As generations pass, and times change, the people of the United States change as well. What may have been a major issue in the 1980 election might not have even concerned voters in 2000. Economic issues are continually changing with the times. Each election develops its own "personality." Despite agreeing on some issues, the four major [later reduced to just two] candidates in the 2000 presidential election held different opinions on three major economic issues: tax reform, health care, and free trade/immigration. One of the most important issues of the 2000 presidential election was tax reform. This topic, possibly more than any other issue in the election, reflects the greatest disparity among candidates of the same party. Among the Democrats, Bill Bradley and Al Gore had contrasting ideas concerning tax reform. Perhaps the most educated candidate on this issue, Bradley is a former member of the Senate Finance Committee and one of the major contributors to the 1986 overhaul of the tax code. Bradley's position, made known in numerous debates, is that he is strongly against large tax cuts. The former senator believes that while the economy is doing well, the government should utilize tax revenues to improve schools, protect social security, and pass a national healthcare program instead of concentrating on tax reduction. Bradley told New York Times writer James Dao that he would veto the approved 792 billion dollar tax cut in "a nanosecond". The only specific tax cuts Bradley has proposed are tax breaks for health insurance payments. Concerning the budget surplus, Bradley would direct most of the money to reducing child poverty as well as making health care more affordable for low-income families.1
             Former Vice President Gore established a position on tax reform different from that of Senator Bradley. The two candidates do share similar beliefs regarding the 792 billion dollar tax cut that Gore refered to as ...