Brown Is a Serious Contender

The 800 number...The Indian gurus...The $100 limit on campaign contributions...The turtleneck-and-flannel chic...Zen Buddhism...The visit to Mother Teresa's mission...California.

Some people think "Gov. Moonbeam" shouldn't be elected. We disagree.

Sure some of Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr.'s history and campaign tactics seem a little too laid back. But among the three major Democratic candidates remaining in the race, the former California governor has the best vision of what America can be. A fairer, cleaner, more livable home for all Americans. And let there be no doubt--Jerry Brown is a serious candidate.

Brown's plan for improving the economy does not capitulate to the desires of Big Business as do those of former Massachusetts Sen. Paul E. Tsongas and Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton.

Brown would cut the bloated, post-Cold-War defense budget by half and invest the savings in programs to put Americans to work.

Jerry Brown would not only encourage research and development with tax credits, but he also would lean on companies to produce their discoveries in American factories.

While Brown was governor, over fifty thousand students participated in the California Conservation Corps, which put them to work improving the state's infrastructure. While Brown was governor, more new jobs were created in California than there are people in Arkansas. And flat-tax rates do not equal flatearth thinking. His proposal would restore simplicity, efficiency and fairness to the convoluted, corrupted American tax system.

Brown also knows that the only long-term way to improve the economy is by improving the educational system. He is the only candidate who will work for the elimination of the two-tier educational system--working so that inner-city youths may someday receive the same quality education as rich suburbanites.

Brown knows that one of the most important ways for disadvantaged children to get ahead is by participating in the Head Start Program. That's why he wants to spend $2 billion to cover everyone eligible for the program who is not now able to take advantage of it.

And Brown knows that college students need to receive more scholarship money and fewer loans. College students should not graduate with debt but with a clean slate and hope for the future.

No other candidate has been as articulate on the environment as Brown. Although Bush promised be the "environmental president," Brown is one of the few candidates in the last decade who could rightfully claim that title.

Brown successfully stopped off-shore drilling in California, added hundreds of thousands of acres to the California park system, and appropriated millions of dollars for the protection of endangered wildlife. As governor, Brown successfully passed the toughest antismog laws in the country and put his state in the lead in utilizing new technologies to preserve the environment.

Brown will tackle issues of global warming, toxic waste and the deterioration of our natural resources. These are issues that are easy to put aside for another day. Jerry Brown will ensure that does not happen.

But even if you disagree, and don't believe that Jerry Brown is right on all the issues, it is time to send a message to the other Democratic contenders. We do not want another Republican. We want a candidate in tune with the issues, beliefs, and aspirations of the American left.

Jerry Brown has the passion and the ability to carry out the traditional agenda of the left--from the death penalty to gay rights to the right to work.

Brown will not go away. Unlike the other major candidates, Brown does not depend on the deep pockets of the vested interests. He is above the pandering of the other contenders. He is putting politics back into the hands of the people. He will carry their message all the way to New York.

Give your support to Brown's insurgent campaign. We urge you to vote for Jerry Brown today.