European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 02, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 4 the stars and stripes Friday june 2,1989 anti Drunken driving plan attacked critics say Koop s proposal May increase drinking Washington a surgeon general c. Ever cell Koop s sweeping proposals to curb Drunken driving brought Sharp criticism thursday from the restaurant and alcoholic beverage industries which say they were intentionally left off a panel that drafted them. This report contains a few Good recommendations and Many that arc both misdirected and destructive said Harris Rusitzky president of the National restau rant association. Koop on wednesday asked for a ban on some Alco hol promotion and advertising he says is aimed at youths. In one of his last official acts before leaving office july 13, Koop also called for higher taxes on liquor tougher state Laws and enforcement against Drunken driving and far reaching voluntary action by the Industry. Rusit by whose organization represents 100,000 establishments said a majority of Koop s recommendations were designed to reduce the availability of alcoholic beverages to responsible drinkers. The major thrust of the report if implemented could actually make the problem worse said Gerald e. Murphy director of the National licensed beverage association which Calls itself a voice for half a million bars and taverns. Murphy said Koop s proposed restrictions on Alco hol distribution new taxes and other proposals would Force the closing of thousands of neighbourhood Tav erns. This will not Lead to less drinking. It will Lead to less supervised drinking he said. James c. Sanders Siead of the Beer Institute which represents breweries said Koop s proposals fail to con Sider that Drunken driving deaths have dropped 17 percent Over the past five years with teen age Drunken driving fatalities Down by nearly one third. He said Many of Koop s suggestions will either not work or impinge on the right of free speech by restrict ing product advertising and marketing. Several indu suy representatives criticized Koop for not inviting them to participate on the panel in do surgeon general c. Everett Koop com bar that Drew up his recommendations. It included experts from five Federal agencies and scores of Doc tors lawyers and anti alcohol campaigners. Advertis ing groups were invited but declined to participate. Surgeon general Koop has endorsed a drastic series of proposals that would dramatically increase the level of government intrusion into our private lives without a significant effect on the alcohol abuse prob Lem said Stephen Lambright vice president of an Heuser Busch companies. Anh Cusco Busch s spuds Mac Kunzic ads for Bud Lite Beer were one target of Koop s complaints about the Industry Koop did not draw a Clear line Between what action should be imposed and what should be voluntary but said his proposals stress voluntary compliance. Nonetheless representatives of the alcoholic Bever age Industry interpreted the Broad program As an infringement. Koop adopted several proposals from scores presented Ian report by the december workshop. Among other recommendations he endorsed a decrease in the amount of blood alcohol Content at which it is illegal to drive from  percent to 0.04 percent by the year 2000, instant confiscation of Drivers licenses anti Drunken driving programs and funding of safety and health ads to match alcohol ads. Forty percent of All deaths Between the Ages of 15 and 20 Are the result of motor vehicle accidents and half of All crashes arc linked to alcohol abuse Accord ing to Federal statistics. Nearly 25,000 people died in alcohol related traffic accidents in the United states last year. Koop singled out the spuds Mackenzie dog ads and Miller Lite s Beach party ads As promotions designed to Appeal to Young people who he said Are More Likely to die in a Drunken driving Accident than from any other cause. Pointing to a display of the Bud and Miller ads Koop said these practices. Tell youth that alcohol consumption leads to athletic social and sexual Suc  Lambright said spuds Mac Kunzic has been used extensively to promote responsible drinking. He said Beer prices would double under Koop s proposals. In addition to the formal proposals Koop also asked for an end to Happy hours and other Price cutting promotions. These actions May not make people As Happy As Happy hours do but they will help keep them alive Koop said. New rules to Crock Down on school Loon defaults Washington a education Secretary Lauro Cavazos thursday unveiled strict new regulations designed to crack Down on schools that arc turning out Large numbers of delinquent borrow ers and contributing to a rising Burden for taxpayers. Under the rules schools with default rates above 60 percent will be subject to limitation suspension or termination from the government s massive student loan program starting Jan. I 1991. Currently nearly 200 schools fit in the category. Schools with 40 percent to 60 percent of their students failing to pay Back Loans now numbering 450 must reduce the figure by 5 percent a year or face the same penalties. The new system also prescribes increasingly strict Steps for the More than 1,000 schools with 20 percent to 30 per cent default rates. And All vocational schools regardless of their default rates must provide information on completion and Job placement rates to All prospective students. Vocational schools arc considered prime offenders in the default problem that is expected to Cost taxpayers $1.8 billion this year. They have an average40 percent default rate compared to 20 percent for Community colleges and 10 percent for other sectors. We must Weed out unethical schools and other program participants whose sole purpose is to profit at the expense of our students and taxpayers said Cava Zos. Today we arc taking decisive action against those who cheat our citizens those who Promise to educate but deliver Only a  Cavazos said it was never intended that 37 cents out of every Dollar spent on the student loan program would go to cover defaulted Loans. Other new rules will require that All schools provide Entrance counselling to first time borrowers schools with default rates above 20 percent develop default management plans and schools with de fault rates above 30 percent delay Dis Persing Loans to first time borrowers until 30 Days after the first Day of class and prorate tuition refunds to borrowers who drop out before the course is completed. The new rules to be published this week in the Federal Register Are final. The department is proposing a further requirement that All private vocational schools arrange for another school to Complete their courses if they close in  package of proposals submitted to Congress asks lawmakers to require that students without a High school diploma or the equivalent pass a test before being allowed to enrol. Other legislative proposals would require prorated tuition re funds for students at schools with default rates above 30 percent and authorize guaranty agencies to Garnish the wages of defaulters up to 10 percent of disposable earnings. In addition the department is taking several administrative Steps to strengthen enforcement including increased re views audits and investigations and expanded fraud detection through a toll free hot line. Collection efforts Are expected to total $630 million a 27 percent increase Over last year. Some 4.6 million students Are expected to borrow Money under the Stu Dent loan program in fiscal 1989. The program is projected to Cost $5 billion this year in subsidies and default pay ments. Californians hitting the roof Over rat invasion Oakland Calif. A upwardly Mobile roof rats who prefer California s newer neighbourhoods Are invading pricey Homes using newly planted vines and Trees As an above ground freeway health officials said. Twice during the past two weeks wrecker rats have driven Lance Finkel out of his Home in Oakland s Montclair District a neighbourhood of $300,000-plus houses in the Hills overlooking the City. They re chewing the House apart said Finkel. They re chewing up the doors and pulling the carpet up they be chewed through the Bottom of an armoire. They re driving me out of the  even an exterminator was t Able to solve the prob Lem for Finkel who is hoping Alameda county s vec Tor control unit can Stop the infestation. The baby Boom among roof rats is keeping Pace with California s population use which saw the number of residents jump 662,000, to 28.3 million this year. The rodents which use Telephone lines and Over hanging Trees to travel from City to suburb arc moving in where there was never a problem before health officials said. There s a lot of development taking place All Over the state. And All these developments Are pulling in new landscaping. As it matures this vegetation pro Vides Ideal habitat for roof rats said Richard Mercott a state health department biologist. Complaints about Norway sewer rats the larger More aggressive Cousin found in City slums and water fronts used to dominate rat complaints in Oakland and the adjacent suburban counties but not any More. For years the no ways were the prevailing animals but i think the roof rat is quickly catching up said John Chase a technician in Contra Costa county s rodent control unit. Chase says 50 percent of his office s Calls Are about roof rats now. Alameda county roof rat complaints have increased 50 percent during the past five years particularly in Oakland s Hill areas said Harry Scott manager of Ala Mcday county s vector control District. Sometimes the rats come indoors they suddenly get curious and invade a Home and that s when the real trouble begins Scott said. One Oakland Hills resident called Scott s office when roof rats scurrying through his House set off the motion Detector in his Home Security system. In pleasant Hill a resident had so Many nesting roof rats in her Wall that they destroyed her insulation and wiring Scott said. Roof rats can carry a considerable number of Dis ease causing parasites and their bites Are the biggest worry Scott said. Alameda county averages about five rat bite cases a year he said