Politics: The Governors' Big Five
Norquist, Grover G.
already-enacted program of schoolchoice for low-income students in Milwaukee. Thompson recently won backRepublican control of the state senate, and one could sense his pent-up desire tolead...
...Thegovernor who has reformed his ownstate's pension system will be in a strongposition to be a credible leader in thedebate over reforming Social Security...
...The American Spectator • December 1998 87...
...It all begins when state legislatures open in January...
...If Ridge can enact a broadparental choice measure in 1999,he'llbecome a very attractive vice presidentialcandidate...
...Legislation is ready in Ohio and Florida, and state think tanks in Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Arizona have publishedstudies promoting Individual RetirementAccounts for all state and local government employees...
...Jeb Bush, Engler, and GeorgeW...
...Thompson recently won backRepublican control of the state senate, and one could sense his pent-up desire tolead the nation once again in expanding school choice and welfare reform...
...The establishment left likes to deride this competition as a "race to the bottom...
...Every onecould be a player in the 2000 race...
...The equivalent of pension portability at the national level ismoving Social Security to a fully fundedindividually controlled personal retirement account for each American...
...The Texas legislature, however, won'tbe in session after May and not at all in theyear 2000...
...Republican governors can also lead on"paycheck protection," the campaign torequire annual written permission beforelabor unions can spend member dues onpolitics...
...Engler's Michigan and Jane Hull's Arizona have passed strong charter schoollegislation— resistant, so far, to teacherunion tampering...
...InOctober, Wilson issued an executive orderproviding paycheck protection for all stateemployees...
...The final issue is reform of state andlocal pensions to make them fully funded, portable, and based on defined contributions rather than defined benefits...
...Any one of these governors couldcommand national attention with anaggressive legislative agenda...
...No onewill ask about "the vision thing...
...The Democratic Party is supported bythree pillars: labor dues, big city machinesfunded by federal and state taxes, and thedeep pockets of trial lawyers...
...Montana's Marc Racicot maybe the first out of the box to pass paycheckprotection in 1999.The legislation actuallypassed in 1998, but Racicot vetoed it when, according to his staff, it became entangled in other issues...
...Tom Ridge has pushedhard for full school choice in Pennsylvania, which happens to be a large, Eastern state...
...Pete Wilson ledan effort to enact paycheck protectionthrough Proposal 226, which lost in Juneby 53-47 percent in the face of $3o million that Big Labor spent against it...
...Bush could all pass statewide schoolchoice in early 1999...
...In 1999,America's reform governorswill compete to cut taxes, reduce statespending, and eliminate welfare dependency, among other reforms...
...But there is a flip side...
...In January of 1999, George's younger brother will becomegovernor of a state where the Republicanmajority is deeper, more seasoned, andreadier to roll on key reforms than in Texas...
...Every Republican governor who aspires to higherthings will be moving some version of tortreform to demonstrate his credibility withthe GOP's Chamber of Commerce wing...
...If George W. Bush translates a strong win for governorinto control of both houses of the Texaslegislature and passes the Big Five reforms, he will be unstoppable in 2000...
...If instead of pursuing the BigFive George W. Bush coasts on his nameID, his (critically important) ability to winHispanic votes, and his fundraisingprowess, one year from today Republicansmight be talking about a presidential bidfrom Jeb Bush...
...Hisactions will melt away any concern that hewould be a "Darmanized" president...
...In fact, itwill be a race for the White House, thevice presidency, and the various Cabinetpositions...
...Michigan began this reform in 1997.Arizona has voted to give state employees aportable retirement account option...
...If it's passed as a standalone bill, Racicot, who's been traveling tovarious state GOP conventions in whatappears to be a quiet campaign for vicepresident, will be able to get national attention by signing paycheck protection...
...California Gov...
...Tort reform remains a pressing issue...
...JebBush, Jane Hull, and John Engler will becompeting to see who first enacts a strongpaycheck protection measure...
...After the November elections, as manyas eighteen states will have GOP controlof the governorship and the state legislature...
Vol. 31 • December 1998 • No. 12
