AL GORE ON THE ISSUES

Are you curious to know where Al Gore stands on the issues? Well, look no further. Below you will find the information you are looking for.

ABORTION
Right to choice, regardless of economic circumstance.
Personal struggle on abortion reflected in evolving view.
Abortion question is for women, not government or president.
Wrote in 1984 that “abortion is arguably taking a life”.
Voted against Medicare-funded abortions; but now supports it.
Always, always defend a woman’s right to choose.
Abortions should be safe, legal, and rare.
Supports Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances law.
More family planning; less parental consent.

BUDGET & ECONOMY
Policy making should include understanding markets.
Pledges to reduce national debt every year.
Economic slowdown would prompt Reinvention push.
Clinton-Gore budget concepts broke cycle of recession.
Set aside 15-16% of budget surplus to fix Medicare.
Low interest rates are a key to strong economy.
Reinventing Government cuts waste and inefficiency.
Balance or surplus except in crises.
Fiscal discipline; invest in people; open markets.
5-point plan for economic growth.

CIVIL RIGHTS
Investigate racial profiling at the federal level.
Stop discrimination against same-sex domestic partnerships.
Pass the Employment Nondiscrimination Act.
Constitution evolved for women & blacks; & will evolve more.
Address racial profiling in civil life as well as laws.
Keep affirmative action; reject numerical quotas.
Confederate flag divides-remove it, but no boycott.
Ban racial profiling by Executive Order.
Latinos considered for Supreme Court, but no pledge.
Review disenfranchisement of felons but keep concept.
Women deserve equal pay for equal work.
Eliminate ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’; let gays serve in army.
Affirmative action still needed - continue the fight.
Supports same-sex partnerships; but not “marriage” title.
Need more opportunities for women-owned businesses.
Streamline disability and advocacy processes.
End discrimination based on mental illnesses.
Fund and enforce the Disabilities Act.

CRIME
Hate crimes are fundamentally different than other crimes.
Supports death penalty; no moratorium for new DNA techniques.
Three Strikes should apply only to truly violent crimes.
Education and fair policing will reduce black incarceration.
Recognizes disparities in sentencing blacks.
Fight terrorism with leadership, tight control of technology.
Hire 50,000 more “community police officers”.
Death penalty for murdering federal officers.
Supports “Three Strikes -- You’re Out” law.
Supports “Broken Windows” law enforcement.
Steady & relentless anti-crime plan has yielded results.

DEFENSE
Eliminate “Don’t ask, don’t tell” quickly.
Sensible increases in defense spending.
Stay engaged with Russia over nuclear disarmament.
Appointees must ENFORCE allowing gays; not AGREE with policy.
Commit troops only if diplomacy fails and if it’s winnable.
Led efforts to reduce nuclear weaponry & arms race.
Led effort to dismantle post-Soviet nukes.
Test Ban Treaty is the tide of history; ratify it.
20-year history of supporting comprehensive arms control.
Supported 1980’s “build-down” of nuclear missiles.
Led dismantling of post-Soviet “loose nukes”.
Voted for B2 & Seawolf.
Continue SDI research within ABM treaty.
Deterrence works-replace it only when SDI works as well.

DRUGS
Loosen restrictions on medical marijuana.
Tougher drug policies; fight drugs in Colombia.
Decrease disparities in punishing crack vs. powder cocaine.
Pot use in 60s was like moonshine in 20s.
Drug war is winnable by universal participation & commitment.
Drug efforts are beginning to pay off; we must do more.
Good economy means redoubling our efforts against drugs.
Community disconnectedness is a source of drug problems.
Drug Control Strategy: More $, more enforcement, more TV ads.
After-school programs prevent most drug use.

EDUCATION
Highlights of 10-year $115B education program.
Use budget surplus for teacher bonuses & more pre-school.
Supports Goals 2000 & standards-based movement.
“Revolutionary plan”: 50% more for public schools.
$5B/year for universal preschool for 3- & 4-year-olds.
Equal opportunity can be achieved with school reform.
Hire 2M teachers over next 10 years.
Reduce class sizes; make college savings plans.
$10K “Teacher Corps” bonus; hire & test teachers.
Connect every school to the Internet.
Smaller classrooms with “schools within schools”.
National Tuition Savings program to send kids to college.
Test teachers; remove failing tenured teachers.
More pre-school, more after-school care.
End social promotion; turn around failing schools.
More student loans & grants; make 2 years of college free.
Make schools violence-free and drug-free.

ENVIRONMENT
Supports brownfield cleanup; says Bush did not in Texas.
Environmental justice and economic revival go hand-in-hand.
Base farm policy, like hormones in livestock, on science.
Limit logging in National Forests but protect way of life.
Save the family farm.
Supports ethanol subsidies & “farm safety net”.
Triple use of biomass, ethanol, plant-based textiles, etc.
Gore proposes $2B to counter suburban sprawl.
Tax credits & business incentives for energy efficiency.
Public/private initiative to triple auto fuel efficiency.
Livability Agenda proposes $1 billion for parks.
Mass transit to fight suburban sprawl.
Work with business to solve environmental problems.
Reduced paperwork for environmental compliance.
Stands by content of “Earth in the Balance”.
Supports Kyoto protocol’s US greenhouse gas emission cuts.
Avoid “out of tune” unachievable CO2-reduction proposals.
Control clean air in National Parks.
Global warming is a strategic threat.
If we do nothing else, save the rain forest.
The US should lead the global environmental movement.
Environmentalism can only thrive where democracy thrives.
Calculate environmental impact when measuring profit.
Internal combustion engines interfere with earth’s cleansing.
Civilization and the earth are increasingly in conflict.
The world must unite to save the environment.
Global Marshall Plan: Five strategic goals.
Every individual should take responsibility for the earth.
America is not responding to environmental danger signals.

FAMILIES AND CHILDREN
Top priorities for children: health care and education.
Tax credits for child care for working & at-home families.
Protect kids from Internet smut as part of “e-rate”.
Tobacco is greatest threat to kids’ health.
After-school programs prevent most drug use.
Pre-school available to every child in ever community.
Supports V-Chip and parental controls over TV & Internet.
Supports crackdown on “deadbeat dads”.
More restrictions on underage smoking.
Enroll uninsured children in federal health programs.
Supports Family and Medical Leave Act.

FOREIGN POLICY
New technologies will reduce dependence on foreign oil.
Chechnya: Keep aid that helps US; cut off aid that helps war.
Strong defense for world leader; tie defense to other issues.
Mantle of leadership means responding to violence abroad.
Intervention requires national interest, by our values.
Pay UN dues, as leader of the world.
Supported continuing 1998 air strikes in Iraq.
Supported Bush’s 1991 bombing of Iraq.

FREE TRADE & IMMIGRATION
Agrees with unions on 90% of issues, but not on free trade.
More immigrants to alleviate labor shortage.
Immigrants from communist Cuba are different.
Open Europe & Japan to genetically-modified farm products.
WTO talks will continue, with labor & environment input.
WTO requires Japan & Europe to deal with our trade issues.
Open markets with safeguards for labor and environment.
Make trade work for working families.
Use Fast Track to encourage new markets.
Free and fair trade means economic growth and jobs.
Immigration leads to diversity and cultural tolerance.
Protectionism only protects us from prosperity.
Global warming will cause Third World flight to the West.

GOVERNMENT REFORM
$7.1B Democracy Endowment for publicly financed campaigns.
Full disclosure for lobbyists, donations, & issue ads.
Offers soft-money ban to Bush; Gore won’t allow first ads.
Calls for soft-money ban; but won’t unilaterally disarm.
Mistakes: soft money; attack ads; private campaign money.
Free TV and radio for candidates during campaigns.
Supreme Court nominees should interpret the Constitution.
Reinvention cut Defense while investing in social programs.
Campaign reform: full public financing, no soft money.
Has supported bills like McCain-Feingold for 20 years.
Continue “reinvention”, which has saved $137 billion.
Decentralization builds faith in government.
Customer Satisfaction Survey for feds.
Performance-based pay for civil servants.
No controlling legal authority“ for White House calls.
Polls and technology dominate politics, not substance.

GUN CONTROL
Take on the NRA with presidential leadership.
Passed toughest gun control in 30 years; same for next 30.
Photo id’s for gun purchase; ban junk guns.
Ban certain guns & “super-trace” all guns.
Maximize gun control within what’s politically possible.
Child-safety locks on guns & more restrictions.
Counter gun lobby with ‘family lobby’ to shield kids.
Voted against some gun limitations while in Congress.
Supports background checks at gun shows, in tie-breaker.
Supports Brady Law and ban on assault weapons.

HEALTH CARE
Long history of fighting for generic drugs.
Get generic drugs to market quickly & cheaply.
Let FDA regulate cigarettes; fight teenage smoking.
Expand Children’s Health Insurance Program for working poor.
25% tax credit for health insurance; HMO appeals.
Medicare option at age 55; more Rx coverage.
Enable the disabled to work.
$300B over 15 years to keep Medicare solvent.
Private insurers won’t take AIDS patients; need Medicaid.
Families to 250% of poverty level eligible for Fed insurance.
Patient rights: emergency coverage & performance disclosure.
FDA testing of medications for impact on children.
The goal of universal health care will take time.
Start with affordable health care for children.
Patients and doctors should decide who gets what care.
$146B over 10 years to insure 90% of adults & 100% of kids.
Set aside 15-16% of budget surplus to fix Medicare.
Treat mental health on parity with physical health.
Proposes network of family caregiving support centers.
$110B for Medicare prescriptions & teaching hospitals.
Focus on prevention to limit costs.
No discriminating based on genetic information.

JUVENILE CRIME
Tough gun laws & so much more, to stop child tragedies.
Zero tolerance for guns at school; raise age to 21.
School violence: zero gun tolerance & better parenting.
We need more self-restraint in the media.
Zero tolerance for guns in schools, to end school violence.
Make schools violence-free and drug-free.
Faith-based crime prevention via clergy outreach.
Curb juvenile crime by tough punishments.
Tough “Second-chance schools” for kids.

SCHOOL CHOICE
Give parents choice in choosing public schools.
Revolution in public schools, but his kids in private school.
Increase public school aid by 50% instead of vouchers.
No experimental vouchers.
More choice, more local control, within public schools.
More public school choice - but not private.
Shut failing schools; then re-open & turn them around.
Vouchers drain cash from public school reforms.
Against vouchers; build up public schools instead.

SOCIAL SECURITY
Privatization is “stock market roulette”.
Make Social Security more fair for women.
Eliminate the motherhood penalty.
Strengthen benefits for widows.
No privatization; no increase in retirement age.
Opposed cutting Medicare; commit more funds instead.
Streamline disability and advocacy processes.
Protect retirement plans while times are good.

TAX REFORM
Bush’s tax plan is “economic snake oil”.
$250B over 10 years in targeted tax cuts.
Save Social Security, Medicare, and address debt before cuts.
Rules out tax increase in good economic times.
$792B tax cut is a “risky tax scheme”.
Tax credit for long-term care.
“Reinvention” cuts taxes while improving services.

TECHNOLOGY
Unhealthy concentrations of power snuff out competition.
“Digital Divide”: minorities have less Internet access.
Bridge the Digital Divide.
Broadcasters required to assist with “Democracy Endowment”.
Regulate Internet privacy & child access, but not content.
Universal Internet access should be a national priority.
In information economy, oil prices rises don’t matter.
Tax-free Internet a catastrophe for local governments.
Postpone Mars for domestic spending.
Proud of helping Internet; not proud of claiming invention.
Connect every school to the Internet.
Expand crime-fighting computer technology nationally.
Supports V-Chip and parental controls over TV & Internet.
Triana satellite would inspire environmental consciousness.
Investments & tax credits to foster high-tech growth.
Use high tech to deliver government and social services.
Genome project yes; genetic discrimination no.
Electronic Bill of Rights for personal privacy.

WELFARE AND LABOR
7M people off welfare: reform has worked.
Reduce child poverty via tax credits & minimum wage.
Expand Family and Medical Leave to balance work & family.
Task force to study industrial needs.
Proposes sweeping Federal programs, $Billions, for needy.
Add $1 to minimum wage; add earned-income credits.
Supports volunteerism thru faith-based organizations.
Corporations should match donations to faith-based orgs.
“Charitable Choice:” Fed funds for church-based welfare.
Faith-based organizations replace govt programs.
Invest in urban redevelopment and “Empowerment Zones”.
Injuries can be reduced by workers self-identifying hazards.
Set goals & provide tools to reach goals locally.



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