European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 15, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Friday. February 15, 1991 the stars and stripes Page 13commentaryjames Kilpatric merits a Washington a  cynical City it is heresy or something close to it to say anything Nice about a presidential budget. Of Send me to the stake. In his requests for education president Bush has said some things that need to be said and he has recommended some Steps that ought to be taken. A there is near Universal agreement a the gentleman observes a that the educational system in this country As presently organized and operated is failing to produce a sufficient number of graduates prepared to meet the demands of the changing  Bush cites familiar evidence. Scholastic aptitude scores of High school seniors last year were a a full 50 Points below the scores of College bound seniors 20 years  too Many american students read poorly and write ineffectively they do not have much of a grasp on either mathematics or science. They Are ignorant of the great themes of history. In International Scholastic competitions . Students perform poorly in every  \. Why is this happening for one thing our school year still reflects an agrarian past when youngsters were expected to work All summer on the farm. Thus our students attend classes for Only 180 Days of instruction. The school year in Japan is 210 Days in South Korea 220 ays in West Germany 226 to 240 Days. Moreover said the president recent studies have shown that on average american students do not work very hard. They spend nearly As much time watching television As they spend in school. The typical High school. Senior spends an hour a Day or less on Homework. About half of All eighth graders report they Are bored in school. All this is old stuff. What is new and encouraging is that Bush proposes to. Do something about it. He acknowledges that Public education must remain primarily a responsibility of the states and localities but he says the Federal government properly May do two things set specific educational goals and stimulate reforms that will help to reach them. The presidents goals Are ambitious. For example a by the year 2000 . Students will be first in the world in science and  by 2000, every adult american will be literate. All children will be ready to learn when they Start school. High school graduation rates will increase a to at least 90 percent a and every school will be free of drugs and violence. Are the goals attainable probably not but they Are Worth striving for. The goals certainly Are not attainable without herculean Effort at every level. Bush is asking Congress to increase Federal outlays for education from $14.6 billion in 1990 to $19.6 billion in 1992. The recommendation will not satisfy the teachers unions a $100cbjllion would not satisfy the teachers unions a but increases of this magnitude will help. Bush wants More Money for head Start and More Money for wic women infants and children supplemental feeding program. He asks $690 million for a new educational excellence ache proposes to invest $1.9 billion in math and science education lie would increase opportunities for students from Low income families to attend College. It is especially pleasing to see the  the  of Freedom of Choice in education. Mind you this is a timid embrace. It is not exactly a Bear hug. Bush recommends an  of $200 million to create an a educational certificate support  i be explains a this program will provide incentive Grants to local school districts with qualified certificate programs that enhance parental Choice. Funds will be available Only to school districts with Federal compensatory education programs for the disadvantaged that also have operational certificate programs. Qualified programs will at minimum provide for Public and private school  the language has the clarity of used motor Oil but it is heartening All the same a Lively program of tuition vouchers would provide a Spur of Competition in education. Coupled with other reforms these incentive Grants could have exactly the catalytic effect the presidents goals will require. In. The nature of things Congress will revise and Amend the Bush budget a and properly so. Get to work but let us treat the budget for education with tender Loving care. At first glance it looks Good. C Universal prot ass Syndicate William f. Buckley for Many years after the late sen. Frank Church with the cooperation of former a Cia director William Colby made a foreign Aid program out of american secrets it was an open scandal that intelligence agencies in great Britain and France simply declined to cooperate with the United states in important matters. Why because they did not wish to risk their own assets by letting the Cia whose secret information Post Church was available to As Many As 36 . Legislators have knowledge of them. In such situations one can never know How much damage resulted the intelligence Trade is that Way. What did not Hap. Pen inc air plane that did no to blow up because the terrorist was secretly foiled does not make the. Headlines. By the same Token it is not obvious How Many americans or american allies were blackmailed maimed or killed by communist agents or terrorists who were not foiled because vital information leaked to them. One Day there will be a definitive history of Allied intelligence operations in the postwar Era. This May be possible if the soviet Union gets itself a Freedom of information act. We May find for instance what has been publicly charged by responsible analysts in great Britain that the top Mi-6 agent in charge of detecting communist subversion in great Britain was himself a communist agent. Recent posthumous revelations by Nikita Khrushchev confirm the damage done by Alger Hiss and his successors. The one Clear beneficiary of these Rev lations will be sen. Joe Mccarthy though in some respects his reputation will diminish. It never crossed his mind when he railed about institutional disloyalty How bad it really was. Now we have speaker Tom Foley setting up the new slate in the House intelligence committee which is supposed to recommend appropriate intelligence policy and to pass on Covert operations in certain circumstances. The list of those designated for membership to six year terms on the House committee includes two or three leftist ideologues. But first among these is rep Ron Dellums of California. His appointment is the equivalent of naming for mar rep. Vito Marcantonio of new York Back in 1948, to a legislative committee to organize anti communist operations. Dellums has in almost every situation taken the anti anti communist position. If our military had depended Only on Dellums votes we would be fighting in the persian Gulf with biplanes and Gatling guns a Here is a measure of Dellums sympathies. After the invasion of Grenada in 1983, correspondence lifted from the Headquarters of the communist overlord Maurice Bishop was inspected. And a letter turned up the publication of which would have resulted in Dellums being chased out of the constituency he represents with wet towels except that he represents the people s Republic of Berkeley. The most spectacular letter was written by Dellums aide and confidante carlot Tia Scott directly to strongman Bishop and it was All about her Boss. A my Dearest a the letter from an aide of an american legislator addressed to a communist agent began Quot Ron As a political thinker is the Best around and Fidel will verify that in no Uncertain  wonderful if you doubt we re on your Side so Fidel Castro and he will reassure you. When matched against the Best of them Ron always comes out ahead even with Fidel. Ron is really hooked on you and Grenada a i.e., the attempted communication of Grenada a Quot and does no to want anything to happen to build ing the revolution and making it Strong he really admires you As a person and even More so As a Leader with courage and foresight principle and integrity. Believe me he does no to make that kind of statement often about  indeed he probably would t make it about George Washington. A the Only other person that i know of that he expresses such admiration for is  now my first temptation on Reading this letter eight years ago was to imagine that it was a Plant by Carlottia who had been spurned by Ron or whatever but the weeks and. Months went by and there was no serious disavowal of it. So we see that the situation today Calls for a Man who admires Fidel Castro More than anyone in Public life to Survey american seer cos  vote to authorize or not american secret intelligence operations which Deal in such matters As whether this War is Likely to break out that nation is accumulating nuclear Power  air plane is Likely to blow up in the air. Some years ago rep. Michael Harrington sitting in the same committee leaked a vital secret to the new York times and  Post. He explained that it did no to Quot matter that it was secret he thought the people had a right to know Dellums May not believe the people have a right to know but one gathers he believes Fidel Castro has a right to know1. A cur venial press Syndicate