European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 21, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 2 c the stars and stripes saturday March 21, 1992 at a glance neanderthal jog quote 35 000 years ago debate is flaring once More Over the relationship Between modern humans and neanderthals. See Story on pages 14-15.female fatalities rising the number of female Drivers involved in fatal traffic accidents is steadily climbing Federal officials say. A Page 4implant production dropped the Dow Corning corp. On thursday gave up production of silicone gel breast implants a business it pioneered and led for three decades. A Page 5house official quits the head of the scandal plagued House Post office resigned on thursday following new reports of illegal activities at the institution. A Page 6cis decisions put off Commonwealth leaders on Friday ratified a foreign debt repayment plan but delayed decisions on the most pressing issues including the future of the Black sea Fleet. A Page 8stressing sports a sports week has Given 2nd army div soldiers in Karlstedt Germany a Chance to lift their noses from the draw Down  Page 9 Patriot workers Laid off faced with cutbacks in military spending Raythelon co. Has Laid off 340 workers including employees at the Plant that makes the Patriot missile. Page 17 Index Abby Ann Landers .19 action line. 16 comics. 19-21 commentary. .13 crossword. 19 faces a no places .18 letters. .12 Money matters. .17 sports. 22-28 to listings. .27 weather. .11 Dod civilian reduction plan already obsolete Gao says by Chuck Vinch Washington Bureau Washington a a Pentagon plan less than a year old that would Cut a sizable segment of the defense civilian work Force has already been made obsolete by shifting budget priorities and uncertainty Over future Force reductions a government study says. The feb. 5 report by the general accounting office the investigative Arm of Congress said the outdated plan deals with cutting Back the 309,000 appropriated fund civilian employees in the defense departments Industrial and commercial activities. The plan represented the Pentagon so Best estimate of the Impact of the 25 percent reduction in Force Levels on that segment of its civilian work Force which makes up about a third of All civilian defense department employees. Those employees work in manufacturing and service activities that make Money through the Sale of goods and services and Are managed by the defense department or one of its component Mil itary services the report said. The defense departments Industrial and commercial activities work Force consists of employees at numerous military repair and maintenance depots shipyards and research and development facilities according to military officials. Although there Are some types of work that can be handled Only at military facilities a any work involving nuclear weaponry for example a the depots often must compete with the private sector. For example if the Pacific come has a ship that needs to be overhauled a contract for the work might be put up for bids Between various private sector shipyards and one of the Navy a eight Yards. If the Navy facility wins the contract the Pacific coma pays that shipyard for the work. The Money is then deposited into a a revolving fund called the defense business operating fund. Money from that fund is used to pay the salaries of employees who do the repair and maintenance work As Well As any Materiel and supplies they use. But Pentagon manpower chief Christopher Jehn told the Gao that the plan submitted to Congress at the request of lawmakers last year specifically states that the figures in it had limitations and should be used a with  the plan called for cutting almost 48,000 of the 309,000 Industrial and commercial activity jobs or about 16 percent of the total Between fiscal 1992 and fiscal 1996. But a spate of recent reorganizations and consolidations of defense department activities and functions and changes to the types of employee categories in the civilian work Force have rested in Quot incomplete inaccurate and inconsistent data a the Gao charged. The changes make the Pentagon a plan of Little use in mapping out and tracking civilian workforce reductions the Gao said. For example the five year plan did not consider the base closure and realignment commission whose work could affect bases that Are Home to numerous Industrial and commercial activities. The Gao also criticized the Pentagon for gathering much of its Baseline information while the persian Gulf War was still going on which obscured the Impact of the War on future civilian  from Page 1 that have been in effect for More than two years. Rep. Martin Lancaster d-n.c., asked Why the Pentagon is not shaping its civilian Force the same Way it is revamping its military Force by targeting specific skills pay grades and years of service a you should focus More on what skills you need and what grades you need to fill those skills instead of attrition and hiring freezes which is a far More helter shelter approach a Lancaster said. A there just does no to seem to be a rational  a these on again off again freezes and thaws whip saw the employees a added the subcommittee chairman rep Earl Hutto a Fla. A this is a meat a approach that almost guarantees there will be skill imbalances in the work  the Pentagon will Cut 44,000 appropriated fund civilian positions this fiscal year and 43,000 in fiscal 1993. The cuts will leave the Pentagon with about 958,000 appropriated fund civilian employees worldwide. By fiscal 1997, the last year of the civilian draw Down the Pentagon will be Down to 904,000 civilians compared with More than 1.1 million in fiscal 1989, when the reductions began. About one Quarter of the planned reductions will be in the foreign National work Force which will go from a redraw Down level of 119,000 to 66,000 in fiscal 1997, a drop of about 44 percent. Additionally Host nation contributions for funding of foreign National employees will increase from the current level of about 11 percent to More than 18 percent by the end of fiscal 1993. Silberman defended the Pentagon a blueprint and said it is impossible to manage civilian reductions the same Way As military cuts. A we have a rational plan a he said. A but the conditions of military and civilian employment Are much  the major difference is that the military has a a a closed personnel system meaning that service members can enter it in Only one Way a at the Bottom. A i can to go out and hire a lieutenant colonel for my staff a he said. A on the other hand if i wanted to bring in a gs-13,1 could do it. Lateral entries Are not a problem with  because of that management of the military personnel system is highly centralized at the service level while civilian personnel management is decentralized with local installation commanders making most of the decisions Silberman said. The defense department also has far More tools at its disposal to trim the military Force such As denial of first term reenlistment and targeted separation incentives than it has for the civilian work Force he said. The Only practical alternative to attrition for civilian workers a whose Federal employment guidelines Are drawn up by the office of personnel management not the defense department a is to a fire people in the Middle of their careers a he said. A and one of our stated goals is to minimize involuntary separations a he said. Silberman also defended the use of hiring restrictions As a Way to maximize civilian reductions. The defense department now allows two new employees to be hired for every five positions that come open. Some agencies Are using even tighter restrictions. The army for example currently has a a one for four restriction and has capped the number of employees. -13 through that can be hired in the is gs-15  from Page 1 Public Confidence in the integrity of the  the major Middle income tax Cut in the democratic Bill was a two step tax credit which would be subtracted directly from taxes owed. This year and next wage earners would get a credit for a share of their social Security taxes with a maximum Cut of $150 a year for single people and $300 for a couple. The full credit would be available for families with incomes under $50,000 the credit would decline gradually As income rises disappearing at the $70,000 level. For singles the comparable figures Are $35,000 and $50,000. Starting in 1994, that credit would be replaced by a $300-per-child credit for families under $50,000 and nothing for those Over $70,000. Aides estimated the temporary credit would Benefit 77.7 million couples and individuals the permanent credit would go to 19.6 million. To pay for the credits the Bill would raise the 31 percent top Rax rate to 36 percent which would affect single people with taxable incomes a after subtracting deductions and exemptions a above $115,000 and couples above $140,000. Negotiators agreed to restore fully deductible individual retirement accounts for virtually All wage earners. They accepted basically the Senate plan for reducing capital gains taxes. That includes a tax exclusion for half the profits from the Sale of Small business Stock owned five years or longer and a new graduated rate Structure for capital new graduated rate Structure for capital gains ranging from 0 for those whose other income is taxed at 15 percent to 28 percent for those whose Ordinary income is High enough to put them in the 36 percent bracket. They also jettisoned a package of Senate passed health care provisions including one that would have set minimum state standards for group plans offered by Small businesses. A a in a somewhat disappointed at this High political theater we re in Quot Rostenkowski said As he and Bentsen defended their Bill As fair and As an honest offer to Compromise. Unlike Bush a Bill they said theirs would not Worsen the record budget deficit. Just As Bush a actions were devised with an Eye on the elections democrats have pressed their a tax fairness Issue a meaning higher taxes on the Rich to finance a Middle class tax Cut a while knowing the president would accept no tax increase this year. Democrats sought to portray themselves As open to Compromise by accepting versions of six of the seven Short term stimulus proposals that Bush demanded in his state of the Union message. These include a capital gains tax reduction though not the Broad Cut that Bush wants a tax incentive for businesses to Purchase equipment this Yean special Relief for real estate developers and a softening of the alternative minimum tax paid by profitable corporations. But those provisions apparently were not enough to stave off Bush a 27th veto