Nationally Declared Candidates

George Bush Vice President

ARMS CONTROL: Supports research and deployment of SDI and opposes he use of chemical weapons. CENTRAL AMERICA: Calls for military and economic aid for the contras, but will consider the Arias peace plan. DEFICIT: Will not raise taxes, but suggests a flexible freeze on spending for extraneous programs. Supports the balanced budget amendment. EDUCATION: Supports funding for Pell Grants and suggests developing programs to compensate people saving towards education payments. Taxes: Against raising taxes, and suggests cutting the tax rate on capital gains to stimulate investment and savings. TRADE: Against protectionist measures, primarily in agriculture, and suggests plans for eliminating farm subsidies in the next few years.

Robert Dole Kansas Senator

ARMS CONTROL: Calls for research and deployment of SDI. CENTRAL AMERICA: Favors military and economic aid to the contras, and opposes the Arias peace plan. DEFICIT: Favors a balanced budget amendment. Will consider cutting some domestic programs while freezing spending on all programs, except low-income programs. TAXES: Will not raise taxes. Favors an oil import tax, with cost reductions for home heating oil. TRADE: Is against Gephardt amendment, but agrees that some action must be taken against nations that practice unfair trade.

Robert Dole Kansas Senator

ARMS CONTROL: Favors resasech and deployment of SDI. CENTRAL AMERICA: Favors military and economic aid to the contras, and opposes Arias peace plan. DEFICIT: Against the balanced budget amendment. Favors a domestic spending freeze, except for Social Security programs. EDUCATION: Proposes a private incentive program to improve education rather than increase federal funding. TAXES: Will not increase taxes, suggests cutting the proposed Social Security tax increase set for 1989. TRADE: Opposes Gephardt amendment. Sponsored bill for a reciprocal free-trade zone between Canada, the U.S. and Mexico.

Pat Robertson Former Television Evangelist

ARMS CONTROL: Favors research and deployment of SDI. CENTRAL AMERICA: Favors sending military and economic aid to the contras, and supports the Arias peace plan. DEFICIT: Will reduce waste in the defense department and eliminate the Department of Education. Favors Gramm-Rudman balanced budget amendment. EDUCATION: Would implement the use of education vouchers, and calls for increases in programs to attack illiteracy. TAXES: Will not raise income taxes, but will raise taxes on alcohol and tobacco. TRADE: Favors free trade, opposes Gephardt amendment, but concedes that some action must be taken against unfair trade practices.

Michael S. Dukakis Governor ofMassachusetts

ARMS CONTROL: Opposes the developmentand deployment of SDI. Favors a comprehensivestrategic arms agreement with the Soviet Union anda comprehensive test ban treaty. CENTRALAMERICA: Against contra aid, supports theContadora peace process. Supports U.S. economicaid to the region. Argues that the problems inMexico are more important to the U.S. than thosein Nicaragua. DEFICIT: Proposes to freezedefense spending to reduce the deficit. Says arevenue enforcement program will bring billions ofdollars back to the government, but does not ruleout raising taxes as a last resort. Agasinst anoil import fee. EDUCATION: Says the federalgovernment must offer scholarship incentives forcollege students to enter the teaching field.Would freeze current cut-backs on Pell Grants andcollege work loans. TAXES: Proposes, afive-year revenue enforcement plan to catchdelinquent tax payers, but does not rule out thepossibility of raising taxes to balance thebudget. TRADE: In favor of free trade.Opposes Gephardt amendement, Says U.S. tradedeficit could be ameliorated with better economicpolicy. Would consider short-term protectionismfor some industries to allow them to catch up withforeign competitors.

Richard Gephardt Missouri Representative

ARMS CONTROL: In favor of research, butnot deployment of SDI. Calls for a 50 precentreduction of strategic weapons. CENTRALAMERICA: Opposes any aid to the contras.Supports Arias peace plan. DEFICIT: Willreduce the deficit by up to $40 billion per yearby freezing military spending and imposing an oilimport fee. EDUCATION: Says federalgovernment should give matching funds to parentswho invest money in accounts specifically fortheir children's education. TAXES: Favors a$5-a-barrel oil import fee, against raising taxes.TRADE: Sponsored legislation that allowsthe U.S. government to place tarrifs on theproducts of any nation that fails to provide fairtrade opportunities.

Al Gore Tenessee Senator

ARMS CONTROL: Supports SDI research butopposes deployment. Against nuclear testing andchemical weapons. CENTRAL AMERICA: Opposesmilitary aid to the contras but supportshumanitarian aid. Supports Arias plan.DEFICIT: In favor of a balanced budgetamendment. Will not cut defense spending, but willcut unnecessary programs and waste in the defensedepartment. Would impose a progressive tax as alast resort. EDUCATION: Calls for morestudent loans and a longer school year. Saysfederal government should fund at least 10 percentof national education expenditures. TAXES:Would support luxury tax and increase tax oninherited stock. May consider an import tax.TRADE: Opposes Gephardt amendment. Againstprotectionist policies except in extreme cases ofunfair practices.

Gary Hart Former Colorado Senator

ARMS CONTROL: Supports limited researchon SDI, but not deployment. Against nucleartesting and calls for cuts in superfluous nuclearweapons. CENTRAL AMERICA: Against contraaid, supports Arias peace plan. DEFICIT:Will raise taxes to reduce budget deficit. Opposesbalanced budget amendment. EDUCATION:Favors federal grants to school districts forimproving science, math and foreign languageeducation, and grants to business for instructionin technology. TAXES: Will raise taxes onfamilies earning more than $200,000, increaseliquor and tobacco taxes, and supports a$10-per-barrel oil import tax. TRADE:Against all protectionist policies, calls fortightening sanctions against nations that violatefree trade practices.

Jesse Jackson Leader of the RainbowCoalition

ARMS CONTROL: Opposes SDI. Will cut allnuclear testing and withdraw a third of all U.S.troops based in Europe. CENTRAL AMERICA:Opposes aid to the contras and favors the Ariaspeace plan. DEFICIT: Would raise taxes onthe wealthy and cut defense spending. Suggestsforming an American investment bank that wouldborrow from private pension funds to financepublic programs. EDUCATION: Would combatilliteracy and improve standard of education byincreasing federal funding by $10 billion dollars.TAXES: Will keep the 38.5 percent incometax bracket and implement an oil import tax andexcise tax on luxury goods. Would severely limitdeductions for business meals and entertainment.TRADE: Favors the Gephardt amendment, butacknowleges that it would draw criticism fromabroad. Wants to improve international tradeunions to help workers in developing countries.

Paul Simon Illinois Senator

ARMS CONTROL: Opposes SDI. CENTRALAMERICA: Against aid to the contras, supportsthe Arias and Contadora peace plans.DEFICIT: Supports a balanced budgetamendment. Would cut defense spending and lowerthe unemployment and interest rates to reduce thebudget. EDUCATION: Seeks to attackilliteracy, first, by increasing beginningsalaries for grade school teachers. TAXES:Would raise taxes for individuals earning morethan $100,000 a year. Calls for a $5-per-barreloil-import fee and luxury taxes on alcohol andtobacco. TRADE: Opposes the Gephardtamendment. Sponsored legislation that would punishspecific industries that practice unfair trade.