney general, John Ashcroft, of crossing the line in his enforcement of the Patriot Act. He supports reform of the legislation to increase congressional and judicial oversight.

Education Gephardt proposes increased federal funding for programmes that aim to bring equity in schools, and has pledged that education funding would remain a priority for his administration even during times of economic downturn. He also believes federal government should play a greater role in targeting resources to the neediest schools and children.

Health Gephardt's healthcare plan would require every employer - private and public - to provide health insurance to all their employees, full or part time, in return for a federal tax credit. He supports a prescription drug bill to provide senior citizens with benefits under Medicare without gaps in coverage, and to reduce drug prices by stopping drug company patent abuses and allowing federal government to encourage and implement measures such as the use of generic drugs to further reduce costs.

Welfare Gephardt promises never to reduce social security spending to balance the budget. He also opposes the raising of the retirement age or reducing cost-of-living adjustments. He pledges to reform social security to ensure that senior citizens in the US can count on the programme as part of their financial security in their retirement years.