It is a book-length statement of Republican ideas, the brainchild of Newt Gingrich, and endorsed by scores of Republican candidates in November, many of whom are now Congresspeople. But a contract is a document agreed to by both parties, and a good contract unambiguously sketches out the four corners of the deal it describes, leaving nothing significant unsaid. By voting for so many candidates who endorsed the Contract With America, the electorate may have consented to such terms as are elucidated there. But if you scrutinize the document carefully, you realize how much is missing. There is a chapter on fighting crime which endorses stronger sentences, making certain crimes federal, and toughening the criminal system's treatment of illegal immigrants.
Nothing is said anywhere about gun control.
Almost certainly with Mr. Gingrich, who voted against the seven day waiting period for gun purchases established by the Brady bill. The Contract With America is incensed by the concept of teenage mothers having children to earn welfare benefits which pay twenty or thirty percent more than they would earn if working at minimum wage. A few tax breaks are given, for adoption and tuition, and that's about it. Mr. Gingrich voted against the Family Leave Act that allows 12 weeks unpaid leave around the birth of a child or the illness of a family member. Two years ago, the Clinton administration identified health care as being the most major issue in American politics.