‘92 DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION : The Issues, A to Z : Bill Clinton Where He Stands : Candidate Emphasizes that Both Government and Citizens Must Assume Responsibility

At the core of his plan. . .

Economic Policy

Clinton argues that the key to long-term economic growth is increased public and private investment in education, training and infrastructure--what he sees as the building blocks of productivity. “In the emerging global economy, everything is mobile: capital, factories, even entire industries. The only resource that’s really rooted in a nation--and the ultimate source of all its wealth--is its people. The only way America can compete and win in the 21st Century is to have the best-educated, best-trained work force in the world, linked together by transportation and communication networks second to none,” he says.

Social Policy

Clinton argues that social policy, from welfare to education, must be built on a foundation of mutual obligation, in which government provides greater opportunity but then demands increased personal responsibility from all elements of society. “No President can promise miracles for people. You can put opportunity out there, but if people won’t see it, it won’t happen. The government has responsibilities, but the American people have to assume some responsibility, too.” he says.

Foreign Policy

Clinton argues that with the end of the Cold War the U.S. should shift more of its attention to domestic problems; but he says the United States must maintain an active international role focused on promoting democracy, open trade and free markets. “I believe it is time for America to lead a global alliance for democracy as united and steadfast as the global alliance that defeated communism,” he says.

Abortion

*Supports the Roe vs. Wade decision guaranteeing the right to abortion and says he would sign the bill now pending in Congress to prevent states from barring abortion.

*Signed a parental notification law in Arkansas that requires minors to notify either a parent or a court to receive an abortion; as a candidate, he has said he would add a third alternative to allow minors to notify another responsible adult, such as a teacher or religious counselor. Opposes requirements, however, for parental consent to abortion.

*Though Medicaid funding for abortion is not available in Arkansas except when the life of the mother is endangered, says he supports repeal of the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits federal funding for abortion in almost all instances.

*Promises in his first week in office to rescind the gag order that prohibits abortion counseling in federally funded clinics.

AIDS

*Promises to fully implement recommendations of National Commission on AIDS, including proposals to launch a comprehensive prevention program and expand access to health insurance for AIDS victims.

*Would appoint an “AIDS czar” and a high-level AIDS task force in the White House to coordinate federal efforts.

*Supports local efforts to make condoms available in schools.

*Would increase funding for AIDS research, prevention and education and promises to speed federal approval of AIDS drugs.

Affirmative Action

*Supported the Civil Rights Act of 1991, which overturns recent Supreme Court decisions weakening affirmative action, and promises aggressive efforts to recruit minorities and women into government.

Child Support

*Insisting “governments don’t raise children, people do,” Clinton has proposed using the IRS to collect child support through payroll withholding, reporting deadbeats to private credit agencies and making it a felony to cross state lines to avoid paying.

Crime

*Supports the death penalty and has carried out four executions as governor.

*Promises to put 100,000 new police officers on the streets, through his national service plan (see education) and a program that would allow military personnel to earn up to five years’ credit toward their government pension by serving as police officers after leaving the armed forces.

*Would provide federal funds to encourage municipalities to move toward community policing.

*Says government should provide treatment on demand for addicts, increase anti-drug education efforts in the schools and create boot camps for first-time nonviolent drug offenders.

*Supports the Brady bill to require a waiting period for the purchase of handguns, a ban on assault weapons and a program to buy back weapons, particularly those held by young people.

Deficit

*Says he will cut the deficit by more than half over the next four years to $141 billion by 1996. Key elements in his package include cutting defense spending $37.5 billion more than proposed by President Bush over the next four years; assorted additional reductions of $102.8 billion. Would also raise $91.7 billion in new personal taxes and another $58.3 billion in new corporate taxes, primarily by tougher enforcement against foreign companies operating here. His plan also envisions new federal spending of $219.5 billion over the four-year period, primarily on infrastructure, education and training. Critics say the plan overestimates the likely revenue from proposed tax changes and is flawed because it fails to directly address the inexorable rise in entitlement costs.

Education

*Supports public school choice, but opposes federal aid (vouchers) for parents sending their children to private schools.

*Calls for fully funding Head Start and increased emphasis on enlisting parents into the program as teachers.

*Would create a Youth Opportunity Corps to provide alternative learning centers for high school dropouts.

*Would establish a national apprenticeship system to help non-college bound students develop vocational skills.

*Would scrap existing student loan program and replace with a national service trust fund that would allow all students to borrow money for college and then repay it either as a small percentage of income over time or by serving for two years as police officers, child care workers, teachers or in some other public service work.

Environment

*Environmentalists have criticized aspects of Clinton’s record in Arkansas--particularly his failure to move more aggressively against pollution from the poultry industry into state waters--but have generally praised his proposals during the presidential campaign.

*Says U.S. should commit to reducing its total emissions of carbon dioxide, the gas suspected of causing global warming, to 1990 levels by the year 2000. At the recent Earth Summit in Brazil, Bush rejected pressure from European nations to commit to such reductions; the final document establishes the reductions as a non-binding goal.

*Would encourage energy conservation by raising fuel efficiency standards for cars to 40 miles per gallon by the year 2000, increasing reliance on natural gas and encouraging recycling through tax incentives and federal purchases.

*Calls for decreasing reliance on nuclear power, conservation and expanding federal research into renewable resources, such as solar.

Foreign Policy

*Generally an internationalist, Clinton has argued that, with the Cold War over, the U.S. global mission should be reoriented toward promotion of democracy.

*On foreign aid, says America should re-examine all existing commitments “with a fine-toothed comb.” But has strongly supported aid to Russia and other Eastern European countries.

*Though statements at the time are somewhat ambiguous, appeared to support the use of force in the Gulf War. Clinton has accused Bush of appeasing Saddam Hussein in the years leading up to the conflict and of permitting Hussein’s military machine to survive by ending the conflict too quickly.

*Criticizes Bush for vetoing legislation that would have required China to undertake reforms or else lose its favored trading status in the wake of the Tian An Men Square massacre.

*Accuses Bush of pressuring Israel “to make one-sided concessions in the peace process;” opposes the creation of an independent Palestinian state; says the questions of Israeli settlements in the occupied territories should be settled in the peace talks rather than through pressure on the Israeli government; and supports loan guarantees opposed by Bush for resettling Jewish emigres from the former Soviet Union.

Gay Rights

*Says he would end the ban on homosexuals serving in the military.

Government Reform

*Proposes to eliminate 100,000 federal jobs through attrition over an eight-year period.

*Would require each federal agency to reduce administrative costs by 3% annually.

*Supports the line-item veto, but opposes the recently defeated balanced budget amendment as a “gimmick.”

*Would require all government employees to pledge that they will not lobby on issues within their area of responsibility for five years after leaving office. Also would require senior officials to pledge never to lobby for foreign governments.

*Backs campaign finance reform that would include spending limits on House and Senate campaigns and cutting maximum PAC contributions from $5,000 to $1,000. Would also require television stations to provide time to candidates for debate.

*Supports statehood for the District of Columbia.

*Opposes term limits for members of Congress.

*Supports so-called “motor voter” legislation, recently vetoed by President Bush, to allow Americans to register to vote while obtaining their drivers’ license or in social service agencies.

Health Care

*Promises, within his first 100 days in office, to propose a national health care system providing phased-in universal coverage. Employers would be required either to provide insurance or buy into a public program; some federal aid would be available in early years to help companies with the cost. Urges insurance reform and increased use of managed-care networks to keep down costs, and would create a national health standards board to “establish annual health budget targets and outline a core benefits package.”

Housing

*Would transfer 10% of HUD and government-controlled housing to community nonprofit organizations and churches to house the homeless.

*Backs increased tenant management and ownership of public housing.

Industrial Policy

*Would create a civilian equivalent to the defense agency that funds research into advanced technologies.

*Would establish an economic security council modeled on the National Security Council to coordinate international economic policy.

*Would transfer all cuts in defense research and development into federal civilian R&D; until civilian spending matches defense spending, which is now about three-fifths of all federal research spending.

Infrastructure

*Would create a Rebuild America Fund to rebuild infrastructure and develop new transportation and communication systems. Federal government would provide $20 billion annually for four years into the fund, to be leveraged with state, local, private sector and pension fund contributions. Fund would focus investments on building a fiber optic network to link computers nationwide; renovating roads and bridges and creating a high-speed rail network; developing advanced pollution control technology and clean energy sources; and encouraging defense conversion.

Job Training

*Would require all companies to spend 1.5% of their payroll on training or else pay an equivalent amount into a national job training fund.

*Would require all large federal contractors to “create a mentorship, after-school employment, or summer employment program for disadvantaged youth.”

Labor Policy

*Backs legislation to prohibit companies from hiring permanent replacement workers during strikes.

*Would sign the family and medical leave bill vetoed by President Bush; the bill required many businesses to grant employees 12 weeks of unpaid leave for the birth of a child or a family illness.

*Would index minimum wage for inflation.

Social Security and Medicare

*Opposes calls for means-testing of Social Security, including proposals to deny full cost-of-living adjustments to seniors--though he did back a one-year freeze as part of a National Governors Assn. budget resolution in the mid-1980s.

*Has proposed higher fees for Medicare recipients earning above $125,000 annually. Has suggested that upper-income seniors might eventually have to pay higher taxes on their social security benefits, though he did not propose such a hike in his economic plan.

Tax Policy

*Supports a 50% reduction in capital gains for entrepreneurs who start a new business and hold it for at least five years, but opposes President Bush’s broader capital gains reduction.

*Would expand earned-income tax credit so that any family with a member working full time is lifted above the poverty level.

*Would provide some tax relief for the middle-class but not as much as originally promised. Throughout the campaign, Clinton proposed a middle-class tax cut of 10% and a phased-in children’s tax credit that would be significantly more generous to families with children than the existing dependent’s exemption. Now says taxpayers can take a rate cut or the tax credit but not both. Also, though no specific numbers are available, the tax cut and the credit itself will both be smaller than originally planned, aides say.

*Would raise top tax rate to about 36% on taxpayers with more than $200,000 in adjusted gross income, stiffen the minimum tax and impose a 10% surtax on millionaires to raise $20.7 billion annually over the next four years.

*Would eliminate federal tax deductions for corporate salaries above $1 million.

*Though some economists are skeptical, says he would raise $45 billion over next four years by toughening tax collection on foreign corporations operating in the U.S.

*Would eliminate tax breaks taken by companies that close plants in the U.S. and move production overseas.

*Would offer companies an investment tax credit to encourage modernizing plants and equipment, and would make permanent the research & development tax credit.

*During the campaign, he criticized Paul E. Tsongas’ call for regular increases in the gas tax as regressive, but recently said he was “looking very closely” at an increase in the oil import fee to raise money and encourage conservation. He did not, however, propose such a fee in his economic plan.

Trade

*Generally opposed to protectionism, he supports a free-trade agreement with Mexico, provided it raises labor and environmental standards.

*Says that if Japan will not open its markets to American products, as President he would “urge the American people to stop buying your products because you’re not buying ours.”

Urban Development

*Would provide federal seed money for a nationwide network of community development banks that would make loans to inner-city small businesses.

*Would strengthen federal community reinvestment laws requiring commercial banks to make more loans in low-income neighborhoods.

*Backs creation of urban enterprise zones, but insists companies will have to hire local residents to qualify.

Welfare Reform

*Would increase spending on education and training for welfare recipients, but then require them to take private-sector or public employment after two years on the rolls.

*Would allow states to experiment with controversial programs to change the behavior of welfare recipients. For example, says that while he would not sign a law himself eliminating additional benefits for women who have children while already on relief, he would grant federal waivers to allow states to do so.