Dec. 14, 1999

Special Report

Gore says higher education should be
available to more people

By Katie Weeks
CyberCaucus 2000 News Service
Drake University

DES MOINES, Iowa--Now less than a year away from voting day for the president of the United States, Vice President Al Gore speaks out directly on education, young people, campaigning in Iowa and U.S. dominance.

In an exclusive e-mail interview, Gore said he will target college-aged students through his ideas for education.

"I believe we need to make higher education available to more people," Gore said.

He said he plans to do this through strengthening current programs such as Pell grants, federal student loans and work-study programs. He also said his proposal of a "National Tuition Savings Program" will allow more young Americans to attend college.

"I believe we must give every family the ability to save money and pay for their children's college education and to continue their own education throughout their lifetimes. We have made progress but more is needed," Gore said.

Under this plan, he said, parents would make small, regular contributions to a fund from the time of their children are born. Gore said these funds would be free from taxes, inflation and rising college costs.

"Tipper and I are expecting our first grandchild at the end of next month - and we would love to participate in this program," he said. "We help people save for retirement tax-free. Now we must help them save for one of the biggest debts families will ever face in life - sending a child to college."

Gore has been doing open town hall meetings across Iowa, and he said he has "learned a lot and had a wonderful time getting to know Iowans better through these meetings and other grassroots campaign activities."

Although Gore said he could not comment directly on how security threats affect his goals of appearing more informal to the voters, he did say he has enjoyed his time in Iowa.

"I've been bringing my campaign directly to Iowa voters and will continue to do so in the future," Gore said. "Iowa caucus voters take their decision very seriously, and I count it as a privilege to talk personally with them about my vision for the future."

Gore said he believes disarmament of nuclear warheads in Russia is one of America's top priorities.

"We are currently looking into how to best find a peaceful solution to the situation in Chechnya," Gore said. "As we deal with this situation, it is important to remember that the U.S. aid going to Russia is for disarmament, [so cutting off the aid probably would not stop the Russians from bombing Chechnya]."

Finally, Gore spoke on America's goals for the 21st Century. Although he said he believes economics will continue to be what keeps the country dominant, he discussed again the importance of education.

"In order to stay first in the world economically, we must become first in the world educationally," he said.

Gore cited America's low ratings in comparison with other countries' students' test scores in physics, science and reading.

"The solution is obvious: to keep the best [economy], we need the best SATs. To strengthen our national character, our schools must insist on the highest statistics that demand not just excellence in skills but also excellence in citizenship, morality and character," Gore said. "Together, we will bring truly revolutionary change to America's schools, making the next decade America's education decade."