Bush rallies in Indianapolis

INDIANAPOLIS - Taxes - cutting them, spending them and giving them back - dominated Texas Governor George W. Bush's speech at a rally in Indianapolis Wednesday.\nFrom a hangar at the Indianapolis International Airport's Aviation Technology Center, Bush outlined his ideas of allocating the federal surplus with the help of visual aids ' dollar bills. \nHe said of the $4 trillion dollar projected surplus that will remain after budget growth has been accounted for, he will designate half to reforming social security. He said he will give a quarter of it to new programs like a prescription drug plan for seniors, education and improving military readiness. He will allocate the last quarter to give Americans a tax cut.\n"We understand who pays the bills in America," he said to an estimated 3,000 supporters.\nTo counteract Bush's message about taxes, the Indiana Democratic Party held a press conference outside the Westin Hotel after the rally, where the Republican party later held a fund-raiser. \nBloomington Mayor John Fernandez pinpointed the differences between Vice President Al Gore's plan and the Texas governor's. Michael Pannos, state director for Gore Indiana and former Indiana Democratic State chair, introduced Fernandez, naming his constituents as retirees, students and working families that would be most affected by the tax plans. \nFernandez is the 8th district coordinator for the Gore Indiana campaign, which encompasses the Bloomington and Monroe County area. \nHe said 36 percent of this area is made up of single parent households with two children. A single mother making $30,000 will receive a $1,358 tax cut with Gore's plan and $298 with Bush's, he said.\nEric Bowlen, a government teacher at Martinsville High School, said Bush's plan will help him tremendously, despite Gore's claims of the cut being miniscule for families.\n"It will probably save us about $1,400 a year," he said. "I know that Gore says that doesn't mean a lot ' it's so many Diet Cokes a day, but those Diet Cokes paid for half of our son's schooling. That's half, and I can take that."\nGore has said the amount of relief an average family will receive each day under Bush's plan equals the cost of a Diet Coke ' about 62 cents. \nBush also spoke about improving soldier salaries and creating an anti-ballistic missile system to "protect ourselves and our friends." For Indiana native Paul Belt, who is active in the Army, this is a significant issue. He said he was glad to hear it addressed in Bush's speech.\n"We identify more with him than we do with his opponent," he said. "It's just that I guess historically Republican candidates have always seemed to support the military a lot more than Democrats have."\nBush's stop in Indiana, a state that hasn't voted for a Democratic presidential candidate since 1964, also served as a way for other Indiana Republican candidates to campaign. \nSecond Congressional district candidate Mike Pence, who is seeking gubernatorial candidate David McIntosh's position in the House of Representatives, said Bush's visit was a surprise to him, and a benefit to other Republican candidates.\n"I was shocked," he said. "In our district I was convinced he was so far ahead he would have no need to come to Indiana. I think the greatest beneficiary today is David McIntosh and his race for governor." \nMcIntosh said Bush's message of tax cuts, providing new leadership and improving education parallels his own stances on those issues. Bush's campaign stop highlights those similarities and shows the Republican candidates are a team, he said. \n"By his coming here to Indiana he energized the Republicans," he said. \nBush later spoke at a fund-raiser benefiting the Republican National Committee's presidential trust, which was expected to raise about $500,000 dollars, said Bob Grand, Indiana finance chairman for the RNC. He said about 300 to 400 people donating at least $1,000 each were expected to attend. \nJayne Spahn, who contributed to the Bush campaign and attended the fund-raiser, said she hopes her donation will help Bush achieve his ultimate goal of winning the election Nov. 7. \n"Even though we think that he'll win here, I want those dollars to help in other states where it's harder," she said. "I want those dollars to help him win other states"