GOP candidates detail views of government-funded 'Net access
Associated Press, 01/26/00 Republican presidential candidates' responses Wednesday night to the question of whether it is appropriate to use government funds to provide computers and access to the Internet to those who can't afford it.
ALAN KEYES: "I think this is another case where politicians try to jump on the bandwagon of something that's going on in the economy so everybody is going to think that they actually had something to do with the result when they don't. There is no need for this." SEN. JOHN McCAIN: "We took a major step forward when we decided to wire every school and library in America to the Internet. That's a good program. We have to have step two, three and four, which means good equipment, good teachers and good classrooms." STEVE FORBES: "Government getting involved in this will just breed corruption, a lot of interests breaking off money on this. The way you get universal access is to let technology flourish. ... The government won't guarantee universal access. The free flow of technology will." GARY BAUER: "Once again we're leaving some of our children back instead of making sure they can take part in all the advances that I think are down the road. ... And as president, I would be willing to use the bully pulpit of my office in order to try to make sure that access was there." GOV. GEORGE W. BUSH: "Our technology is changing so quickly that government programs are often obsolete as the marketplace changes. ... I worry about government funding and government programs that are haphazard and will be obsolete before they're even funded." |