ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, January 16, 1997 TAG: 9701160039
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: what's on your mind?
SOURCE: RAY REED
Q: What was the result by popular vote for each candidate in the presidential election, including percentage of the vote? I'd like to know the results for Clinton, Dole, Perot, the Green Party, the Natural Law Party and the others.
J.W., Roanoke
A: This information recently became available, for those who take politics seriously. The numbers are:
Bill Clinton 47.4 million votes, 49.3 percent; Bob Dole 39.2 million, 40.7 percent; Ross Perot 8 million, 8.4 percent.
The remaining 1.6 percent was shared by:
Ralph Nader and the Green Party 651,000 or 0.7 percent; Harry Browne and the Libertarian Party 485,000 or 0.5 percent; Howard Phillips and the U.S. Taxpayers Party 183,000 or 0.2 percent;
John Hagelin and the Natural Law Party 113,000 or 0.1 percent; Monica Moorehead and the Workers World Party 29,000 or 0.03 percent; Marsha Feinland and the Peace & Freedom Party 25,000 or 0.03 percent; James Harris and the Socialist Worker Party 8,200 or 0.01 percent; Charles Collins, independent, 7,900 or 0.01 percent; Dennis Peron of the Grass Roots Party 5,300 or 0.01 percent.
A category called "None of These" tallied 5,608 or 0.01 percent.
Nine other candidates garnered less than 5,000 votes each.
These figures were provided by Project Vote Smart, a Washington lobby group. Write-ins aren't included. The Web site is www.politicsnow.com
The official figures to be recorded for posterity will come from the Federal Election Commission in April.
The deciding votes, though, were cast by the Electoral College Dec.16. Clinton won, 379-159.
Handling with care
Q: When something flammable is shipped by United Parcel Service - in my case it's model airplane fuel - UPS charges $10 per case as a hazardous-materials handling charge.
What happens to the $10? I know the item isn't shipped on a special truck, because it arrives with all the other kinds of packages.
J.M., Roanoke County
A: You're paying the cost of keeping hazardous packages outside the handling system's normal flow, said a UPS spokesman at its Atlanta headquarters.
"There's a $10 surcharge for the additional manpower" needed to provide special handling, Mark Dickens said.
There's no special vehicle, just a specific area for the materials.
Hazardous packages are physically separated from other items because many products can become volatile if even a minor leak occurs.
Got a question about something that might affect other people, too? Something you've come across and wondered about? Call us at 981-3118. Or, e-mail RayR@Roanoke.Infi.Net. Maybe we can find the answer.
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