European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 23, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                More ways to Bill the voters Dave Barry p Gross. A attention voters because we Are approaching election Day the Day when you in a glorious affirmation of the democratic process will exercise your precious constitutional right to elect some Goober to con but before you vote you should familiarize your self with the issues. This year there Are four of them 1. Health care this Issue got started when the Clinton administration motto tomorrow we will have a differ ent motto stayed up for 168 straight nights and produced a massive and extremely detailed National health care plan your personal vaccination records were in there. This was a very ambitious program that would have provided Large quantities of medical care to All americans whether they wanted it or not. Federal health police would have roamed the streets apprehending unhealthy looking americans and if necessary removing their Gall bladders by Force. .,." this plan did Fine until people actually read it at which Point it ran into big trouble especially with the republicans who strongly oppose government intrusion into private citizens lives unless they thought of it first. So after Many months o f debate and modification Congress has whittled the nation Al health care plan Down to a one paragraph non binding Resolution urging everybody to floss. This Resolution would not take effect until the year 2006. Bob Dole is still against it. 2. Crime i am pleased to report that crime is no longer an Issue. This is because Congress after much huffing finally passed a crime Bill which goes directly to the Root cause of the crime problem which turns out to be the same As the Root cause of every other problem that the Federal government decides to tackle namely the Federal government was not spending enough Money on it. The crime Bill will rectify this problem by requiring the government to spend $30 billion to be sup plied by concerned Law abiding taxpayers such As yourself. I Don t know exactly How the government plans to spend this Money but i do have a proposal. As i see it the Basic crime problem is that violent criminals Are running around whacking us innocent people Over the head. Why Are they doing this be cause they want our Money. So let s say there Are 3 million violent criminals running Loose. Thanks to the crime Bill the Federal government is now in a position to give every one of them $10,000 of our Money thereby eliminating the need for them to whack our Heads. It would be Simi Lar to those agricultural programs wherein the government gives our Money to Farmers As an incentive to not grow Alfalfa. These programs Are highly effective which is Vohy you have never had your head whacked by an Alfalfa Farmer. The problem with my idea is that people who were not violent criminals would Start claiming they were to qualify for Federal benefits. But we could solve that via an aptitude test wherein applicants would have to demonstrate their criminality by whacking the Heads of crash test dummies or Volunteer scientists from the tobacco Institute. This May seem like a cumbersome program but it would definitely work better than whatever Congress comes up with. 3. Foreign policy for a description of our foreign policy for today please Call 1-800-waver. 4. The baseball strike As you surely know the baseball season was can celeb a development that to judge from the Many anguished newspaper columns written about it was the worst tragedy to occur in this nation since the civil War worse in fact because nobody involved in the civil War was threatening Roger mans Home run record. This has indeed been a bitter october with no world series fall classic to keep the entire nation enthralled until Midway through the fourth inning which is when the fall classic audience Gen. Really Falls asleep. I say it s time for the Federal government to step in and resolve this thing. Here s the situation there Are 700 players and 28 owners and they Are All at heart deeply concerned about the future of the National pastime by which i mean Money. So All con Gress has to do is you Are going to wonder Why you did t think of this first pass another crime Bill. This would provide another $30 Bil lion which would be enough to give every single player and owner approximately $41 million plus of course the $10,000 Bonus for those players or owners who Are also violent criminals. I know what you re thinking you re thinking but Dave these Are just grown men playing a kids game $41 million per person might hot be enough of course not that would just be our opening offer. Ultimately we also might have to give everybody involved a National Park. The important thing is to do something because that s Why we have a government and that s Why you the voter must exercise your semiprecious right this election Day to cast aballot., a ".  a .".". And while you re at it cast one for me. Miami Herald Page 28 sunday october 23. 1994