Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, April 29, 1994 TAG: 9404290162
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By DAVID M. POOLE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: FAIRFAX LENGTH: Medium
Robb said that if spending cuts alone cannot bring expenditures in line with revenues, Congress should consider raising taxes or adjusting entitlement programs, such as Social Security.
``We are going to have to make more and substantially more difficult decisions if we ever plan to solve that particular problem,'' Robb said at a forum for candidates in the Democratic Senate primary, set for June 14.
Later, Robb told reporters he was willing to pin his hopes for re-election to a second six-year term on an aggressive approach to deficit reduction. Robb said that could involve "means testing'' for Social Security, which would tie benefits to a retiree's income and net worth.
State Sen. Virgil Goode of Rocky Mount, one of three Democratic rivals, said he would put means testing of Social Security and other entitlements ``way down at the bottom'' of the list of deficit-reduction measures.
Robb was pleased that the forum, sponsored by United We Stand, the political organization of billionaire-turned-presidential-candidate Ross Perot, steered clear of questions about extramarital relationships during his term as governor of Virginia.
``I think if I can shift the focus to issues, then I'm on much stronger ground,'' he told reporters after the 90-minute forum at the Fairfax County Government Center.
Goode is widely perceived as Robb's most serious threat in a field that includes Sylvia Clute, a Ricmond attorney, and Nancy Spannaus, a follower of political extremist Lyndon LaRouche.
Goode challenged all four candidates to debate the issues around the state in six appearances in the six weeks before the primary.
Keywords:
POLITICS
by CNB