DECISION ‘92: SPECIAL VOTER’S GUIDE TO THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION : THE ISSUES: What do the candidates stand for? Here’s a look at their positions, from A to Z

ABORTION

Bush: Supports a human life amendment to ban abortion except in cases of rape or incest, or when the life of the mother is endangered.

- Seeks to overturn Roe vs. Wade, the Supreme Court decision guaranteeing the right to abortion.

- Opposes public funding of abortion except when the life of the mother is endangered.

- Issued rules that severely limit the ability of medical personnel in federally funded family planning clinics to discuss abortion with patients.

- Supports a ban on medical research using tissue from aborted fetuses and has used his veto to block legislation overturning the ban.

- Supports state laws requiring minors to receive consent from their parents before receiving any abortion.

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

- Although 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 severely restricts abortion counseling in federally funded clinics.

- 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.

AIDS

Bush: Increased federal funding on AIDS-related activities to $2.5 billion from about $1.1 billion.

- Has provided federal funds for local programs that distribute condoms in high schools.

- Has been criticized by members of the National Commission on AIDS for not moving more aggressively to implement wide-ranging recommendations it issued last September, such as launching a comprehensive AIDS prevention program.

Clinton: Promises to fully implement recommendations of National Commission on AIDS.

- 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.

CHILD SUPPORT

Bush:Proposed increasing IRS role in collecting overdue child-support payments, in part by requiring wage withholding for absent parents; would make it a federal crime to cross state lines to avoid paying; would deny any federal benefits, such as government loans or even passports, to delinquent parents and proposes to report such parents to private credit agencies.

Clinton: Was the first to propose using the IRS to collect child support through payroll withholding. He favors “challenging” private credit agencies to report on parents deficient in their payments, stepping up efforts to establish paternity and making it a felony to cross state lines to avoid paying.

CIVIL RIGHTS

Bush: After vetoing earlier version of the legislation, signed civil rights bill in 1991 that partially overturned several Supreme Court decisions restricting affirmative action.

- Backed aggressive enforcement of Voting Rights Act by Justice Department, which has led to a virtual doubling of the number of congressional districts in which blacks and Latinos are favored for election.

- Supported and signed landmark law prohibiting discrimination against Americans with physical or mental disabilities.

Clinton: 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.

CRIME

Bush: Repeatedly--and without success--proposed legislation applying the death penalty to additional federal crimes, limiting appeals by prisoners on Death Row and easing restrictions on the introduction of evidence gathered by law enforcement officials.

- Opposes Brady bill to require a waiting period for the purchase of handguns but would increase penalties for crimes committed with a firearm.

- Banned imports of certain semiautomatic assault weapons in 1989 but opposes ban on producing such weapons domestically or on sales of such guns.

- Substantially increased funding for federal agencies involved in combatting crime, such as the FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration.

- Expanded use of military in efforts to interdict drugs and has nearly doubled spending on federal anti-drug efforts, such as treatment and education.

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

- Supports the Brady bill, a ban on assault weapons and a program to buy back weapons, particularly those held by young people.

- 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.

DEFICIT

Bush: Has never submitted a balanced budget to Congress; has increased federal domestic spending by 7.3% annually, compared to 1% annually under President Ronald Reagan.

- In the latest budget, he proposes to reduce the deficit from $290 billion in 1992 to $182 billion by 1997. The effort would include freezes on domestic discretionary spending and domestic federal employment, elimination of 246 assorted federal programs and a spending cap on all federal entitlements except Social Security, plus limits on annual entitlement growth under a formula that takes into account inflation and the increase in eligible participants. It also would include reducing some federal subsidies to upper-income Americans, such as affluent farmers, and calls for additional defense cuts of $50 billion over the next five years, which would include cancellation of the B-2 bomber after production of 20 planes and a 21% reduction in active military personnel. In his convention speech, Bush called for an across-the-board cut in income tax rates and a new mechanism that would allow Americans to divert up to 10% of their taxes toward deficit reduction; since then he has also proposed new tax cuts for small businesses. Critics say that he has offered no specifics on offsetting cuts that would be required to pay for those new tax initiatives, and that the overall cap on entitlement spending leaves open the question of how to actually constrain such rapidly growing programs as Medicare and Medicaid.

Clinton: Says he will cut the deficit by more than half over the next four years--to $141 billion by 1996. Elements in his package include cutting defense spending $37.5 billion more than proposed by President Bush over the next four years and 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 years, primarily on infrastructure, education and training, and tax cuts of $104 billion aimed primarily at bolstering middle-class families and spurring business investment. Critics say the plan overestimates the likely revenue from proposed tax changes (particularly those aimed at foreign corporations) and is flawed because it fails to directly address the inexorable rise in entitlement costs.

EDUCATION

Bush: Supports public school choice and federal assistance (through vouchers) for lower- and middle-income parents who want to send their children to private schools.

- Has promoted the establishment of a private nonprofit corporation to encourage the development of innovative “model” schools in each congressional district around the nation and has urged Congress to provide $535 million over three years to help communities develop such schools.

- Proposed allowing all students regardless of income level to borrow up to $25,000 for their college education.

- Substantially increased funding for Head Start program, although Democrats complain that funding remains insufficient to allow all eligible underprivileged children to participate.

- Has said that in a second term he would expand development of apprenticeship programs for non-college-bound youths, now being tested in six states, to all 50 states.

- Proposed national standards for educational performance and a voluntary nationwide examination system to test student competence in seven subjects.

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

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

- Would scrap existing student loan program and replace it 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 some other public servant.

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

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

ENVIRONMENT

Bush: Signed extension of Clean Air Act, which Reagan had blocked, but critics say that under pressure from business interests, he has weakened or delayed regulations implementing the law.

- Offered national energy strategy in 1991 that stressed efforts to increase domestic production, including opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling, streamlining licensing to increase construction of nuclear power plants and relaxing regulations on electric utilities. Congress has rejected Arctic drilling and shifted balance more toward conservation.

- Barred drilling for oil off the coast of New England, southern Florida and most of California for 10 years.

- Opposes legislation to require domestic auto manufacturers to increase their average fuel efficiency from current 27.5 m.p.g. to 40 m.p.g. by 2001.

- Ordered an accelerated phaseout of U.S. production of the chemicals linked to the depletion of the Earth’s ozone layer.

- Opposed proposals at Earth Summit in Brazil to require industrialized nations to set binding targets for reductions in emission of carbon dioxide, the gas suspected of causing global warming. Also refused to sign treaty aimed at protecting wildlife and its habitat, saying certain provisions threatened patents of U.S. biotechnology companies.

- Has permitted logging in some old-growth Oregon forests considered vital habitat for the endangered northern spotted owl.

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

- Says United States should commit to reducing its total emissions of carbon dioxide, the gas suspected of causing global warming, to 1990 levels by the year 2000.

- Would encourage energy conservation by increasing reliance on natural gas and encouraging recycling through tax incentives and federal purchases.

- Earlier in campaign said he would support raising fuel efficiency standards for cars to 40 m.p.g. by the year 2000, but in an August appearance in Michigan--where the auto industry is staunchly opposed to higher standards--he described that figure as a “goal” and said he would be “flexible” in seeking to increase fuel efficiency.

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

FOREIGN POLICY

Bush: Led worldwide coalition of nations that through military means ended the Iraqi occupation of Kuwait.

- Has been criticized for U.S. policies that aided Iraqi ruler Saddam Hussein in the years leading up to the invasion and for ending the war without Hussein’s being deposed.

- Negotiated agreement with Russia to cut both nations’ nuclear arsenals by two-thirds over the next 11 years and eliminate all land-based missiles with multiple warheads. Earlier signed agreement binding all members of NATO and the former Warsaw Pact to limit conventional forces and arms in Europe.

- Convened unprecedented Middle East peace talks between Israel and Arab neighbors; reached agreement to provide U.S. loan guarantees to Israel for resettling Russian emigres after new Israeli government agreed to curtail settlements in occupied territories.

- Has supported substantial aid to the independent countries that emerged after the breakup of the Soviet Union.

- Has rejected calls for broad U.S. military intervention in the war between Serbia and its neighbors in the former boundaries of Yugoslavia, but has supported American participation in U.N. efforts to deliver food and medical supplies by force if necessary.

- Has supported keeping most-favored-nation trade status for China and vetoed legislation to require China to undertake reforms in the wake of the Tian An Men Square massacre.

- Terminated sanctions against South Africa after implementation of political reforms there in 1991.

Clinton: 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.

- Although statements at the time are somewhat ambiguous, appeared to support the use of force in the Gulf War. Clinton has accused Bush of appeasing 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 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 creation of an independent Palestinian state.

GAY RIGHTS

Bush: Supports current ban on homosexuals serving in the military.

- Signed legislation ordering a federal study of hate crimes, including attacks on homosexuals--the first time a federal law extended civil rights protections specifically on the basis of “sexual orientation.”

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

HEALTH CARE

Bush: Seeking market-driven reforms in health system rather than greater government intervention. Along those lines has proposed new tax benefits to help uninsured Americans buy health insurance but has not produced legislation to implement the plan. Has proposed legislation to allow self-employed individuals to deduct all of their health care costs, to encourage states to limit damages patients could receive in malpractice suits and to reform the insurance market (such as preventing insurance companies from denying coverage based on pre-existing conditions). Has staunchly opposed congressional calls for national health insurance plan run by the government and the Democratic presidential ticket’s proposal to require all employers to either provide insurance or buy into a new federal insurance program, saying his alternative would offer greater choice and less bureaucracy.

Clinton: Promises, within his first 100 days in office, to propose a national health care system providing phased-in universal coverage. Employers would be required to purchase insurance either from private insurers or from new managed care networks similar to HMOs; some federal aid would be available in early years to help companies with the cost. Urges insurance and paperwork reforms to keep down costs; he would create a national health standards board to outline a core benefit package and establish national spending targets that would be enforced by price controls on fees at the new health care networks and private insurance company premiums.

INDUSTRIAL POLICY

Bush: Generally opposes Democratic calls for government to increase partnerships with industry as misguided efforts to pick “winners and losers” in the private sector.

- However, has increased federal spending in several areas of civilian research and development, such as high-performance computers, biotechnology and advanced manufacturing. Also has supported efforts to increase cooperation between federal research labs and private businesses.

Clinton: 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.

- Building on a smaller existing program, would establish a national network of 170 manufacturing extension centers to help smaller companies adopt new equipment and techniques.

INFRASTRUCTURE

Bush: Signed measure in 1991 to spend $151 billion over next six years on highway and mass transit programs, after offering initial proposal to spend less and focus the dollars more heavily on highways than on public transportation.

Clinton: Would create a Rebuild America Fund to rebuild infrastructure and develop new transportation and communication systems. Federal government would put $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, creating a high-speed rail network, developing advanced pollution control technology and clean energy sources and encouraging defense conversion.

JOB TRAINING

Bush: Has tried to eliminate program that provides job training to workers displaced by foreign trade, but more recently proposed to create a new job training voucher (worth up to $3,000) available to all dislocated workers.

- Proposed centralizing job training programs to create “one-stop shopping” skill centers.

Clinton: Would require all companies to spend 1.5% of their payroll on training or 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

Bush: Opposes legislation to prohibit companies from hiring permanent replacement workers during strikes.

- Signed an increase in the minimum wage from $3.35 to $4.25 in 1989 after vetoing proposed increase to $4.55.

- Twice vetoed legislation requiring many businesses to grant unpaid leaves to workers for the birth of a child or a family illness; initially said such issues should be resolved by labor-management bargaining but last month proposed new tax credits to encourage small companies to grant such leaves.

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

- Would index minimum wage for inflation.

- Would sign the family and medical leave bill vetoed by President Bush.

SOCIAL SECURITY, MEDICARE

Bush: Has exempted Social Security from his proposed cap on entitlement spending; proposes increasing fees for Medicare recipients earning more than $100,000 annually. Also has suggested that further unspecified cost controls in Medicare could yield substantial additional savings.

Clinton: Opposes calls for means-testing of Social Security, including proposals to deny full cost-of-living adjustments to seniors, although 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 more than $125,000 annually. Has suggested that upper-income seniors might eventually have to pay higher taxes on their Social Security benefits, although he did not propose such a hike in his economic plan.

TAX POLICY

Bush: Signed a five-year, $146.3-billion tax increase as part of 1990 budget deal, abandoning his “read my lips, no new taxes” pledge of the 1988 campaign.

- Supports broad-based cut in capital gains taxes, with reduction from current 28% to 15.4% for assets held for three years or more.

- Would establish temporary credit for first-time home buyers, equal to 10% of purchase price or $5,000, whichever is less.

- Would restore partial tax-exempt status to individual retirement accounts and would allow withdrawals from those funds without penalty for first-time home buyers and for medical and educational expenses.

- Supports $500 increase in current $2,300 personal exemption for children under 19.

- Would make permanent the research and development tax credit and restore certain tax breaks for real estate developers eliminated in 1986 tax act.

- Vetoed tax bill this spring containing many of these provisions, as well as a $42.4-billion middle-class tax cut, because it increased taxes on upper-income families by $64 billion.

- This summer proposed new across-the-board tax cut, and a checkoff that would allow taxpayers to divert up to 10% of their taxes toward deficit reduction.

- Has proposed series of tax breaks for small business, including reduction in corporate income tax for small firms from 15% to 10%.

- Proposed to cut capital gains taxes on new stock issues from small businesses; tax rate would be cut 50% for investors who hold such stock for at least five years, and eliminated for investments held at least 10 years.

Clinton: 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 most of 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. Aides say tax credit would be worth about $300 per child for middle-income families; for childless middle-class couples, rate cut would be worth about $300 annually.

- 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 of more than $1 million.

- Although many economists are skeptical, says he would raise $45 billion over the next four years by toughening tax collection on foreign corporations operating in the United States.

- Would eliminate tax breaks taken by companies that close plants in the United States and move production overseas.

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

- During the campaign, criticized Paul E. Tsongas’ call for regular increases in the gas tax as regressive, but last summer 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

Bush: Negotiated North American Free Trade Agreement with Mexico and Canada; proposes to extend free trade zones through Central and South America and into portions of Asia and Eastern Europe.

- Has opposed congressional efforts to impose quotas on Japanese automobile imports but has conducted broad negotiations on opening Japanese market to American products, such as paper, glass and computers, and has reached trade agreements that require Japan to buy slightly more U.S. automobiles and auto parts.

Clinton: After weeks of hesitation, endorsed free trade agreement but said he would not sign the treaty unless the United States reached agreement on additional measures to protect American jobs and ensure protection of the environment and worker rights in Mexico; promises to toughen stand against Japan but warns against protectionism.

URBAN DEVELOPMENT

Bush: Would attract investment to inner cities by creating enterprise zones.

- Would focus tougher law enforcement and enhanced social services, such as job training, on depressed neighborhoods through “weed and seed” programs.

- Would attempt to increase homeownership through $1 billion in grants to help tenants in public housing units purchase their units and by allowing low-income families to use federal housing vouchers for mortgage payments as well as rent.

Clinton: Would provide federal seed money for a nationwide network of 100 community development banks that would make loans to inner-city small businesses. Also backs grants for states to provide “micro-enterprise loans” to very small businesses started by low-income entrepreneurs.

- 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 that companies will have to hire local residents to qualify.

- 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.

WELFARE REFORM

Bush: Has encouraged states to experiment with reforms that attempt to change the behavior of welfare recipients, such as cutting off benefits for recipients whose children do not attend school regularly or denying additional benefits to women who have children while on relief.

- Has urged Congress to increase the value of assets a family could accumulate and still stay on welfare to $10,000. The goal is to encourage recipients to save for college or to start a small business.

- Has proposed legislative reforms to make it easier for states to move welfare recipients into workfare programs.

Clinton: Would increase spending on education and training for welfare recipients, but then require them to take private or public employment after two years on the rolls. Bush Administration says it would support state experiments with time limits but opposes Clinton’s national plan to couple time limits and public sector jobs.

- Supports raising asset limit for welfare families from $1,000 to $10,000.

- Would create a demonstration project to offer federal matching funds of up to $1,800 annually for welfare recipients and low-income workers who establish special savings accounts known as “individual development accounts”; savings could be withdrawn only for education, job training, buying a first home or starting a business.

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

AT THE CORE OF THEIR PLANS . . .

ECONOMIC POLICY

Bush: Says the key to economic prosperity is limiting the size and scope of government, although federal spending, government regulation and the deficit have all increased during his Administration. “I want a government that spends less, regulates less and taxes less,” he says.

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

Bush: Has built his social policies around two pillars: supporting traditional “family values” and reforming government programs to increase choice for families in such areas as health, education and child care. “I trust parents, not the government, to make the decisions that matter in life,” he says.

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

Bush: Says that with the end of the Cold War, the greatest threat to world peace is regional instability that the United States must seek to minimize in what he has termed “the new world order.” He says: “The Cold War’s end didn’t deliver us into an era of perpetual peace. . . . The quest for the new world order is, in part, a challenge to keep the dangers of disorder at bay.”

Clinton: Argues that with the end of the Cold War, the United States should shift more of its attention to domestic problems; but he says the nation 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.