European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 19, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Tuesday april 19, 1994 commentary the stars and stripes Page 13taxes mean less Money for businesses this is the month when a because of higher and retroactive tax increases a we turn Over More of our Money to govern ment which assures us it knows better than we How to handle it. Oliver Wendell Holmes or. Said a taxes Are what we pay for civilized society.�?T1 if so we Are being overcharged. My income increased 40 percent in 1993, not because anyone did me any favors but because i worked harder to earn More. My tax Bill however shot up about 75 percent. At what Point do i Tell my leaders i have paid enough and will pay no More As our founding fathers did there is another Way to look at the taxes we pay that is by the amount gov eminent removes from state and local economies that would have been used to Start new businesses and hire new employees or give raises to current employees were it not for the state picking our pockets. The heritage foundation has compiled a useful Chart listing states and congressional districts being hit the hardest by the Clinton administrations tax increases. Again this list shows How much Money is being transferred out of local economies and put into the Federal Treasury where it is spent and misspent in Ever More outrageous and indefensible ways. A a using figures provided by the Treasury department census Bureau and congressional budget office heritage estimates that the total Revenue loss because of the administrations tax increases is $37.3 billion in California or $1,166 per California taxpayer. In new York it s a $23 billion loss $1,258 per taxpayer in Florida $16.2 billion $1,155 per taxpayer Illinois $13.5 billion $1,149 new Jersey $11.6 billion $1,429. Higher taxes slow economic growth because there is less Money to pump into the Economy. Wall Street with its recent wild ride is beginning to get the jitters As it looks at the loss of capital. In the three years following recent recessions economic growth has increased at an annual average of More than 5 percent. In the three years following the recession that ended in 1991 hardly noticed in the press until after the 1992 election the recovery has been averaging barely half the Normal level. Increased taxes stifle economic growth because there is less Money available to grow the Economy. Job growth since the Clinton administration began has been weaker than Normal. Net new Job creation is running less than one third the numbers normally seen three years after a recession ends. Deficit reduction which was supposed to be linked to tax increases has not materialized. Recall that democratic proponents and their seduced Republican allies promised there would be a budget surplus this year if the 1990 tax Bill was enacted. It was but the deficit this year is expected to be Well Over $200 billion. Its not just higher taxes on a the Rich that hurts an Economy. The Rich did no to get that Way through big salaries alone. Much of their income is derived from investments and savings the key to a Strong Economy. If More is being taken out in taxes there will be less investment and savings fewer new jobs and slower if not stagnant economic growth. If Universal health care passes even More Money will be removed from the Economy As the class warfare costs further escalate. The heritage Chart Breaks Down each congressional District and shows which member nearly All democrats voted for higher taxes and the consequences to his or her District. It is a great resource for those who wish to unseat incumbents. They might ask whether voters think the Federal government can better spend the Money taken from their districts and transferred to Washington or the Money would have been More wisely invested at the local level. As Long As we acquiesce the government will continue to grab Money stifling incentive. C los Angeles times caning debate revolves around sense of order my Friend Points at the newspaper Story and asks me a question. A what do you think of them caning this kid in Singapore a the kid or the Young Man to be precise is Michael Fay an 18-year-old american from Dayton Ohio. He has been convicted of vandalism fined $2,230 and sentenced to prison for four months. But its the other piece of his punishment that has captured the Public imagination. Michael Fay has been sentenced to six strokes with a 3-foot Long half Inch wide Cane. Of course my Friend has his own opinion of All this. Before i can say a word he offers it in a preemptive stroke. Without so much As a Grimace he says succinctly a i think they should whip his  mind you this sentiment comes from a Man who would never Lay a Glove on his own kids. Still his words come straight from his gut and his sentiment straight from the heart of Public opinion. In this Case the american government has asked Singapore for clemency. A full 3asenators have signed a petition for leniency. But there is no Michael Fay defense committee in his own Hometown. Nor can you Rouse a scintilla of sympathy for the teen Ager who Spray painted and threw eggs at cars in the asian nation were Bubble gum is an outlawed substance. Indeed the talk shows that measure a and sometimes mis measure a attitudes log their callers overwhelming on the Side of Singapore. So does the Singapore embassy. I for one would like to think that my Friend has confused government caning with a parental slap across the butt. I would like to believe that the callers Haven to read the descriptions of this punishment that make groups like amnesty International Call it  they May not know that the prisoner is tied to a rack shaped like an x. A practice professional then dips the Rattan in a chemical and strikes the prisoner with All his might. The first stroke Breaks the skin. By the third stroke the prisoner has usually passed out and must be revived. The scars Are usually permanent. But maybe they do know. Maybe this Case has raised violent emotions because of our emotions about violence. A a v a. A a a a a a. Just last month two Young japanese students in California were killed in a Kaijack ing by Young americans. Every Day we witness shootings and Urban warfare. If americans feel Humble about criticizing other cultures for their Laws Ana order its with reason. But what i hear in the casual and sometimes brutal comments about Michael Fay the 18-year-old who Spray painted cars Are not just thoughts about Cross cultural crime and punishment. I hear the echoes of the old warning a spare the Rod and a spoil the  i hear a desire to import that Rod and Recycle that philosophy to get Back the traditional value called a whipping his butt.�?�. The x on the Singapore rack Marks a spot in our ideological Battles about private and Public discipline. We have parallel debates about How to raise children Ellen Goodman and How to Deal with criminals. There a a tension in our society As in others Between anxiety about chaos and about repression. There a a tension in parenting As Well Between the woes of permissiveness and those of authoritarianism. These Days we worry about chaos. We think of kids and crimes spinning out of control together. Every study including a Carnegie report issued this week talks about the neglect of Young children their need for human attention. But at the unruly moment the Young finally get our attention we talk Tough. In policy making its three strikes and you re out a in jail for life. Its new Money for the schools a to buy Metal detectors. Its Boot Camps for teens a so juvenile offenders who. Have often spent their lives maltreated can be a straightened out by pseudo Drill sergeants. In our gut its the Rod. There is nothing new Here. Fear of crime focuses the mind wonderfully a a or should i say terribly a on order. Building a liable society like raising civilized children is a labor intensive Job of balancing Freedom and discipline internalizing values making sure everyone has a stake. But when Young people threaten us Singapore looks like a proper Boot Camp. So in return for Spray painting cars Michael Fay May be permanently scarred by a Cane. In return for throwing eggs he May be tortured. Spare the Rod and spoil the child this is not a Rod i want to see imported. C Boston Globa