Weicker Attacks Party Gov't

American government suffers from a "monopolistic" two-party system and would benefit from greater participation by independent candidates, former Connecticut Governor Lowell Peicker Jr. said in a speech at the Institute of Politics last night.

"Why does anybody think that a political monopoly is going to have any different result than an economic monopoly?" he asked the audience at the Kennedy School of Government's ARCO Forum.

Weicker, who as an independent served as Connecticut's governor from 1990 to 1994, called for reforming campaign finance and ballot access laws to facilitate independent campaigns and to encourage "free enterprise" in government. "I can't think of anything more American," he said.

Weicker said he sees Senator Bill Bradley (D-N.J.) and retired General Colin L. Powell as possible independent presidential candidates in 1996. The former governor said he himself will most likely not run for president, however, citing his 32 years in politics and the detrimental effects of a political career on family life.

"There is no doubt about the fact that I'm the right man for the job. But I'm not the right man at the right time," Weicker said.

While making clear that his presentation was not a campaign speech, Weicker expressed his position on several political questions.

On the issue of gun control, he differentiated between guns used by hunters like himself, and handguns, which he said are only used for assault purposes.

"I think the time has come to address the problem in terms of a handgun whose only purpose is to kill another human being," he said.

Weicker also stated his opposition to term limits for politicians. "Why do I want my power as a citizen of the United States diminished in terms of who I can choose?" he asked.

Taking issue with Congress' funding cuts for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Weicker stressed the importance of scientific and medical research.

"You don't cut the budget of the NIH, which is cure rather than care," he said. "You double those budgets."

Weicker criticized politicians of both parties who propose "soft landings" instead of confronting their constituents with unpopular but necessary solutions to problems.

"You don't kid reality," he said. "If it's a tough problem, it's going to be a tough solution."