ASHCROFT CONCERNED WITH WELFARE PROPOSAL

Republican U.S. Senate candidate John Ashcroft Saturday criticized a proposed welfare reform plan unveiled earlier in the week by President Bill Clinton.

Ashcroft said the plan does not appear to spread the reform to most people on welfare.

"In a lot of respects, you have to wonder if the president caved in to all liberals on it because 80-percent-plus of the welfare population would not be affected by it at all," said Ashcroft.

"You have to wonder how much reform is really there. I think Sen. (Bob) Dole may have hit the nail on the head when he said that the president's plan is not the end of welfare as we know it, but rather an end to welfare reform. We have not seen their proposal. They had a press conference but it is not law yet. There is no specificity yet and I'm not sure what will emerge."

Ashcroft traveled around Southeast Missouri Saturday, visiting with groups in Kennett, Sikeston and Dexter. Besides welfare reform, Ashcroft talked about agricultural issues during his Saturday swing.

He interrupted his tour to fly to Canton in Northeast Missouri to attend funeral services for Sen. Norman Merrell, a 24-year veteran of the Missouri Senate who died last week.

"Norman Merrell was a real gentleman," said Ashcroft, adding that the two had a great relationship despite being of opposite political parties.

"He really carried a lot of the economic development legislation we had when I was governor," said Ashcroft. "Norman was just so good to me."

In trying to reform welfare, Ashcroft said he believes people are committed to a concept that reform must be spelled "reduce."

Since that last major welfare reform effort in the mid 1980s, Ashcroft said there has been a 40 percent increase in people on welfare.

"I think people are fed up with reform that brings on more welfare," Ashcroft said.

He also took issue with Clinton's approach to provide public "make-work" jobs for people who can't find jobs in the private sector, and allow them to stay on welfare during that time.

"We need a system to get people moved into the productive sector as quickly as possible," said Ashcroft. "A job is the best welfare program we can find."

On agricultural issues, the Republican candidate said he "has been looking carefully at agribusiness and the challenges of the agriculture community."

Ashcroft is particularly interested in an experimental program under way on 10,000 Bootheel acres in Scott and Stoddard counties called "prescription farming." Under the program, high-tech equipment carefully diagnoses soil conditions to see that herbicides and nutrients are added only in the amounts necessary.

Not only does that help save money but it also helps protect the environment, Ashcroft said.

"I think Southeast Missouri will continue to be one of the agriculture leaders in the world, and believe the United States will continue, if we have the right approach, to supply a lot of the world's food and fiber," Ashcroft said.

Campaigning full time since April, Ashcroft is also touting issues like term limits for members of Congress, a balanced budget amendment to the constitution, congressional reform proposals, and requiring Congress to live under the laws it passes.

Ashcroft has only token opposition in the Republican primary, and says he has not given much thought to the Democratic primary where three major contenders are among a field of candidates competing for the right to challenge him.

"I really haven't thought much about others in the race," said Aschroft. "I having an agenda focus of my own, rather than an opponent focus."