Democratic Senate race
...nced by his support for deploying a national missile defense as soon as possible, and for a 4.8% pay increase for military men & women. He also voted against another round of military base closures. Doug Forrester also believes in security of our nation and state. To achieve this end he recommends a little belt tightening in the pentagon and the defense department. I believe his proposal will be dropped like a bad habit by New Jersey voters, because he never served in the Military, and consequently lacks prior experience in this area. Another crucial concern in the election is abortion. Doug Forrester’s position on abortion is some what unclear to New Jersey voters. He is against partial birth abortion and against federal funding of abortions. Frank Lautenberg, on the other hand, has a history of supporting a woman’s right to choose. He voted against banning partial birth abortion in October, 1999, against maintaining a ban on abortion on military bases, and against forbidding abortion on overseas military bases. In my view, Frank Lautenberg’s position on this matter is quite clear and consistent. The final point of issue between the two candidates is education. This is the one issue where I believe Doug Forrester might have a fighting chance. As a former university professor, Forrester has seen the educational system from the inside. He supports parents having the freedom and flexibility to send their children to different pubic schools when the quality of education at the present facility is inadequate. He also promotes programs like IDEA, which provides funds to assist special needs children and a program that increases the amount parents can invest in educational IRA’s. Fran...