GOVERNMENT

Bush: Tougher Gum Control Not The Answer

WASHINGTON (CAP) - In the wake of a rash of school detentions due to chewing gum infractions, President Bush is urging Congress not to "play that assorted [sic] game of partisan politics." He said Democrats and Republicans alike need to realize that tougher gum control is not the answer.

"Listen, we've all stuck our hands under the desk at some point and it isn't too pleasant," Bush said. "But that doesn't mean we should tamper with the Second Amendment of the Constitution of the United States."

Recently, Democratic lawmakers have lobbied extensively for new gum control legislation, saying that burden should rest with lawmakers and not school administrators. They cite statistics that show that by the time a student enters 10th grade, he or she knows no less than six people who chew gum on the school grounds, and 75% admit to having done so themselves.

"How many of our children must step in carelessly discarded gum before we take measures to protect them," said Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA). "Situations like that are enabled by the unparalleled ease with which people procure chewing gum in this country."

A bill has already been introduced in the House that would restrict children under 16 from "wadding up," or chewing more than three pieces of gum at a time. The bill also makes it a misdemeanor to partake in ABC gum without parental consent.

"Listen, you take gum out of the hands of our children, and our children's hands won't have any gum," said Bush. "And if you don't have gum, you don't have long lasting bubbles that won't stick to your face."

Public support for stricter gum laws has been declining since the 1990s, according to the Gallup Poll. In January 2007, only three out of five dentists surveyed supported stricter gum laws, down from the usual four out of five for the first time since at least 1990.