ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, October 31, 1996 TAG: 9610310021
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A10 EDITION: METRO
WE'RE LOOKING forward to the end of the presidential campaign for several reasons. One of them: Candidates can stop pushing bad ideas in an attempt to pander or demagogue their way to the White House.
The two biggies in this hall of shame are Bob Dole's offer of free tax-reduction candy and Bill Clinton's promise to protect Medicare from Republican "cuts." There are, however, other examples.
While we support his re-election, we can't help noting that, to undercut or pre-empt GOP tactics, Clinton has issued a bewildering array of smaller, more targeted campaign pledges, some of which are, to say the least, unhelpful. Three examples of turkeys from the areas of fiscal, social and foreign policy:
* Tax cuts. The beauty of the 1986 tax reform, albeit imperfectly implemented, was the idea of simplifying the tax code to cut loopholes and special breaks that have distorted market forces, invited lobbying abuses, spawned an entire industry based on tax avoidance, and undermined public confidence in government.
Clinton's early tax moves, restoring some progressivity and increasing the Earned Income Tax Credit, were creditable. But more recently, to dull the edge of Dole's tax cuts, Clinton himself has proposed a host of "targeted" tax breaks. These are smaller than Dole's. They aren't special breaks for corporations with clout. Some are for good causes, such as making college education more affordable.
But the targeted breaks still complicate deficit reduction. They still move away from tax simplification. And they still try to use taxation to manipulate behavior - in most cases, not a good idea. (Consumption taxes, as on gasoline or tobacco, are an exception.) In the case of support for higher education, for example, increased funding of student loans would be a more easily means-tested and more effective approach.
* Drug tests. Dole accuses the president of going AWOL in the drug war. The other day, Clinton promised that, if re-elected, he would insist on a new federal rule mandating drug tests for all teen-agers applying for driver's licenses. That tough enough for you?
Like other of Clinton's various proposals to restrict behavior, it escapes voter backlash by concentrating on youth. (Adults who wouldn't stand for universal drug-testing might accept it for their kids.) Also, typically, the president isn't offering federal funds for carrying out the mandate.
There's the problem of false results, both negative and positive. More basically, Clinton's idea would carry too far the drug war's affront to liberties and intrusion into lives.
* Helms-Burton. This idiotic legislation erupted from Sen. Jesse Helms' mindset, according to which economic warfare against tiny communist Cuba must be America's highest priority. The law allows U.S. citizens to sue foreign companies that use property confiscated from the U.S. citizens in 1959 by the Cuban government. It's a fine law, if, like Clinton, you hope to win Florida's electoral votes. But it tells America's foes and friends alike with whom they can do business. The allies are not pleased.
Indeed, two Canadian lawmakers with satirical intent have introduced a bill that would seek compensation from the United States for the 3 million Canadians descended from Tories whose lands were seized during the American Revolution. The president, campaigning in Florida this week, says he'll implement Helms-Burton in six months. He should have vetoed it.
If the polls are right, Clinton may be in a position next year to implement a lot of this mischief. Then again, he doesn't keep all his promises.
LENGTH: Medium: 66 lines KEYWORDS: POLITICS PRESIDENTby CNB