THE Scorecard.

BEYOND THE SOUND BITES, THE CANDIDATES OFFER COMPETING VISIONS OF THE NATION'S FUTURE

At times, the race for the presidency seems like the ultimate high school popularity contest, with the victory going to the candidate with the biggest smile and the best laugh lines. But underneath the battle of sound bites and poll numbers, each of the four candidates for President--two leading the pack and two others trailing far behind--has a vision of what kind of country America should be in the new millennium's first years. Here's a guide to the front-runners' views, and a handy chart to help you compare all four.

THE ECONOMY

TAXES: Remember this number: $4.6 trillion. That's the amount of the projected federal budget surplus--taxes the government will collect above what it will spend--over the next 10 years. What to do with the money? George W. Bush has proposed a $1.3 trillion tax cut, saying the money should be returned to taxpayers. But critics say the Bush plan gives most of the savings--nearly 60 percent--to families making $92,500 or more. Gore proposes a more modest $500 billion tax cut, targeted to middle-class families. Republican critics say Gore's spending plans for health care, education, and other programs could cost at least $2 trillion over 10 years, threatening to wipe out the part of the surplus not earmarked for Social Security. Bush calls for spending the money left over after his tax cut on health care, education, and a big increase in military spending.

SOCIAL SECURITY: Twenty years from now, the Social Security system, which provides retirement income to millions of older Americans, could run out of money. To avoid that, both Gore and Bush say they'll make sure the part of the current federal surplus that comes from Social Security taxes--nearly $2.2 trillion of the $4.6 trillion total--won't be used for anything other than shoring up Social Security. Bush also wants to allow workers to invest a portion of their Social Security withholding in the stock market, where he says their dollars will earn more than they do now. Currently, Social Security taxes are invested in government bonds. Gore says the stock market doesn't offer a guaranteed income, as government bonds do. If stock prices were to fall, workers would be out of luck.

FOREIGN POLICY

NUCLEAR DEFENSE: With the end of the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the U.S., the need for both nations to stockpile huge stores of nuclear weapons died, and a new threat emerged: the possibility that smaller enemy nations might send a nuclear missile crashing into a U.S. city. Gore supports a $60 billion plan proposed by President Clinton to build a missile defense system capable of shooting down incoming missiles to thwart any limited attack from a smaller nation. Bush would up the ante on the Clinton plan, building a much more elaborate system to protect U.S. cities that could cost $100 billion or more. Some critics say the technology for either plan may not work.

MILITARY: Over the last decade, the huge U.S. military machine of the Cold War has been scaled down. But what is the right size and power for the U.S. armed forces? Bush says that President Clinton has allowed the military to grow weak. Gore argues that the U.S. remains the strongest nation in the world militarily. Both candidates say they would modernize the military. Bush would increase the annual budget for buying new weapons by 20 percent, and add an additional $20 billion to develop a new generation of weapons. Gore argues that the current $60 billion a year spent on new weapons, along with the additional $10 billion already budgeted, is enough.

ABORTION

The two sides in the abortion debate have been involved in one of the most bitter arguments in recent American history, ever since the Supreme Court ruled in the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that women have a constitutional right to choose to have an abortion. With only a slim majority of Supreme Court Justices appearing to support continued abortion rights, the spotlight is on the presidential race. The next President will probably have the chance to fill several openings on the Court when current Justices retire. Bush supports a constitutional amendment to ban abortions, but says he won't base an appointment on the abortion position of a potential Justice. Gore says he will only appoint Justices who support abortion rights.

EDUCATION

SCHOOL CHOICE: Critics of public education have been arguing for years that parents who want to take their children out of public schools and put them in private schools should receive vouchers--money from the government to help pay tuition at private schools. Critics say such a plan would drain tax dollars from public education, leaving the students who can't get into private schools in substandard schools. Bush favors granting vouchers to parents whose kids are in failing schools that haven't improved after repeated warnings. Gore opposes vouchers, but would close down failing schools and reopen them under new leadership.

SCHOOL PRAYER: The Supreme Court ruled last year that organized prayer even before a school football game violates the Constitution's First Amendment, which calls for separation of church and state. Proponents of school prayer cried foul, arguing that the amendment was never meant to outlaw school prayer, and that nondenominational prayer would not violate the Constitution. Opponents of school prayer say any type of organized prayer violates the rights of students by forcing them to participate in a religious event they might not wish to be involved in. Bush would allow organized school prayer and supports posting the Ten Commandments in classrooms. Gore opposes both, but would allow a moment of silence in classes for what he calls "voluntary prayer."

THE ENVIRONMENT Last summer, scientists discovered that the six to nine-foot sheet of ice that normally covers the Arctic Ocean at the North Pole had thawed. Some scientists say the news is disturbing evidence that the emission of industrial gases--the so-called greenhouse gases--is contributing to a warming of the planet by trapping heat reflected from the sun. Gore supports the 1997 Kyoto Agreement on global warming negotiated by President Clinton, which would force countries to reduce industrial emissions. The U.S. Senate has never ratified the treaty. Bush opposes the treaty, saying it would be costly and would hurt business.

In Texas, he has worked with businesses to voluntarily agree to reduce emissions, a method criticized by Gore, who says businesses won't stop polluting on their own.

HEALTH CARE

INSURANCE: In the world's richest nation, some 44 million people, including 11 million children under 18, don't have health insurance. Gore says he will cover the ! 1 million kids by expanding a program started by President Clinton that helps parents buy health insurance for their uninsured children. He would also earmark money to help some working parents buy health insurance for themselves. As Governor of Texas, Bush has been criticized for enrolling children in the federal health program for kids at one third the average rate of other states. As President, Bush would provide a tax credit of $2,000 to low-income families to buy insurance for their children.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS: A federal program called Medicare pays for the health care of 39 million older Americans, but it doesn't cover prescription drugs, which can cost hundreds of dollars a month and bankrupt older people on small incomes. Both Bush and Gore have plans to cover those drug costs. Under the Gore plan, Medicare would cover drug costs for low-income seniors, while those with medium and upper incomes would pay the first $5,000 of their costs, after which the government would pay the rest. Bush would provide seniors with federal help to buy drug coverage from private insurance companies. Bush says Gore's plan will lead to big government and waste. Gore says Bush's plan will end up only covering about half of all Medicare recipients.

Where They Stand

                                           GEORGE W.    AL
                                             BUSH      GORE

FAVORS CUTTING TAXES?                         YES      YES
INVEST SOCIAL SECURITY IN STOCK MARKET?       YES       NO
ADMIT CHINA TO WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION?      YES      YES
INTERVENE IN GLOBAL NOT SPOTS?                YES      YES
BUILD A NUCLEAR MISSILE SHIELD?               YES      YES
MILITARY AID TO FIGHT DRUGS IN COLOMBIA?      YES      YES
KEEP ABORTION LEGAL?                          NO       YES
PUBLIC FUNDS FOR PRIVATE SCHOOLS?             YES       NO
ORGANIZED PRAYER IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS?           YES       NO
PATIENTS' BILL OF RIGHTS?                     NO       YES
MEDICARE TO PAY FOR PRESCRIPTION DRUGS?       YES      YES
SUPPORT TREATY LIMITING GREENHOUSE GASES?     NO       YES
FAVORS DEATH PENALTY?                         YES      YES
MANDATORY TRIGGER LOCKS ON HANDGUNS?          NO       YES
WAITING PERIOD FOR HANDGUN PURCHASE?          NO       YES

                                             PAT      RALPH
                                           BUCHANAN   NADER

FAVORS CUTTING TAXES?                        YES       YES
INVEST SOCIAL SECURITY IN STOCK MARKET?      YES       NO
ADMIT CHINA TO WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION?      NO       NO
INTERVENE IN GLOBAL NOT SPOTS?                NO       NO
BUILD A NUCLEAR MISSILE SHIELD?              YES       NO
MILITARY AID TO FIGHT DRUGS IN COLOMBIA?      NO       NO
KEEP ABORTION LEGAL?                          NO       YES
PUBLIC FUNDS FOR PRIVATE SCHOOLS?            YES       NO
ORGANIZED PRAYER IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS?          YES       NO
PATIENTS' BILL OF RIGHTS?                     NO       YES
MEDICARE TO PAY FOR PRESCRIPTION DRUGS?       NO       YES
SUPPORT TREATY LIMITING GREENHOUSE GASES?     NO       YES
FAVORS DEATH PENALTY?                        YES       NO
MANDATORY TRIGGER LOCKS ON HANDGUNS?          NO       YES
WAITING PERIOD FOR HANDGUN PURCHASE?          NO       YES

FOCUS: Where George W. Bush and Al Gore Stand on Major National Issues

TEACHING OBJECTIVES

To help students understand how the candidates for President differ on key issues--specifically, taxes, foreign policy, abortion, education, health care, the environment, gun control, and the economy.

Discussion Questions:

* On which issues do you agree with Governor Bush? On which issues do you agree with Vice President Gore?

* Why do you believe the U.S. Senate has never ratified the Kyoto (Japan) Treaty, which would force countries to reduce industries' emission of socalled greenhouse gases?

* What issue or issues would you add to those described in this article?

CLASSROOM STRATEGIES

Pro-Con/Writing Exercise: Assign one of the issues on pages 16-17 to each student. (Duplications are allowable.) Have each student write a 50- to 100-word argument supporting Govemor Bush or Vice President Gore on their issue. (Skip abortion if it is too controversial in your class.) Have students read their position papers aloud. After students finish, open up debate between the Bush and Gore "supporters."

Alternative: Students might draw up a survey sheet on which they summarize Bush and Gore positions on each issue. Over a week or two, they can survey relatives, friends, students, and others, noting which candidate respondents agree with on each issue. Near Election Day, tally the results. After the election, compare the Bush and Gore support in their survey to the vote in their community.

Gun Control: Note where Bush and Gore agree--banning assault weapons, requiting background checks, and raising the age for owning handguns from 18 to 21. What does their agreement say about their view of guns? Next, focus on the photo license. How could a license (a) aid law enforcement, or (b) impinge on the right to own guns?

The Economy: Focus on the budget surplus. How many students have jobs? Ask them to show their Social Security cards. Do they know how much they pay in Social Security taxes? (6.2%) Students can calculate how much the Social Security tax takes from their paychecks. Explain that if the surplus is not used to shore up Social Security, they'll be paying more to fund the program.