European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 07, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Saturday August 1993 the stars and stripes Page 3 callers swamp Congress on budget. A -. Washington a Congress switchboard was swamped with More than 2.3 million Telephone Calls thursday in an Avalanche of comment on president Clin ton  reduction plan. The calling into Washington is going right off the Wall at to spokesman Herb Ltd non said in the midst of a mid Day surge in Calls to the . Capitol. The phone company estimated there were 450,000 at tempts in a single hour Over the lunch hour or about 10 times the Normal thursday afternoon rate. Up to 50,000 calling attempts to Congress appeared to have been made within a five minute Pend alone Linncon said adding that the company took precautions to make sure the Long distance switch in downtown Washington did t get overloaded. Calling dropped off thereafter to a rate of about 25,000 Calls a hour during mid afternoon but remained very heavy up to 10 . Not when the House voted to approve the plan. At to said that As of 10 ., there had been 2.3 million attempts on its network to get through to Congress on thursday. No estimates were available from other Long distance companies. During the midday overload some congressional phone lines went dead for Brief periods. Many people calling the Capitol switchboard got a recording that said All circuit were Busy. The Capitol has been flooded with Calls since tuesday night when loth Clinton and Senate minority Leader Robert Dole of Kansas urged americans to phone in their comments. At to said 3.2 million attempts were made to get through to the Capitol switchboard Between the presi Dent s tuesday evening speech and 4 . Edt wednes Day. Republicans revealed in the Calls touting tallies that showed an overwhelming number of their callers opposed Clinton s package. Democrats earlier characterized their Calls As running around 50-50 and said thursday that peo ple opposed to taxes often organize lobbying efforts. They Don t know what. They re talking about rep. Charles Wilson a Texas said of some callers. Some were Middle class people who mistakenly thought they would have to pay retroactive taxes Wilson said. Only wealthy taxpayers would be hit by higher income taxes under Clin ton s plan. Lawmakers reported an angry tone on the other end of the line. One of them said i better not Ever show my face in my Hometown said Wilson who is voting for the package. Reducing the deficit in five years the president and Congress Hope thai the new taxes and lower spending inthe budget win reduce the Federal deficit by about $496 billion. Here Are some of the highlights of the deficit reduction Bill. Social Security fewer than 13 percent of social Security recipients generally those with incomes that average Over $50,000 would have to pay tax on greater share of their benefits no single Retiree with income under$34,000, counting half his or her social Security pension or couple under$44,000 would be affected. Energy taxes on gasoline now 14.1 cents gallon and diesel fuel now 20.1 cents would Rise by 4.3 cents on oct. 1.the Gas tax increase will Cost the typical household $30 to $50 a year Ora dime a Day As Clinton put it. This is the Only part of the Bill with an Impact across the Broad Middle class interest debt service costs will be Tower. Medicare tax effective Jan. 1,1994, the$135,000 limit on the amount of annual wages an self employment income subject to the medicare tax would be eliminated. Corporations higher taxes on corporations a further Cut in the deduction for business meals and entertainment and a $1 million limit on the amount of an executive s salary that May be deducted. Increases in spending will be lowered. Government programs a nearly $56 billion Cut in the growth of reimbursements to doctors and hospitals for treating the elderly and disabled under  reductions in spending for the military and restraints on a variety of other Federal spending programs. Individual taxes a major income tax increase on top earners costing those with incomes Over $200,000 an extra $23.521 a  current top rate of 31 percent would Rise retroactive to Jan. 1. To 36 percent. A new 10 percent surtax would hit taxable income above $250,000, producing a new top rate of 39.6 percent. Source House ways and Means committee a Carl Fox Widnall confirmed Asaf Secretary Washington a Sheila e. Widnall awaits swearing in As Secretary of the air Force after becom ing the first woman to win Senate confirmation to head a Branch of the . Armed forces. Widnall confirmed by voice vote in the Senate on thursday is president Clinton s second service Secre tary joining Navy Secretary John Dalton. The administration which has been faulted for its slow Pace in filling top civilian jobs at the Pentagon still has not nominated an army Secretary. Widnall 55, is an aeronautical Engineer and associate Provost at the Massachusetts Institute of technology. A graduate of Mit and a former professor there Widnall has served on advisory committees to the Mili tary Airlift come and Wright Patterson fab Ohio. Widnall easily dealt with a minor controversy at her confirmation hearing july 29. In testimony before the Senate armed services committee Widnall denied allegations that her Hus band s yacht club discriminates against jews and other minorities. Widnall said the Eastern yacht club in Marblehead mass., where her husband William has been a full member since 1984, does not have a discriminatory pol icy. Members of the anti defamation league in Boston have complained that the club docs not allow jews As members. Commodore e. Paul Casey has denied the charge saying the club has jewish members. Widnall is familiar with firsts being the first Mit Alumna appointed to the faculty in the school of Engi Neering and the first woman to serve As chair of the entire Mit faculty. She held that Post in 1979-1980. Widnall was among a number of nominees confirmed by voice vote including Graham t. Allison or. As an assistant Secretary of defense. Other confirmations Doug Ross As an assistant Secretary of labor. Bruce a. Lehman As commissioner of patents and trademarks. Lionel Skipwith Johns As an associate director of the office of science and technology policy. Jolene Moritz Molitoris As administrator of the Federal Railroad administration. Louise Frankel Stoll As an assistant Secretary of transportation. Loretta l. Dunn As an assistant Secretary of com Merce. Mary Lowe Good As undersecretary of Commerce for technology. Remains found in Laos May be . Servicemen Bangkok Thailand a american searchers in a Remote area of Laos have found human remains that could be those of . Servicemen lost during the Vietnam War a . Offi Cial Here said Friday. About 30 americans working for the Penta gon s joint task Force full accounting unit arc conducting a monthlong search with their lao Tian counterparts for crash Sites where Ameri cans were lost. The search is concentrated in the Central prov Ince of Xieng Houang about 75 Miles North of the capital Vientiane. It seems to have been pretty successful de spite some bad weather said a task Force employee in Bangkok speaking on condition of anonymity. In the course of some of the surveys they have located some  laotian vice foreign minister Soubanh Sari Tirath on monday visited one of the search Sites in the Plain of jars he said. The area was one of the most heavily bombed of the entire War. Of the 2,252 servicemen still listed As missing throughout Southeast Asia 514 almost All air men Are listed As missing in Laos. Limits on mail to troops in Macedonia lifted Heidelberg Germany is restrictions on mail to soldiers serving As . Peacekeepers in Macedonia have been lifted effective Friday. Letters mailed to troops assigned to operation Able sentry were limited to 11 ounces during the first four weeks of the deployment to Skopje Macedonia. The weight limit was set while a Relia ble commercial mail route was being established. The restrictions were lifted Friday after a successful we Klong test of the de livery system that will operate daily except for tuesdays. Mail weighing As much As 70 pounds per parcel is now allowed . Army postal officials announced. If it can fit in a Duffel bag you can Send it said Mai. James p. Moran executive officer for the . Army postal in Europe. However Moran said the army is discouraging mail sent to any  we Don t want any Soldier mail however Well intended to bump personal mail for the deployed soldiers said Moran. Mail which is expected to be delivered to Skopje within three Days should be sent to Hank full name unit of assignment unit 41017 operation Able sentry Apo a 09790 unit of assignment is the military unit where the american troops were based before being deployed to Skopje. For troops coming from the Berlin Bri Gade the largest contributor to opera Tion Able sentry that would be task Force 6-502