VICE PRESIDENT QUAYLE VISITS THE AREA

Vice President Dan Quayle left his mark on the Cape Girardeau area Friday, in a series of stops where he spent as much time shaking hands and greeting people as he did speaking about the political race he and George Bush are in the midst of.

Air Force II touched down at the airport at 1:35 p.m. before a crowd of several hundred that included many school children. The Cape Central High School Marching Band provided a music background.

Quayle made only brief comments at the airport, spending most of his time instead calling the radio show of Cape Girardeau native Rush Limbaugh and shaking hands with an enthusiastic crowd.

As Quayle's motorcade moved toward the Southeast Missouri Regional Port Authority, where he announced a $1.2 million Economic Development Administration grant before a crowd of about 250 people, he made an unscheduled stop at the Scott City elementary school.

The children gathered on the lawn waving small flags; with the children formed in a semi-circle, the vice president spent about 10 minutes shaking hands and greeting the group.

As the motorcade drove through Scott City, several businesses and individuals displayed signs welcoming Quayle to their town and groups of people gathered along the streets hoping to catch a glimpse of the vice president.

The groups that gathered ranged from families sitting in their front yard, employees at City Hall and other offices, construction workers who took a break from their job, and patrons of a local tavern. The Kids and Company day care center had their children seated in small chairs along the sidewalk waving American flags at the vice president.

But as the motorcade turned onto the road leading into the port authority, one family stood in their front yard next to a donkey waving a sign that proclaimed: "This is Democrat Country."

While at the port authority, Quayle was given a brief tour of the facility by Allan Maki, executive director, Morty Potashnick, chairman of the board, and Peter Kinder, vice chairman of the board.

Quayle spoke from a rusty barge at the dock. The crowd was contained in a roped-off area between that barge and one set aside for the media to use.

Quayle spoke for about 15 minutes, devoting the first few minutes to announcing the grant and the rest to blasting Democratic candidate Bill Clinton as someone who would expand the size of government, let the deficit get out of control and raise taxes.

"The question is, what kind of road are we going to travel?" Quayle asked. "Are we going to travel the road to the future and to opportunity and to hope, or are we going to turn back the clock ... remember the last time we had a Democratic president with Jimmy Carter and Walter Mondale and that Democratic Congress?

"I remember it too and I hope the American people remember what it was like - 21 percent interest rates, inflation at 13 percent, and unemployment headed for double digits."

At both the airport and port authority, Quayle boasted that unemployment figures had dropped for the second consecutive month. He declared that with interest and inflation rates down and unemployment down, "this president has the foundation laid for a vigorous economic recovery."

At both the airport and port authority, Quayle told the crowds about his conversation with Limbaugh and the fact he had agreed to moderate the vice presidential debates.

"Stay tuned folks, we're going to have a debate and maybe Rush Limbaugh will show up and be the moderator," joked the vice president.

Kinder introduced Quayle at the port authority and declared: "What a great day for Southeast Missouri and Middle America. It is an honor to have the vice president here today to make his important announcement."

As Quayle walked onto the barge, he was tossed a Corn Growers Association cap, reflecting an announcement Thursday that President Bush had waived Clean Air Act restrictions on the use of ethanol.

"That announcement yesterday was good for the farmers and good for the environment," said Quayle.

The EDA grant announced by the vice president was sought last summer for further infrastructure improvements around the port. With Thursday starting a new fiscal year, the funds became available.

The grant was from the Department of Commerce, which the vice president noted the first time he mentioned the grant. But two other times in his remarks Quayle referred to the agriculture department as the grant agency.

"I want to congratulate you on the tremendous job you have done here," said Quayle. "It gives me great pride to announce a new federal grant from the Department of Agriculture for the SEMO Port of $1,184,000. But more important than that, it means at least 188 new jobs."

He stressed the role the port could play in helping Missouri as an export state.

He added, "Never be afraid of competition. We are Americans, and given the level playing field we can out-compete and out-produce anybody in the world. As the president has said, not only are we a military superpower, we are an economic superpower."

Quayle promised the Bush administration would continue to promote fair trade agreements to keep exports up and observed, "More exports means more jobs."

After concluding his comments about the grant, Quayle acted as though he was finished. But as some in the crowd chanted: "Four more years," he transitioned from "official remarks" to political remarks.

"You want a political speech?" he asked. "I didn't know this was a political audience. I was trying to be on my good behavior. Let me tell you a few things about Bill Clinton."

Quayle said rather than trying to empower the people, Clinton wanted to empower the government.

"Our government's plenty big. We don't need to make it any bigger. We need to make our people stronger, to give our people more opportunities. Do you think you give people more opportunity by raising taxes, increasing regulation, and increasing the size of government?" asked Quayle.

Doing it the "George Bush way" would be to reduce taxes such as the capital gain tax and drop it from 28 percent to 15 percent, give the people choice in what schools their children attend, reform the legal system, and provide health care for all Americans, he said.

Before coming to Cape Girardeau, Quayle spoke at the meeting of the Missouri Bar Association in Springfield, where he said most people there agreed with his call for reform of the legal system.

"We have a legal system that costs too much and takes too long to get an answer," said Quayle, calling for passage of the president's civil justice reform package.

Discussing health care, Quayle said all health insurance premiums should be deductible. He said the Bush plan would be to take $100 million of the $135 million the federal government now spends on uncompensated health care and put it in tax credits, vouchers and deductions to let people go out and purchase health insurance in the private sector.

Quayle contended Clinton's plan would result in rationed health care and a payroll tax.

"We want a health care system that has a reduction in cost of health care and makes it accessible to everyone in America," he said.

Quayle warned that Clinton is not prepared to be president.

"We want a president we respect, somebody that we can look up to as our commander in chief. Somebody we can trust and that has the qualifications and character to be president. I think before the American people vote, they are going to think long and hard whether this governor of Arkansas has what it takes to be president. Does he have the character; does he have the qualifications; and does he have the trust?" said Quayle.

After leaving the port authority, Quayle spent about 30 minutes at a private fundraising reception at the Cape Girardeau Holiday Inn. He returned to the airport just before 4 p.m. and left 40 minutes earlier than had been originally scheduled.

A handful of people were at the airport to see Quayle off. Before departing, the vice president passed through a receiving line primarily of law enforcement officials who had assisted with security for his visit.

Shortly after Quayle's DC-9 left the airport, Secret Service agents loaded the three vice presidential vehicles aboard an Air Force C-141 transport plane, which also headed toward Andrews Air Force Base. The C-141, carrying the agents responsible for Quayle's security, had arrived at the airport on Wednesday.