The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, January 28, 2000, Page 3, Image 3
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Friday, January 28,2000 Page 3
Clinton proposes $350 billion tax cut
in his final State of the Union address
by Terence Hunt
Associated Press
Washington—President Clinton proposed a $350
billion tax cut and big spending increases for schools
and health care Thursday as he boasted of Ameri
ca’s unprecedented prosperity and challenged an
election-year Congress to “set great goals for our
country.”
Less than a year before leaving office, Clinton
was outlining his farewell agenda in his final State
of the Union address before a joint session of Con
gress. Many of his proposals were repackaged from
earlier years and, in some cases, resubmitted with
spending figures double or triple the original amount.
Republicans ridiculed Clinton’s proposals but
did not rule out working with him on such issues
as education and health care. “If we enacted all
the new programs the president has talked about,
we’d spend just about the entire surplus on bigger
and more expensive government,” said House Speak
er Dennis Hasten, R-Ill.
“Never before has our nation enjoyed, at once,
so much prosperity and social progress with so lit
tle internal crisis or so few external threats,” the
president said. “Never before have we had such a
blessed opportunity — and therefore such a pro
found obligation — to build the more perfect union
of our founders’ dreams.”
Excerpts of his speech were released in advance.
Clinton’s tax program includes marriage
penalty relief, tax deductions of up to $2,800 an
nually per family for college tuition and fees an The
president’s tax package joined a mix of proposals
uiged by Republicans and Democrats as both sides
battle for control of Congress and the White House.
Smarting from Clinton’s veto of their $792 billion
tax-cut package last year, House Republicans are
drafting their own version of educational tax breaks
and marriage penalty relief this year. Presidential
candidates have their own proposals, too.
Rep. Bill Archer, R-Texas, chairman of the Wfoys
and Means Committee, called Clinton’s tax cuts too
limited. “We think all Americans deserve tax relief,
not just the handful the president picks,” Archer
said.
The president’s tax package would cost $350 bil
lion over 10 years. However, his plan envisions cut
ting that price tag by $100 billion by closing tax
havens, shelters and loopholes. Congress has previ
ously rejected many of those ideas on grounds
they are tax increases.
Clinton said Theodore Roosevelt, at the dawn
of the last century, said it was crucial for a growing
nation to take the long look ahead. “Tonight, let
us take our long look ahead and set great goals for
our nation,” the president said.
There were no major foreign policy announce
ments, although Clinton uiged Congress to give Chi
na permanent normal trading relations with the Unit
ed States. He also asked for $ 1.6 billion for Colom
bia to fight narco-traffickers.
While urging higher spending and targeted tax
cuts, Clinton said, “We must not forsake the path
of fiscal discipline that got us here. We must make
these investments and tax cuts only in the context
of a balanced budget that strengthens and extends
the life of Social Security and pays down the na
tional debt.”
The booming economy and swelling tax rev
enues give Clinton and Republicans a big cushion
for any tax reductions or spending increases. Both
sides claim they are dedicated to protecting Social
Security and eliminating the national debt.
In the category of unfinished business, Clinton
urged an increase in the minimum wage, now $5.15
an hour, a patients’ bill of rights to strengthen con
sumers’ rights in health insurance programs, tougher
gun laws, an overhaul of campaign finance laws, hate
crimes legislation and another installment of his pro
gram to put 50,000 more police on the street, a fol
low-on to his 100,000 more cops program.
He called anew for Medicare to include a pre
scription drug benefit and to allow people as
young as 55 buy Medicare coverage — this time
with a 25 percent tax credit to make the cost more
manageable. “In good conscience,” Clinton said,
“we cannot let another year pass without extend
ing to all seniors the lifeline of affordable prescrip
tion drugs.”
To reinforce his appeal for tighter gun control,
Clinton invited Tom Mauser, father of slain
Columbine High School shooting victim Daniel
Mauser, as one of the guests in the VIP box with
Hillary Rodham Clinton.
To help developing countries, Clinton proposed
$1 billion in tax incentives for drug makers to de
velop vaccines for malaria, tuberculosis and
HIV/AIDS. The goal is to create a market for new
vaccines by providing $1 credit for every $1 spent
by certified organizations for vaccines distributed in
Africa and other poor countries.
A major part of the speech dealt with education,
a politically popular subject that has been a staple
of Clinton’s agenda throughout his presidency.
He proposed a $4.5 billion initiative to double
spending for after-school and summer school pro
grams and to expand the Head $tart program for
needy children to cover 950,000 kids. The president
also called for doubling money to turn around fail
ing schools and to increase spending by $450 mil
lion to hire more teachers to reduce class size.
His tax breaks for college would cost $30 bil
lion over lOyears. Another proposal would expand
the earned income tax credit for the working poor
by $21 billion. A tax credit for long-term care would
cost $27 billion.
More snow in the forecast
as North Carolina recovers
by Scott Mooneyham
Associated Press
RALEIGH, N.C.—Residents used to the sloppy cleanup
that comes after the wind and rain of hurricanes weren’t
prepared for the kind of paralysis brought by this week’s
record snowfall.
“It’s far worse than any hurricane we’ve had,”
said Moore County Manager David McNeill.
The storm swept up the East Coast from South Car
olina, dropping heavy snow that snarled roads and closed
schools and government offices. The weather was blamed
for deaths stemming from traffic accidents, exposure
and heart attacks while shoveling snow.
More bad weather may be on the way. Forecast
ers said it will likely be cold and wet in the Southeast
this weekend as a storm system arrives front the Plains,
where it was already creating problems today.
Up to 9 inches of snow had fallen in parts of Okla
homa by this morning. In northern Texas, “We’ve got
about an inch of ice on the roads and it’s been getting
worse,” Chad Richey of the Texas Department of Pub
lic Safety said.
Parts of North Carolina were still reeling from the
snow, which followed the battering the state got last
fall from Hurricane Floyd. While most places were al
most back to normal on Wednesday, Raleigh, which got
2 feet, was still digging out, as was Richmond, Va., which
got 11 inches.
The Raleigh-Durham International Airport remained
closed early today. Officials said they hoped to open
the airport this afternoon. Crews cleared about 20 inch
es of snow off the airport’s longest runway only to dis
cover 3 inches of ice.
In Washington, government workers headed back
to their offices for the first time since Monday. Thou
sands of commuters who wanted to avoid driving added
to hour-long delays in the city’s subway system.
The system was short about 100 cars from its nor
mal complement as crews worked to repair damage
caused by snow and ice melting on the cars’ undercar
riages, said spokeswoman Cheryl Johnson.
Raleigh Mayor Paul Coble described his city as still
“snowed under” by the surprise storm.
“The times we’ve been through hurricanes have
helped us prepare,” said Coble, marooned at home by
a broken foot and slick roads. “All this is a white hur
ricane.”
Hotel rooms were at a premium and supplies were
flying off shelves throughout the Carolinas and Geor
gia, where more than 113,000 customers were still with
out power early today.
In Geoigia, still showing the effects of a weekend
ice storm, the prospect of facing a few nights with no
electricity had people looking for hotel rooms on Su
per Bowl weekend.
“I’ve had several calls from people inquiring if we
have rooms large enough for their whole family,” said
Julie Feiguson, a clerk at the Comfort Suites in Du
luth.
In Virginia, transportation crews hoped to have
every road in the state plowed at least once by tonight.
Department spokesman Chuck Armstrong said all pri
mary roads and interstates were in good shape, but many
secondary roads were still covered.
Snow emergency plans were still in effect in Balti
more and several Maryland counties where up to 20
inches accumulated As in North Carolina, many schools
remained closed there for a third day.
More snow threatens in North Carolina
Pratik Patel College Press Exchange
More than a foot of snow fell Wednesday on the Duke University campus in
Durham, N.C. Cars across campus, like the one pictured in front of Duke
University Chapel, were buried under snow, as North Carolina endured its
largest snowstorm in 72 years. Snow also hit hard in Washington, D. C. and
Maryland, where up to 20 inches accumulated in some counties.
Following debate% McCain,
Busk tiptoe around abortion
by Laurie Kellman
Associated Press
Manchester, N.H. — Gov. Geotge W. Bush
i f and Sen. John McCain tiptoed around the abor
tion issue Thursday, with the Texas governor say
ing that “good people can disagree on that issue”
and the Arizona senator calling questions about
how his family would handle an unplanned preg
nancy “painful.”
Bush, by far the favorite among the GOP es
tablishment, logged another endorsement while
touring a defense technology plant. Jack Kemp,
the party ’s 1996 vice presidential nominee, called
Bush rival Steve Fortes a “good friend” but said,
“Governor Bush is the one who can inspire the
Congress, who can inspire the nation.”
Bush was philosophical about fiery criticism
from some of his conservative rivals on his abor
tion stance.
“Our party’s going to have that debate,” Bush
said at a Nashua Chamber of Commerce breakfast.
“What’s important is to have a candidate that can
unite the party.... As I said, good people can dis
Higree on that issue."
McCain said today that he would devote the
extra $1 trillion added to budget surplus projec
tions this week to paying down the national debt
by 2013. He had previously said any additional
tends might go to increase his proposed tax cut.
And Bush continued to focus on the tax-dut
issue, using one of McCain’s remarks during the
debate. “When he said his tax plan was similar to
President Clinton’s tax plan, it made it real clear
the difference of opinion on taxes,” said Bush, who
has repeatedly called McCain too timid in cutting
taxes.
Bush also took on a possible general election
foe, Vice President A1 Gore. In answer to a ques
tion, Bush said Gore can't decide whether to dis
tance himself from President Clinton or not.
“I think that’s going to send confusing signals
to the voters,” Bush said. “And I look forward
to, if I’m the nominee, debating the vice president
and talking about distancing and not distancing.”
McCain, on the other hand, argued that he was
in a better position to take on Gore for Democ
ratic fund-raising abuses in 1996 because Bush
“stands mute on campaign finance reform.”
“It’s much easier for me to attack Clinton and
Gore because I have the high ground,” McCain
said.
McCain also referred to the persistent ques
tioning Wednesday about what he would do if his
15-year-old daughter had an unwanted pregnancy.
McCain's answers, suggesting he might allow his
daughter, Meghan, to have an abortion, drew fire
during the GOP debate Wednesday night. “You
can’t get angry” about such questions, McGiin
said. v
Bradley takes confrontational
tone as primary race heats up
JL tj
by Mike Glover
Associated Press
Manchester, N.H. — Democrat Bill Bradley,
declaring he’d “had it,” said Thursday he would
stick with the more confrontational stance he took
with rival A1 Gore in the final debate before the
New Hampshire presidential primary.
In the bristling campaign debate Wednesday
night, Bradley accused Gore of campaign dishon
esty and flip-flops on abortion. The vice president
retorted that Bradley was responsible for dragging
the campaign into the mud.
Today, Bradley said at a frigid outdoor rally that
“it’s a fresh start” for the campaign with only days
before New Hampshire’s leadoff primary. “Last
night I decided I’d had it,” he said. “We’re going
to call my opponent on what he’s been doing.”
The former New Jersey senator said he was tired
of what he saw as campaign distortions by Gore and
would aggressively underscore those differences in
the final days before the voting.
Gore also was forced to defend his voting record
on abortion today. He was appearing on a New
Hampshire public radio call-in show when a woman
who identified herself as “Sara” accused him of ly
ing about his abortion record in the debate. “I don’t
know how I can support your candidacy if you’re
so dishonest on national TV,” she said.
Gore replied, “I have always supported Roe vs.
Wade. I have always supported keeping abortion
legal. And it’s true, early in my career I voted to
M.
restrict the use of federal funding in some cir
cumstances, but over the years I’ve come to the
view that federal funding ought to be available.”
On Monday night, Gore argued that Bradley
had lowered the tenor of the campaign. That was
after Bradley fired the first salvo, accusing Gore of
inconsistency on abortion rights.
“All I can say is it’s politics as usual,” Bradley
said of Gore. “It’s 1,000 promises and 1,000 at
tacks. A promise to every special interest group and
attack, attack, attack.”
Gore said Bradley has been forced to apologize
for his campaign attacks. “Look, Bill, we’ve had
some healed disagreements in this campaign but
let’s keep it to the substance of the issues. I haven’t
accused you of lying, ” Gore said Wednesday night.
“The people out there are tired of that.” .
Bradley accused Gore of knowingly distorting
the record, thus raising questions about character.
Gore chaiged that Bradley is the one on the attack.
“Why should we believe you will tell then truth
as president if you won’t tell the truth as a candi
date?” Bradley said. Gore labeled that “a nega
tive personal attack” and noted that Bradley has
pledged a higher standard.
“So if you’re going to talk about a higher
standard, you’re going to have to live by them,”
said Gore.
The combative exchanges reflect polling that
shows a competitive race between the two in New
Hampshire.
News Briefs
■ Burger King recalls
Pokemon toys
Indianapolis (AP) — The Consumer
Product Safety Commission today issued
its second nationwide alert in a month af
ter a 4-month-old Indianapolis boy suf
focated in his crib on a Buiger King Poke
mon ball.
Zachary Jones is the second infant na
tionwide to suffocate on one of the “Poke
Balls,” a hollow red-and-white plastic toy
about the size of a tennis ball that opens
into two halves. Zachary suffocated Tues
jlay after half of toy’s ball-shaped con
tainer lodged over his mouth and nose.
“This is a danger parents wouldn’t
even imagine because these balls look in- '
nocent enough, but they can be deadly if
they get stuck over a child’s face,” safe
ty commission spokesman Russ Rader
said Wednesday.
Millions of the toys were handed out
with Buiger King children’s meals late
last year. The packaging contained no
warnings and described them as “safety
tested and recommended for all ages.”
■ Congressman
leaves Democrats
Washington (AP) — House Republi
cans on Thursday celebrated the addition
offormer Democratic Rep. Virgil Goode
of Virginia to their policy-making cau
cus, putting a small crimp in the Demo
cratic drive to recapture the House.
Goode, 53, a conservative who has
frequently voted with the Republicans,
announced on Monday that he was leav
ing the Democratic Party to become an
independent. He stressed Thursday that
he will run as an independent but will
join the House Republican conference
and would vote for current Speaker Den
nis Hasten, R-Dl., over Democratic leader
Dick Gephardt of Missouri in the next
vote for House speaker.
Republicans awarded Goode’s
move by assigning him a seat on the
Appropriations Committee, which de
cides how federal money will be spent.
“You’ve been one of us all along,”
said the committee chairman, Rep. Bill
Young, R-Fla.
■ Annan appoints
head of U.N. weapons
inspection team
United Nations (AP) — Secretary
General Kofi Annan officially appointed
Hans Blix to head the new U.N. weapons
inspection team on Thursday, a day after
the Security Council gave its informal
approval to the Swede.
In a statement, Annan said he had re
ceived the council’s formal approval in
a letter Thursday and that he expected
Blix to start his new post as soon as pos
sible. Blix was traveling in Antarctica but
was expected back in Stockholm in the
first week of February.
The retired chief of the U.N. nuclear
watchdog agency has a near-thankless job
ahead of him as executive chairmen of
the U.N. Monitoring, Verification and In
spection Commission.
The new agency, known by its
acronym UNMOVIC, was created by the
Security Council in December to replace
the first weapons inspection agency for
Iraq, the U.N. Special Commission.
The commission pulled out of Iraq ahead
of U.S. and British airstrikes in Decem
ber 1998 and was barred from returning.
■ Students honor
classmates killed in
Seton Hall dorm fire
South Orange, N.J. '{AP)—Thou
sands of Seton Hall University students
and relatives paid their respects Thurs
day to three 18-year-old freshmen
“snatched away” in a dormitory fire last
week.
The skirl of bagpipes could be heard
as the mourners, many wearing lapel rib
bons in the school’s blue and white col
ors, entered the gymnasium a short walk
from Boland Hall, where the fire hap
pened.
Monsignor Robert Sheeran, Seton
Hall’s president, repeatedly invoked
the names of Frank S. Caltabilota Jr. of
West Long Branch, John Giunta of
Vineland and Aaron Karol of Green
Brook, who died in the pre-dawn fire Jan.
19.
“Just as we were getting to know
them, they were snatched away,” Sheer
an said. “It seems too sudden an ending,
too swift a close. The story had hardly
started, and it was over. We want so much
to call them back, to tell them what they
meant to us, to tell them how much we
love them.” v