European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 29, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thursday october 29, 1992 commentary the stars and stripes Page 15 perhaps Clinton if elected can keep promises George f. Will pursuant to the sound advice that on should perform an unpleasant duty each Day to stay in nor Allgrim today i concoct the Best Case i can for elec Ting Bill Clinton. A column that appeared monday did the same for president  reason for electing Clinton is that re electing Bush would prove there is no penalty for failure i american politics. That is a recipe for increasing the National Stock of  s record is poor and his Campaign has been execrable. Before the 1988 Campaign a Democrat said if we can t beat Bush we have to Pic another  if after these four years and this Campaign the democratic party loses again it May become As irresponsible As the Republican party became after 1948 re member Joe Mccarthy when it lost a fourth consecutive elec Tion. Furthermore it might be useful if Only to restore the Good name of gridlock to have responsibility firmly fixed in one party controlling both political branches of the Federal government. Why any one would want Washington s political culture to be Given an Opportunity for unrestrained expression i cannot  people complain about gridlock so let it be gone. The resulting growth of government will at least be accompanied by clarity about which party is accountable for the mess the growth inevitably will make. America does not need All of the government it Al ready is getting and certainly does not need most of the additional government that Clinton promises and that the democratic Congress will merrily augment. But the nation does need some More , who waste $14 billion Worth of time and fuel because of congested highways and airports need increased spending on  nation needs some preventive government measures to forestall future and larger demands on  care and Public health education Are examples. America ranks 25th among nations in the immunization rate of preschool children and worse regarding immunization of non White children. And almost half the mortality in America is related to health damaging be Havior smoking drug and alcohol abuse unsafe sex and driving  s life has been unfortunately an Al most seamless Glide from Campus into government butt least he has been a governor and May be amenable to fresh thinking about  decades the Federal government that overbearing and overreaching underachiever has been on Binge of activity acquisition Alice Rivlin s phrase. It is now buckling beneath the  need a sorting out of Federal from state and local  is possible if just barely to Hope Clinton can undertake this against the opposition of All the interests to which he and his party Are Beholden interest with much invested in their leverage in Washington. On the theory that Only Nixon could have gone Sochina the theory that there Are some thorny issues Only conservatives or liberals will be trusted to touch perhaps it is time for liberalism s moral vanity to meet reality. Clinton and his party think they have cornered the Market on compassion and can control the Cost of medical care. Let them come to grips wit facts like this 30 percent of All medicare dollars Are spent on patients in the last 12 months of life. Fifty percent of american youths do not Atten College. Half of America s High schools have no physics teachers. Half of the math and science teachers Are not certified in those subjects. Perhaps Clinton can reason with the most retrograde Force in american education his fervent supporters in the Public education lobby to raise standards an spend the ample education dollars More sensibly. Per Pupil spending on grades k-12 increased 35 percent inconstant dollars during the last decade but much of it stuck to the velcro of bureaucracy liberals who excoriate Bush for his irresponsible no new taxes pledge should note that Clinton pledges no new taxes on individuals other than those with adjusted Gross earnings of at least $150,000 and on joint filers earning at least $200,000. That is a no new taxes pledge to 99 percent of tax payers. It should be entertaining to Sec him try to keep that Promise and the Promise of Middle class tax re Lief and of deficit reduction and of dozens of new pro Grams and also keep his Liberal friends Friendly. Actually to be pitilessly fair Clinton promises Sev eral substantial new taxes on workers and Consumers. Requiring business to pay re training and medical care taxes will take Money from what otherwise would be workers wages and from Consumers through increased prices of goods and services the Paramount Issue is How to restore sustained economic growth sufficient to generate jobs and the revenues required for a welfare state serving an aging population. Perfi aps Clinton is Correct. Perhaps such growth will be achieved by siphoning Money from wealthy investing individuals and giving itto politicians to disperse often to Public employees who Are the new Core of the democratic party which represents government As an interest group. Perhaps. This policy either will be successful in which Case the nation will rejoice or it will be educational reminding the nation Why it turned right not so Long ago. C the Washington Post candidates ignoring volatile Issue of racism Ross Perot and millions of other americans Are complaining that presi Dent Bush and gov. Bill Clinton have re fused to face head on the Issue of $4 tril lion in National debt and annual budget deficits of $350 million. The complaints Are  we had All better worry a lot about an equally important Issue that is being glossed Over the explosive Rise of racial and ethnic hatreds in both the huge and Small cities of  see White policemen railing at Black political leaders in new York City Blacks warring politically with hispanics Over who will control the los Angele school system koreans complaining that they Are rendered voiceless and Power less in traumatized . Blacks jews and concerned White protestants and catholics organizing to put Down an insurgency of Neo nazis and Kun flux klansmen in Newburgh  and ethnic violence have be come so destructive in America that big Otry is now a huge Factor in this country s Trade imbalances its inability to compete and its colossal National  presidential candidate can make a realistic Promise to ease America s eco nomic woes if he does not include a plan to end the hatreds that leave huge groups of citizens fighting one another Over the scraps of a dying  in t eager to talk about racial polarization an racial hatreds be cause he know that he and Ron Ald Reagan in cited some of them and won Power for 12 years by exploit ing racial fear in the most cynical Carl ways. Rowan when Bush opposed the Public accommodations act of 1964, arguing that people of the ilk of restaurateur Lester Maddox and other bigots in hotels motels Heaters department stores and other Public places had a right to refuse service Tob lacks or anyone else they did t like the president lost All moral Force in civil rights. Clinton does t want to talk about the crisis caused by the great american crisis this society s obsession with race because he does t want to antagonize the half sleeping racists of this land. He wants to deny Bush a White Back  Perot cant raise the Issue of corrosive racism to a level of National con Cern because his background is such that he does t understand what the conflicts Are All about. All he can do is regurgitate condescending stories about How his Money less daddy somehow kept giving Money to his Lack workers. How do we get a situation in new Burgh where hate groups Parade with swastikas German and Confederate Flag Sand signs that say Welcome aryans it became inevitable when the winning presidential campaigns of the last 12 years featured appeals to the White backlash fear of Black rapist Willie Horton and other crass racism. The Public responded to these political appeals to mean spirited Ness Ana to the darkest Side of Man s nature. Political leaders sowed the seeds of hatred and now the people Are reaping the violent winds of greed fear and hatred. It does t have to be that Way. In our modern history we have seen that the Congress the supreme court the people will respond positively to leaders who ask us to be better than we could be. The great civil rights March of 1963 re Mains a testament to the ability of the american people to show the nobler Side of Man s nature and to unite in a cause of Justice. As we slide toward election Day on tuesday we must ask which candidate offers us any Hope of leadership that will take America away from internal self destruction. North american newspaper Alliance the opinions expressed in the columns and cartoons on this Page represent those of the authors and Are in no Way to be considered As representing the views of the stars and stripes or the United states government