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From Capitol to CampusHow do Al Gore and Texas Governor George Bush measure up? Gore's record is well known: From casting the deciding vote in Congress in 1993 to create the Direct Student Loan Program and leading the Administration's 1997 effort in support of the HOPE Scholarship Program to proposing, as part of his campaign platform, 401(J) savings accounts to let students save money for college, tax-free, Al Gore has been a strong proponent of federal support for higher education. Bush, on the other hand, doesn't have a record-not even in Texas, where he's been governor for the past 5 years. As Bush told the San Antonio Express-News in March 1998: "Higher education is not my priority." According to The Chronicle of Higher Education, a common response among college officials in Texas, when asked about Bush's higher education record is: "What record?" Interestingly, Bush declined to be interviewed by the Chronicle despite more than a half dozen requests dating back to July of 1999. Through a campaign spokesperson, Bush's education advisers also declined to be interviewed. The Chronicle concluded: "Mr. Bush has avoided tackling controversial higher-education issues." Bush has also declined to complete NEA's candidate questionnaire. Which candidate do you believe will measure up on higher education? To subscribe to the NEA E-mail Legislative Alert, send to lyris@list.nea.org this message: Subscribe hecongress. Or read the Alert on this web site. Share your legislative news with us. |
