By SHAELI KERSEE
shaeli@du2.byu.edu
Sen. Robert Bennett, R-Utah, expressed his concern Thursday that President Clinton is not addressing issues that will help society.
Bennett addressed BYU students and faculty Wednesday in the David O. McKay Building.
'We need to address the big issues and not get bogged down by the great diversions,' Bennett said. Diversions, Bennett said, are things that do not address fundamental problems. Examples of President Clinton's diversions include minimum wage and tobacco. 'None of these will change things in society,' Bennett said.
There were several other issues Bennett believed should be discussed before tobacco and other diversions.
Most relevant to society, Bennett said, are the fundamental changes occurring in society as a result of technological revolution. The technological revolution, as with the industrial revolution in the 1930s, has produced enormous wealth and opportunities, but has also produced social effects such as poverty, Bennett said.
Bennett addressed three main problems, saying that society as a whole is not and has not been prepared for this revolution.
The first problem discussed the inadequacy of the education system. It is an industrial model: the worker resembles the teacher and the students are the product, Bennett said. A concept that has been used by a few schools is using vouchers. In general, if a teacher is doing a bad job, then the money used to pay them will be given to the students which in turn can use it to go somewhere else for a better education. This has been done and proven successful.
The second problem Bennett mentioned was health care. 'It is in shambles,' Bennett said. 'The way in which it is administered and paid for are the problems'.
The last concern was the regulatory scheme. Bennett discussed the philosophy of taking from the rich and giving to the poor to redistribute the wealth.
'Tax rates should be applied properly in the entrepreneur age,' Bennett said. 'Technological ability is the cutting edge.' The one thing that has made the U.S. what it is is the ability to start new businesses, new jobs are started daily, Bennett said.
'The great issue in Utah is growth,' Bennett said. As he campaigned he found that there was an unease among the people about that issue. There has not been any solution to this problem. 'There is a great deal of confidence in Governor Leavitt to handle it,' Bennett said.
A Republican retreat is scheduled for early January to address all of these issues.