European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 9, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Saturday january 9, 1993 . The stars and stripes Page 5 by the Baltimore Sun Little Rock Ark. A president elect Clinton met with his top economic advisers thursday with All signs pointing to a Retreat from his Campaign Promise of a major Middle class tax break and his opposition to a Federal gasoline tax. The strategists met in the Wake of the Bush administrations worsening deficit projections issued this week. Those figures suggest that the nation s record deficit of $290 billion in fiscal 1992 will exceed $300 billion in fiscal 1994 and 1995. Faced with such a setback Clinton May have to increase taxes or Cut spending to make up the new shortfall which almost certainly would thwart his goal of halving the deficit in four years. A it gives them some More flexibility and justification for doing things that would not be popular a said Max Sawicky of the labor backed economic policy Institute which has advocated a $60 billion growth package for fiscal 1994. A. A we Are not backing away from any pledges a communications director George St thanopoulos said commenting on the budget report. A clearly what we Learned was that the deficit is far bigger than anyone  Steph Nopoulos said the Clinton estimate was that in fiscal 1997 the budget was Likely to be nearer to $360 billion than the $319 billion projected by the Bush administration. He added that halving the deficit remained the goal hut Many economists doubted it was now attainable. A the is certainly in a bind,7�?T said Arthur Hall an economist with the Independent tax foundation. A there is just not enough Money in the places he said he was going to get the Money from. He never made a very Large gesture to the Middle class i think this erases even that Small  during the Campaign Clinton promised a Middle s plans class income tax Cut or a child tax credit that would have saved families $480 a year for each child. Any income tax Cut now seems impossible but a Middle class child tax credit to fulfil his Campaign Promise could still be linked to increased taxes on the wealthy a either he is going to break his Promise or he is going to find ways to Cut spending or lie is going to find a Way to increase taxes a a Hall said. Clinton is committed to raising taxes on incomes above $200,000 a year and improving tax collection from foreign corporations. But neither move is Likely to come anywhere near solving Bis deficit problem. The most Likely lick source of major revenues is a Federal gasoline tax. But that too would require Clinton to reverse his original opposition to the idea when it was broached during the Campaign by Independent Ross Perot who wanted a 50-cent-a-gallon increase added Over five years. Clinton now appears More receptive to the idea. In the stars and stripes 10 years ago Jan. 9,1983 a president Reagan citing a a serious foundation for Progress Quot in nuclear arms reductions with Moscow sent vice Presk Dent George Bush to Confer with european allies on the .-soviet arms talks. 20 year Sago Jan. 9,1973 a new Orleans police rushed a rooftop Bunker in search of snipers who killed six persons and wounded 17 others but they found no Trace of the gunmen 30 years ago Jan. 9,1963.�?three . Soldiers drowned when the armoured personnel Carrier in which they were Riding Sank in the Rhine River near Oppenheim Germany. 40 years ago Jan. 9,1953 a searchers fought through a driving snowstorm after flares were reportedly seen on a Mountain Peak near Dingle Idaho where an army chartered Airliner carrying 37 soldiers Home Fromi Korea was believed to have crashed. 50 years ago Jan. 9,1943 a the biggest topic of conversation among american soldiers in Britain was president Roosevelt a message to the 78th Congress which included a vow to strike hard in Europe probably within the year. World War ii 50 years ago today Jan. 9 1 a 9 a 4 3 japanese soldiers repel Allied troops trying to tight their Way across the Konomi River near Taradena on. New Guinea s northeastern coast an australian brigade Hies to Wau to set up a Orward base. On Guadalcanal. . Army troops take up position on the Matani Kau River and near the stronghold of Gifu on Moun Austen in preparation for a major attack. Source 2194 Days of War w a Smith publishers inc. World almanac Book of world War ii b son books corp., 19s1 to use m by the los Angeles time Washington a defense Secretary designate Les Aspin reinforced thursday a belief among some that the incoming Clin ton administration might be More willing to use Force in. Bosnia and Herzegovina than president Bush. A a there a More of Aspin a National interest at stake in Bosnia than there is in Somalia a Aspin said during the opening Day of confirmation hearings before the Senate armed services committee. The Wisconsin Democrat also asked the panel a if the world does nothing about what s going on in Bosnia what kind of a signal does that Send to other places in the former soviet Union and other places where similar things might erupt a Aspin pointedly rejected concerns that . Air strikes against serbian positions in the former yugoslav Republic would pose substantial risks for the United states. Aspinw a comments on the Balkans sparked the most controversy in an to in bosnian otherwise cordial session that was expected to Lead to Aspin s Early confirmation by the panel. Aspin said that with the end of the cold War the United states can now conduct limited military operations and then decide to Quot Back off without fear of signalling weakness to a superpower adversary. A maybe you use Force not to achieve something but to punish people for doing certain things Aspin said in response to a question about the risks of . Air strikes against serbian positions. Aspin insisted that he does not support the intervention of . Ground troops in the civil War. He said he would prefer that european countries which have More immediate interests in the conflict Send such troops. But he suggested that the United states could use its High technology Arsenal to make a Point. In discussing the possibility that . Aircraft could be dispatched to bomb serbian positions Aspin acknowledged concerns that american pilots Coul Abc shot Down and held captive. A maybe that Means you Don t use manned aircraft in certain circumstances Quot said Aspin who said he would be a one. Of several sources of advice Quot on Clinton s decision to use Force. A maybe you use cruise  the use of american military Force was just one of the controversial issues that Aspin addressed in a hearing that quickly became a forum for senators special pleas. Among them were both appeals to Aspin to find new savings in the defense budget and appeals to forestall deeper cuts than those proposed by Bush. Aspin acknowledging that he would continue to feel pressure from both sides offered an assessment of the challenges that he will face from fractious lawmakers. Quot a. A the current situation in Congress right now is not a split Between Hawks and doves Between liberals and conservatives Between democrats and republicans Quot said Aspin. A it s Between those people that have military bases and facilities and things in their districts and those that  Aspin reiterated Clinton a Promise to reduce defense budgets Over the next five years by $60 billion. But he cautioned that problems with the budget he will inherit from Secretary of defense Dick Cheney might make the task of finding such savings More challenging than expected. A health care needs help nominee says Washington up1 Jesse Brown selected by president elect Clinton As Secretary of veterans affairs won enthusiastic bipartisan support thursday at his confirmation hearing. Brown a Battle scarred Marine Veteran who was executive director of the disabled american veterans told the Senate veterans committee that a adequate funding must be a top priority for the department. A a number of health care initiatives require our immediate attention chief among them eligibility criteria requirements a Brown said. A a Many veterans and department of veterans affairs health care professionals Are highly a and justifiably a critical of the current system As Complex confusing and not always consistent with Good medical practice., a we must Cut through the backlog of forms and applications that Force veterans and their families to wait months before receiving needed benefits. A and 1 believe we must pay special attention to the needs of the homeless veterans. That those who served our nation honorable must now seek  grates is. A shame and a  Nader objects to Clinton s attorney general Choice Washington a consumer activist Ralph Nader said thursday that attorney general designate Zoe Baird has embraced anti consumer policies that betray the principles of the Clinton Gore Campaign. Nader said that Baird As general counsel to Aetna life insurance and casualty co., was part of the insurers Campaign to a Cut Back on  he acknowledged that Baird is Likely to be confirmed by the Senate but he wants the judiciary committee to be sure to a flush out her  a nominees try to say As Little As possible Quot Nader said. A we want to gel enough on the Public record so that if she tries to sabotage Consumers there will be a record to turn  Nader said he talked to Clinton by Telephone earlier this week to urge him to meet with National citizen groups. A for 12 years the citizen groups were in the trenches trying to Stem the tide of Reagan Bush policies a Nader said. But he said Clinton has not sought their counsel. A the said he d get Hack to me a Nader told a news conference on insurance Industry issues. Nader a objection to Baird stems from Aetna a involvement in the a tort Reform movement to reduce damage awards granted victims in product liability cases and to reduce the number of cases brought. A to have the general counsel who believed in Aetna policies. Is a betrayal of much of what the Clinton Gore Campaign stood for a Nader said ,