FROM THE ARCHIVES: Nethercutt's question: If Foley's so powerful, why the drawdown?

FROM THE ARCHIVES: This story originally appeared in the Tribune on Oct. 23, 1994. Nethercutt ended up beating Thomas Foley in the November 1994 election, ending Foley's tenure as speaker of the House.

Republican George Nethercutt said Saturday he doesn't favor drawdowns aimed at helping endangered salmon runs in the Northwest.

The comment came after a speech to more than 100 people. The crowd welcomed Nethercutt with a standing ovation in the Clarkston High School lecture room.

Nethercutt said his opponent, House Speaker Thomas Foley, D-Wash., hasn't been effective in stopping draw downs. ''He came in after the fact,'' Nethercutt said. ''... If he has all the power why did it happen in the first place?''

Foley and Nethercutt are seeking a seat in the House of Representatives in Washington's Fifth District.

Nethercutt favors doing a cost analysis of animals covered by the endangered species act including salmon to see if it makes sense for them to continue to receive protection.

''There ought to be term limits for endangered species,'' Nethercutt joked.

Foley is responsible for a long list of federal regulations that create inconveniences for everyone including farmers and small business owners, Nethercutt said. Nethercutt promised to help both groups.

If elected, Nethercutt said he would seek a seat on the Agriculture Committee so he can help shape the 1995 Farm Bill.

As owner of a small law firm, Nethercutt said he understood the frustrations of small business owners.

Nethercutt recently received an endorsement from the National Federation of Independent Business.

Environmental regulations should target those who are breaking the law, not the general public, Nethercutt said. ''I pledge to do less, but I think that less is more.''

Since Foley has been in office, the government has spent $3.6 trillion on welfare, Nethercutt said. The number of people dependent on the program has increased by a similar proportion.

Nethercutt said he favors legislation that encourages personal responsibility and local control.

While Nethercutt supports reducing federal spending, he said that Foley's commercials inaccurately portray how he would achieve that.

Nethercutt said he doesn't want to make huge cuts in Social Security. Instead he would change how federal agencies create budgets.

Typically the agencies start with the existing budget and add a percentage increase.

In some agencies, employees get to the end of the year and rush to spend all that's left in the budget so they can justify asking for at least the same amount again, Nethercutt said. The Congress should force the agencies to justify every budget item.

The federal government needs to focus on its primary missions such as maintaining the highway system and the national defense, Nethercutt said

Midnight basketball and the National Endowment for the Humanities are two examples of programs that belong in the hands of communities and not the federal government, Nethercutt said.

The U.S. Department of Education could be cut substantially, Nethercutt said.

Nethercutt said he doesn't favor the reversal of Roe vs. Wade, the Supreme Court Decision that made abortion legal.

However, he said he believes the number of abortions is too high and doesn't support using government money to pay for abortion.