European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 18, 1977, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 4 the stars and stripes sunday september 18, 1977 panel oks social Security tax boost Washington up the Senate finance committee tentatively completing a plan to Shore up the social Security system Friday approved a hefty payroll tax increase on employers and a smaller but gradually growing tax increase on workers. The committee approved Only one Bene fit increase allowing retired persons be tween 65 and 72 to earn up to $4,500 in 1978 and $6,000 in 1979 before losing benefits. The 1977 limit is $3,000. Quickly rejected was any plan to include Federal workers under social Security or president Carter s plan to use general Rev Enue funds for the social Security Trust fund. The committee which was scheduled to give its final approval to the plan monday made it Clear that it Felt the social Security Trust fund must be rescued by payroll taxes alone. Here Are the tax increases agreed to by the committee employers but not workers would pay taxes on the first $100,000 of income in 1979. Under current Law both employer and employee pay taxes on the same amount of income $16,500 this year with gradual increases already scheduled each year. The wage base for workers would Rise by $600 More than already scheduled in 1979, 1981, 1983 and 1985. This Means that the base would increase to $17.700 in 1978, $j9,500 in 1979. $21.000 in 1980, $23,100 in 1981, $24,600 in 1982, $26.700 in 1983, $28,200 in 1984, $30.300 in 1985. $32,100 in 1986 and $33,900 in 1987. The tax rate on both worker and employer 5.85 per cent this year and scheduled to go to 6.05 next year would increase by an additional 0.085 per cent in 1979 to pay for the increase in allowable outside income during retirement and by an additional 0.1 per cent in 1981. Scaled Down version this Means that counting increases Al ready scheduled a worker who paid $58.50in payroll taxes for each $1,000 of income this year would pay $60.50 next year $61.35 in 1979, $65.85 in 1981, $68.85 in 1985, $70.35 in 1986, $76.50 in 1990, $81.50 in 1995, $86 in 2001 and $90.05 in 2011. The tax rate for self employed per sons would be 1.5 per cent of that for employed persons beginning in 1981. This would be an increase. In addition All future retirees would receive less than they might have expected under a quirk in current Law. Rather than adjusting the formula for calculating benefits to account for inflation which would have sent benefits sky rocketing in later years the committee would increase each worker s wage base according to the average increase in Al wages. This change called decoupling is expected to take care of half the system s future financial problems. Navy pushes commo setup for submarines laundering Money Robin Gillam a bookkeeper at the country club Bank in Kansas City mo., uses an Iron to dry off $100 Bills which got Damp even though they were stored in vaults during the recent flooding which hit the area. Up photo Washington up citing a min Imal to nonexistent environmental threat the Navy has gone on record with a proposal for a scaled Down version of its controversial seafarer communications system. The latest seafarer plan would set up an underground Antenna in Michigan and link it with an existing site in Wisconsin establishing a system to communicate with deeply submerged submarines with extreme Low frequency radio signals. Officials of both states which Are opposed to having the system on their territory on grounds it could create health and environmental hazards have already said the plan is unacceptable. President Carter s presidential Campaign organization pledged last year that the system would not be installed against the states wishes. The Navy Friday published details of the latest version in a supplement to the previously. Published environmental Impact statement for seafarer. Under the scaled Down plan the Navy would install about 130 Miles of Cable in the Michigan transmitter and link it either by commercial wire or radio to a test site at blood pressure control credited . Death rate again hits a Low new York up americans adept at controlling High blood pressure in 1976 helped to give the nation its lowest recent Overall death rate for the second year in a Row. Distinguished heart surgeon or. Michael e. Debakey said in a report released saturday. The death rate from All causes dropped from 9.4 per thousand in 1973, when a National blood pressure education Campaign began to 8.9 in 1975 and 1976. About 290,000 persons Are alive today be cause they Learned to control their High blood pressure a leading cause of fatal heart attacks and strokes according to de Bakey chairman of citizens for the treat ment of High blood pressure. The saving of these lives. Is one of the great feats in the history of preventive Medicine in this country in the last 32years," Debakey said. Debakey also president of Baylor col lege of Medicine in Houston credited Public education campaigns that alerted both laymen and doctors to the dangers of High blood pressure. High blood pressure can usually be con trolled largely through diet and Medica Tion. That has been the Gist of the Public education Campaign launched by the National heart lung and blood Institute in 1973. The saving of lives that would have been lost to heart disease and strokes is a feat unmatched since the introduction of Peni Cillin in the 1940s, according to Debakey. In 1946, the year after penicillin was introduced and distributed to hospitals the nation s death rate dropped suddenly to 10.0 per thousand from the 1945 rate of 10.6. Debakey bases his estimate of lives saved on an analysis of figures published by the National Center for health Statis tics in its monthly vital statistics reports. He figured this Way a 7 per cent drop in the heart disease death rate from 326.0 per Hundred thou Sand in 1973 to 302.8 in 1976 represented a saving of 34,879 lives from heart disease in 1974 and 76,040 in 1975, and 88,466 in 1976. A 14 per cent Cut in the death rate from stroke which was 102.1 in 1973 and declined to 88.2 in 1976, represented a fur ther saving of 12,562 lives in 1974 and 32, 912 in 1975 and 44,459 in 1976. The Large number of lives saved in such a Short time through preventive measures is indeed a great accomplish ment Debakey said. Apart from the humanitarian aspects the saving of Money for treatment and hos Pital care will mean More Money available for better care of those people who do suffer heart attacks and  in spite of advances however heart Dis eases and stroke still remain the leading cause of death in the . Today account ing for 51 per cent of deaths from All causes. Heart disease represents 38 per cent of All deaths strokes 10 per cent and All other cardiovascular disease 3 per cent. Medical authorities estimate 24 million americans have High blood pressure and half of these Are unaware of the fact. High blood pressure is a Factor in 68 per cent of All first heart attacks and 75 per cent of All first strokes. Clam Lake wis., which has two 14-mile antennas in an a p pattern. The Navy said the wire link would be the most desirable for test purposes. Adverse environmental influences expected from coordinating the activities of the existing Wisconsin test facility and those of the proposed Michigan test facility Are minimal to nonexistent the Navy said. The statement described the course de sired by the states As the do nothing alternative and said this could Harry future . Capability to communicate with sub marines. The original plan called for some 2,400 Miles of cables in Michigan. The Navy noted this Type of facility is undesirable to some  it said the smaller system May be feasible but tests must be conducted to avoid substantial technical operational and economic risk in building it. Pair awarded $55, 000 in baby s death Miami a a Federal judge has awarded $55,000 to a couple whose baby died on delivery at an air Force Hospital that failed to provide adequate care to the Mother. . District court judge c. Clyde Atkins on Friday awarded $50,000 to the Mother Michele Pope for damages done to her and $5,000 to the father army sgt. James m. Pope. Atkins said he was not setting a value on the life of the unborn  the air Force which admitted it was negligent in treating the Mother at Home Stead air Force base had offered a $15,000 settlement. The Popes said that was not enough for the emotional damage of the death and subsequent breakup of their marriage. A a Jessica Marie after the Mother entered the base Hospital Over the veterans Day weekend in 1975 and the limited staff failed to follow proper prenatal procedures. The air Force con ceded the baby was alive and Well in the