Seattle Press Election Choices

Nader vote could Swing Election in Washington

For George Bush, it's like having your name on the ballot twice. He gets the votes people cast for him, and he benefits from any vote cast for anyone who is not Gore. With Bush and Gore running neck and neck in the polls and Nader pulling 5-7 percent, it's easy to see how the Nader vote could decide who the next President is.

There are a lot of things we like about Nader. He has performed a great service in this election by highlighting some of the issues such as world trade and environmental protection where both Bush and Gore have failings. But he's wrong when he says there isn't any difference between the two major parties.

Here are a few areas where Bush and Gore differ:

Bush is proposing a serious dismantling of the Social Security system. Gore would preserve and strengthen it.

Bush wants to spend the projected surplus on a tax cut skewed to the wealthy.

Gore would use it to strengthen Medicare and provide prescription drug coverage for seniors.

Bush would probably lean towards hard-liners like Clarence Thomas and Antonin Scalia for Supreme Court picks. Gore will be aiming towards moderates.

Bush would be likely to dismantle existing environmental protection regulations. Gore would be a much stronger protector of the environment and natural resources.

For working people and unions, Bush could be counted on to try to weaken existing labor laws and job safety regulations. Gore has promised efforts to reform labor laws, which are now heavily weighted in favor of employers opposed to unions.

Ralph Nader is fond of depicting the two major parties as Tweedledum and Tweedledee. He is dead wrong. There are many differences, and we should keep them in mind when we vote next week.

Vote No on I-745

This bizarre initiative would require huge cuts in state and county funds that pay for public transportation. The initiative would limit spending on public transportation to 10 percent of total transportation funds. Right now King County spends $278 million a year on public transportation. If I-745 passes, the maximum the county could spend would be $68 million. Funds for light rail would also be cut. Under this misguided scheme, the only way to increase public transit funding is by increasing highway spending. For every $10 in highway spending, we could get $1 for buses and trains. I-745 would force thousands of people off busses and into their cars. This is not a good solution to our current traffic problems.

If You Want Trees, Vote For Lowry

The difference between Mike Lowry and Doug Sutherland, the two main party candidates for Public Lands Commissioner, can be easily inferred from their campaign donors. Most of Sutherland's money comes from the timber industry. Sutherland has received 150 contributions from timber companies at the maximum $1200 level. Lowry announced he wouldn't take contributions from companies he would have to regulate if elected (not that any of them offered.) Almost all of Lowry's campaign funds come from individuals and conservation groups. The Lands Commissioner has charge of over 5.6 million acres of public land and regulates 8 million acres of privately owned forest. Despite his decision not to seek re-election as governor following a sexual harassment charge while in office, we still think of Lowry as a leader of great integrity, and appreciate his people-oriented approach to government. While out of office, Lowry didn't follow the usual route of consulting or a comfortable professorship. He threw himself into the fight for better housing for migrant farmworkers and fair treatment for workers in Washington's huge agriculture industry. He would make a terrific Commissioner of Public Lands.

Vote No on I-722

This is a no-brainer. Under this measure, owners of expensive property would pay less and owners of average property would pay more than under the current system. Let's stick with the current system and vote no on I 722.

Vote Yes on I-728 and I-732

These two measures would benefit public schools. I-728 uses lottery funds and surplus state revenues to reduce class size and build more classrooms. No new taxes are involved. I-732 provides annual cost-of-living increases for teachers who, in the recent past, have gone as long as eight years without any wage increase at all and have had to strike to force the state to come across with better pay. If you want better schools, vote yes on these two measures.

Vote yes on I-53 for the Monorail

Vote Yes on Proposition 1/Parks for All

These ballot proposals will make life better for most people in Seattle. The monorail will provide swift, efficient, economical public transportation within the city without adding to traffic congestion. The monorail is brilliant in its simplicity, ideal for Seattle's topography and has the least environmental impact and best use of space of any known public transit method. Vote for the monorail.

We've run out of former military installations and vacant lots we can convert to park land and we still don't have enough play space or open space in the city. Nothing we can do, except possibly building the monorail, will do so much to improve our city than to build more parks. Vote Yes on Proposition 1, Parks for All.

-TH

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