SENATORIAL HOPEFUL WHEAT PAYS VISIT TO SHOW ME CENTER

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Alan Wheat, one day after receiving the endorsement of the Missouri Council of Senior Citizens, visited with senior Missourians at the Cape Girardeau Senior Center Wednesday.

Wheat, on a two-day swing through the area, said the choice for seniors is clear: His record on the elderly as a member of Congress is superior to that of Republican candidate John Ashcroft's as governor.

Wheat said Ashcroft vetoed funding for nursing homes and Alzheimer's research and supports policies that could force cutbacks in Social Security and Medicare.

He said the Republican "Contract With America," which Ashcroft supports, would hit senior programs hard.

"Seniors already have a contract with America: Social Security," said Wheat.

The National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare has given Wheat a 94 percent voting record in Congress. He has a 95 percent rating from the National Council of Senior Citizens and a 100 percent rating from the National Association of Retired Employees.

Wheat made an extra effort to gather a vote Wednesday when he summoned two of his aides to change the flat tire of Louise Rubel, 74, who was at the senior center to eat. Wheat overheard Rubel talking about the flat tire and told Marty Williams and Darrek Porter that they had been drafted to change it.

"I'm sure those guys enjoyed your getting them a job," Rubel told Wheat as he offered words of encouragement to his aides.

Rubel said Wheat did not ask for her vote, but she might consider voting for him. "It depends if that tire stays up," said Rubel.