SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT
Part 2

GORE RHETORIC: Under Governor Bush's plan, he spends more on tax cuts
for the wealthiest one percent than he does on spending for health care,
prescription drugs, education and national defense combined.

FACTS:
* Governor Bush spends seven times more on education, defense,
Medicare and other health programs than he spends on his entire tax
package. Bush spends a total of $9.9 trillion on education, defense,
Medicare and other health programs in his budget and $1.3 trillion on
tax relief. Currently, the top 1% pays 33% of all federal income taxes.
Under the Bush plan, they would only receive 21% of the tax cut.

* Independent Analysis Shows Gore is Distorting Bush Tax
Plan. "But the fact is that, according to the nonpartisan Joint
Committee on Taxation (also cited approvingly by Mr. Gore), the top 1%
will get about one-fifth -- not 'nearly half' -- of the benefit under
Mr. Bush's tax proposal... Mr. Bush's tax plan would result in a larger
redistribution of the income tax burden: less burden for those earning
under $100,000 and more burden for those earning over $200,000.
Moreover, if one adds Mr. Bush's plan for a 2% cut in the payroll tax --
obviously a bigger deal for the working dog -- the result is more
redistributive away from the rich than Mr. Gore's tax cut, and even more
redistributive period." (Wall Street Journal editorial, 10/10/00)

GORE RHETORIC: I think drilling in ANWR is a responsible solution to
our energy problems.

FACTS:
Despite similar ecological systems and environmental conditions, the
Administration opened the National Petroleum Reserve in Northern Alaska.

* DOE Secretary Richardson cited opening the National Petroleum
Reserve as one of Administration's successes. [Secretary Richardson
News Briefing at the National Press Club, October 4, 2000]

* "On an extensive inspection tour here [the National Petroleum
Reserve] this week to help him decide about opening the reserve to
commercial oil leasing, Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt pronounced the
area 'a very fragile and important ecological resource,' one he saw
firsthand by rafting to raptor nesting sites, hiking over the sedge
tussocks of the tundra and flying over the lakes where migratory birds
molt." [The New York Times, "Turmoil Beneath a Land's Tranquillity, July
13, 1997]

* "Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt cleared the way Thursday for
almost 4 million federal acres on Alaska's North Slope to be opened to
oil and gas leasing. In reopening the National Petroleum Reserve,
Babbitt said, the administration sought to strike a balance between
protecting sensitive environmental lands that provide habitat for
caribou, grizzly bears and birds, and allowing drilling in an area the
industry believes is rich in oil. 'This is a good plan based on sound
science,' Babbitt said at a news conference." [The Fresno Bee, "Alaskan
reserve opens for oil leasing; Deal fails to satisfy conservationists or
oil industry representatives," August 7, 1998]

* "'This is a balanced plan that carefully weighs the impacts on a
fragile Arctic landscape and its abundant wildlife with the long-term
economic future of Alaskans,' Babbitt said. 'A great deal of hard work
went into the planning process and I believe with this decision the
Department has complied with the law and the intent of Congress when it
authorized leasing in the National Petroleum Reserve in 1981.'" [DOI
Press Release, "Babbitt Signs Decision for Alaska Petroleum Reserve that
Balances Protection for Wildlife Habitat with Oil and Gas Development,"
October 7, 1998]

GORE RHETORIC: I don't believe in new energy taxes.

FACTS:
Al Gore has consistently advocated higher taxes and higher oil prices
throughout his career.

* "Higher taxes on fossil fuels. . . is one of the logical
first steps in changing our policies in a manner consistent with a more
responsible approach to the environment." (Al Gore, Earth in the
Balance, 1993, p. 173)

* "There is not a single passage in that book that I
disagree with or would change," Gore said of "Earth in the Balance."
(John Berlau, "Will Gore Put Brakes on Biotech," Investor's Business
Daily, July 2, 1999)

Gore Endorses Paul Ehrlich's book on gasoline prices:
"The United States could start by gradually imposing a higher gasoline
tax-hiking it by one or two cents per month until gasoline costs $2.50
to $3.00 per gallon, comparable to prices in Europe and Japan." (Paul R.
Ehrlich and Anne H. Ehrlich, The Population Explosion, 1990, pp.
219-220) On the dustcover of the book, Gore said, "The time for action
is due, and past due. Ehrlich has written the prescription." (Paul R.
Ehrlich and Anne H. Ehrlich, The Population Explosion, 1990, dustcover;
"Gloom, Doom; Gore Takes Risk on Political Frontier," The [Memphis]
Commercial Appeal, November 3, 1990)
* In 1993, Gore cast the tie-breaking vote to increase
gasoline taxes by 4.3 cents per gallon.


GORE RHETORIC: I want to test every student in ever state to hold
schools accountable.


FACTS:
* "Accountability is a huge weakness of Al Gore's proposal. He
gives money, but he doesn't hold those schools' feet to the fire."
(Jeanne Allen, Center for Education Reform, NBC Nightly News, 9/8/00)

* Even education experts agree that Gore's plan would not hold
schools and school districts accountable. Amy Wilkins, a principal
partner in the Education Trust, a nonprofit policy group in Washington,
"argued that most educational problems needed to be solved locally, so
that penalizing states for low test scores would make little sense. She
also asserted that the National Assessment of Educational Progress test
- which Gore says he would use to evaluate the progress of schools - was
a flawed standard because it is not administered to every child in every
school, making it an imprecise measure of achievement." (Source: "Gore
Would Link Federal Aid to School Performance," James Dao, The New York
Times, April 29, 2000)

* Gore is unclear on how he will deal with failing schools. Gore
requires failing schools (undefined by Gore) to improve within two years
(current law is three years) or they could be shut down (Gore does
specify by whom) and re-opened under a new principal. (Prosperity For
America's Families: The Gore-Lieberman Economic Plan, September 6,
2000, pgs. 73-74)

GORE RHETORIC: I want to give families a $10,000 college tuition tax
deduction.

FACTS:
Gore misrepresents his tuition tax credit plan. According to CNN and
the Wall Street Journal, Al Gore makes his college tax deduction plan
sound larger than it really is.

* Al Gore says he will give a 28% tuition tax credit or deduction
up to $2800 per year for the first $10,000 spent on tuition. However,
he misrepresents his plan by not specifying that $2,000 of his proposal
would come from the already-existing Lifetime Learning credit.

* In talking about his tuition tax credit, Gore failed to mention
"that about $2,000 of the tax credit would come from an already-existing
program or that the new tax credit, worth about $800, wasn't refundable.
That keeps down the price tag, but means students working their way
through college, who have very little taxable income, wouldn't benefit
much."
(Bob Davis and John D. McKinnon, "Basics of Campaign Math:
Promise High, Budget Low," The Wall Street Journal, August 31, 2000)

* CNN's BROOKS JACKSON: "Well, hold on. Al Gore really isn't
telling the whole story about his tuition deduction. He makes it sound a
lot better than it is. The fact is parents already get a tax break on
college tuition. Gore would just increase it -- modestly. And Gore fails
to mention that millions of families and students would be ineligible.

"Gore would expand the existing 20 percent tuition tax credit to
28 percent. The maximum benefit would go from $2,000 under present law
to 2,800.

"And millions won't see a dime of benefit, including most
students who are working their way through college, like these United
Parcel Service part-time package sorters. The reason is they don't make
enough money to pay any federal income taxes, so Gore's expanded
deduction does them no good.

"In fact, about 30 million low-income households would get no
benefit. Gore excludes affluent families, too. No couple making over
$120,000 a year would get any benefit under Gore's plan. An estimated 5
million upper-income families would be ineligible. And only tuition and
fees are covered. There's no deduction or credit for room and board,
books, supplies, or travel, which together can easily be half the total
cost of college.

"And Gore stretches things yet another way. Listen again,
closely."

AL GORE: "Making most college tuition tax-deductible so that..."


BROOKS JACKSON: "OK, Gore would allow taxpayers the choice of a
deduction or a credit, that's new. But so what? For people in that 28
percent tax bracket, a $10,000 deduction is worth the same as a $2,800
credit. And almost none in higher brackets would qualify. But a $10,000
deduction sounds so much better than a $2,800 credit, unless you check
the facts." (CNN's Inside Politics, 9/27/00)