Legislative Priorities
School Vouchers
Federal Gun Laws
Affirmative Action
Relations With Cuba

Legislative Priorities

Bruce Lindsay: Mr. Howell, would you like to expand on your top two or three legislative priorities should you win this election?

Scott Howell (D): Thank you, Bruce. At the top of my list is, I want to give America and Utahns the largest tax breaks ever. In fact, I want that tax break to be $5.7-trillion-- that's twelve zeros.

I want to pay off the national debt. My number one priority is to pay off the national debt. When we do that, our children and our grandchildren can expect two and three percent interest rates.

I have two targeted tax cuts. One, is the estate and death tax. I want to change that number from $650,000 to $5-million per spouse.

And then I want to eliminate completely the marriage tax. I believe in America the best thing we can do, and especially for Utahns, is to pay off the national debt. No other tax cut can be greater than paying off that national debt. That is my number one priority and I will do it when you send me back to Washington.

Lindsay: Mr. Hatch, your priorities legislatively?

Orrin Hatch (R): Well, of course I have many priorities. But as you all know I've led the fight for the balanced budget and worked very hard to make sure that our tax rate reductions are good. We've reduced them from 70 percent to 28 percent by 1986. They're back up to 40 percent, but still 30 percentage points below where they were.

I'm the author of the Hatch-Lieberman bill that brought down Capitol Gains rates from 28 percent to 20 percent, and I'd like to bring them down some more. Scott and I agree on getting rid of death taxes that really hurt a lot of Utahns, business people, family farmers. We agree on getting rid of the marriage penalty.

And by the way, the first republican congress in better than 30 years has not only balanced the budget for three years in a row, but we've paid down the national debt $361-billion, and it'll be over half a trillion dollars by the end of next year. So we're actually doing it.

But I have a lot of energy, determination, clout to be able to get a lot of things done for Utah. We have a lot of things that need to be done, from tax rate reduction, to protecting education, strengthening our military, and of course fighting crime.

School Vouchers

Lindsay: We've heard presidential candidates say a lot about education during this campaign. But in truth the president doesn't have a vote in the matter, really. Senator do vote on appropriations, taxation. Would you support allowing parents to use a voucher to send their child to any school they might choose?

Hatch: I have been favorable to about a ten cent.. a voucher plan, with mainly in the major inner cities where kids aren't getting a fair break, where parents really have to have a right to walk.

I'd like to see how it works. If it does work then sure I think we ought to do whatever we can to help parents to get the best education they can for their children. No child should go underserved in this area.

Yeah, I would support that pilot program if it works, and if we could convince the American people that it's the right thing then I would make it broader if it works. I think it would.

Lindsay: But nothing for Utah?

Hatch: I don't think Utah needs it. We have an excellent education system, or public education system Elaine and I have sent all six of our kids to school there and .. it works well.

Lindsay: Do you support national standards in testing for students?

Hatch: I have trouble when you start saying national standards because I do think we should have standards, and I think the national government can make suggestions, but I believe that education ought to be on a state and local level, especially elementary and secondary education. And even higher education.

So I would have real difficulty having mandated federal standards. But I think we should have standards, for both students and teachers. We ought to do the best we can for our kids at all times.

Lindsay: Mr. Howell, how do you feel about vouchers?

Howell: You know, Bruce, I got into the public policy because I am a fan of the public school system. I do not support vouchers in any shape, way, or form. This is a major difference between my opponent and myself.

It was interesting to hear Senator Hatch say Utah has an excellent education system. I'll tell you, I think he's been away from here so long that he doesn't understand 33, 34 kids in a classroom, teachers who are underpaid, classrooms that were built in the '60's and '70's, not to accommodate the new technology.

I do not support vouchers, but what I do support are charter schools. I'm a fan of charter schools. I've actually been sponsoring bills here in the state of Utah to get them in.

But I've said from the very beginning that we must improve the quality of public education. I'm not going to give up on it. Lower class size, higher teacher salaries, more accountability from parents, from students, from the P.T.A., most importantly from teachers. These are the things that I believe we have to do.

Our education system here in the state of Utah is not good. We need more federal help, more block grants to get back here. When you elect me to the United States Senate, I will work hard to ensure that education is the number one priority.

Listen, I have served for ten years up on capitol hill. The better education we can get for our kids, the better off we are in society. I proposed a $10,000 tuition tax credit for higher education. I was at the University of Utah today and asked the kids how many of them could stand another tuition increase. No hands went up...

Federal Gun Laws

Lindsay: Let me ask you about federal gun laws. Are they too restrictive? Are they about right? Or are they too loose?

Howell: Federal gun laws? I think that they're about right. I support the Brady Bill. I think that that's a wise way to go with what we have to do.

I'm a gun owner. I voted for the concealed weapon permit in the state of Utah. I think that it makes sense to have a background check. I mean, even here at KSL with the incident that you had, it would have been nice to see if we could prevent that any way.

I'm not for gun registration. I do not support guns in schools and churches, but as a gun owner myself, I believe common sense laws make sense. And I think the laws we have on the books are about right. But we've got to enforce those laws.

What we have to do is enforce the over 20,000 laws that we have, go after criminals, and see if we can have safety. But I don't support guns in schools or churches.

Lindsay: Mr. Hatch, do you think we have adequate gun laws or too restrictive gun laws?

Hatch: Well, let's face it, the Brady Bill no longer applies because of the instant check system, which we instituted back here, that has been working well when the federal government really implements it, which this administration really hasn't done.

But there are some 20,000 laws, rules and regulations against gun use on the books already. I think the law should .. those laws should be enforced before they come asking us for more laws.

The problem is the Clinton administration has felt this is a big political issue. But you'll notice lately they're not talking about it because the American people know it's not so much an issue of guns as it is an issue of liberty. And it's one of those liberties that is enumerated in the Constitution expressly. So, they're very loathe to want to get rid of those rights.

Affirmative Action

Lindsay: Should the federal government continue affirmative action programs?

Hatch: If it means outreach programs, job training programs, more education, then yes. But if it means quotas, which is what it usually means, or what we call preferential rights of the law, then no.

I really believe that as the 5-4 decision... says, and that is, if there is underlying discrimination then you can use quotas in employment. But only if there's underlying discrimination. You would have to meet a compelling interest test in order to impose that.

So under those circumstances I could accept it, but not for quotas.

Howell: I think that it is there for a purpose. And I think it's served its purpose well.

The 5 to 4 decision that Senator Hatch talks about really has set a course of direction, and where there is compelling evidence of discrimination and it's appropriate.

But I really think the answer to this question is ensuring that all of our kids have a quality education and can compete.

And I've been in IBM for the last 23 years and I'll tell you, we go after the best product we can see. And you know what, sometimes it's a good diversity. A different color, a different thought, and that's what we look for.

Relations With Cuba

Lindsay: Should the United States have full diplomatic relations with the nation of Cuba?

Howell: That's an interesting question. I've actually felt like maybe we should look at Cuba.

It's a great trading area, one that I think has gone through a regime and a change down there. Of course Castro is still leading the country. But communism is being broken down by capitalism.

From my understanding, and I've never been there, but I understand that they have tourism and they have great opportunities for sugar cane and other crops we could work with. I think that as we look at that, Cuba ought to be on the radar screen.

You know the best way, in my mind, to beat communism is with capitalism. Look what happened in Germany. We broke down those walls clearly because we had the opportunity to exercise capitalism.

I also feel that on China. The Secretary of State's been over there doing a great job trying to open up doors. So I think Cuba is a next opportunity, a next frontier. It's down in the Caribbean. I have a son right now who's down in the Dominican Republic, that's right across the island, and I think I'd like to have that as a democracy someday.

Lindsay: Mr. Hatch, do you think we should have diplomatic relations with the Castro regime?

Hatch: I don't believe we should have diplomatic relations with the most oppressive dictator and murderer in this hemisphere.

In all honesty, one of the things I did when I was on the board of directors of The National Endowment For Democracy was approve a grant to ____, who spent 21 years in Castro's prison. And he described the degradation and the terrible treatment he received from the Castro government.

Ask any of the Cuban Americans. Boy, I'll tell you, they're not for showing any kind of diplomatic relations with Cuba.

But I have an open mind on it. I'm willing to be convinced. But I'll tell you, from all the experience I've had I certainly wouldn't do that at this time.

Orrin Hatch's Website

Scott Howell's Website