Indianapolis Recorder, Indianapolis, Marion County, 27 October 2000 — Page 8

PAGE A8

THE INDIANAPOLIS RECORDER

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 27,20py

Pull Lever 18B

vote for a

Goodman

thats • • • •

Judge

EVAN D. GOODMAN

1 st Judge of a Domestic Violence Court & Mental Health Court

Religion & Bible School Teacher

*18 years of judicial experience giving Equal Justice For All

Pull Lever

18B

Authorized and paid for by the Committee to Elect ^Mlge Evan D. Goodman < Ann La,8ch ' Chair ' Gregory K. Silve^jfreasurer

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Gore promises a presidency of action for African Americans

By VICE PRESIDENT AL GORE

At the heart of all of the issues that have been raised during this campaign is one critical question: will America have leadership that stands up for the people, or that panders to the powerful? Will we have leadership that fights to widen the circle of opportunity, or that addresses long-standing wounds with nothing more than words? In this first election of the new century, your voices and votes will

decide.

For the past eight yearsjogether we’ve shown what we can do when we tap the potential of all of our people: 22 million new jobs, the lowest African-American unemployment on record, AfricanAmerican wages and income on the rise, targeted tax cuts to pay for college and job training, triple the number of small-business loans to African-American entrepreneurs, and the first budget surpluses in a generation. With more African Americans appointed to cabinet seats, judgeships and other high posts in United States history — we are showing that we are successful not in spite of our diversity, we are successful because of it. Even before the election, I’m determined to break even more barriers with Donna Brazile, the first African-American campaign manager for either party. In the Scripture, it is written, “In the day of prosperity there is forgetfulness of affliction.” We must not forget what bad policies did to our communities not long ago. Now is the time to open a whole new era of prosperity and progress for America. To do that, we must have the courage to act. That’s something I learned from my father. My father was a United States senator from the South. He fought against the poll tax in the 1940s, and for civil rights in the 1950s. He was one of only two senators to

refuse to sign the Segregationist Southern Manifesto. He voted for the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and he voted against Supreme Court nominees whose commitment was suspect. Those brave stands probably cost him his career. I lost my father recently, but I thank God every day he taught me that justice must not be compromised, and instilled in me the determination to act on that passion. However, the history and a long struggle of African Americans teaches that talk is cheap. It is deeds that matter. So here is what I will dp as president. I believe we have a national responsibility to make our public schools the best in the world, investing more and demanding more. We need to finish the job of hiring 100,000 new teachers to reduce class size. We need to elevate the teaching profession, and treat teachers like the professionals they are. We can’t lift our kids up in school buildings that are falling down. We can’t give kids the attention they need if they’re crammed into a traileron the playground. We need to rebuild and modernize schools all across America. I believe a strong America is a healthy America. Right now, the parents of about one in five Afri-can-American children have to sit

can seniors would live in poverty. Medicare ensures that nearly three and a half million African-Ameri-can seniors have health care. These programs are lifelines — we need to strengthen and sustain them, not put them at risk with misplaced fiscal priorities. And we must work to bring our nation closer to the ideals expressed by our founders. When James Byrd is dragged to his death behind a pickup truck in Texas because of his skin color, when a man in Pennsylvania opens fire and kills a Black man or a Jewish woman, an Indian man, and two Asian men, how can it be argued that hate crimes aren’t different from all other crimes? We need to recognize that hate is different, and we need to pass the Hate Crimes Prevention Act into law. Also, as the first civil rights act of my administration, I will take steps to end the discriminatory practice known as racial profiling. I want to work for an America where we banish discrimination and hatred not just from our laws, but from our institutions and habits as well. These are challenges our nation has struggled with since its earliest days. Today, we have thechanceto create the America we have long sought. We can improve our children’s schools — and improve the health of these children and

up at night and worry about how to their parents and grandparents. Vje pay the bill if their kids get sick. I can preserve and strengthen Social

am committed to bring access to fully affordable health coverage to every child and parent in this nation by the end of the next presiden-

tial term.

We cannot rest until we make a real, enforceable Patients’ Bill of Rights the law of our land — one that gives the medical decisions back to doctors, nurses, and families. We must honor our fathers and our mothers, and make an ironclad commitment to Medicare and Social Security. Without Social Security two thirds of African-Ameri-

Security and Medicare. We can invest more in our inner cities—arid clean up toxic waste in our neighborhoods. We can do more to puitish and prevent crimes of hate. And we can do it all right now—if only we have the strength and courage to act. '• I ask you to join with me, and fight with me. You can become'a fighter too by being sure to vote on Nov. 7th. Together, we win not only the presidency, we can bring America to the mountaintop of oiir ideals. >

Education r«friig»i« cuts are

By GOV. GEORGE W. BUSH

I’m running for president because I believe our prosperity must have a purpose. I want the American dream to touch every willing heart, with no one left out and no one left behind. And to achieve

this, I have proposed real plans that will help real people. To begin with, we must improve public schools. The purpose of prosperity is to leave no one out — to leave no one behind. This noble

goal will remain a distant goal until our nation fulfills a solemn pledge: to educate every child. That is where it all begins. Expanding economic opportunity for African Americans is not possible unless we expand educational opportunity for African Americans. My goal is excellence for every child. During the last three months, I have proposed fundamental changes to the federal role in education based on core principles. The federal government must be humble enough to stay out of the day-to-day operation of local schools.

It must be wise enough to give states and school districts more

authority andfreedom. And it must be strong enough to require proven performance in return. The federal role io education is to foster excellence and challenge failure with charters and choice. The federal role in education is not to serve the

OH43MO^

system. It is to serve the children. Under my education reform plan, federal dollars will no longer follow failure. States and schools will be held accountable for improved results. If a school fails to improve test scores for disadvantaged students, federal funds will be given directly to parents for tutoring, a charter school, or private school. I do not support a national test, but will insist on excellence by requiring states to measure results for every child. To achieve this goal, we will give states and local school districts unprecedented flexibility with federal education dollars and Expand choices for parents and their children by requiring school-by-school report cards, dramatically expanding education savings accounts, and doubling the amount of charters schools nation-

wide. Finally, my plan will restore safety and discipline in our classroom by establishing a “zero-toler-ance” policy to allow teachers to remove disruptive students; allowing students in persistently failing schools to transfer to a safe school; enforcing juvenile gun laws to keep guns out of schools; and tripling character education funding for states and local school districts. These policies will improve our public schools. I believe we must have first class schools because there are no second class children, and there are no second class dreams. We must revitalize public schools, but we must also lower taxes. Governments don’t create wealth. Wealth is created by Americans —by creativity and enterprise and risk-taking. But government can create an environment where businesses and entrepreneurs and families can dream and flourish. Lower tax rates are a powerful economic tool to promote a higher standard of living for all Americans. That’s why 1 have proposed a tax cut with a purpose. Across America, more than 1 in 5 jobs is created by a business that didn’t exist a decade ago. And the story of this success is written in many hands. Between 1987 and 1997, the number of Hispanicowned businesses more than tripled. African-American and Asianowned businesses more than doubled. Since the 1970s, women’s share of small business ownership increased from 5 percent to 38 percent. One basic problem: Many of these hard working risk-takers find that government expects to be a

ingit. i Setting the top tax rate at 33 percent will take about one dollar of every six of the revenue cost of my income tax reductions. Black entrepreneurs and small business owners are also singled out for punishment by the estate tax — better known as the “death tax.” Right now, inheriting a family business generally means inheriting a tax, on assets over $650,000, of between 37 and 55 percent. Family businesses often can’t afford this. When an African American builds a business, he is also leaving a legacy. His death should not mean the end of his life’s work. This tax violates virtually every principle of common sense and free enterprise — and I intend to abolish it. <, Finally, we must reform burdensome federal regulations. As president, I will strip bureaucratic regulations, such as high permitting anfi licensing fees, which disproportionately hurt minority-owned businesses. I will break up federal procurement contracts to allow minor-ity-owned businesses to compete for or partner with more experienced firms as subcontractors. ,: And I will reward those companies making an aggressive and innovative effort to involve minor-ity-owned businesses through subcontracting and mentoring programs. . .5 One example is from my home state, the General Services Commission. This state agency decided to take large bid projects and break them into smaller ones so that smaller, minority owned firms would have more opportunities to compete. .i The results? Each year of my

none of the rists.

rates I inherited in 1994. This is affirmative access. And this is the way to create economic growth fry

the profits

I have a simple principle: No one in America should have to woik

more than pay the IRS

ment, in peacetime,

ness taking more than 33 percent of nesses: improving public schools, anyone’s paycheck. After all, At reAuctag taxes, and reforming burentrepreneurs of America create densome federal regulations. This

leacetime, has no busi- create Black wealth and Blackbus^-

expand their American enterprise, not penaliz-

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