European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 19, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Friday May 19, 1989 the stars and stripes Page 7 a Hospital spending Compromise fails Washington not under pressure from veterans groups House democratic leaders scrambled unsuccessfully wednesday to find a Compro Mise on an emergency spending Bill that includes Money needed to maintain medical services at the veterans administration s hospitals and clinics. Democrats have been fighting among themselves and with republicans for nearly three weeks Over what should be included in the emergency spending measure which will allot extra Money to programs that have run out of funds sooner than expected. While there is no argument about pro Viding the additional Money for Veter ans medical care lawmakers have been unable to agree on what other programs should be financed and where the Money should come from. Edward j. Derwinski. Secretary of vet Erans affairs has told Congress that if the Money is not forthcoming soon care at 172 a hospitals and 220 outpatient clinics will begin to suffer. Lawmakers have become increasingly agitated at the Prospect of having to con front angry veterans when they return to their districts for the upcoming memorial Day recess. President Bush proposed a $2.6 billion spending emergency Bill but the House appropriations committee recommended a s4.7 billion measure that would add Money for subsidized hous ing payments to japanese americans in turned in world War ii and Money for anti drug efforts. Last month the House rejected at tempts by the leadership to offset those increases with cuts in other programs forcing congressmen Back to the drawing Board where they have been Ever since. The Back room haggling spilled Over to the House floor wednesday As one Republican after another Rose to com Plain about a crisis in veterans medical care and demand action on the emergency Bill. As they spoke. House majority Leader Thomas s. Foley d-wash., conducted an Impromptu bargaining session hop ing to persuade the republicans to accept a plan that would use unspent Money in this year s military budget Topay for he additional anti drug efforts. The negotiations proved fruitless and the House adjourned without taking action. But democratic leaders said they were confident that the dispute will be re solved next week. Rep. Neal Smith a Iowa who Heads a subcommittee of the appropriations committee that has jurisdiction Over Law enforcement programs has been pressing for the additional anti drug Money. Republicans on the panel contend that drug programs already have More Money than can be spent in the remainder of the current fiscal year which ends sept. 30, and that Smith is simply trying to get extra Money now so that he can avoid a budget squeeze in 1990. But rep. Tony Coelho of California House democratic whip said that additional Money is needed for Law enforce ment programs to combat drugs and that democrats Are simply trying to carry out the president s own proposal for stronger anti crime efforts. Too Apache copters damaged repairs May Cost $500 million Killeen Texas a a weekend storm that damaged More than half of the 190 Apache tank killer helicopters at fort Hood could wind up costing hundreds of millions of dollars lawmakers said. Rep. John p. Murtha d-pa., chairman of the House defense appropriations committee said after touring the base that the damage could be As much As $500 million. Officials at fort Hood said their first inspections could not determine How Many of the $13.4 million helicopters were affected by saturday s powerful storm. The Apache one of the army s most Modem Heli copters is designed to take on tanks. It can carry 16 laser homing hellfire missiles or 76 rockets and has a 30mm machine gun that can fire various kinds of am munition. The howling thunderstorms and 95 Mph winds also damaged two Public schools family housing Barracks and other equipment. Sen. John Mccain. R-anz., told Phoenix radio Sta Tion kfy1 there were indications that More than 100 ah-64 Apache helicopters out of the 190 on the base were damaged. Of those about 35 will require extensive main  he said from his Washington office. He said it would be some months before those helicopters would be ready to return to service if at  fort Hood is Home to the Apache training Bri Gade. The damage forced the base to downgrade its state of aviation readiness said army chief of staff Gen. Carl e. Vuono. We have flown in a number of teams to make a detailed technical assessment Vuono said. They will decide which aircraft can be repaired on site and which will have to be taken to a depot for  the storms knocked Over Many of the helicopters and Bent or broke Rotor Blades said base spokeswoman Liz Crossan. She could not say whether any of the aircraft were destroyed or How much of the Fleet was damaged. Crossan said it was impossible to say How Many helicopters were damaged until inspection teams examine each one because some damage might not be immediately visible. It was not known How Long the inspections would take she said. Rep. Marvin Leath a Texas who also toured the base put the damage at several Hundred Mil lion dollars. The Good news is that no one was killed he said. Stu Dodge a vice president of Apache programs at Mcdonnell Douglas helicopter co. In Mesa ariz., said his company was awaiting an army damage report before taking any action. Mcdonnell Douglas has delivered about 460 apaches on a contract which called for 975. Presi Dent Bush said last month in unveiling his defense cuts that the army now wants 807, 168 fewer. The cutback would trim Apache production from 10 a month to six a month beginning in june 1990. Mcdonnell Douglas announced May 2 that it would Lay off this month 450 temporary and regu Lar employees 355 at Mesa and 95 at its Plant in Culver City calif., and the same number next year because of the cutback. Faa seeking to suspend pilots found guilty of Drunken driving Washington a the Federal aviation administration wants the Power to ground pilots who arc flying air planes after having their motor vehicle licenses suspended or revoked for Drunken driving. More than 10,000 licensed pilots have Drunken driving records but officials said they had not determined How Many might be affected. The Faa announced last month that it was cracking Down on More than 1,000 pilots who had failed to report Drunken driving actions. Under a proposed Rule published in thursday s fed eral Register the Faa could deny an application or suspend a Pilot s certificate if the individual s License i revoked or suspended for an offence involving alcohol or drugs twice within three years. The proposal follows concerns raised by the nation Al transportation safety Board Over pilots who were allowed to Fly even though their automobile Driver s licenses were suspended for Drunken driving. The Board has raised similar concerns Over ship captains and others not under Faa jurisdiction. The Faa Rule would require that pilots report any alcohol or drug related convictions or administrative action that occurred within a three year period before the Rule took effect. Failure to report subsequent actions within 60 Days after they occur would be grounds for losing a Pilot s License the Rule would become final later this year if it passes a Public comment period and further analysis by Faa lawyers said Agency spokeswoman Joann  a 1987 comparison of Faa medical records with the National Driver Register the Agency found that Driver s licenses of 10,300 of the More than 700,000 Active pilots had been suspended or revoked in the preceding seven years for Drunken driving. More than three fourths of those did not report the convictions to the Faa when applying for a medical certificate to Fly although such a report is required the Agency said. The new Rule also would cause a Pilot s medical certificate to expire 61 Days after a single Drunken driving conviction and require reapplication with proof that the Pilot was enrolled in an alcohol treat ment program. Both a medical certificate and a Pilot s certificate arc required to Fly. Carter gains new respect Washington not the Slock of presidents goes up and Down and in an information age changes in standing can even be orchestrated. Richard Nixon for example has spent years at the painstaking work of restoring his image with a series of books and press interviews of Fering a running commentary on the state of the world. Now movement in the ranking of Jimmy car Ter is Asdhig a new wrinkle to the process of revisionism. No one is dealing out plaudits for the Carter presidency. While its reputation does not have to overcome anything quite like watergate the twin burdens of economic problems and the Iran hos Tage crisis have dominated Public perceptions of car Ter s time in office. But Jimmy Carter the Man is emerging As the Best former president. Like Many things in politics his re legitimation is linked to an event his Public role in assessing the panamanian election and finding Gen. Manuel Antonio no Riega wanting. Peter Jennings declared on Abc s world news tonight that after Carter s rejection by the voters he had continued his life with distinction considerable Grace and with a very Strong commitment to peace and  Richard Cohen the Washington Post columnist wrote that Carter was our Best sex president having Force akan the Well paying speech and corporate Board circuit in favor of selfless and dignified work More befitting a former president. In a Telephone interview Carter said the explanation for the change was quite simple presi Dent Bush has been far More considerate of him and far More interested in his advice than for Mer president Reagan Ever was. It s a totally different attitude to the presi Dency Carter said adding that Reagan consid ered everything that happened was either my fault or Ford s fault or Nixon s fault or Congress fault or some foreigners i had to grit my Teeth for eight years and take it most of the time in silence Carter said. But he said he tried not to let his get to him. What is said about me in the White House is not the deciding Factor in whether i feel Good or not he said. There Are other things that Are More  besides an apparent economic and military recovery under Reagan the contrast Between Carter s introspective seriousness and his Succes Sor s Breezy self Confidence was a source of car Ter s decline said Leo Ribuffo a professor of history at George Washington University who is writing a Book on the Carter presidency