European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 26, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 4 c the stars and stripes tuesday May 26, 1992bad checks figure big in primaries congressional seats contested in Kentucky Arkansas Idaho by Mike Silverman the associated press democratic voters in Kentucky and Arkansas decide today whether to punish congressional members for writing bad checks and in Idaho they take a first step toward reclaiming a Senate seat from the grip of the gop. Kentucky a primary also features a rare husband and wife bid for Congress. Rep. Carroll Hubbard jr., seeking the democratic nomination for a 10th term from the 1st District in Western Kentucky has two opponents who aim to capitalize on the 152 overdrafts he wrote on the House Bank. Hubbard also has taken heat because his wife Carol is seeking the democratic nomination from the 5th District at the Eastern end of the state. She acknowledges she had her husbands help in raising $233,571 As of March 31. A they think they can come into the mountains of Eastern Kentucky with a suitcase full of clothes under one Arm and a suitcase full of Washington special in Terest Money under the other and expect to buy this congressional seat a said one of her seven primary opponents Bobby Rowe a lawyer from Prestonsburg. The redrawn 5th District would have pitted two incumbents against each other but Democrat Carl c. Perkins retired rather than try to explain the 514 overdrafts Worth $565,651, that he wrote on his House Bank account. Rep. Harold Rogers is unopposed for the gop nomination. In Arkansas bad checks Are haunting both democratic reps. Beryl Anthonyjr. And Bill Alexander. Anthony a member of the ways and Means committee and a former leading democratic fund Raiser who wrote 109 overdrafts is being challenged by Bill Mccuen a motorcycle Riding three term Secretary of state who has handed out a Bounce Beryl bumper stickers. His television advertisements accused Anthony As a county prosecutor in the 1970s, of jailing a woman Over the Christmas holidays for writing a bad Check. Alexander a 22-year House Veteran from the impoverished Mississippi Delta wrote 487 checks on insufficient funds. He is opposed by a former aide Blanche Lambert 31, who ran a shoestring Campaign to the strains of pretty woman. Her television and showed Alexander saying that he wrote no bad checks Only to have a Buzzer sound As on a game show when a player gives an incorrect answer. In both Kentucky and Arkansas democratic senators Are favored to easily win re election to a fourth term. Wendell h. Ford in Kentucky has no primary opposition and will face the Winner of a gop contest among state sen. David Williams Phillip Thompson a former executive director of the state party and antiabortion activist Denny Ormerod. Incumbent sen. Dale bumpers is opposed in the Arkansas primary by state auditor Julia Hughes Jones but a poll conducted last week by Mason Dixon research inc. Of Columbia md., showed bumpers favored by a landslide 73 percent to 18 percent. Gop contenders include the Rev. Mike Huckabee a former Baptist state convention Leader from Texarkana and or. David Busby a physician from Alma. The liveliest Senate race is in Idaho where three factors have combined to buoy the Hopes of democrats the retirement of gop sen. Steve Symms the presence of a popular democratic candidate and a bitterly divided gop Field. Democrats have not held an Idaho Senate seat since Symms Defeated Frank Church in 1980. This year their nominee is expected to be rep. Richard h. Stallings who has two Little known primary opponents North Idaho businessman Matt Schaffer and perennial candidate David Shepherd of Lewiston. On the Republican Side front runner Boise mayor Dirk Kem Thome was attacked from the left by stockbroker Milton Erhart who supports abortion rights and from the right by former legislator Rod Beck. Beck closed the Campaign with a graphic commercial showing 15 seconds of dead fetuses. A a there a no question but what these primary fights Are injurious to our fortunes in the general election a said Idaho a gop chairman Phil  called to urgent platform meeting by Patricia Cohen new Day new York a thousands of mail Grams were being sent monday to democratic party activists inviting them to an a emergency Summit meeting for a discussion of the party a platform and the possibility of staging a Large scale demonstration during the democratic National convention Here in july. The mail Grams a signed by mayor David n. Dinkins the Rev. Jesse Jackson and other Liberal activists a ask advocates and democratic leaders around the country to travel to Washington to discuss Urban issues and to map out what labor Leader Dennis Rivera a co signer of the mail Gram called a progressive platform to galvanize voters. The Call to arms was spurred by what Many characterized As an inadequate response by presidential hopeful Bill Clinton and the party to the Rodney g. King verdict and the subsequent spasm of violence in los Angeles Rivera said. He added that Many democrats Are concerned that Clinton May be headed toward defeat in november. A it was Clear the democratic party a response to the whole situation was not one that satisfied Many of the participants a Rivera said of the 100 or so democrats. Included were Dinkins top political adviser Deputy mayor Bill Lynch Coretta Scott King and rep. Maxine Waters of los Angeles a who met at Jackson a request in the nations capital two weeks ago. A reverend Jackson a analysis was if we do not have a dramatic change. We would not be Able to win the election a Rivera said. A May 14 poll conducted by the new York times and can had Clinton trailing Ross Perot and president Bush drawing Only 24 percent of the vote. Rivera president of local 1199 of the drug hospitals and health care employees Union accused Clinton and the democratic leadership of not paying enough attention to what he called the party score constituency Blacks latinos labor and the poor. A plan for National health insurance a More progressive tax Structure and revised labor Laws Are the building blocks of a winning strategy Rivera said. A the labor movement endorsed Clinton because he a the lesser of two evils and he needs to energize people to come out and vote a Rivera said. He stressed that he spoke Only for himself but added that a Many of them think like i  the convention will take place at Madison Square Garden from july 13 to 16. The Issue safer workplaces Edulfo 3 Mote thu associated to him at log to candidate for their Stew m a particular tee a and Troia item he Kra a a in Mai or ate a George Bush last month Senate democrats accused the Bush administration of using tortured logic Quot to argue that allowing dangerous materials in the workplace would Lead to healthier workers because their employers would have lower costs. In a letter to the labor department a budget official had said that new environmental rules for the construction maritime and agriculture industries could prove so expensive for companies that they would Cut wages and jobs thereby hurting worker health in the Long run. The labor department asserted that eight to 13 lives could be lost if the regulation is delayed. Patrick Buchanan a spokesman said Buchanan has not taken a Public position on the Issue. Democrats a Terry Brown Quot we need a Federal commitment to improving workplace safety which Means a political commitment to placing the safety of workers Over the profits of corporations. It will require a breakup of the existing Washington establishment wherein corporate and special interests virtually dictate workplace  Bill Clinton Quot i support the Osha occupational safety and health administration Reform legislation pending before Congress because i believe we need to prevent tragedies which occur in the  Perot s pay Back Rule called illegal Detroit apr Ross Perot required employees to Promise to repay any training costs up to $9,000 if they resigned or were fired a practice Michigan officials say was illegal in that state a newspaper reported sunday. State officials investigated the practice after receiving dozens of complaints about it in 1988 and 1989. The attorney general a office pressured electronic data systems to change its policies in 1990 and says now that the program was illegal. Michigan was the Only state to look into the hiring practice used worldwide by eds. Perot poised to run for president As an Independent founded eds in 1962 and sold it to general motors corp. In 1984. He remained on Gmys Board of directors until 1986. Beginning in the late 1960s, new hires at eds in Michigan and elsewhere had to sign promissory notes agreeing to pay the company up to $9,000 if they quit or were fired within several years of their training. A they used this As a sword of Damocles hanging Over these very Young kids in their 20s who  easily come up with $9,000,�?� Robert Janover a lawyer who represented one fired employee told the Detroit news. Morton Meyer on former eds president and now a Perot Campaign adviser said Perot approved the promissory note program in the late 1960s. A i looked into it to see if it was Legal and we tested it and we won All the cases a Meyerson said. A if they chose to join the company they did it with their eyes wide  Michigan Law forbids employers to extract Money or things of value from an employee As a condition of employment said assistant attorney general Christine Derdarian. The policy was needed because of the company a reputation for top level technical training said eds spokesman Mark Fox. A other companies and headhunters realized this was a world class training program and we found ourselves essentially being raided a Fox  military Clinton urges Little Rock Ark. Apr a democratic presid tial front runner Bill Clinton said monday that Cai military men and women must be retrained to fit Ini Post cold War civilian Economy and not be Dimi set a a yesterday a  a we should recognize our obligations to those \ won the cold War a Clinton told a memorial Day is ice at Little rocks National cemetery. When there Are defense cutbacks the sen women and men the people who worked in the sense industries the scientists and the engine should not indeed must not be cast aside As if t were yesterdays heroes of no use today a the Sarkar governor said. Clinton backs a plan by sen. Sam Nunn a which would allow service personnel to be retrained work As teachers police and to accrue military ret ment for civilian service