KANU News Retention; Debate 96

hi hannah well one that pains and welcome to debate ninety six a special presentation of kansas public radio election project when bob dole announced in may he would be standing down as the state's senior us senator to concentrate its efforts on running full time for the presidency it created a major political scramble here in kansas it wasn't clear who would be willing to step forward and carry on bob dole's legacy on capitol hill well after months of campaigning his success and now comes down to three individuals republican sam brownback the freshman second district congressman from topeka democratic jill talking a stockbroker from wichita and reform party candidate donald class at a wichita accountant all three candidates recently debated the issues at the studios of public television station casey pt in kansas city they will pose questions by a media panel

that included steve grasty of the kansas city star newspaper and steve rows of the johnson county sent the moderator of the debate is casey be tea's cynthia smith let's join al are candidates tourist draws earlier to determine the order of opening statements annual each have two minutes we will start with jon klassen it was optional because the reason i'm in this campaign as that is because our country is headed downhill financially and culturally are better than five point one trillion dollars under president wins then he's going to raise that to seven trillion dollars over the next seven years a baby born at dawn and five hundred dollars in interest on the federal debt over its lifetime i believe those levels to be unsustainable as less federal spending president clinton proposed to spend one point six four trillion dollars over the next year

that means we taxpayers are will have to cough up one point six four trillion dollars for him to pay that is six thousand two hundred dollars per person for every man woman and trial for this year i believe that said in sustainable level also let's let the tax burden we're tax burdens one yardstick by which we can measure just how socialist it will become over the last forty five years our tax burden has doubled it's gone from twenty three percent of every family and home to forty three percent guess what that tax burdens that would the bolivian or the next thirty five years of two thousand thirty at tax burden is going to be at a two percent tax rate as the pay for promises already made it past in the legislation eighty two percent are for fathers when they revolt is king george a third there'll be impacts five percent

so what can we do about this i think we taxpayers i don't need to get ready and motivated and demand that we have a national referendum voting system to leave taxpayers can vote on all major issues and set the parameters of those issues right thank you good evening this is a critical election kansas is at a crossroads the center of the us senate has been hollowed out the steam senators like nancy kassebaum sand i'm william cohen bill bradley are all retiring the strength of the senate has been its tradition of balance billing ideas with democrats and republicans to come to compromise and closure the senate has historically been a moderating influence on the whims of the more volatile house of representatives what will happen if we don't replace a senator center we will either tell to the left or to the right or had total gridlock the wall street journal recently called the departure of mater it's the presses are running for the us

senate because i believe we need more centrist in washington because i'm concerned about the direction of kansas politics the far right is trying to take over and kansas who see the legislature three congressional races and now in this senate race as sam brownback was elected to the us senate the senate will no longer be a moderating influence on the extremism of the house but instead will talk seriously to the right today sam is going to try to sell like a moderate or to hear a great deal about the three hours reduce reform and return but they support our second in its responsibility we have a responsibility to our parents and grandparents to provide for the solvency of medicare and social security and a responsibility to the younger generation to balance the budget we have a responsibility to our children to invest in education so that families can afford to send their kids to college we have a responsibility to make our neighbors safer so that every parent can sleep easier knowing

their kids are secure it is not my job to go with newt gingrich ninety four percent of the time as my opponent has done it is not my job to go with bill clinton ninety four percent of the time or bob dole ninety four percent of the time it's my job to vote for kansas one hundred percent of the time and they can use it in our final closing remarks from congressman brownback thank you very much appreciate that our wars toys toys have been wrapping up a session of congress and having some very late nights and doing that and in some of the most historic legislation through we've ever had and thank you for joining us as saving to learn what it to the candidates is about and why we represent you in washington dc i'm delighted to have the backing endorsement or support such people from kansas as nancy kassebaum and jen myers and bob dole people over long represented the state of washington and then an extraordinary job and doing that people are given as good representation and represented kansas away kansans would want us to be represented and i will be voting with people

like joe buck it would be of ted kennedy or if she is elected she'll put ted kennedy had charges saying committee that nancy kassebaum is currently in charge of i see is what we need to do in the future is that we got adequate opportunity to really have an extended twenty to thirty years historic opportunities of great hope and opportunity it will just do a few things now does give those cases the three words of the campaign leaders reform and return reducing the federal government its size and scope it's interesting as what the same time protecting key programs like medicare revive her strong national defense reform in the congress have been one of leading reformers in this congress we need to go further with things like term limits and pension reform returning to the timeless values that built the country but it's like work and family and recognition of a higher moral authority where he might choose to worship those three things leaders reform in return for a balanced approach to be able to restore the

american dream to believe our children your children my children and began the lives that hope and opportunity for the future that we each have a growing up that's why i'm running for united states senate that's one like to have your vote in november thank you and for all of you for those opening remarks figure each going to be given a one minute to answer questions from our panel and after each of you has answered that question there will be time for a brief rebuttal our first question has to be coming from steve rosen will be directed first and two jill talking but the teachers union of the nea has become a lightning rod for those who think that public education needs major reform some city and as an obstacle to their reform what are your views on public education and the role of the nea i think that's an outstanding question i had been a volunteer in the public school system for many years now and i can tell you that our teachers working or mostly hard to try to

deliver the kind of education that they need to to the kids out in terms of just looking at education i think it is enormously important that we save some of the programs that congressman brown that has voted to cut education including college loans safe and drug free schools to ring and had art i recently was a tutor of our girls' fifth grade class i sat down i was supposed to tutor an algebra and i will tell you that the difference between the kids who got it and the kid who didn't was about three grades i think it is enormously difficult for teachers to handle all of the alternatives are no schools and that it is important that we continue the program of tutorials for homeless children you hear things considered question we all support strong public education i do hope that joel started summer facts straight as we have increased student loans increased over fifty percent i'm hoping to run for public office and get your factual information straight and on education on what we should do

is pushing decisions and dollars back the local units of government backed the states that's what i think we are today with much of what we're going on education at the federal level over ninety percent of education is one that at the state and local level about seven percent despite at the federal level and that we get nearly half of a regulation from the federal level what i like to say is due to send more than dollars and decisions back to the local units of government for them to be able to decide in a season in a bad student not parent and it just looking at how to not want the best people beyond make educational decisions for our future and this class income a summer session we're going to go to maybe a job and i realize i represent the teachers amanda i have no problem with that but i think it made his day here but keep out educational process itself regarding the parties to twelve schools i will get it and that we need to get the federal government partly out of education and i think he was a state government and all of the

extra clear school district level situation where the person that and the taxpayers in a school district have the the authorities set the policies hell administration and before funding runs scooter the global dominance of its way to go right yes a revival of you know i do have my facts straight congressman brownback did vote to cut student loans by ten billion dollars fortunately we had the moderates in the senate who stored a lot of those a lot of those dollars back to student loans i think it's going to be critically important that we restore united states senate balance the house of representatives and a lot of the extreme kinds of policies that they were advocating said that that's a straight the facts about any commercial was statement on a new attacks are false and they're not documented and i did vote to increase the stomps

about moderation and delighted and it's a cassock won't endorse been jailed often doesn't what's it will support ted kennedy the chairman same kinetic if it was just an educational decisions by the state of local units of government i don't think that's a case i do think we do need to recognize here though is how hard teachers work while they're trying to do to educate our children and it's a key issue for their future and for our children's future and for our country's future but they do a bit of a divided the tools and also the decision making a passage they were working is educational issues and their three young children know it just got to be able to educate our kids well there were never good bright future for this country mr clawson your final comments on this is the impasse are thinking of our next question comes from statecraft and cities start and he will direct your first question to congressman brownback i'd like to get your comments and forty proposed constitutional amendments support amendments that would limit the number of terms

numbers of congress can serve ban most abortions and thirdly allow voluntary school prayer pretty direct questions i do support term limits i've supported those when i was secretary of our culture sport in congress will support a united states scientists will allow issue of abortion which i find very difficult issue i think it's an issue that should be sent back to the states where was prior to nineteen seventy three song that sounds to do whatever like impossible to say that that decision can go on back to the states for them to believe some of those issues are voluntary prayer i support a moment of non sectarian non denominational silence now some people will and we can do that by statute surprisingly is that some people who i wouldn't have a constitutional manner oh support either way it takes a little at well that take place and the reason as i think we just need to be able to come back and talk more in the society about some

guys in this overall society and that moment of nonsectarian non denominational silence is i think a step in the right direction as often regarded term limits is i would support such an amendment regarding banning abortion of tough eleven of our society and that'll make that choice for themselves are regarded school prayer i think this need to be left at the local level with parents and in the states and school districts are the wanted me to make this decision but the federal government or in the state in terms of term limits i do support a constitutional amendment to term limits i would not support a ban on abortion so i am in favor of giving an opportunity to women to mediate between your doctor and minister in their families terms of school prayer we're discussing this in wichita kansas at the time i think it is at a local issue our schoolwork board is currently discussing the silence i

think steve roses written about that particular discussion i think as long as it is a moment's silence and children are not felt that they have to do any sectarian prayer is a positive thing to do i think it is useful for children have an opportunity to reflect what we at the beginning of the day and just say a prayer at some private thoughts at the beginning of the day it's a rebuttal time here now a congressman would you like to add something physician that question is true for those involved with this class and stopping ok we want to let you know that enters into the questions for our panel as we also want to hear what's on the minds of voters during this election season watch and that balancing the budget as an appropriate goal and so when when you were to see that we have a balanced budget or what time you like to see us have a balanced budget in the united states and the first to actually got off that this is a difficult issue

for many it's fairmont paramount as far as i'm concerned it factor that raised tax payers they are grossly overtaxed i would prefer scene a lot of the what i call socialistic programs the move back to the states or even to the local level and there this is going to take some time and i think what would be needed again is that national referendum voting system so we can find out what our people really want in this country and and we can then zero in on those programs they feel are outdated or no longer necessary and they're there's no definite that advancing about of all it's gonna take a lot of time so i'll definitely i have signed a pledge not to raise taxes but i feel very strongly it is critical to balance the budget wise a critical to balance the budget because i think it is the strongest pro growth policy we can

have i've been in business in wichita kansas is nineteen eighty eight my job is to sit down with people and make sure that balance their budgets every day and a financial advisor in the stockbroker of ag edwards and i think it is irresponsible for america to lead at the enormous debt we created the nineteen eighties to our children i think the question is how can we balance our budget into it responsibly without having to slash and burn spending programs that are really investments in the future of art next generation like education investments like medicare i think we can do that with a proposal by centrist budget which i did i would support her in a bit of the united states and at the time it does it responsibly without having to slash and are investments in the future in the next generation of kansans cars and brownback that's an excellent question it's one that the us congress has made a centerpiece issue of and this is the first congress in the past nearly twenty years that actually passed a when the balance the budget and open here two thousand and two which is what i support would bounce a budget we're two thousand two

and to me that's not enough i think we've got to go in further not just bounce a budget would start paying a mountain of debt all that's over five trillion dollars of mr clawson pointed out and as it is a growing the problem for our children if we don't start paying it off now we need to do that and i was on the budget committee crafted the plan to put their own fork that passed in the congress there were now making progress on that and it was a moment and before this first four is a the center's budget got a copy of it here it's interesting and maybe not the place in discretionary spending categories estimated savings to earn sixty eight billion dollars but no way they say how they're going to save two and sixty eight billion dollars which was four wheel proposals a real plan on how you can bounce a budget is critical we do that look at the letters and your opponent's mr clawson you first with the audience actually there's great detail in the center's budget as to how they're going to do a balancing and saving the spending

in that sense as budgets all but also there are proposals to have the following tax cuts apple gains tax cuts the estate planning tax cuts in education cuts i think the point is that they're able to do that without massively decimating spending programs i don't think it's fair to ask one group or another to sustain all of the cuts what i do think is fair is for all of us to have a little bit cut and i think if we're all asked to give a little we'll all be willing to balance the budget pc press he has our next question until ducking lands are versus oh do i i'm sorry go ahead we are still at a point of the center's budget plan for page plan that i have here now to the discretionary spending time i serve on the budget committee at work on some of these issues says to a sixty eight billion dollars in the hole when my plan on saying this is it's easy to sit here and say ok we're going to go we're not going to

cut into these programs at that point when you actually get down to doing that we got serious problems and there are very key things you've got to do it looking to our future and say what is it that we're going to do it we need to do it well what is it we no longer afford to do and let's get out of those programs we're going to preserve and protect things like medicare there was a strong national defense these are tough issues we got to have real programs and trade for those real ideas coming forward looking at congressman steve presley now does our next question until that he will answer first i like the word discuss medicare brownback isn't going to reduce the rate of growth in medicare by twenty and seventy billion dollars over seven years mrs docking is that you can support a reduction in medicare growth of a hundred and fifty billion dollars to explain why taking the position you have what all this would mean to senior citizens what i'm wondering is that singers have to pay more for benefits under your plan i think everybody in washington is afraid to really

address the question of medicare you know medicare has to be cut in order to preserve the solvency of medicare the question is how deep to the cuts have to be cars were brownback did propose two hundred and seventy billion dollars of cut the center's budget proposed a hundred and fifty four billion dollars in cuts i don't know why congressman brown that has only four pages maybe the copying machine was broken in washington because i have stacks of pages of the center's budget with great detail i think the question is what difference does the two hundred and seventy billion dollars and one hundred and fifty four billion dollar is making to solvency into services provided once upon the services provided to the elderly in the state of kansas a hundred and fifty four billion dollars will help with the solvency what it doesn't have to do is pay for massive tax cuts let's address the issue of solvency let's start here and make some cuts and do it with moderation and balance congressman you well medicare doesn't have to be cut to save medicare

that nobody is proposing cuts in medicare everybody is proposing continued increases in the overall funding levels for medicare we'll salute something else in the savings in medicare because if you don't have an increasing medicare but not the same rate is currently growing at medicare goes broke out to turn of the century it goes broken out of quarantine conference trustees president clinton's trustees so we have to have a rate of growth not be at the current level which is about to some plus percent proposal what i supported was somewhat seven percent increasing rate of growth of medicare the gridlock box on the savings an answer that has to go back into medicare and not the years for tax cuts as others had misrepresented what i propose is well it says that people have options that are open nothing to medicare middle distance in this current plant there and medicare that they can help but they can go in and use their old insurance plan they like to have that one step toward it

into an hmo for some sort of managed care type of system would try to open up options for people that are currently on medicare to save and preserve protect and it's costing the medicare medicaid problem who is a very difficult one for me perhaps we can get back to time like in the early forties albert refine where that would be for government funds where they would pay for one half of a hospital cost local citizens with eva the other half and four and the year commitment by the hospital and was to take care of the poor perhaps we need to look in areas like retired doctors perhaps they'll they would agree to volunteer summertime television worker in this whole issue is is is and who is it that's going to medicare and the medical services are absolutely required both for an

elderly and it must be given i feel that we got also got to find some way to cut cut back and then perhaps a volunteer way might be a solution ok let's go back around the table with the same question for rebuttal time stalking says i haven't been to washington and in a washington speak what i understand as numbers there's a very two hundred and seventy billion dollar cut four hundred and fifty four billion dollar cut and they have to be cuts folks to maintain the solvency of medicare there isn't any question about that the question is where we start i would suggest we started a hundred and fifty four billion dollars and are we gonna have to continue to look at this system report that system you bet because it isn't fair to the people on medicare not to maintain the solvency of medicare so we have to fix the system but we have to do we balance the responsibility and i'm certain if we ask all americans to give a little bit they will do so in order to provide for the solvency of those people on medicare is about to go to medicare

and the younger generation of americans later jo was in washington last week estimated there are ways that earned a time you there's something else we also ahead on the medicare issue because as the critical issue in thirty five million americans get their health care from medicare for my relatives do as well this issue of fraud and businesses to figure out how to get rid of some of the fraud here's an athletic persistent one thing that i support here is asking that people would use medicare in that that we see that it's a city for her views of the services that had been provided but that bailout to turn that an announcer portion would say return back to them in some other way that they're going to have some savings in that system you're listening to the debate ninety six a special presentation of the kansas public radio election project in hearing from the candidates running for the us senate seat in kansas listen leave at the volleyball

bill republican sam brownback democrat john talking and reform party candidate donald class an accountant from wichita so far in this programme recorded recently at the studios of public television station casey beatty in kansas city the candidates have tackled education school prayer abortion and balancing the federal budget in the next half hour of this program candidates will get to grips with more of the major issues in this campaign including gun control and the future of the social security system let's return now to the debate and moderated cynthia smith move on to the next question it won't come from c roseanne sam brownback going to first let's talk about the second amendment do you think that it was the intention of our founding fathers to allow americans to carry concealed weapons and to own assault weapons what they do is it to the founding fathers as i said in the second amendment

which is allow says is a right to bear arms is what i see is involved in the second amendment that you draw down into specifics of well what does that mean the right to bear arms ransom's assault weapons true assault weapons have been banned for some whitey period of time these are weapons that want to pull the trigger multiple shots come out of those big bands sometimes and some time in the thirties moving people have any problem with santa that's not a violation of the second amendment it was a particular the brady cause was a violation there is some of the other work for other permutations of that we get factors put into place such as have most recent polls that could be interpreted many ways that they can be interpreted as their point here is this one times as they substituted the issue of gun control as an issue that with crime was what we need to do with chronic is if people commit any crime walk up it's a man with a weapon lockup for a longer period of time and it also

asked for the second amendment and i would vote for concealed carry in the state the second amendment i think it's down to the right to defend yourself and if it's also a safeguard on on the excesses of government so i support second amendment rights are commonplace yes we must allow citizens to bear arms and i think we must allow people to engage in hunting which is very popular sport down in wichita kansas and the surrounding western kansas where i live however i do believe that it is appropriate to have the kind of gun control we have currently in italy we need a more expansion of gun control but i would certainly support the ban on assault weapons and the brady bill my opponent and pensions and support repealing the ban on assault weapons but i think that makes good sense in terms of trying to control guns but the people who shouldn't have them those certain kind of

guns and try to keep guns out of the hands of people who do not need to have guns the brady bill will eventually be fully computerized so that we can do that without a waiting period and i think that makes more sense that happens i think the waiting period can be abandoned some rebuttal time yes i will make clear that i do support the second amendment is a part of the constitution this is the first where the tenth amendment isn't as well the second point i'd like to make is that this congress passed in the law was signed in all bills that people committed crimes with weapons they would be locked up for longer periods of time for committing crimes with those weapons or events we need to be talking about on crime control here on this issue is how in india were violent criminals and that we need a lot of onlookers a time for tickets didn't commit a crime with a weapon the second issue is that we need to support in durban we can to support stronger families as ways that we can have people that are supporting one another and helping them out all along away whenever we came

across a unique coming from this issue but i have a very strong family and i was held up at gunpoint i want a certain measure of gun control in this society as a mother as a wife as a person who's concerned about my family i think we can have reasonable gun control i don't think we need a slippery slope we don't need to incest that all guns are outlawed hunters say they have their guns people need to be allowed to have guns in their home but let's be reasonable about this folks there needs to be a reasonable gun control at all clarify the question about the repeal of the ban on assault weapons could i just ask each of the candidates or whether they would vote yes or no on whether to repeal the ban on assault weapons as it struck before the congress previously brownback is a first time that issue came out of there in this session of congress and i voted to repeal the assault weapons ban because of the diesel and spoke

about her earlier that was on not assault weapons but on weapons that once yet the whole multiple times multiple shots and solidified factors in a three of which could make it very very broadly plus with in the same band was contained language that allow people to be locked up for longer periods of time that committed crimes with a weapon which is something i feel very strongly that was contained in the same bill yes i would vote to repeal assault weapons ban without question i would not vote to repeal the ban on assault weapons i were taken a question now from a conservative kansas constituent images when deals with americans with disabilities act was like what they wanted to protect the rights of twenty nine an american villains against discrimination did you all have the question was ok and she like as the group the candidates what they will

do to protect the rights of forty nine million americans with disabilities against discrimination and then a clause in your first answer please well support the military will come up i mean your previous i would clearly support the eighty eight that i would bring up a point about using some balance on the aba act i mean i think there are instances where it is an enormously and reasonable the kinds of impositions put businesses two to respond at a i think we need to look at the kinds of things we're asking businesses to do i sat with a businessman recently who told me an enormous frustration an enormous expense he you had to build a hot tub in the basement of a health club and then he had to build into elevators to the people go go up and down and he was just kind of frustrated with the fact that nobody could respond to reasonably i think the aba is enormously important to

protect people but i think the federal government has got to listen clearly had become a little bit more receptive to businesses and help us balance the interest of business is the protection of people who are disabled so all i'm asking is that the federal government was a more carefully and try to make these laws more user friendly so they're more effective you know one of my good friends is a quadriplegic to help get this law passed in the americans with disabilities act as a key on some commission course i agree fully with what a latina saying this particular case might give you a good example of what i've seen taking place in my congressional district lecomte in kansas they'd had a riot goin outta compton is a town of some seven hundred people that have a ram going up to the fire station that sir very well for people in wheelchairs do i get up about a seventeen foot long way at a came out this a now seventeen foot eight one the estimate one that never rejected anybody with a disability that's a case we

demand more more flexibility coming out from the federal government for them to be a lot more people it would handicap students abilities to be able to get in and there is a case to anybody who has been working the much more flexible and not as dictatorial and something of a working poor as well other incumbents are on this particular issue will move our next question comes from steve rose until the can be the first answer yes i we've heard a lot about that video content candidate tonight i would be interested in knowing i think our audience would too well what do you think should be our greatest concerns about electing your opponent but please without any other names of any other elected officials are serving today to talk about her politician woodward well i you know i've i believe that my opponent is not representative of the broad base of moderate kansas in the state of kansas and i refer back to his own primary where he referred to shield from a candidate he ran against in the primary as a

liberal because of her voting record i know she'll of wrong show from has been a very conservative state senator instead of kansas about it was enormously unfair to brand her what kinds of things i was not around that was branding with her and may be indicative of the fact that he is off the scale in terms of representative middle we have a tradition of moderation and balance i believe that's what kansans want in the next us senator i come from a traditional family background and strong business background as well as marrying into the docking family who believed austere but adequate was the weight of our government business council bridgett lott is an excellent person does not represent yourself citizens of different than what it is the nineteen eighty eight she chairs the michael dukakis presidential campaign in kansas iowa caucus is most liberal nominee that the democrats are nominal ally is twenty years she's chair of the campaign for him now running

the summer recess is a moderate conservative centrist candidate representative chisholm i kassebaum tradition nancy kassebaum was endorsed my candidacy because he knows that i represent those are her standpoint of is but what my opponent joe barton those are present doesn't support a balanced budget amendment and most kansans do support that she's not been clear as to how she would balance the budget going forward clear choices of what you actually did a balanced budget instead it's a very general terms we won't let this report that but and that their choices have to be made a decision that those are the things the lack of experience are reasons of concern my luggage on his candidacy is it wasn't a lot to champion the taxpayers because over at this point time neither one of these candidates here as you mentioned the taxpayers' point in our society

today that it's not just these two candidates it's it's all of washington i feel like our whole political system we have program after program of legislation after legislation passed and attacked her there were given a second thought it just assumed that he's he's a bagful of money and in anything the political elite in washington think given that idea they'll pass and pass on the payment of up to the taxpayers and i think it's time that we taxpayers dark heaven old boys in washington dc i hope we get some condo organization put together to do that thank you for the comments from other that it was attacking for your first go head and i thought the world was not to mention any national figures so out i think michael dukakis private qualified his imagination figure but you know i think the center's budget which i would support has very clear

definition as two hundred pounds the budget will cut spending cuts will be made it will cut tax cuts would be paid perhaps the best people that understand how to run a business or those that have been business and professional politicians i come from a tradition of the docking tradition when my father was killed us and the fact that you already start your own business certain public life and then get out of a life before you get in a little like empty get out we do not believe in professional politicians we believe the best people to balance the budget are people that do it every day in the wrong business is a restaurant that mr brown but family doesn't go stale political heritage of people involved in politics for generation to generation where farmers i've been farmers for generations now south of kansas city about that involves i do want to come back to what mr clausen has got a key point and that is that the american people are taxed to the max and that's why

i voted to cut taxes as would support a cut in income tax rates are cut in capital gains tax rates is average fans and now works with the bombing of the seven just to pay the taxes it's too long we need to cut that back at the same time that we're balancing the budget it's a quasi have a final consonants this year ago the next question then we'll go to congressman brownback it comes from steve cressy i want to talk about another major issue of our time which is social security do you favor means they're super sources recipients whereby those who earn an income above a certain level would not receive benefits if not what's your plan for saving the system my plan for saving the system are to full of this point i'm number one is that we need to put in rio assets in the social security other words right now is taking place in seoul says karen finds attacks trouble wouldn't trust fund the move automatically out in the fall the world of real assets in the social security a second

gunman entered through to maintain social security is balance the budget and fifteen years the baby boomers start retiring at that point time instead of having the social security surplus we start having people polling you're out social security that what's going in we've got to bounce a budget now and start running account surpluses at this point that as soon as we can so that will be able to meet those obligations that we're going to have a future times not support a means testing in medicare i think that's appropriate there and have not supported and social security units across nebraska sense of security well it would have another socialistic problems socialistic program that is heading toward bankruptcy which is the year the cornerstone of all socialistic program i would like to see whether our populace think it's about time for soul satyr you do you'd be totally revamped or maybe even look at if the essays in our in all nineteen thirty

seven when so scary started the maximum check for sixty dollars a year is now nineties nine thousand six hundred dollars a year that's the sixteen thousand percent increase now more to keep medicare and so security is going bankrupt the tax rate is head of that increased twenty one times in the text based already taught at hand it's probably time to take a look at this investment see how would cost four we really have in our society for this and there are ways to save that the list they're all they all they sacrifice but i think if we take a look at the history of his plan there's a clear indication to me that we need to take to take a serious look at the viability of stacking up those means testing because i think threatens the integrity of the system the problem will be that those people making a lot of money who were young people feeding into the social security system if we means test those that clearly can afford to be means tested out i think you will have a taxpayer revolt because they'll be

say why montreal why dollars in landscaping means tested out how we saw the social security system because i do financial planning every day with people i would suggest the following you must protect the people currently on social security and those getting close because they've made plans and they have evaluated how much they neared retirement it's too late to change the rules for baby boomers my suggestion is that we look at the empty carry cincinnati which is a bipartisan proposal to allow baby boomers to put two percent of the twelve percent of their withholding in something like an individual irate if they're allowed to do that because of the brokerage business and understand as if you give people the opportunity to grow their assets or will be more aggressively at least the baby boomers will have a chance and retiring with some assets entire sen brownback you have additional trumpets on this issue and as a second ok we move on down take one more

question from a voter is when deals were the topic on the minds of so many health care and welfare reform they were going to be from health care or welfare how they believe and what they cut out what they make it to where it would be more strain on the lower class middle class or more for the programs have a question mr clausen you have your answer first place i think that in order for us taxpayers to afford the welfare system in in in our society they were going to have to bring the welfare system back to the county level or we have now in washington dc and core services you will for a pastor but we taxpayers and cinema dollar for every dollar we say no washington dc only twenty eight say is filing its back to the welfare recipient the united way to get fooled ninety fans that with

our back to that and to their beneficiaries so we have a grossly inefficient system set up so when you get back to the county level giveaway from the state and in the federal government while we get away from all the overhead all this extra we have all this area it can have fraud abuse and if you go down the county level you have local people working with lobel beneficiaries in a lot more access to churches in and charitable groups i think we must get that to that point where we taxpayers while they look for the bill it's attacking address the health care piece of that that issue of taking issue would be the radical mr probst extremism but gingrich congressman take issue percentage of president clinton i believe his health care plan was another example of a radical plan that wasn't a work while he had some wonderful ideas what i was attempting to do is throw the entire system out something we built for thirty years and fix it overnight

we can do that with health care doesn't need to be fixed you adapt how we didn't do it well i thought what senator kassebaum and senator kerry did make a lot of sense he took two united states senators who couldn't disagree more philosophically they came together in a compromise and the kassebaum kennedy bill which i think addressed in a very good way of the issue of portability allowing people to move from job to job and still maintain their insurance that is the kind of compromise and balance of moderation we need what we don't need is great and gridlock in people not agreeing with each other and the ideologues we all need to come together when we need to give a little bit and address the issue of health care and cars around back and the scott horsley just completed last night to give me this recipe voiced british both welfare reform and health insurance reform along with farm program reform telecommunications reform line item veto congressional reform lobbying reform and the first balanced budget in over twenty years well it does

away with that i've been pushing for in this congress and welfare reform we ended welfare as we know what we sent back to the states in block grants so the states we failed the people at the federal level in dealing with this have a standstill with it all except for that stance and their needs at the federal level on health insurance reform which came forward was senator kassebaum going for the plan which is set here are some major reforms we do have health insurance portability and get us out of job lock i was an original co sponsor of that legislation in the house of representatives voted for and this congress has supposedly gridlock congress the people that actually pass these two key reforms and jj systems for the better they'll have a little bit of revival trying in a commonsensical scientists is attacking us i think we have a long way to go and making our system better system what i think is important is that we like people who are centrist in a lot of cooperation going to get a compromise we can't afford to shut down the government anymore we can avoid

gridlock we all have differing opinions what is important is that we want people in the center who believe in moderation and balance and can bring together competing ideas and competing signs and find resolution for all of us people at the defenses that we have an idea what they want to intervene meddle in congress laid out plans over whether in congress we've got a number of those done i'm laying out plans of what london united states senator representing kansas really get those things done this wealth seems to me that that's what's critical what's important this is a historic congress has accomplished these things and yet others say the trial level of one is locked in gridlock and you look at the major accomplishments a garden just needs to feel the welfare reform health insurance reform two years ago president clinton tries to nationalize health care and tries to add to welfare rather than doing what we did with that i'll be able to get things done in nine states

out where we have a house as well before we go to art chung and closing remarks i would like to have to throw in a very brief question here from the moderator and he will have thirty seconds each to answer this question it could be a yes or no question if you so choose but the question is would you support funding for the national endowment for the arts and the corporation for public broadcasting with it i absolutely do support that funding however i'll tell you cause i never aired our heart about that very sacred programs out there everybody's gonna have to give a little like i said to you that i absolutely support the funding as long as we can take cost effective than they are bored like everybody else's well on those two issues on international down for the arts and supported a phasing out of the program over a period of three years and put in a trust fund to get it and appoint a simple s ware broke we just can't afford to do everything that we've been doing in the past the senate and that

this is a way that wouldn't be able to get those pound sliced avail a scientific verify and a little bit less of a sigh with five trillion dollars in the whole corporation for public broadcaster like to do the same sort of phasing out over her time when i used to work for an npr affiliate radio station now with his voice but that's a sort of like the world have to do to get the budget balanced is a quasi deliberate supporters i thank you all very much going out to our closing statements or mining low heat add two minutes and will begin with congressman brownback thank you all very much for joining us to say they never watching unless they were to the candidate's stance me to become a better informed voter making your own decisions you know it seems like to me that this election is about which direction where the cheers for the country to go in the future or the past two years and it's an historic changes that we made those historic changes along the path of de centralizing decision making a smaller federal government balancing the budget individual decision making

families and communities being the court some pieces run a beard washington lawyer but if the liberal left is back in control and if the democrats with joe the owner wears a selection the level of will be back in control and i said son ted kennedy will chair the committee that nancy kassebaum was kernel a charity he believes a nationalizing health care and better stronger federal government that's not the way we want to go i don't think that's the way kansans want to go and say well we had to call washington ask as we have been doing in the past or you know wait in line to say we can do that doesn't happen to some of the past season that that's what we're about is which of these directions we choose to go because that's who's gonna be setting the agenda once it goes to washington we made historic changes its last two years so what's a summer farm program changes when a farmer now besides what the plant not the government will make changes in

health insurance and welfare reform we don't give them the house representatives would cut the budget for congress over two hundred million dollars and unaware of things like subsidized haircuts and beauticians been there for forty years we don't need to have which way we're going to go for a future to restore the american dream we need to get counted for it back to the people that to the states that's what run through the united states senate that's one asking for your vote they can understand exactly you were to place you know into all of different visions of america i come from immigrant background my grandmother grandfather came to this country with no money and no ability to speak english an american creole to our family in her arms allies to business grow in the community to grow our families but let's talk about what we need to ensure the american dream for our children my vision of america is america where everyone's included we have a

responsibility to balance the budget to go genia to invest in our children and the safety of our community we have a responsibility to take an active part in the process you know i'm asking you this evening to accept a challenge but with a person that best represents you regardless of partisan interest get involved in the political process i accepted a challenge on june twelve to enter politics and leave a comfortable life and blessed with a wonderful husband great kids and i'm very successful career but ah i believe it's critical that so interesting kansas reclaim leadership interstate i'm enormously proud of all the people from across the political spectrum that have accepted a challenge to work with a modernist must make a stand in this election are we truly are at a historic crossroads i need your help and i need your vote to insure the future of kansas is based on the same sense of moderation balance and fairness as his arch history thank you very much for taking the

time to listen to each and every one of his this evening and you know and on a possibly closing statement please speak up for top priorities are as follows i want to enact legislation on campaign finance reform lobbying reform and term limits special interests and big money now control our government we must put a stop to the situation of absolutely essential we must take a reduced tax burden on the taxpayers would do this by putting us taxpayers in control of our government with its national referendum voting system i mentioned earlier so we taxpayers can personally hold on all major issues and set parameters on those issues number three must shrink the federal government by eliminating all non federal agencies and non federal programs this is the only way we taxpayers can get our government costs under

control for the most part this means getting rid of those functions not provided for us constitution force and leslie want to make sure we protect the good paying blue collar jobs protect our high standard of living and protect the middle class that we have must protect the villain manufacturing businesses and we do this with trade agreements the lookout for american its interests not for an interest timely americans look out for sales so we can once again feel secure better jobs once again take home a paycheck they'll pay the bills once again and plentiful jobs available for young when they graduate from high school are current trade agreements are getting our financial base and this must be stopped it for your attention and thank you all very very much sam brownback to like a double claussen thank you for sharing your ideas in your vision for kansas in which she will

be listening to debate ninety six a special presentation of the kansas public radio election project you just heard from the candidates running for the us senate seat in kansas recently vacated by bob dole republican sam brownback democrat sheila balking at reform party candidate donald class of this debate was recorded recently at the studios of public television station casey pity in kansas city our producer was david task and meanwhile from the mccains thanks for joining us