GOVERNOR ASHCROFT BLASTS CLINTON AND HEARNES DURING FUND-RAISER

Gov. John Ashcroft Wednesday called Democratic presidential candidate Bill Clinton and Missouri Senate candidate Betty Hearnes "tax-and-spend" liberals who put their trust in government and not people.

Ashcroft leveled the criticism at a fund-raising luncheon in Jackson for Hearnes' opponent, state Senate candidate Peter Kinder, a Cape Girardeau Republican.

"The real challenge of government is to get people to go into government who will recognize the society's interest instead of the personal interest. That's where we find government going astray," the two-term governor said.

About 65 people attended the $25-per-person luncheon at Delmonico's restaurant. Among those in attendance were U.S. Rep. Bill Emerson, R-Cape Girardeau; state Reps. Mary Kasten of Cape Girardeau and David Schwab of Jackson; Cape Girardeau County Auditor H. Weldon Macke and County Collector Harold Kuehle.

Emerson praised Kinder, who directed the congressman's initial election campaign 12 years ago.

He called Kinder "a common-sense conservative."

Kinder repeated his criticism of Hearnes, a Charleston Democrat, for refusing to debate him on the issues. "Campaigns surely involve a lot of smiles and handshakes, but there ought to be more than smiles and handshakes," he said.

Ashcroft said Kinder understands that government should represent society's interests and not personal interests.

In contrast, he said, Hearnes "has her faith and trust in government. That's why she is in favor of more taxes."

Ashcroft said Hearnes has repeatedly sought to limit the state's Hancock Amendment, a tax limitation measure.

He also said Republican leaders have shown greater "financial integrity" than Democratic lawmakers, both statewide and on a national level.

In his eight years as governor, Ashcroft said, he has had to manage spending in the state of Missouri and keep the budget in the black. "During that time I have had to cut or withhold from spending almost $1 billion.

"If we had spent it, we would be up to our eyeballs in the kind of financial chaos that you see in other states," said Ashcroft.

He said Missouri has the best credit rating of any state in the country.

Ashcroft, who is chairman of the Bush-Quayle campaign in Missouri, leveled much of his criticism at Clinton while speaking out in support of the president.

"The president wants to reduce taxes and cut spending. Bill Clinton says, `No, I am not going to cut taxes; I am going to raise them.'"

Ashcroft said Clinton has called for raising taxes by $150 billion and hiking spending by $220 billion.

"You can't anymore save yourself from deficits by spending than you can drink yourself sober," said Ashcroft.

"George Bush is a great president," he said. "They say there is no domestic agenda. Don't believe it."

He said Bush has a domestic agenda, but the Democratic-controlled Congress has refused to approve many of the president's legislative proposals, including a crime bill.

Ashcroft said Clinton's call for a change is really "more of the same old formula from the special interests."

"Bush," he said, "is the candidate for change. He wants less spending and he wants to curtail the hand of government and to free the hand of the people."