European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 25, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thursday february 25, 1993 commentary the stars and stripes Page 1sclinton s rhetoric about decline overheated at the end of the worst first month of a modern presidency there lingers in fading Echo the word  that word which candidate Clinton used to describe the relationship he wanted Between govern-1 mint and citizenry Means in a democracy a solemn Promise to keep promises. The fraying of Clinton a covenant with the electorate is pertinent to this question which president docs Linton resemble not John f. Kennedy whose tax Cut ignited a Boom. Rather Clinton resembles the two residents of his politically formative years Lyndon b. Ohnson and Richard m. Nixon. Clinton a conduct since the Campaign Marks his Campaign As the most disingenuous since at least 1964, when John son disguised his intentions re. Garding Vietnam. Al Oclin tones plans for expanding governments grasping ass and bos siness resemble Johnson a. And Nixon a whose administration oversaw explosive growth of the regulatory state Nixon s wage and Price controls George f. Will wage and Price controls Clinton is contemplating control by Redict of in pcs in the health care Field were the most Radical Extension of Federal Power into economic life since the 1930s. One economic Promise about which Linton remains punctilious is one he should abandon a his Promise to stimulate the Economy which is surging. What is breathtaking about a intone a pork Laden stimulus package a Fine tuning tax credits Grants for state and local governments Amtrak Road repairs a is its banality. For this you do not need to go to Oxford you just need to have gone to sleep 20 years ago. His larger program a a tax increases defense cuts Domestic spending increases Quot administrative efficiencies proposed Domestic cuts most of which will not materialized hardly amounts to Quot re inventing  the myriad tax increases now proposed arc just hours do oeuvres for the administration. The new York times headline feb. 17 "2-dozen new taxes weighed to pay for . Health  evidence of of intone a tepid enthusiasm for cutting spending he talked for 61 minutes without finding time to revisit his old endorsement of a Linc item veto. George step Hanopulus Clinton a spokesman promises a Quot reversal of  Reagan ism a record 93 months of growth Low inflation declining interest rates and unemployment almost 19 million new jobs exports nearly doubled one third increase in real Gnu. Clinton May indeed keep his Promise to reverse this. Still Clinton has worked one Miracle several million americans overnight have joined the ranks of the Rich. He says that the proof that he plans to tax mostly Quot the Rich is the fact that 70 percent of the increases will fall on families earning More than $100,000. Well. A mid level head nurse in the North East earns $47,000. If her husband is a new York qty school principal his starting salary was $69,776. Clinton says it is time such people paid for their opulence. The modern presidency devoted to incessant manipulation of Public opinion manufactures ersatz crises to hold the Public a attention. Hence Clinton s overheated rhetoric about americans  Japan a Economy is reeling. Germany a growth rate has lagged behind americans since the 1970s and its Gnu is shrinking. Both Britain and France have Dou blk digit unemployment. A growing majority of jobs in advanced countries Are in service industries and Macri cars service sector is much the most productive in the world. In spite of the Jimmy Carter stagflation and the George Bush recession real per capita after tax in Why then the rhetoric about decline to Stampede the Public to accept More statism. But there is one real decline that Clinton a program should reverse that of the gop. # t a conservatism a vitality is linked to the Public a Dis gust with the political class. Clinton a multiplying Apost Asies from his Campaign themes and promises a from All that was supposed to define a a new democrats a Are to say no More not calculated to enhance the reputation of the political class. A furthermore Clinton a Agenda of metastasizing gov pm mint propels republicans Back to Reagan ism from Bush ism. Consider again int Ort a stimulus. If government raises a billions in new taxes and sends out an equal amount billions in Quot stimulus a the result is Quot progressive because government has gained yet More ground in reducing the scope of private Choice and increasing the permeation of life by politics. That is the liberalism of ,4ncw democrats a As of old ones. Will Congress cooperate perhaps. But the House in which Linton spoke is composed of 435 members All of whom did better than Clinton a 42.9 percent in november. All of them will face the voters again in 20 months. Most of them probably understand that if Clinton had said four months ago what he is saying now he would still be living in Little Rock. C the Washington Post calling an increase a Cut does t make it a Cut i a i. I. Final fun in Votsi if you Call a Tail a leg went the Riddle attributed to Abraham Lincoln Haw Many legs has a dog the answer four Quot because calling a Tail a leg does t make it a leg.�?�. Red eyed with Lack of sleep racing to make a self imposed deadline like Bright students cramming before an exam the  a a a innit to apr q jogs did and Clinto nites slapped together breakfast of a budget proposal not like what they saw. The trouble was that it was All tax increases and a except for a huge extra whack at defense that they knew had no Chance of getting past sen. Sana Nunn very few spending cuts. And the people had voted for spending cuts to reduce the deficit. So Clinton decided to Call a Tail a Lee. This required moving a Bunch of items out of column a Quot tax increases and Over to column a Quot spending cuts. It Wasny to honest accounting but when you Are in an impossible bind and it s late at night you do what you have to do. That a when the Clinton proposal to tax an additional 35 percent of social Security benefits to those Oyer 65 who continue to work or who were Foohs enough to have saved Money for their old age went through a miraculous name change. The additional tax was no longer to be known by the harsh word Quot tax instead it was to be called by the admired term Quot spending  Lloyd Bentsen at Treasury attempted a convoluted rationale for this sleight of hand that embarrassed his friends. The same trick was tried with uncapping the sum on which the medicare tax was levied thereby raising the tax take on the highest bracket to 43 percent. Its a tax Rise Plain and simple squeezing _ $12 billion out of. Those committing the egalitarian sin of earning Money but a behind the Blue smoke and mirrors a there it appears labelled Quot spending  Why the chicanery so transparent that not even the budget chief Leon Panetta could bring himself to defend it on meet the press sunday because Clinto nites had first promised two dollars in cuts for every new Dollar in taxes and then backed off to Quot rough balance Quot but in the end they had produced no balance William Safire rough or otherwise. On the contrary Only after four dollars arc sent Chad out of taxpayers pockets do we Sec one Dollar Cut a and that Cut is not guaranteed. In 60 Days the other shoe is scheduled to drop the Hillary supplemental with subsidies for 37 million uninsured people to be paid out of. Taxes on cigarettes wine and Beer and guns. And if a pistol packing butt puffing Joe six pack cannot pay that $90 billion freight All by himself on comes a National sales tax. Did we vote for this did Bill Clinton talk about it during his Campaign except to denounce predictions of tax and spend economics As Quot shameful of course not not for him the Walter Mondale route in 1984, blurting out publicly an intention to raise taxes. Such honesty is for losers winners zip their lip and Quot discover Quot Ever growing deficits after the election claiming then to be shocked shocked at the need to raise taxes while increasing non defense spending. Will it Fly the polls show the customary enthusiasm for a new president who exudes Energy even As he proposes taxing it. We like seeing those lights Bur Ning late the resilient Young president campaigning for his cause whatever it is fogies old and Young find it fun to shake up the Boring status quo. We tend to forgive Early mistakes and Little deceptions hoping they wont grow into major blunders and a pattern of lies. But Bill Linton and his team half starry eyed and half bleary eyed arc stumbling into an ideology that is As bad for them As it is for the nation. Docs he realize where Quot Clinto ism a As it is developing is taking him Price control paternalism and protectionism Lead to inflation recession and general dismay. Americans love the idea of change and hate Radical changes. We want a sense of movement without getting involved in a movement. It would be hard for any politician to prevent 1993 from being a Good year just As it will be hard to prevent Bill Clinton from attributing this years upturn to his own election and Slapdash proposals. Stop him democrats before his desire to be different combines with his Talent at telemarketing to Lead your party into the Black Hole of statism. He Calls his inchoate ideology a the new direction a but calling a Tail a leg does no to make it a leg. C the York he