Steve Forbes on the Issues
Other Candidates
Steve Forbes (Refrom) Web Site
Abortion
To change the pro-abortion
culture, we must change the law little by little. We should start by banning
partial birth abortions, a euphemism for infanticide. We should also ban
abortions for the purpose of sex selection, ban fetal tissue research, and end
all federal funding for abortion. I support parental notification & consent
in the case of minors. We must also work to end abortions in late pregnancy. So
where there is consensus on limiting abortions, let us codify. From there, let
us persuade. -- www.forbes2000.com
I have made it clear that if elected President, I will appoint pro-life judges to the Supreme Court. Grassroots conservatives have a right to expect the same level of dedication from George Bush. America simply cannot afford another Supreme Court Justice like David Souter. -- www.forbes2000.com
Budget/Economy
We need to keep the Federal
Reserve from lurching into deflation or inflation. Remember, prosperity does not
cause inflation. It’s time to link the value of our money to something stable
and secure, like the price of gold. That will ensure that the Fed does not
inadvertently put its thumb on the world’s windpipe, cause global currency
turbulence, and cause commodity prices to be devastatingly low. -- "A New
Birth of Freedom" page 177 11/9/99
Civil Rights
Q: Would you hire qualified men
and women to work in your administration, who are openly gay? A: I will hire
people who are qualified for the job, people who can do the work at hand; people
who are there to get something done. If a person wants a job to make a
statement, they’re not going to get it. If a person wants a job because
they’re qualified and [share my] principles and philosophy, they will be
actively considered for it. I believe in equal rights for all, special rights
for none. -- Debate at Dartmouth College 10/29/99
Crime
Forbes believes that one of
government’s major responsibilities is to protect the lives and property of
every American and provide equal justice under the law. He also believes that
victims of crimes have rights. That’s why Steve supports a tough-on-crime
approach at the local, state and federal level. He supports "one strike and
you’re out" - no parole for violent felons. -- www.forbes2000.com
Defense
Q: What troops would you bring
home from what countries? A: They didn’t have to send in troops to Haiti. We
tried that from 1915-34. It didn’t work then. It didn’t work today. In
Somalia it was one thing to get the food on the ground, quite another to play
social workers and try to re-make that benighted country. That was a mistake. We
do have very real interests in the world. But throwing our forces around without
an exit strategy and not building up the military is a policy of disaster. --
Arizona GOP debate 12/7/99
Drugs
Government must not use the fight
against drug distribution and abuse as a license to deny individuals their
Constitutional rights. That said, however, the vast majority of Americans want a
vigorous, effective fight against drugs. Yet they are not getting it. In his
first year, Bill Clinton reduced the staff at the Office of the Drug Czar
by 83%. He has never delivered an Oval Office address on the drug issue. He is
now proposing to reduce prison sentences for possession of crack cocaine. -- www.forbes2000.com
Education
Some of Teddy Roosevelt’s
policies, such as trust busting, made particular sense for his time, but should
be adapted in our day to such causes as breaking up government education and
entitlement monopolies in favor of individual and parental choice and control.
"A New Birth of Freedom" page 27-8 11/9/99
Environment
As we go into a new century and a
new economy, we must be mindful of the enormous responsibility we have to be
good stewards of the air, land, water, and wildlife with which we have been
blessed. At the same time, we must safeguard the property rights of farmers,
ranchers, families, and business owners. We must guard against the overreaching
hand of big government trying to take away our freedom. And we must always
protect the environment in a manner consistent with our values. "A New
Birth of Freedom" page 113-4 11/9/99
Families/Children
Q: Do low-income parents deserve
short unpaid family leave, funded by unemployment benefits? A: All parents
should have the opportunity to spend more time with their children. But credits
from Washington raiding unemployment funds is not going to do the job. The real
way you give parents freedom is to let them keep more of what they earn in the
first place, and to have parents have control of the schools. That’s the way
to move forward instead of micro-managing with credits from Washington. --
Arizona GOP debate 12/7/99
Foreign Policy
We should increase funding for
the National Endowment for Democracy, and Radio Free Asia should have more
programming and more power to send its signals so people can actually hear the
broadcasts. Remember, radio offers a tremendous opportunity to communicate with
the Chinese people about business, culture, faith, and international events. It
can also offer interviews with Chinese dissidents abut human rights abuses....
The free flow of truth is deadly to dictatorial regimes. "A New Birth of
Freedom" page 168 11/9/99
Free Trade
Q: Should be a part of the WTO?
A: I believe we should, but I have no illusions about it. I’ve compared to the
WTO to a wooly mammoth without the charm. The Uruguay Round took 13 years. This
round’s going to take probably 25 or 30 years. I think we should take action
on our own - for example, doing a North Atlantic Free Trade Agreement with
Ireland and Britain. Bring in on the Pacific side Australia, New Zealand &
other nations. Do it ourselves. We can’t wait for the WTO. It’s useless. --
Iowa GOP debate 12/13/99
Government Reform
We must encourage American
businesses and farmers by weeding out the excessive red tape that Washington has
been creating over the past decade. Regulations act as a hidden tax, and if we
are not careful, they can begin to suffocate small businesses, destroy jobs, and
choke off economic growth. -- "A New Birth of Freedom" page 176
11/9/99
Gun Control
We have 40,000 laws on the books
about guns. The key is to enforce what we have on the books now. Yes, we can
close loopholes and I support that, such as (punishing) giving guns to minors
who shouldn’t have them, making sure that if you commit a felony as a juvenile
you’re never allowed to own a gun in America again. Fox News Sunday 5/23/99
Health Care
It is absolutely essential that
we rescue Medicare & Medicaid. We need to strengthen Medicare by taking
money & power & control out of the hands of the government bureaucrats
and putting it into the hands of beneficiaries, where it belongs. Seniors should
have access to a wide variety of health care options. We must not leave our
parents and grandparents trapped in a system of socialized medicine while the
rest of us work to improve our health care, expand our choices, and increase our
freedom. -- "A New Birth of Freedom" page 94-5 11/9/99
Schools
Public school choice and charter
schools are essential to improving public education. That’s because most
parents want to keep their children in the public school system-but they also
eagerly want public schools to improve dramatically and respond to their needs
and to the needs of their children. Private school choice is also important,
especially for those parents who live in the inner city, where private and
parochial education is high quality and low cost. -- "A New Birth of
Freedom" page 52-3 11/9/99
Social Security
The retirement age has already
been raised from 65 to 67. That’s a betrayal. Now what are they going to raise
it to? 70? 75? That’s not fair to the people. They were made a promise, and it
should be kept. We should have a real debate on getting a new system, where we
take it out of the hands of Washington politicians. And if you want to retire at
65, or 85, you can. Put it in your hands. Have your Social Security taxes, the
vast majority, go to your own retirement account. -- New Hampshire GOP debate
12/3/99
Tax Reform
As president I’d propose a new
economic plan that would remove this 40 percent tax burden from middle class
families. Let’s say you have a family of four, your first $36,000 would be
free of federal income tax. And anything you earn above the $36,000 level,
you’d pay only 17 cents on the dollar. There also would be no tax on your
pensions. No tax on capital gains and no death taxes. Sort of a new principle of
taxation. No taxation without respiration. -- TV ad 11/20/99
Welfare/Labor
The tone of the welfare debate
last year focused. on the fact that welfare is destroying the lives of the very
people it was created to help. With less federal interference, many governors
and mayors have been making dramatic reforms to help people move from welfare to
work. They are urging churches, civic groups and local businesses to help
educate and employ welfare recipients - and Americans are rising to the
challenge. Welfare rolls nationwide have dropped by 25 percent since 1996.
-- www.forbes2000.com
- Al Gore (Democrat)
- Alan Keyes (Republican)
- Bill Bradley (Democrat)
- Gary Bauer (Republican)
- George W. Bush (Republican)
- Harry Browne (Libertarian)
- Howard Phillips (Constitution)
- John McCain (Republican)
- Pat Buchanan (Reform)
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