BERNSTEIN PREVIEWS ISSUES IN SENATE RACE

After spending some of his life working in the U.S. Senate, Mert Bernstein is hoping the people of Missouri will send him to Washington next year as a member of that body.

"I feel I am very familiar with issues that Congress is addressing, with congressional procedures and how it works in Washington," explained Bernstein, who has been a law professor at Washington University in St. Louis for 16 years.

A Democrat, Bernstein spent seven years working in the U.S. Senate during the 1950s for Sens. John Kennedy, Wayne Morse and Hubert Humphrey. He also served as principal consultant to the National Commission on Social Security Reform and as a consultant to the White House Conference on Aging. He has also worked as a labor arbitrator.

In his current position at Washington University, Bernstein goes to Washington, D.C. every other week to work with students participating in the university's Congressional Clinic.

Bernstein, 68, has not sought public office before but said he sees a seat in the U.S. Senate as providing an opportunity to do something worthwhile. "There is a marvelous opportunity to address real problems of people in a realistic way," he observed during a visit to Cape Girardeau last week.

Bernstein, who began the public phase of his campaign in April, was spending the weekend traveling around Southeast Missouri.

"I've been all over the state, but it's a big state and I have many places left to go," he said. "I'm enjoying the process."

At least three other Democrats have expressed an interest in running for the Senate next year and the nominee will likely face incumbent Republican Christopher Bond.

Bernstein has kept the focus on his own candidacy and programs, rather than toward others running for the Senate. "I think I have ideas and programs to offer," he declared, "and in the process of offering those the people will get to know me."

In his campaign, Bernstein will focus on two central issues he says are important to him and to people of the nation - health care and reducing the influence of money in political campaigns.

"These are the most important things I am interested in and that I think people are interested in as well," said Bernstein. "Running gives me a forum on these issues and if elected I can push forward on them."

Bernstein points out that Americans use $700 billion a year - 12 percent of GNP - to purchase health care. "We're not getting our money's worth," he quipped.

The candidate proposes a national health insurance plan where everyone has the same type of coverage. He cites studies showing that $100 billion alone could be saved simply by putting everyone on the same insurance plan and eliminating record keeping on differences in coverage and plans.

That savings would cover the costs of insuring 37.5 million Americans without health insurance; and providing them with coverage would reduce the burden people with insurance, businesses, and the medical community has to absorb from people without coverage. It would also reduce the pressure on Medicaid.

"There are a lot of good reasons for doing this," remarked Bernstein. "I think we have a real chance of achieving national health insurance without costing a lot of money."

Discussing his issue to reduce the influence of money in campaigns, Bernstein noted that he had done studies on the subject with the late Richard Bolling, a former Missouri congressman who worked for reform in Congress and in campaigns.

Under the plan he and Bolling proposed, the Federal Election Commission would set limits on the amount that could be spent on congressional elections in each state. If a candidate exceeded the limit, then the excess would be provided to the other candidate by the FEC.

Bernstein contends this would be a strong motivation for candidates to stay within spending limits and would also "make people feel that money played less of a role in the electoral process."

To illustrate his point on the need to reduce spending, Bernstein said he will not accept any contributions from political action committees or no contributions greater than $100 per election cycle.

"Nobody is going to buy a candidate for $100." If he is successful, the candidate feels others will be motivated to follow similar limits in the future. He noted that the initial response from people has been good, although many are skeptical he can wage a reasonable campaign within such limitations.

Other issues Bernstein is focusing on include:

- The need for the nation to invest more money in its infrastructure to not only provide safety, but also tools to help the economy.

- He supports pursuing policies that provide for economic growth "by investing in our people," through education and skill training for people of all ages.

- Since World War II, Bernstein says the nation has fought inflation by increasing unemployment, something he would like to see changed. He believes the system should be changed to promote jobs and provide compensation to unemployed workers. He noted the recession facing the nation now is due to a lack of consumer purchasing power. Cutting back on unemployment compensation not only hurts families, but the businesses the unemployed families patronize.

- Bernstein, who along with his wife Joan, also an attorney, wrote a book on Social Security in 1988, said as a senator he "would be a prime protector of the Social Security system." He stressed that many people forget that not only does the system help older people, but it also protects children and families. One of every 10 beneficiaries of Social Security is a child, he noted.