European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 20, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thursday june 20, 1991 the stars and stripes a Page 13 commentary Haynes Johnson to Bush Lack of political will is the problem in his inaugural address 2vi years ago George Bush made a memorable beginning by articulating a notably different View of american values than had marked the Ronald Reagan years. He summoned the nation to turn away from the greed and materialism of the 1980s a and initiate a new engagement in the lives of others.�?�. His vision was of a nation that attended to the homeless a lost and roaming a to children who have nothing to those trapped in a the demoralization that rules the  a a a a. It was great stuff and contained Splon did rhetorical flourishes. One of his most quoted lines was his admission that because the nations funds were Low americans had to face the fact that a we have More will than  therein the president was wrong. Deficit and economic problems notwithstanding it is not Lack of Wallet that has kept the Bush administration from fulfilling its Domestic Promise. Despite its financial woes the United states has. Wealth enough to tackle its immense and growing Domestic problems. Lack of will is the problem a Lack of political will As defined by Strong presidential leadership setting Clear National goals then engaging the nation in achieving them. That a the kind of leadership Bush demonstrated during the persian Gulf War. He knew what he wanted and possessed the will Talent and perseverance to bring virtually the entire world along with him. His exemplary record in foreign affairs becomes even More signal when viewed alongside his ineffectual Domestic one. A. V on the White House Lawn this month Bush returned to Domestic themes. He chose a gathering of business and Community leaders to present a Case that could enable him to enjoy a second inaugural countering democratic criticism that he is in the words of House majority Leader Richard a. Gephardt d-mo., a a president who. Prefers rhetoric to action symbols to substance vetoes to Progress and campaigning to  instead Bush reinforced the Case against him he offered More rhetoric and not even Good rhetoric at that. He was. Going to unleash the a magic of America a he said adding a we must carry Forward what is Good and reach out and embrace what is  if that does no to turn your engine consider As the Bush philosophy of government that of a a government properly defined the marketplace properly understood and a services to others properly  herein he said a is the Only Way a All three of them a to an America whole and  hardly anyone can take Issue with these unexceptional aphorisms and it s easy to deprecate them As Noble sounding but empty rhetoric. The democrats will surely do so. However they have not offered much if any alternative. In this they resemble Bush. They can to Back up their own rhetoric. A. The latest assessment of political analyst Kevin Phillips about the democrats a current strategic ineptness is dismaying by Apt. A generation ago in the the emerging Republican majority lie correctly forecast the gop s Rise to and consolidation of National political Power last year his the politics of Rich and poor outlined populist themes about inequality of wealth and of defending average americans against the Rich and powerful that democrats could had they the will effectively employ to reverse that trend. This comes at an acute moment. This months celebrations notwithstanding the glow of Victory has Long faded. The nations attention has returned to Domestic concerns and with Good reason. Nearly every Day brings More disquieting news about unmet needs ranging from aging crumbling infrastructure to an unravelling social fabric and even the bankruptcy of a major City Bridgeport Conn. The recession May be easing or a hopefully ending As some experts say but critical Long term problems abound last week taxpayers Learned that the savings and loan mess already the most costly financial scandal in . History promises to become worse. In congressional testimony Charles a. Bowsher head of the general accounting office. Warned that More a amp a failures Are Likely and that the $80 billion provided by con Gross to bail them put wont be enough. Bowsher coupled that gloomy news with this taxpayers also might have to pay heavily to bail out the banking Industry because of increasing Bank failures and depletion of Bank insurance funds. Now Isnit the time for All Good people to come to the Aid of their party. Its time for the president to come to the Aid of the people. C the Washington Post a a amp the Beauty is so Mamy 0f them Are democrats isi99ldavid s. Brode Small Steps now could head in the world of Capitol Hill politics where a schedule for next tuesday constitutes Long Range planning this hearing was something of a rarity. House budget committee chairman Leon Panetta d-calif., invited four smart folks to help him and his colleagues think about the forces that will shape the nations  we spend too Little time up Here doing that a Panetta said. Since most of the Short term budget decisions arc being dictated by last october a agreement Between the Bush administration and Congress a we have the. Luxury of focusing on the  As might have been predicted More urgent a if not More important a business kept most committee members away. Nevertheless the exercise produced both insights and ideas. Martha Farnsworth Riche of the population reference Bureau got everyone a attention by observing that As the baby Boomers reach retirement age in the first decade of the next Century the demands for Public subsidies will explode. A marriage today is largely entered on the child. A single after marriage Buoie. Unlike today a generation of elderly a far Fer Cater share of tomorrows elderly will enter retire ment single a without the degree of family care giving that we have today.�?�. That a just the beginning of the Challenge. Henry j. Aaron of the Brookings institution said the vast expansion of the aged population combined with an acceleration of medical knowledge and technology will continue to drive up the share of the country a wealth that is consumed by the health system a unless that system is radically reformed. A a Jessica t. Mathews of the world resources Institute said the pressures of population a in this country and elsewhere a on the environment Are almost certain to bring surprises mostly unpleasant. A we Are just beginning to be Able to measure the enormous Impact we Are having on the planet a she said and already the Cost of cleanups is intimidating. Putting it together in budget terms Robert Mccord of the congressional Institute of the future delivered a Bleak a Aback to the future script. Suppose that the hard won budget agreement of last year works As designed and shrinks the deficit from just under 5 percent of the Gross National product today to a bit less than 1 percent in 1996. Even then he said the visible demographic trends will push it Back up to the 5 percent level by 2020. The message Overall was that it May be possible to take incremental Steps now a in what Riche called the a narrow window of Opportunity while the baby Boomers Are still productive workers a to reduce the budget deficit and make the investments needed to improve our sorry productivity record. The most hopeful perspective came from 36-year-old rep. Jim Cooper do enn., who suggested that instead of thinking first of taxes political leaders might search for other ways to give people information then Trust them to respond. If Lack of Universal health insurance is driving up costs in the medical system he suggested Why not itemize Hospital Bills to show each patient How much represents the Cost of his own treatment and How much is for the uninsured person in the next bed if dependence on foreign Oil is a concern Why not require Gas stations to display prominently the percentage of their product that has come from overseas when people Learned in recent years that their family garbage was overwhelming landfills Cooper pointed out they got behind Community recycling plans. Why  them to respond intelligently and unselfishly to information about budget deficits and the resulting shortage of investment Why not indeed c the Washington Post