European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 20, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 6 the stars and stripes . Wednesday. April 20,1994 health concerns freedoms considered by the new York times Washington the momentum is building no doubt about it. But the time does not seem to be Ripe this year for new Federal Laws or regulations that would sharply curtail the use of Tobac co. Politicians Are moving slowly Formant reasons but the main one May be that no one is sure exactly what to do to Stop people from smoking. Outlawing cigarettes seems to be out of the question. It raises the Prospect of the corruption and gangsterism that prevailed during prohibition. I think we have enough experience with alcohol said rep. Mike Synar d pkla., who is a Leader in the anti smok ing drive in the  did t work because of the Black Market secondly it s a Little disc honest to say in one breath that Nic Otine is an addictive drug that 50 Rivil lion smokers Are addicted and then not. Have some sense of compassion and understanding that to ban the product would be cruel  possibility would be to eliminate or restrict nicotine in cigarettes but that might also be easier to address in the abstract than in the particular. David Kessler commissioner of the food and drug administration told Congress last week that he was not sure what the Public health consequences would be. Reducing the amount of Nic Otine in cigarettes Fie said might simply push smokers to smoke moire cigarettes thus causing themselves More damage. How should nicotine be regulated he asked the lawmakers the tone of his voice emphasizing the difficulty of the question. What is the right Way while Broad strokes against smoking seem unlikely this year the political momentum is clearly running against it. Last month alone the labor depart ment took the first Steps toward outlaw ing smoking in All workplaces in the country and the defense department announced plans to Bah smoking in workplaces on military bases and ship around the world meantime Congress approved and president Clinton signed a Law that pro Hibits smoking in schools and in head Start and Community health centers and the House approved a measure re Quiring that All schools that receive fed eral drug prevention Money teach Stu dents the dangers of tobacco. Last week the chief executives of the top . Tobacco companies were called before a House subcommittee on health and grilled on live television about smoking. A Aan Eyen More forceful blow came in february when Kessler announced that he was re examining the authority of the food and drug administration to regulate cigarettes. Because cigarettes Are not considered a food or a drug the Agency util now has taken the position that it had no such authority. But Kessler said that if it could be Heads of he nation s largest cigarette companies Are sworn in before a House sub committee hearing last week to be grilled on live television about smoking. Shown that the companies manipulated the amount of nicotine in cigarettes to satisfy smokers addiction then the Agency would have no Choice but to Reg ulate cigarettes As a drug. As a Legal matter that would Proba Bly mean Banning tobacco products. And since neither Kessler nor lawmakers believe that would be a Wise course he asked Congress for legislation that would define How he. Should proceed. Top Fra officials said last week that they would eventually act unilaterally if Congress did not Deal decisively with smoking but they said no such Steps were contemplated this year. Hillary a. F Clinton Washington a Virginia Kel Ley was used to her son Bill Clinton bringing Home pretty girlfriends from col lege. This time however the Young woman on her hot Springs ark., Doorstep gave her a Start. I did t know what to think of Hill Ary Rodham Kelley would later recall no makeup. Coke bottle glasses. Brown hair with no apparent  the future president told his Mother that he wanted someone he could talk to not a Beauty Queen. But tension remained Between the two women. They seemed so different. Kelley loved makeup and hairdos fur Coats and Bright colors. The future first lady liked politics and the Law and hippie clothes avoiding Beauty aids on Prin Ciple. Kelley s then husband Jeff Dwire saw past All that he recognized that the two women were so much alike it was funny Kelley wrote in her autobiography. Both were Strong  Kelley s strength reverberates through out her newly published Book leading with my heart written with James mor Gan.  worked on it As she was dying of breast cancer. The Book was almost done when Kel Ley died Jan. 6, at age 70. The president helped review the final chapters. She grew up poor in Hope ark., with jealous domineering Mother who whipped Kelley arid screamed at he quiet father late into the night. Kelley was widowed by three Hus bands Bill Blythe died in a car wreck when she was 22 years old and six months pregnant with the future presi Dent Roger Clinton the alcoholic father of her second son died of cancer and wire the soft spoken Hairdresser died from complications of diabetes. She watched her elder son Rise to governor and Learned to love his wife Hill Ary Rodham Clinton. Kelley then saw her younger son Roger a Rock musician imprisoned for dealing cocaine in june 1991, Bill Clinton was about to launch his presidential Campaign. Young Roger Clinton was getting his life Ogeth a Virginia Kelley president Clinton smother worked on her just published memoirs As she was dying of cancer. Or. Kelley was happily married to her fourth husband Dick  s when her doctor sat her Down and told her she was going to die of can cer. Democrats net record funds in first Quarter Washington a control of the White House helped the democratic National committee raise a record $10\2 million in the first three months of 1994. Still the Republican National committee maintained its traditional fund raising Edge. The old democratic record was $9.8 million from 1993. The fund raising was detailed in the democratic committee s quarterly report to the Federal election commission which by Law needed to be postmarked by mid night last Friday. The National committee released a copy of the filing monday. The democratic committee s counterpart the Republican National com Mittee chooses to file monthly instead of quarterly so its next report is due today. But the Republican committee reported raising nearly $ 11 million through the end of february and the new report will show another $3.6 million in receipts in March bringing t he quarterly total to$14.6 million according to Chuck Greener the Republican committee s communications director. First lady fears in Baltimore a Hillary Rod Ham Clinton expressed fear monday night that America is headed for a two class health system dominated by big insurers and for profit Hospital chains i Congress fails to enact major changes. That is the Nightmare i see coming if Wedo not Reform this health care system the first lady said at a town meeting at the Johns Hopkins school of Medicine. Her warning was prompted by a complaint from or. James Block the president of the Johns Hopkins Hospital and health system that big insurers were forcing doctors and hospitals to assume risks the insurers were unwilling to take themselves. Block said economic forces Are already changing the health system and threaten ing Access to Quality care for the poor. In Market driven reforms people May note Able to choose their doctors and we May not have Universal coverage equal for everyone in the ghetto and in the suburbs Block said. Every trend you describe will Only get worse if we do nothing Clinton said. She said the president s health plan 2-class health system makes special provisions to fund Essen tial health care providers in the inner cities academic health centers like hop Kins and other Public health programs. I am very concerned in the absence of Reform that you will have very Large insurance companies and for profit Hospi Tal chains dominating the health care sys tem she said. They will buy doctors practices. They will eliminate from insurance plans academic health centers and children s hospitals and other places of tertiary care. It will become a real two class health system those who can afford Access and those who cannot she said. That is the Nightmare that i see coming if we do not Reform this health care  Clinton also predicted a very big shakeout in the insurance Industry once health Reform passes. Clinton and health and human serv ices Secretary Donna Shalala spoke be fore 800 people at the town meeting organized by rep. Weisi Mfume did. They were joined by two other Maryland democrats sen. Barbara Mikulski and rep. Benjamin Cardin