Society (1994)

Social Movements

Republicans Take Over Congress

"What the GOP Hopes to Do in Congress Next Year." Human Events 50.37 (Sept. 1994): 47. Academic Search Complete. Terrell Lib., Washington State University. 28 Sept. 2008 http://ntserver1.wsulibs.wsu.edu.

Republicans agreed to sign a "Contract with America" that would lay out the ten bills they hoped to enact within the first 100 days in office, if Americans voted them majority of Congress. The 300 Republican House candidates would literally stand on the Capitol steps to sign this contract prior to the '94 election. Republicans hoped this plan would show Americans they were pro-middle America, not just for the rich. The contract had three main principles:
1. Accountability
2. Responsibility
3. Opportunity
By signing this contract, Republicans were telling America that if they did not follow through on their commitments, their positions could be revoked. American voters appreciated the straightforward approach to procedure. It was a dramatic change from policy of the past. Republicans hoped to change how Congress actually operated as well as the laws and policies that were taken into affect. The ten bills of the "Contract with America" were:
1. The Fiscal Responsibility Act --A balanced budget/tax limitation amendment and a legislative line-item veto
2. The Taking Back Our Streets Act --Effective death penalty provisions and greater emphasis on prison funding and law enforcement.
3. The Personal Responsibility Act --Discourages illegitimacy and teenage pregnancy by prohibiting welfare to minor mothers and denying increased Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) payments for additional children while on welfare, cuts spending for welfare programs, ends welfare for families collecting AFDC for five years and for non-citizens, and requires work.
4. The Family Reinforcement Act --Child support enforcement, tax incentives for adoption, strengthening rights of parents in their children's education, stronger child pornography laws, and an elderly dependent care tax credit.
5. The American Dream Restoration Act --A $500-per-child family tax credit, reform of the anti-marriage bias in the tax code and American Dream Savings Accounts/IRAs for first-time home buyers, education expenses and retirement.
6. The National Security Restoration Act --No U.S. troops under U.N. command, erection of budget firewalls between defense and non-defense spending to prevent raids on the defense budget, and a missile defense system against rogue dictatorships like North Korea.
7. The Senior Citizens' Equity Act --Increases the earnings limit to at least $30,000, repeals the Clinton tax hikes on Social Security benefits and provides tax incentives for private long-term care insurance.
8. The Job Creation and Wage Enhancement Act --Capital gains cut and indexation, neutral cost recovery, risk assessment/cost-benefit analysis, strengthening the Regulatory Flexibility Act, and unfunded mandates reforms.
9. The Common Sense Legal Reforms Act --"Loser pays" provisions to stop frivolous law suits, limits on punitive damages and honesty in evidence to exclude "junk science."
10. The Citizen Legislature Act --A first-ever vote on term limits for members of Congress to replace career politicians with citizen legislators, including six- year and 12-year term limits.
It was a very successful attempt by the Republican Party to truly nationalize the election process. Voters, already leaning conservatively, felt confident in the Republicans.

"The Political Reshuffle." U.S. News & World Report 117.25 (Dec.1994): 97. Academic Search Complete. Terrell Lib., Washington State University. 28 Sept. 2008 http://ntserver1.wsulibs.wsu.edu.

The Republican Party gained control of Congress for the first time in 40 years during the 1994 elections. Political scientists had seen signals of this change for several years. Voting patterns are often quick to change with cultural upheavals. And much like the change that occurred post-Great Depression when Americans strayed from Republicans, the continuous cultural confusion from the 1960's onward caused them to turn from Democrats. In fact, since 1968 the Republicans won five of seven presidential elections.


Baseball Strike

Chass, Murray. "The Day the Owners Killed the Series." The New York Times. 14 Sept. 1994. 29 Sept. 2008 nytimes.com.

With a 26-2 vote by baseball commissioner Bud Selig and team owners, the 1994 Major League Baseball season was cut short. It was the first time in 89 years that there was not a World Series. The players were on strike for 34 days, with neither side willing to compromise. The commissioner and owners put blame on the players, believing they were simply not responding to clubs' wishes for cost containment. Players refuted, saying it was the owners' sole decision that brought the season to an end. Fans were infuriated by the sudden decision to quit the season. Fan groups were even organized to promote peace within the league as well as remind the players and owners that they are needed. Fans are, after all, the customer base. It was the longest strike in baseball history; locking the gates to baseball stadiums from September of '94 to weeks into the '95 season. A judge finally had to intervene, forcing the owners to oblige by the old rules.


Independent Bookstores Outsold

Tabor, Mary B. W. "In Bookstore Chains, Display Space Is for Sale." The New York Times. 15 Jan. 1996. 4 Oct. 2008 nytimes.com.

A culture change was signaled at the end of 1994: chain bookstores outsold independent bookstores. Rather than store owners choosing to display books that represent their personal character, large chains display the books whose publishers pay the most money. Independent bookstores simply could not keep up with growing consumer demands. Chains sell the popular books, gaining mass-appeal. And by offering publishers programs like advertisements, displays, member discounts, and more, chain bookstores make a significant profit. In 1994, independent bookstores could not keep up with the competition from large chains.