Hot Buttons: Talk show topics

BUSH THE ELDER

Former President George H.W. Bush says he has "nothing but hatred" for Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, but he has "no regrets" the coalition forces during the 1991 Gulf War did not go to Baghdad to get him.

"I hate Saddam Hussein. I don't hate a lot of people. I don't hate easily, but I think ... as I say, his word is no good and he's a brute," Bush tells CNN's Paula Zahn.

"He's used poison gas on his own people, so, there's nothing redeeming about this man," he adds.

He says military commanders were given a specific objective to liberate Kuwait of Iraqi forces and they carried out that mission.

"I know what would have happened. I know that the coalition would have shattered, my only regret is that I was wrong, as was every other leader, in thinking that Saddam Hussein would be gone," he says.

-- Does the elder Bush speaking publicly help or hurt his son?

-- Should Bush have chosen to keep the coalition together rather than going after Hussein?

SOCIAL SECURITY

The Seniors Coalition, a senior advocacy group of 4 million members nationwide, is challenging all candidates for federal office to "Take the Pledge" to protect Social Security and Medicare. "Seniors are being taken for granted by some politicians," says TSC Chairman Mary Martin.

The pledge requires candidates to oppose cuts in Social Security, oppose efforts to "privatize" the program and to support a guaranteed and permanent Medicare prescription drug benefit that allows seniors to choose a program that best suits their needs.

Signatories also must commit to oppose any program that does not begin immediately or that calls for an end to the program.

The coalition strongly opposes "the Clinton-style high-risk privatization plan and any attempts to undermine the financial security of seniors and those near retirement."

"Seniors are not opposed to allowing younger workers to invest a small percentage of their payroll taxes in personal accounts to help their money to grow, but we are not in favor of some bureaucrat risking funds in the stock market," Martin says.

-- History tells us the first group of social security recipients received much more in benefits than they were required to pay in taxes, so should they call the tune on this issue?

-- By 2030, there will be three people in the U.S. working-age population for every retiree, so payroll taxes will have to increase, benefits decrease or another revenue stream found, many say. What should we do?

CORPORATE SUPPORT FOR EDUCATION

Many businesses and corporate foundations say they have grown so frustrated with the pace of public education reform they are ready to cut back on contributions to public schools, USA Today reports.

While the corporate donations are a fraction of the $370 billion spent on education, it still amounts to billions.

In one of the biggest education experiments to date, The Annenberg Foundation of the TV Guide family fortune, donated $500 million over five years to find out what works in public schools. Money went to train teachers, revitalize arts education and create organizations that helped schools but did not have to report to school bureaucracies.

A report outlined successes, but many business groups saw them as modest and noted there was too much failure for such an ambitious project.

-- With skimpy results, many companies are cutting educational funding, perhaps for violating the first rule of business: Don't throw good money after bad. Do you agree?

-- Some companies think the biggest obstacles to fixing some schools are the 90,000 school board members in 15,000 often-dysfunctional school districts who bicker among themselves and superintendents. Do you agree?