European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - September 8, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 4 the stars and stripes Friday. Septembers. 19b9 senators propose restoring Ira tax break Washington up two senators introduced legislation thursday to restore favourable tax treatment of individual retirement accounts removed in the 1986 tax Reform Law but conceded the administration will be aghast at the multimillion Dollar Revenue loss. Before the 1986 lax Reform act working people could open an individual retirement account of up to $2,000 annually and take a tax deduction As Well As have the tax on the contribution deferred until retirement. After 1986, with the exception of Low income and self employed individuals the tax deduction was eliminated resulting. Sen ate aides said in a 50 percent drop in Ira contributions. The savings and capital formation act of 1989, sponsored by Sens. Christopher Dodd d-conn., and Al Fonse d Avalo r-n.y., would restore favourable tax treatment of iras for All individuals by allowing a 15 percent tax credit for Ira contributions of up to $2,000 each year. The maximum tax credit would be $300. Married couples filing joint income la returns would be eligible for an additional $1.000 spousal Ira for a total of $.1.000. With a maximum $450 tax credit. The Bill Ako provides a savings incentive for individual taxpayers earn ing less than $25,000 or joint filers making under $50,000 who choose not to open an Ira or have no other retire ment plan. Individuals could exclude the first $100 of dividend or interest income from taxes married couples Fil ing jointly could exclude $200. Dodd stressed the need to swell the personal savings level in the unite states saying too much of the budget deficit is financed by foreign capital. The simple tact is that if foreign capital decides that other investments Are far More attractive we would find ourselves in very difficult Straits immediately in the country. Iras offer the Opportunity to create a Pool of re sources so the United Stales could finance its own  Dodd said. The joint committee on taxation has estimated the legislation would re sult in a $6.7 billion Revenue loss to the Treasury Between 1990 and 1992. We do not provide an offset. Obviously Well have to come up with one Dodd said. I m sure they the administration will balk at the  d Amato conceded it will take some stroking to get the administration s car noting the huge budget deficit. We Don t expect the Treasury department to jump up and Down. Bomb office of management and budget will be aghast the new Vork Republican acknowledged. Treasury spokesman Larry Batdorf said the department has not seen the legis lation and could not comment on it. An american Bankers association spokeswoman expressed initial support for the proposal. Generally we be been very concerned with the anaemic savings rate in the country so anything that gives con Sumers an incentive to save would be Astep in the right direction said Ameri can Bankers association spokeswoman Mary Liz Mcany. It would heat up consumer demand for  in related tax news Senate democratic Leader George Mitchell repeated his opposition to a request by president Bush to Cut the capital gains tax saying there is general agreement a reduction will undoubtedly lose Revenue after the first year. This would Force he said a search for new revenues that will have to come from the Middle class taxpayer. Quadriplegic gets of to shut off life support Atlanta a a quadriplegic is entitled Mohave the ventilator that keeps him alive modified so that he can shut it off and end his life at will a state judge ruled wednesday. Larry Mcafee s right to refuse continued life sus Taining medical treatment outweighs the state s inter est in preserving life ruled Fulton county Superior court judge Edward Johnson after an emotional 45 minute hearing. The ventilator to which he is attached is not prolong ing his life it is prolonging his death said Johnson. Five family members and two friends testified that Mcafee a 33-year-old avid sportsman paralysed from the neck Down and unable to breathe on his own since May 1985 motorcycle Accident had repeatedly told them he wanted to die rather than continue As he is. Doctors have said his condition is irreversible. He knew it was a permanent condition said Lynn Gilbert one of Mcafee s Sisters. He just Felt it was t a life  he loved the outdoors from the time he was a Little baby his Mother Amelia Mcafee said As she fought Back tears. The civil Engineer who has been in an Alabama nursing Home since mid August will be brought Back to an Atlanta area apartment said his Volunteer attorney Randall Davis. The ventilator will be equipped with a Shuloff de vice connected to a timer which Mcafee designed As he Lay paralysed Davis said. Mcafee wants to use a Mouth held stick to activate the device after being administered a sedative the attorney said the ventilator would shut Down As Helay sedated. There was no immediate indication when he might be returned from Alabama. He has expressed a desire All along to move this along As quickly As possible Davis said. I assume that continues to be his  the judge ordered the state to Appeal his decision immediately to the Georgia supreme court but said Mcafee docs not have to wait for the court to hear the Appeal to be fitted with the switch off device. Mcafee had asked that the court Promise that no Larry Mcafee lies in his Atlanta Hospital bed. One will restart the breathing  judge said he found Mcafee to be a rational competent intelligent adult who was aware of his options and the consequences of whatever decision he might make. Johnson apologized to Mcafee s family for the Public nature of the court hearings that led to his decision say ing the family has been through a special kind of  the judge said he hoped the ruling would allow other families in similar situations to make such Deci Sions More  such is the Case he said Larry will have made his last and greatest contribution to his  i have never met anyone who had a stronger Impact on my own life than he had on me when we had the hearing at the Hospital said Johnson referring to an aug. 16 bedside hearing at an Atlanta Hospital. A petition filed last month in Fulton county Superior court included an affidavit stating i understand turning off the ventilator will result in my death signed by a shaky a made with a Pencil held i Mcafee s Mouth. Davis said the matter is in the courts to assure that no criminal or civil challenges arise against those who help Mcafee end his life. State attorney general Michael Bowers said last month that suicide is not a crime in Georgia and tha Mcafee has a Legal right to refuse medical treatment and that there is no opposing Public interest that Over rides those rights. Mcafee spent a year in a spinal rehabilitation Cente Rafter his Accident then seven months in his own apart ment with round the clock nursing care until his insurance ran out. Since then he has had a struggle finding a Home. The Only nursing Home his family could find that would take him for what Georgia s medicaid pro Gram paid was in Ohio. He was sent away from there after nursing Home officials said he was verbally abusive. In january he went to Atlanta s Grady memorial Hospital a Public institution thai by Law could not turn him away. He was transferred to a nursing Home in Alabaster ala., last month pending a ruling on his petition. Hundreds of bats swarm into downtown fort Worth fort Worth Texas a hundreds of bats descended on downtown fort Worth in Daylight Many dying on streets and sidewalks and officials arc not sure Why. I have never seen bats on the Side walk at 4 o clock in the afternoon be fore said Chris Farkas who estimated there were 50 to 100 bats on the ground outside his restaurant just before the wednesday evening Rush hour Jeff Derosa of the humane society of North Texas found 100 More bats on a sidewalk nearby and said at least 1,000 were hanging from the eaves of a build ing. Another humane society official. Lynn Buffington said thursday that no one was sure whether the bats had been poisoned or suffered heatstroke. My concern was that we got this Call at 4 15 yesterday and most of the employees in these downtown buildings would be coming out and there would be these tiny Little things on the ground Buffington said. "1 was concerned about he Alan  bats become disoriented in Daylight but if they arc not too sick they probably could regroup after Nightfall said Dud Ley Brown assistant director of the fort Worth zoo. The humane society had received no reports of bats downtown thursday morning Buffington said. Parents hissing principal who kept Python at school los Angeles a an elementary school principal kept a Python in his office and showed it to Chil Dren who misbehaved parents charged. The principal who has been transferred to another school said the charges were unfounded. Ii was intimidating. He would fee Dit mice and the Snake would crush them. I Don t know what the children thought but the parents did t like it said Dor Othy Carrillo a spokeswoman for the parents who complained. Robert Hill Lane elementary school principal Dennis Muylea called the charges  the school District found no wrong doing on his pan. The Transfer the District said was to ensure a quiet operating environment for students. Deputy superintendent Sidney Thompson said there is no evidence he used the Snake in a threatening Man Ner. It was a scientific instrument. Muylea denied frightening children with the Snake saying it was part of a reptile study program. He was not used to intimidate people. He s a Nice Guy. He s not dangerous he said