Section+3

=CHAPTER 24, SECTION 3 =

//"The Election of 1988"//
 ~Vice President [|George Bush] defies all odds when he broke a 152 year tradition by winning the election to become President. ~Dukakis won against Jesse Jackson and ended up running against Bush. ~ Bush received 53% of the popular vote; Jesse Jackson with 46% ~ Bush had 426 electoral votes; Jesse Jackson had 111  //"The New President"//  ~ Bush was in World War II and won a medal for bravery ~ In his inaugural address he said he would not follow the old ideas and attitudes of the Reagan era ~ Unlike the material wealth Reagan era, Bush promised a "kinda, gentler nation"

//"Drugs, Education, and the Environme////nt"//  ~ 1988, William Bennett was appointed "drug czar" to oversee the nation's war on drugs ~ 1990, William Bennett resigned, claiming the drug use has begun to drop ~ Bob Martinez replaced him ~ William Reilly was appointed to head the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ~ In 1990, he signed onto a bill to reduce air pollution ~ Nuclear waste posed a problem to the environment

//"The Savings and Loan Crisis"//  ~ Savings and loans (S&Ls) ww ~Financed mortgages, or loans, for Americans buying homes ~ Encouraged people to save money ~ In the 1970's, banks were stuck with low interests and long term mortgages ~ Regan administration led a campaign to deregulate S&Ls ~ In 1990, a recession in New England led to more savings bank failures ~ Bush administration set up a federal agency to take over failed banks, sell them, or sell off their assets. ~ By the 1990's, the collapse of many S&Ls weakened the nation's banking system in general

//"Reducing the Deficit"//  ~ The savings and loans crisis added to the growing deficit in the federal budget ~ During 1988 campaign, Bush pledged to not raise taxes ~ Through 1990 they worked on a budget to lower the deficit ~ If failed to pass a budget by October 1st, the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act would go into effect ~ After bargaining, Congress and the President finally reached a budget agreement ~ It would cut the deficit by $500 billion over 5 years ~ The plan increased taxes on cigarettes, alcohol, and gasoline

//"The Election of 1990"//  ~ The new budget agreement reduced the deficit more than any legislation during the Reagan era ~ During the election campaign of 1990, voters were angry ~ Only 4 out of every 10 eligible voters went to the polls

<span style="color: rgb(20, 62, 245);">//"Flags and the Supreme Court"// <span style="color: rgb(12, 230, 10);"> ~ 1989, the Court made a Texas law that made the burning of the American Flag illegal ~ Justices ruled this freedom of speech ~ It was protected by the First Amendment of the Constitution ~ Bush wanted a new amendment that would outlaw the states to deface the flag ~ This caused quite the debate, it was very controversial for both sides ~ In July 1990, Justice William Brennan retired. ~ He also wrote the opinion that defended the burning of the flag as a form of free speech