European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - March 8, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 columns the stars and stripes Leon Daniel conditional pledge a new Way to say when defense Secretary designate John Tower has not yet embraced Teeto Lalim it s Only fair to Point out thai he look the pledge conditionally. The president s embattled nominee promised us again an National television thai although he does t have a drinking problem he will swear off alcohol any Way but not Utill he gels the Penta gon s top Job. Taking the pledge used to mean swear ing solemnly and formally to abstain for Ever from intoxicating Dunk. Now such vows have become conditional and can be employed for varied purposes ranging from stopping smoking to dieting. Reporters asked Tower last week if he had slopped drinking not anti rely he admitted. I still have a Glass of wine in the evening with dinner although it s nol on a daily  but the Lough Little texan made it Clear to the reporters that when under stress in times of crisis working against deadlines Don t drink at  reporters known to take a nip when a deadline is bearing Down on them like a freight train May not have been in pc Sun with such professed resolve after All some senators weren t con Vinced Tower does t have a booze prob Lem just because he told them i m a Man of some  a careful Reading of the transcript Dis closes Hal Tower promised to eschew Only beverage alcohol which his critics Kin Noil waggish by seems to exclude Nih Bing alcohol,.cooking wine and Vanilla extract. Conrad bums the new Republican sen Ator from Montana who is trying to upgrade his image Jock he conditional pledge  Heights recently when he vowed ill never take a Chew under he Capitol dome some. Of Burns constituents Don t think his Down Home we is dignified enough for a \ a. Senator. Crumbled an editorial in the Billings Gazette Montana s largest newspaper thanks Conrad thanks for telling the world what Hicks we Art in this  and a  chronicle editorial George f. Will one shot too Many mincing no words charged the former broadcaster is making us look like  in Burns gels pm cd on Back Home for biting off a chaw of tobacco in his Capitol Hill office or picking his Teeth with his Pocky knife the Happy Hay seed s problems Pale in comparison to Tower s troubles. Branded a Womanizer by the dowsers Tower is dogged by he Media. A Washington gossip columnist relying i Anonymous eavesdropper even saw report a playful mildly Lustful Andon unfit to private remark by Tower to his woman companion in a hotel dining room but Tower pointing out that he is single has made it Clear he does t plan to take the pledge conditionally or otherwise against the company of women. Sven it came to taking toe pledge against cigarettes drug Czar designate William Dennett asked no Quarter he simply told the world he was going to Stop smoking and after 141 hour without a cigarette announced he Lead kicked bulls torn scr. Percsi Donl Bush has made an Art for of the conditional pledge. When  him if he plans to raise taxes he invites them to read his lips. La s Tough to gel a Promise on the re Cord that you can t even pick up with tape recorder social Security surplus can solve deficit problem what a mismatch. The. Democratic minority on the National economic commission met the Republican majority in a thinking contest the result should mortify republicans who read the Rusulis Vtha Power of the democratic report is increased by the contrast with the til in pedestrian almost perfunctory Republican report. Hut the party line division obscures significant agreements neither Side look the deficit whale Chi in " View advocated by those who say better Book keeping turns the deficit into something benign. Nei ther Side is of the school that Sayi the deficit exists outdo fun l Mailer and amazingly and splendidly both sides agree that the task is not merely to balance the budget hut to run a Tubman Fiji surplus for Many years. The republicans allowing the virtue of loyalty to require the vice of Iluigi. Ice the party line. They say that with $82 Hii Hoit in it w revenues anticipated in fiscal 1990. Spending restraint without Tan increases 4 will suffice to balance the budget hut then there is this remarkable Republican commitment we support the enactment of Ign Lazion to establish deficit or surplus targets whose purpose Noud be to eliminate gradually the non social Security  the commission came to a consensus far More significant than All its disagreements. The democrats Saj the surplus goals arc readily Indelli liable they. Should by approximately equal to inc combined sur pluses of he social Security Trust fund the non social Secu oly deficit is what the budget deficit would be were it nol now masked by the Trust fund surpluses which today Are approximately s60 billion and arc growing by $1 billion d week. How do the republicans propose to hit the surplus targets they endorse while their parly is tirelessly inflaming the nation s tax phobia to the republicans grammy award winning pop music Economy policy Don t worry. Be Happy the democrats respond that optimism is no substitute for  the nation Niceas a decades Long program to Deal Wilh what is by now a Decd is old decline of economic vigor. From colonial times to the 1960s, say the democrats balanced budget was the Norm deficits were produced primarily by wan and the National debt generally was reduced . In 108 of the last 200 years the budget was in surplus. But in lit peaceful Reagan Yean the National debt increased Al most As much in constant dollars As it did during world War ii even the much maligned by conservatives Kernc Siah doctrine holds that in times like these sustained growth and near full employment and capacity the budget should be in surplus nol counting the Trust funds. One consequence of huge deficits in a country Wilh a Small saying Pool is  consequence of that is economic anaemia. In 1373 something in american or is it still happened. Median family income stopped growing and began declining. Only in 1987 did it reach the 1973 level. Nothing like that had happened Here before 14 years when family income was Baciow the previous High. This 1ias been called the quiet  it coincided with meager growth of productivity and the Hood of baby Boomers into the labor Market. As the democratic report says. The unprecedented size of this cohort had Given the impression of unprecedented Power and influences. It had its own political musical and commercial culture during its adolescence and Early adulthood when it stormed or frolicked through various institutions of tie social order. Now it found itself in a notably unsentimental much Jess indulgent institution,.namely1 the labor  the baby Boomers were a glut depressing the Price of their services. Today the hourly pay measured in . Doharis for production workers in Japan West Germany Italy and France higher than for . Workers. Today s nearly full employment is partly a result of demographics inc baby bust after inc baby Boom and partly a result of Tow investment the democrats argue that in Japan robots Are doing tasks still assigned in America to workers. S the democrats on the commission argue an the republicans seem to agree that inc social Security surplus should be used to retire the Federal debt there by freeing trillions of dollars for productive invest ment this could make american capitalism what it i has not recently been a system of Strong productivity growth. If the debate about the deficit can begin anew from that consensus the commission will have been a historic sic Cess _ _