European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 2, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Tuesday March 2,1993 . The stars and stripes b pages budget plan by Alan Fram Washington apr Welcome to president a intone a budget where a tax boost on social Security benefits counts As a spending Cut. But before getting too cynical you should know this by most accounts Clinton s spending plan contains far less trickery than the budgets that presidents Ronald Reagan Ana George Bush produced. In fact Many of the gimmicks he uses were made famous by his Republican predecessors. Ttys an honest work up of the numbers certainly compared to what we re used to in recent budgets Quot said Carol Cox wait president of the bipartisan watchdog group committee for a responsible Federal budget. Leon e. Panetta Clinton s budget chief said of the plan Quot it s Alt there in Black and White nothing phony no smoke and  but that a  say the average person would agree with All of its claims and it Hast stopped republicans from accusing Clinton of using funny numbers to make his he deficit reduction plan seem beefier and less onerous than it really  the plan s Overall outline. Clinton wants to tilt his budget As heavily As possible toward spending cuts because of the Public a distaste for higher taxes and its belief that the government is larded with waste. Clinton said he has proposed $247 billion Worth of spending cuts from 1994 to 1997, and $246 billion in Revenue increases. That s a four year total of $493 billion in savings a $1 in spending cuts for every Dollar in higher taxes Linton said. The net deficit reduction comes to $325 billion when his spending increases and tax cuts designed to Spur the Economy Are added in. But whoa say republicans. Look closely at some of a intone a spending cuts and youth see that his plan has. More tax increases than he acknowledges a the $21.4 billion the plan would raise by boosting taxes on the Best off social Security recipients. A about $12.6 billion by raising fees for some Securi ties dealers Farmers and others. A a. $24 billion reduction in Federal interest payments because the plan s savings would make the deficit smaller than otherwise. Linton Calls them All spending cuts. In fact Senate republicans said $219.6 billion of a intone a $325 billion in four year deficit reduction a two thirds of it a comes from higher taxes. There Are just two problems with the gop complaints for one calling such items spending cuts is a longstanding budget practice because they end up reducing Federal expenditures. Republicans never moaned when Bush and Reagan did the same thing. For another republicans even disagree among themselves Over these same definitions. Rep. John r. Kasich of Ohio ranking Republican on the House Bud Fet committee counts $51 billion in spending cuts inc Linton s plan and says the ratio of Revenue increases to spending slashes is nearly 5-to-l.in the stars and stripes 10years ago March 2,1983 the United steelworkers of America ratified a contract with seven top steelmakers that cuts wages by $1.25 an hour in an Effort to help the Industry compete with foreign suppliers.20 years ago March 2,1973 a the extremist palestinian guerrilla group Black september seized a group of for. Eign diplomats in Khartoum Sudan including . Ambassador Cleo noel.30 years ago March 2,1963 a the soviets will not enter detailed negotiations with the Western Powers on a nuclear weapons test ban treaty bringing 4vi years of talks to the verge of collapse.40 years ago March 2,1953 a iranian Premier Mohammed Mossadegh fired his army s chief of staff crushed an attempt to seize radio Tehran and called for a vote of Confidence in his Battle with supporters of Shah Reza pahlavi.50 years ago March 2,1943 a americans went shopping with ration Book no. 2, necessary under regulations that control the Sale of foods except meat fresh vegetables fruits and bread. World War ii 50 years ago today mar. 219 �4 a american and australian warplanes begin pummelling a japanese Convoy caught in the Bismarck sea trying to get 7,000 soldiers and supplies to Northern new Guinea. In Tunisia american soldiers re enter Sbei la and move on to Feria a while British forces repel German attacks to the North. German troops evacuate Rah eve on the Central soviet front. Source 2194 Days of War w h. Smith publishers inc. World almanac Book of world wat a Bison books corp., 1981 a bloated staff budget ills Hurt ., former . Official reportedly says Washington a a former . Official completing a one year assignment at the United nations says the world body is hobbled by antiquated management staff Deadwood Ana Quot almost surreal Quot budget practices a newspaper reports. Richard Thornburgh a former . Attorney general and Pennsylvania governor set out the findings in a report delivered Friday to  Secretary general Boutros Boutros Ghali the Washington Post reported monday. Thornburgh stepped Down monday after one year appointment As undersecretary general of the  Department of administration and management where he was assigned to fight bureaucratic excess and corruption. In the report which has not been made Public Thornburgh called on Boutros Ghali to appoint an inspector general As a per Thornburgh manent watchdog it said Thornburgh wrote that the United nations is Quot almost totally lacking in effective Means to Deal with waste fraud and abuse by staff  the newspaper also quoted Thornburgh As criticizing personnel practices that Lead to Quot too Mutt Deadwood doing too Little work and too few Good staff members doing too  and Thornburgh said the process for deciding How to spend the United nations regular $1 billion budget is Quot almost surreal mainly because the 180-Mem-Ber-nation general Assembly likes to tinker with the details. Boutros Ghali and other  Officials declined comment on the report the Post said. Sam Houston celebrated As hero of Texas Houston s Huntsville Texas Apt Sam Houst oif a known As Texas greatest hero. The nation s fourth largest City carries his name and it was the first word spoken from the Moon. Today is the 200th anniversary of re a a a birthday. A typically texan big Bash touted As the grand Celebration is planned for Sam Houston state University in Huntsville where Houston died in 1863 and where he is buried. The Celebration is the culmination of weeks of events marking Houston a Houston birth near Lexington va., on March 2,1793. Quot head love it i think a said Gregg Cantrell a history professor at the University. Quot nobody loved a Good show better than Sam Houston. No one Ever accused old Sam of modesty. He had a robust ego. He was a bom  showman Drinker president governor senator Indian general fighter a All were descriptions that could fit Houston. Quot the Man was synonymous with the province of Tejas in revolt the Independent Republic of Texas and finally the state of Texas Quot wrote Marshall de Bruhl in a new biography of Houston sword of san Jacinto. It is one of several books including at least one novel being published around the Bicentennial. A for most americans he was embodiment of everything texan a de Bruhl  grew up in Tennessee and As a teen Ager he ran. Away to live with the Cherokee indians his service in the War of 1812 Drew the attention of president to be Andrew Jackson. By the time he was 35, Houston was governor of Tennessee and mentioned As a presidential hopeful. But his marriage to Eliza Allen the first of three ended after three months and the disastrous experience Hurt his political career. Why they split is Quot a secret they both took to their Graves a Cantrell  historians do know is that he returned to the cherokees married an Indian and tried to Deal with a drinking problem so bad the indians gave him the name Quot big  another mystery is what Drew Houston to Texas in 1832. Quot we can Only make informed guesses Quot Cantrell said. Quot his political career was in shambles in Tennessee. But there were a number of things to draw him to  he received a land Grant from Stephen f. Austin then got involved in politics. Quot there were rumblings of revolution already and if there was to be a revolution no doubt Sam Houston would want to be involved in it Quot Cantrell said. Quot he at various times claimed that he came to seek a simple life of a Herdsman which was  Quot for Sam Houston to not be involved in action and politics it would have been unthinkable Quot he said. Houston s legacy was cemented at san Jacinto where his outnumbered ragtag Texas army Defeated the mexicans in a Brief but historic 1836 Battle that made Texas a Republic. Houston general of the army became president of the Republic of Texas. In 1845, Texas became part of the United states. Houston was a . Senator for 13 years was elected governor in 1859 and was deposed 15 months later for refusing to take an oath of allegiance to the confederacy. He died in 1863. Judge stops Denver ban on semiautomatic assault guns Denver a a judge ruled the City s ordinance Banning semiautomatic assault weapons is unconstitutional and vague. Denver District judge Michael Mullins said the 1989 ordinance did not clearly define what weapons Are outlawed and left citizens guessing. A Section of the ordinance also was in conflict with the Colorado Constitution because it. Made it illegal for a person who had a permit for such a weapon to use it in defense of his person property or Home Mullins ruled Friday. Quot it precludes constitutionally protected conduct Quot he said. Denver lawyer Ralph Rhodes who represents four gun owners who challenged the ordinance said he believes it is the first time in the United states that a local gun ordinance has been declared unconstitutional. The Colorado attorney general a office also challenged the measure. The City attorneys office will review the ruling before deciding whether to Appeal Mullins decision assistant City attorney John Stoffel said. The ordinance sponsored by councilwoman Cathy Reynolds passed 9-4 by the City Council in november 1989. The ordinance banned a wide variety of semiautomatic weapons making it unlawful to carry store keep manufacture or sell such weapons in Denver. But the ordinance was not Clear in what was considered an assault weapon Rhodes said