Vice President Albert Arnold Gore, Jr.
Democrat
Born: March 31, 1948
Age: 52
Birthplace: Washington, DC
Home City: Carthage, Tenn.
Education: Harvard University: B.A. in government, 1969; Vanderbilt School of Religion, 1971-72; Vanderbilt Law School, 1974-76
Experience: U.S. Army, 1969-71; journalist, 1973-76; U.S. representative from Tennessee, 1977-85; U.S. senator, 1985-93; U.S. vice president, 1993-present
Family: Wife, Tipper; three daughters and a son: Karenna, Kristin, Sarah and Albert III
Money Raised: $133,113,452
On Gun Control: Gore wants tougher gun laws. He will implement policies such as mandatory trigger locks, licensing and photo ID for new handgun buyers. Also, Gore hopes to close gun availability through the loophole in gun shows.
On Environment: Gore supports the international Kyoto treaty agreement on global warming reached 30 years ago. He supports strong federal enforcement of air and water pollution laws. Gore plans on spending $2 billion over 10 years to buy more park land, and he rallied against U.S. oil companies gas price hikes. Gore would also give tax credit to families with fuel efficient cars.
On Social Security: The government would match contributions for people with certain income limits, and Gore would enhance the current formula by diverting unknown and untold trillions of dollars into Social Security.
On Prescription Drugs: Gore would build on the current system and add a prescription drug plan to Medicare giving free coverage to the elderly poor. He also plans to give cost-sharing benefits to others at an estimated cost of $253 billion over 10 years.
On Abortion: Gore opposes restricting information about abortions, and he supports legal access to abortion and federal family planning assistance. he is also in favor of fetal tissue research.
On Taxes: Gore proposed tax credits benefiting primarily low- and middle-income taxpayers at an estimated cost of $500 billion. The credits would help with issues such as taxpayers paying for college tuition, saving for retirement, and covering the cost of long-term health care.
On Education: Gore offers a $170 billion 10-year plan to help states create universal preschool education. He also provides incentives to increase teacher pay and training, he wants to toughen teacher certification with competency tests, and he wants to continue his plan to hire 100,000 new teachers and reduce class size. In addition, Gore will provide tax breaks for college tuition and school construction grants. He opposes school vouchers and public money going to private schools.
Texas Gov. George W. Bush
Republican
Born: July 6, 1946
Age: 54
Birth Place: New Haven, Conn.
Home City: Austin, Texas
Education: Yale University, B.A. 1968, Harvard University MBA, 1975.
Experience: Businessman in various industries, primarily oil, 1968-89; managing general partner of Texas Rangers baseball team, 1989-94, Texas governor, 1995-present.
Family: Wife, Laura; twin daughters, Jenna and Barbara.
Money Raised: $187,202,363
On Gun Control: Bush would better enforce existing gun laws. He would sign a bill requiring trigger locks on guns, and he opposes licensing and registration. Bush supports raising the age for handgun possession to 21, and he claims gun laws aren't adequately enforced.
On Environment: Bush wants to increase the supply of energy sources, and he opposes federal air and water pollution regulation in favor of voluntary cooperation from industry. Bush opposes new federal wilderness areas and the Kyoto global international warming treaty. He would increase logging in national forests.
On Social Security: Bush wants to allow workers to divert a portion of their Social Security payroll taxes to private investment accounts. Bush would set up bipartisan groups to deal with long term problems.
On Prescription Drugs: Lowest income seniors get helped first and will be offered wider choices. States would get $48 billion to set up state drug assistance programs these seniors. Bush's $110 billion Medicare reform proposal calls for subsidizing private health plans, including plans that provide prescription drug benefits.
On Abortion: Bush opposes abortion except to save the life of the mother or in cases of rape and incest. Bush Supports but said he would not pursue a constitutional amendment to ban abortion. He also opposes fetal tissue research.
On Taxes: Bush proposed an across the board cut in income rates at an estimated cost of $1.3 trillion over 10 years. Upper-income taxpayers with incomes above $100,000 would benefit the most as measured in dollars, but middle- and lower-income Americans would see a greater percentage reduction in their overall tax burden.
On Education: Bush offers a $47 billion, 10-year plan, including money for literacy training, college scholarships and grants. He would expand the Head Start program and reward states that test all students in reading and math every year from third through eighth grade. Bush would cut federal aid to public schools that don't meet standards three years in a row and give families vouchers to help pay for private schooling.
Ralph Nader
Green Party
Born: Feb. 27, 1934.
Age: 66
Birthplace: Winsted, CT
Home:
Education: Graduated magna cum laude Princeton University, 1955. Harvard Law, 1958.
Experience: Attorney, Hartford, Conn.,1959; University of Hartford lecturer, 1961-63; Princeton University lecturer, 1967-68; founder of numerous consumer groups, including Public Citizen, Public Interest Research Group, Center for Auto Safety, Clean Water Action Project, Disability Rights Center, Project for Corporate Responsibility and Center for the Study of Responsive Law; author of "Unsafe at Any Speed", 1965; "The Lemon Book" "Winning the Insurance Game", 1990; "The Case Against Free Trade: GATT, NAFTA and the Globalization of Corporate Power", 1993.
Family: Never married. Son of Lebanese immigrants
Money Raised: $6,001,457
On Gun Control: Nader favors the licensing of handguns, mandatory trigger locks and banning certain weapons.
On Environment: Nader's main running platform has been environmental issues. He would ban certain toxic chemicals, end logging on public lands, use trade policy to achieve environmental goals and require labeling of genetically modified foods.
On Social Security: Nader claims Social Security is healthy and he opposes privatization. He would increase benefits for widows and widowers.
On Prescription Drugs: Nader would impose price restraints on prescription drugs developed with federal aid.
On Abortion: Nader supports keeping abortion legal and would continue legal access to birth control. He opposes a constitutional amendment to ban abortion.
On Taxes: Nader plans to substantially increase corporate taxes and he would tax stock market speculation, pollution and urban sprawl.
On Education: Nader opposes standardized tests and commercial marketing to children in public schools. Wants a citizenship component in curriculum. Supports better pay for teachers, better civics and history curriculums, repairing old and rundown schools.
