Thursday, November 1, 1984
Pago 8
Daily Nebraskan Election Supplement
election"
For the & V
Nebraska & P"77sk1
Legislature - i: ,
The 25th and 27th . it yXy ) - i
Districts y lZzXl &
A- ft 'ft ;V ' ft ft
Challenger Hoffman cites
experience in run for seat
ByJudiNygren
Daily Nebraskan Senior Editor
Patricia Hoffman, senatorial challenger
in Lincoln's 27th District, said she under-;
stands Lincoln's needs and how best to
serve those needs.
Her understanding comes from serving
on the Nebraska League of Women Voters
and the State Environmental Control
Council, she said. Through these organi
zations, Hoffman said, she has heard Lin
coln residents' concerns and more im
portantly how they want their concerns
answered.
Currently, Lincoln residents are con
cerned about property taxes. To relieve
this tax burden, the city has proposed a
12 percent sales tax increase an
increase Omaha already has.
Hoffman said that she supports the
increase, but at the same time opposes
legislature giving the property-tax relief
exclusively to Lincoln and Omaha.
"I would vote for the increase because
being a senator from Lincoln, I would not
be representing my people if I didn't,"
Hoffman said. "But I would also voice that
everyone deserves this."
Lincoln residents are not alone in prop
osing a sales tax increase. Nebraska
teachers have proposed a one percent
increase to raise about $1 million for
teachers' salaries.
Hoffman, a former teacher, said Nebra
ska teachers need raises, especially when
their salaries are compared to teachers'
salaries in other states. And to raise
teachers' salaries, she said, sales taxes
will "probably" have to increase. But to
win Hoffman's support, she said the
increase would have to include some
property tax relief.
Hoffman also is concerned with uni
versity professors' salaries. To keep qual
ity people, she said, the university has to
pay the professors more.
At the same time, though, Hoffman
said that the university needs to depend
less on state funding and more on private
funding. Private money would "put vital
ity into programs," she said, by encourag
ing more research.
University research is a key to the
state's economic growth, Hoffman said.
This is something Gov. Bob Kerrey recog
nizes, she said, but he does not recognize
the university's strong and weak areas.
Kerrey's attempts to bring data pro
cessing companies into the state could
fail, she said, because the university does
not have the ability to support this type of
business. The university is too week in
this area to supply strong research and
train qualified people, she said.
"It's an important step that he is con
cerned with bringing industry into Ne
braska, but I don't think the university is
strong enough to pull it off," Hoffman
said. "He needs to be very concerned with
companies that use agriculture products."
2 71 1" th recoIX numbers of students registering to vote
ft if across the country, students will have an unprecedented
opportunity to shape our nation's course on such issues
as arms control, foreign policy, the economy, and others on
November 6th, Election Day.
As a service to student voters, the National Student Cam
paign for Voter Registration offers this guide to the positions
of the Democratic and Republican candidates for President,
Walter Mondale and Ronald Reagan.
AR?.S CONTROL
Nuclear freeze
"Star Wars"
program
MX missile.
81 bomber.
Increase in de
fense spending
YES I NO
NO YES
NO
NO
3-4
U.S. Aid
to Nkarjguan
rebels
US. Aid to
El Salvador
"Contadwa
process" Jo
ocfotiased
etUets&nt
tUS. salUtary
In Central
Asaerfca.
Nkartjaan
fcafbors
NO
Tie to human
rights.
YES
RrnKrv-c all
fcrelj focces.
HQ
YES
YES
7.5
SUG&tL
YES
YES
Wavering.
YES U
Standards.
YES .
.,. ST
ttow to cm &x reform,
federal dtffck ott military
spending
; Uaxases
Balanced
Bodget
A!SlJ3dt3a?til.
Job for yeutiu
NO
largietied
traiaiiag .
programs.
economic
recovery for
facrcasetf
revenue, cut
spending.
YES
Supports
subsumlaiosa
CSVILIIISHTS
montui UTAC
Equal Rights YES NO
Amendment.
Equal pay for YES NO
work of corn,
parable worth
Constitutional NO YES
amendment to
prohibit abortion.
Affirmative Calls for Opposes
action. "verifiable quotas,
measure,
menu."
Voting Rights Supported. Signed after
Act of 1981. initial
opposition.
Busing to Sate- YES NO
grate schools
HPrTMlE P,EAG?t
FoliutJoacon- YES NO
trots to reduce
acid rata.
Increase fund- YES No position.
Lag for hazard
ous wisie Superfaad
CotBjpcasaw YES No position.
Kwfc sstpesare .
victims
"Six fcixardous YES Nopositkm.
wasiffi generators
t -. ... a t I 1 1 i
Federal stu- Wilt Cut in 1981.
dent loans, strengthen,
grants, odker aid
Abolish - '"NO YES
DeffartmcE of
j Education
Sources: Congressional Quarterly. 1934 Democratic National Platform, tS&i
BepuWican Ksstonal Platform. Ti as&ksa Post.
National SeuCmk Cafa-n for Votyr Resfctraikw
57Tnple Place, tostoo, MA 021 It (617) 357-90J6
27th District's Harris
is proud of voting record
ByJudiNygren
Dally Nebraskan Senior Editor
Dill Harris, state senatorial incumbent
for Lincoln's 27th District, said his record
will speak for his ability to serve Lincoln
residents.
"I have established a record that can be
looked at by the public," he said, "and I am
proud of that record."
Harris' record ranges from stands on
farm issues to the state's economic future.
Harris said that while he supports
property-tax relief, he does not support
Amendment 4, an amendment that would
allow farmland to be valued separate
from other properties.
"It's not that I'm not in favor of tax
relief," Harris said, "but I don't think this
is the way to do it."
Farmers are just one of many groups
seeking tax changes. Both Lincoln resi
dents and Nebraska teachers have asked
for sales-tax increases. Lincoln wants a
12 percent increase within the city for
additional funds; teachers want a 1 per-t
cent increase statewide for salary in
creases. Harris said he is withholding his opin
ion on both proposals until he sees the
results of Nebraska's overall tax study,
which he proposed.
Both teachers and Lincoln residents
hnvA Harris' SUDDOrt. he said, but "eve.
rybody wants their share. First the
farmers, then the teachers and then Lin
coln." While Harris js not sure what some
Nebraskans deserve, he said Common
wealth depositors do deserve their $30,000
guaranteed by the state. Throughout the
Commonwealth ordeal, Harris said that
he has supported the depositors The
state lied to the depositors for a number
of years, he said, and the state must cor
rect its wrong. To do this, Harris said, the
state should pull the money from the
state's general fund.
The state must help depoistors, Harris
said, but it can do little for debt-ridden
farmers. The interest rates, which in the
long run hurt commodity prices, are the
root of farmers problems, he said.
The national government controls in
terest rates, he said. This means that any
thing the state does is only a "band-aid"
effort, Harris said.
Agricultural problems mean that the
state needs to look elsewhere for eco
nomic stability, Harris said. Gov. Bob Ker
rey's attempts to bring telecommunica
tion industry into the state are steps in
the right direction, he said.
"Agriculture has some real problems,"
he said. "And Nebraska needs some help.
We need to explore different areas."
Warner opposes special session
By Jozn llofftzzn
Dally Nebraskan StafTEeporter
Nebraska's 27th legislative district
race pits incumbant Jerome Warner of
Waverly against Charles F. Gove, of
Denton.
The incumbent gave his views on the
following:
The special session dealing with
Commonwealth. Warner said these
issues should be dealt with when any
reforming proposals meet the consti
tutional requirements. This can only
be done once the court has found legal
liability on the part of the state.
Amendment 4, dealing with agri
culture. This amendment will put
farmers' land in a separate tax bracket.
It is designed to help the family farmer.
Warner doesn't support the amend
ment. He said he believes that to clas
sify any real property is bad public
policy.
Ronald Reagan's $630 million agri
cultural plan designed to delay the
option when the FHA will foreclose on
farmers in severe financial trouble.
Warner doesn't agree with this be
cause the issue does not address those
farmers with adequate capital but no
money flow to cover their debts.
Improving teacher salaries.
Warner said he does believe that the
starting income for teachers should
not be below the national average.
However, Warner said he thinks the
aid should be directed to the individ
ual school districts so they can approp
riate these funds where they are most
needed.
Liability laws for alcoholic related
accidents which shift the blame to the
person serving the alcohol.
Warner said he does not agree with
these laws for the primary reason that
the responsibility should remain with
the driver. The laws won't pass in
Nebraska for that reason, he said.
Death penalty.
Warner said he supports eliminating
the death penalty and requiring in
stead, the mandatory 30-year sentence.
He said he doesn't want the death
penalty because it is used for plea
bargaining.
Charles F. Gove, Warner's opponent,
could not be reached for comment.
Democrats fight uphill battle
T wr w "
By Gall Y. Huey
Daily Nebraskan Senior Reporter
Forget that Nebraska has a Republican
majority. Forget that presidential chal
lenger Walter Mondale trails President
Ronald Reagan nationally by as much as
24 percent. The state Democratic Party is
far from conceding any Nebraska victory
to Reagan, two Democratic Party spo
kesmen said.
The Democratic Party has no inten
tions of throwing in the towel, said Tim
Rinne, coordinator for the Lancaster
County Democratic Party. Although Rea
gan may win big in this state, the race is
not over until the final ballots are counted
he said. '
Instead of concentrating on persuad
ing voters to vote for Mondale, the stra
tegy now is to get prospective voters to
vote, Rmne said.
n.IP vl? concentrating on its "Get
Out The Vote" drive to offset the odds by
getting more Democrats to vote, he said
Campaign volunteers are phoning voters
and distributing leaflets to help increase
voter participation.
The party would like to have the number
of voters going to the polls "resemble the
number of Democrats actually registered "
he said. '
As of Aug. 24, the number of Democrats
registered to vote is 48,486, said Lancas
ter County Election Commissioner Beattv
Brasch. The number is up from the 1980
election year of 47,701.
Given the Democratic Party's track
record in Nebraska the last four presi
dential races, the nartv fares atouffh bat
tle ahead. The last Democratic candidate
to carry Nebraska was Lyndon B. John
son in 1964, when he faced Republican
challenger Barry Goldwater.
Yet, in recent weeks, the Democratic
Party has gained a new surge of confi
dence. David Newell, state Democratic Party
chairman, said the party has gained
momentum as a result of Mop dale's suc
cessful showing in the two presidential
debates.
In contrast, Reagan's showing in the
debates has been weak, Newell said. The
president has not been clear on his agri
cultural policies, he said. Additionally, he
has left more doubt in Americans minds
the strength of his military' and foreign
policies, he said.
Although momentum has picked up in
the state, it would increase even more if
Mondale campaigned in Nebraska, Newell
said. Mondale's appearance would help
to solidify the undecided voters, he said.
The party has confidence that Mondale
has a chance to win the state, Rinne said.
The party would not be supporting the
former vice president if it didnt, he said.
"Nobody wants to be a loser," he said.
Democrats support Mondale "because
they think he's got a chance to win, and
that he needs to win," he said.
"A lot of Democrats think Reagan is not
qualified and he is a dangerous man," he
said.
Many do not want to see Reagan re
elected to a second term, Rinne said.
