Tuesday, October 1, 1996

Morales, Gramm Square Off Over DARE Program

By Associated Press

AUSTIN (AP) - Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Victor Morales on Monday accused incumbent Republican Phil Gramm of voicing support for the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program while repeatedly voting against it.

"Texans know Phil Gramm's reputation for saying one thing in Texas and voting another way in Washington, but this is getting ridiculous," Morales said.

Morales, a Mesquite teacher, was referring to a comment made by Gramm in Sunday night's televised senatorial forum in which Gramm said he had worked with and supported the DARE program to prevent drug use among youth.

Gramm spokesman Larry Neal said Gramm three times has voted against bills that included funding for DARE due to other reasons, including one measure with an amendment "that would have busted the budget by $3 billion."

Neal said Gramm, as chairman of an appropriations subcommittee, helped write legislation last year that fully funded DARE.

"There is hardly a town in Texas where Phil Gramm hasn't visited and stood up for the DARE program," Neal said. "If Victor Morales wants to know where Phil Gramm stands on DARE, all he has to do is get on the phone and call any DARE officer in Texas."

Morales spokesman Steve Hall said Gramm voted against bills containing funding for DARE on Feb. 7, 1990, again on Oct. 5, 1994, and on March 12 of this year.

"This is typical Grammstanding," Hall said. "He wants to take credit for a good program, but when it comes down to it, he always finds some reason to vote against it, even if he is one of a handful."
Neal said Gramm voted against the 1990 bill because it would have created a national school board "literally run by the National Education Association and American Federation of Teachers.

"You bet Phil Gramm is opposed to that," Neal said. "He is in favor of local school boards run by local parents, not a national school board run by Victor Morales' teachers' unions."

Neal said Gramm voted against the 1994 bill because it didn't include a provision for voluntary prayer in schools and voted against this year's bill because it included an amendment that Neal said "busted the budget by $3 billion."

Morales, who initially declined to debate Gramm one-on-one due to scheduling conflicts, now is challenging Gramm to a full-fledged debate.

Sunday's forum amounted to 30-minute interviews of each candidate by a panel of journalists from the Dallas area.

"It's time to debate crime issues face-to-face," Morales said. "I'm happy to put my 18 years in the classroom against his 18 years in Washington and let the voters decide who has real ideas and real solutions."

"Mr. Morales had his opportunity," Gramm said.