Bauer: If not prayer, recite Declaration
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Conservative Gary Bauer says if schoolchildren can't begin their day with a prayer then they should recite their Declaration of Independence. ''It would accomplish the same thing,'' the Republican presidential candidate told a high school audience Tuesday. Bauer would select the passage that begins, ''We hold these truths to be self-evident ...'' ''It would remind all of our students that God is the author of our liberties and that nobody can take that liberty away,'' Bauer said. ''And since it is in the founding documents, I don't see how the American Civil Liberties Union could object to students being able to read the words.'' (AP)
Bush aides defend record vs. polluters
AUSTIN, Texas - Under Governor George W. Bush, Texas environmental regulators are collecting fewer and fewer pollution fines, even though the state leads the nation in toxic emissions. Fines collected from polluters in fiscal 1999 hit a seven-year low, Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission records show. In addition, the average fine collected is the lowest in at least 10 years. Bush's aides and officials of the state's conservation commission defend the governor's environmental record. For one thing, the commission - controlled by Bush appointees - says more of its enforcement actions are landing in court, delaying their resolution and thus affecting the collection of fines. In addition, they note, commission orders requiring companies to take some type of corrective action dramatically increased during the past 10 years. (Knight-Ridder Service)
Sanders will not seek Vt. Senate seat
MONTPELIER - US Representative Bernard Sanders, considered to have the best chance of defeating US Senator James Jeffords, has decided to seek re-election to the House. Sanders' formal announcement Monday will end a year in which Democratic leaders in the House and Senate waged a war to win over the highly popular Sanders. Both sides felt Sanders was crucial to their efforts to win seats and gain majorities in their own chambers. The most recent poll, with a margin of error of 4 percentage points, found a virtual tie, with 42 percent supporting the Republican Jeffords, 39 percent backing the Independent Sanders and 19 percent undecided. (AP)
