THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, May 20, 1995 TAG: 9505200016
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A14 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
LENGTH: Medium: 75 lines
The Christian Coalition helped elect a Republican Congress. Now it wants its wish list passed - a 10-point Contract with the American Family. Ralph Reed, the executive director, said the group was making no threats. However, it has created a litmus test. Members of Congress who don't vote for the Contract may not be able to count on the Coalition to get out the vote.
The Coalition employed the same polling techniques used by Newt Gingrich to draft the Contract With America. Reed claims at least 60 percent of the public backs each provision. As a result, some zealous conservatives - Pat Buchanan, for one - say the Contract has traded ideological purity for mainstream appeal. It's also a hodgepodge.
To help families financially, the Coalition favors a $500-per-child tax credit, repeal of the marriage penalty and $2,000 annual IRA contribution for homemakers. Fighting the deficit ought to come before tax cuts, but IRAs should be more widely available to boost a low savings rate.
The Coalition wants to eliminate the Education Department, the National Endowments for the Humanities and Arts, Public Broadcasting and Legal Services for the poor. Despite the funding of some bizarre art, it's not clear that museums, symphonies, libraries and Sesame Street are bad for families.
The hostility to arts and education is unbecoming. Nor does an assault on legal services for the poor seem pro-family. But Republicans have already targeted these programs on budget grounds. At a time of huge deficits, big cuts are coming.
The Coalition wants Congress to allow tax dollars to be used to pay for private or parochial schools. But this shouldn't be an issue for the federal government at all. The Coalition should direct its energies to persuading more states and localities to give choice a try.
Other Contract items call for legislation to block the distribution of pornographic materials to children over the Internet and cable and to make it more difficult for courts to usurp parental authority. The Contract also proposes to use federal funds to encourage states to require prisoners to work and study. It would force more criminals to pay restitution to victims and would turn welfare over to private charities.
In principle, most of the Contract's goals are worthy. In practice, there are technical and First Amendment issues involved in controlling cable and the Internet. Courts sometimes meddle obnoxiously in family matters, but the proposed cure could be worse than the disease if it makes it even harder to remove children from abusive households. The federal government should let states run their own penal systems. And cutting welfare before private aid is available would not help families in need.
A Religious Equality Amendment would restrict government's control of public expressions of religious faith. It would allow voluntary communal prayer in schools. It's doubtful whether any simple amendment can unravel the tangled mess the Supreme Court has made of church and state law. And passing amendments is hard, as supporters of the balanced budget amendment learned.
On abortion, the Coalition doesn't seek a ban. Majority support may be lacking. Instead, the Contract would eliminate federal funding for abortions and for groups like Planned Parenthood that provide counseling. But less funding for family planning could mean more unwanted pregnancies.
It also wants additional restrictions put on third trimester abortions. If done with care, that's not unreasonable. But late-term abortions are already rare and many times are undertaken for serious medical reasons. Government should avoid interposing itself between physicians and patients.
All in all, the need to appeal to a majority of the electorate has created a far-from-radical agenda. But some provisions don't seem pro-family, others appear to grant more power, not less, to the federal government and many try to oversimplify complex questions.
House Speaker Newt Gingrich has promised all will come to a vote. Many will probably pass. When they do, will an era of renewed morality ensue? It would be pleasant to think so, but the wonders legislation can work are limited.
KEYWORDS: CHRISTIAN COALITION by CNB