European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 3, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Wednesday july 3, 1991 the stars and stripes a Page 3budget crunch causes statehouse chads it a. Map Donna Dorr of Augusta raises her fist and chants outside the office of Maine gov. John r. A Cucman or. On monday. By Anita Snow the associated press Connecticut a governor stepped up the pressure on the legislature to enact an income tax tuesday by ordering a shutdown of non essential services. State workers responded with a rally and a threat of a lawsuit. A in the absence of a budget As of 5 . This morning i have no Choice but to restrict state activity to essential services a gov. Lowell p. Weicker said. Pressed by the recession to make difficult and politically painful choices Connecticut became the second state in As Many Days to order such a shutdown for Lack of a budget. Maine a governor did the same monday. Besides Maine and Connecticut at least seven other states a California Illinois Ohio Massachusetts Louisiana Pennsylvania and North Carolina a were still without a spending plan tuesday two Days into a new fiscal year. Illinois was under court order to distribute welfare checks anyway. Nevada new Jersey Washington state and new York City agreed on budgets within minutes of their sunday deadlines. Under Connecticut a shutdown 7,000 non essential employees a or about 14 percent of the work Force were furloughed tuesday Weicker said. The number will grow to 20,000 a or about 41 percent of the work Force a by wednesday. The shutdown will Force the closing of Parks and beaches already jammed As the fourth of july approaches. Other employees affected work at dozens of agencies including those Regul amp Ting banking labor and insurance. A at least one state employee Union planned to file suit in Hartford Superior court on tuesday to halt the shutdown. A we can to afford to have our members go one two or three Days without salary a said Steve Perruccio president of the 7,000-member Connecticut employees Union Independent the Union of janitors and maintenance workers. A your members live paycheck to  the governor had Given the legislature until Midnight monday a 24 hours after the fiscal year began a to adopt a spending plan that included an income tax. Weicker who won office last year As an Independent has argued that Only an income tax can solve the states budget woes. The House bowed to pressure Early tuesday and approved an income tax 76-72 to help close a $1.8 billion deficit. But the Senate did not immediately take up the Issue. At that Point Weicker made Good on his threat to order a shutdown. About 300 state workers rallied outside the Capitol on tuesday to urge the Senate to approve an income tax. But senators who support a wage tax said they were several votes Short of being Able to pass the budget approved by the House. A if the state Senate can to pass this package today its going to be weeks before we get a budget a state sen. Charles Allen said. Quot Connecticut is one of 10 states without a wage tax. A tax was approved in 1971 but was repealed weeks later after a Public outcry. Voting for an income tax was Long considered political suicide in Connecticut. But the idea gained acceptance this year As the state descended into fiscal crisis. States and cities often have trouble making Bottom line revenues and expenditures match. But it has been particularly Tough this year. Hit hard by the recession governments arc being forced to make agonizing and politically dangerous choices about layoffs welfare cuts and higher taxes a new York City balanced its $28.5 billion budget by making $1.7 billion in cuts that included 10,000 layoffs and cutbacks in the police department. It also raised income taxes 14 percent and increased property taxes. A new Jersey enacted a $14.7 billion budget that included up to 2,300 layoffs and the Sale of part of interstate 95. A californians legislature approved a Cut in welfare benefits and the biggest tax increase in state history including a jump in the 6-cent sales tax by a cents. But lawmakers have not approved an Overall budget. In Illinois a Federal judge monday ordered the state to distribute welfare checks even though no Money has been appropriated for them. Gov. Jim Edgar said he wont authorize the checks until he is Given an acceptable budget. Maine gov. John r. Mckernan or. Declared an emergency monday after the legislature failed to pass a budget. About 2,000 employees remained at work in jobs that protect Public health and safety. But More than 10,000 others were told to stay Home. Calls to the governors office were met with a recording a due to the Clos Down of Maine state government no one is available to answer your Call right now. Please Call  a we want to be paid we want a budget a shouted some of the estimated 200 idled Maine workers who gathered outside Mckernan a office monday. Deriding the governor they also chanted a Stop hiding Jock and a impeach  in California lawmakers considered higher taxes on the Rich to raise the final $2 billion needed to balance his $55 billion state budget. The Gap in the 1991-92 budget had been As High As $14.3 billion. Although gov. Pete Wilson on sunday signed several big spending Cut and tax increase Bills a including higher sales alcohol and vehicle taxes and a 4.4 percent Cut in welfare Grants a an Overall budget remained unsigned. Pennsylvania a legislature also failed to approve a budget before the fiscal year began. That meant that $250 million owed to schools would be held up this week along with paychecks for 10,000 state employees. In Massachusetts gov. William f. Weld was looking at lawmakers proposal for a $12.9 billion spending plan that includes deep cuts in social services and would allow cities and towns to raise property taxes. Ohio and North Carolina were running on interim funds while their legislators tried to agree on a budget. North Carolina senators voted to raise the sales tax by 1 cent her father. He said the Squadron will probably review its policy but there is a question of when concern for a person becomes an invasion of privacy. The Eastern daily press a local newspaper quoted a resident of Kirtling As saying the towns residents did not mix much with the american service members and their families. A we live in a very Remote Village a said Jan Dulwich Landlady of the Beehive pub. A we have had americans Here before but normally they keep to themselves and mix with people from their base. A but this sort of thing  be allowed to happen. We All ought to be looking after each other but we re so  Dulwich added a i feel terrible about it. In be been asking myself Why i did no to notice  the deaths Are being probed by the air forces office of special investigations. Airman s dead spouse was to visit by Amy Geiszler Jones . Bureau Raf Mildenhall England the woman found dead in her Home sunday evening when her husband returned from temporary duty had told someone in the Squadron june 12 that she was planning to visit her father. So when no one answered subsequent Telephone Calls there was no reason for concern a spokesman at Raf Milden Hall said tuesday. A when nobody answered the Calls nobody was surprised because she said she would be gone a Frank Randall said. Lorraine Voelcker 27, and her two children Galen 2, and Laura Elizabeth 16 months were found dead sunday evening by sgt. Gregory Voelcker when he returned from a temporary duty assignment in Crete Greece. The family lived in Kirtling a Village of 300 about 17 Miles South of the base. Autopsies performed monday were inconclusive As to the cause of death but British news Media have reported that the woman died of natural causes and the children starved to death. Voelckers unit the 6988th electronic Security so has a a Home Contact policy because its members Are frequently on temporary duty outside the country Randall said. The policy Calls for contacts by a Squadron representative with a family once a week during a spouses temporary duty assignment but it can be modified to fit the family a wishes. He said the air Force does not have a policy for making such contacts. A a it a left up to each Squadron a he said. The wife of a Squadron member said the tragedy a reinforces your worst fear of what can happen during an Active duty spouses absence. A i done to know what the answer is to prevent a tragedy like this. I done to think there is one a Nina Miller said tuesday morning shortly after her husband left on an assignment. A i really done to think we can pinpoint any blame a she said. A a it a heart wrenching to think of what that scenario in the Home was. It just gives you a Little something extra to put in your subconscious to be aware  another wife of a Squadron member described the unit As a very diligent in contacting families and offering support especially during operations desert shield storm. A i have had nothing but Good support a Sandy Vogel said. Voelcker an electronic warfare systems specialist had been in Crete since june 3. Randall said Voelckers wife a British citizen indicated to a Squadron representative june 12 that she would be visiting her father until her husband returned. Telephone Calls were still made however. A the system was there and operational Quot Randall said