Conservative television political analyst Angela "Bay" Buchanan said yesterday afternoon that American government must move toward eliminating welfare to save the nation's families.
"A strong family is the basic ingredient of a great nation," Buchanan said. "American families have been decimated by welfare and something must be done."
Buchanan, a U.S. treasurer under Ronald Reagan and former Republican presidential candidate Patrick Buchanan' sister, delivered a speech titled, "The Culture War" to a packed audience of more than 100 in the Rockefeller Center for the Social Sciences.
"A sense of security, a solid support structure as well as religious and secular traditions within American families makes our nation strong," Buchanan said.
Buchanan cited other factors such as feminism, abortion, homosexuality and poor public school systems as contributors to the "culture wars" in America.
"In the last 30 years in this country there has been a deliberate attempt to undermine basic moral values," she said. "Our heroes and traditions are being attacked."
Buchanan said she respected feminists until their focus "became marginalized."
"I used to have enormous respect for feminists when they took the high road and focused on issues such as jobs and equality," she said. "Today's feminists that put down women who stay at home to take care of their children are taking choices away from these women."
Buchanan said the legalization of abortion has severely impacted society. "The respect for human life no longer exists," she said.
Buchanan said homosexuality is "categorically wrong."
She then cited a recent attempt in New York City to introduce books discussing homosexuality as a lifestyle choice to first and second graders in public schools.
"The majority of people in this country find homosexuality to be totally unacceptable behavior," Buchanan said. "We expect our schools to respect our moral standards and beliefs."
Buchanan said the United States isstruggling to compete on an international level because students do not spend enough time on academic subjects.
"How can we compete when 60 percent of the time in public schools is spent on things like sex education and sensitivity training?" she asked rhetorically.
Buchanan also discussed the recent sexual harassment suit filed against President Bill Clinton by a former Arkansas state employee.
"This has certainly been an interesting week in the city now known as Rodham and Gomorrah," Buchanan said of Washington, D.C.
Buchanan alluded to a possible presidential bid by her brother in 1996.
"I think Pat is a top-tier candidate for 1996," said Buchanan, who ran her brother's unsuccessful 1992 primary campaign.
Buchanan said Republicans should not assume the democrats will be easy to beat in 1996. "We could possibly wind up with a President Gore if we don't play our cards right," she said.
Buchanan's speech was sponsored by the Conservative Union at Dartmouth, the Programming Board, the McSpadden Public Issues Forum, Women in Politics, the Government department and the Student Assembly.
