2 - The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, October 25, 2000 NATION/WORLD Government posts record surplus AcROSS THE NATIO'N i - K W WASHINGTON (AP) - The government posted a record $237 billion surplus in the budget year that just ended -- a fiscal performance that President Clinton quickly seized upon yesterday to promote Vice President Al Gore's run for the White House. It was the third straight year of windfalls, some- -thing that hasn't happened since the late 1940s, and marks a dramatic turnaround from fiscal year 1992 -the year Clinton captured the presidency - when the government registered a record deficit of S290.4 billion. The official announcement of the 2000 surplus comes only two weeks before voters elect a new president. A major point of contention between Gore, the Qemocrats' pick, and Texas Gov. George W. Bush, the Republicans' choice, has been what should be done with surpluses that are projected to total $4.6 trillion over the next decade. Bush has proposed a SI1.3 trillion across-the-board tax cut, while Gore has called for smaller, targeted tax cuts and more government spending. "It's worth remembering, I think, that when Vice President Gore and I took office in 1993, the deficit was S290 billion ...," Clinton said on the South Lawn of the White House during an event to push his education initiatives. "Working together we turned that around - not by chance, but by choice," Clinton said. "There are big opportunities and big challenges out there, but I believe we have to first stay with what got us here - pay down the debt, strengthen the Social Security and Medicare systems - ... and we need to then seize this opportunity to take the money that's left to invest in our future, especially education." Bush campaign spokesman Scott McClellan offered a different assessment. The credit for our current prosperity belongs to the hardworking men and women of America, entrepreneurs, small business owners, not the Clinton-Gore administration," McClellan said. "Even with these new figures, it's still not enough to cover Al Gore's massive increase in govern- ment spending." The government's 2000 surplus for the year that ended Sept. 30 surpassed the previous record of $124.4 billion for fiscal year 1999 and came on top of a 569.2 billion surplus in fiscal year 1998. The 1998 surplus marked the first time the government had managed to finish in the black since 1969. The last time the government report- ed three consecutive years of surpluses was in 1947-1949. Social Security taxes provided nearly S150 billion of the surplus in 2000. Are you considering theological education? I i~ .1 Are you considering theological education? Meet with an admissions representative from HARVARD DIVINITY SCHOOL GRADUATE SCHOOL INFORMATION FAIR WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 25, 11:00 A.M.-3:00 P.M. MICHIGAN UNION BALLROOM Learn about our graduate programs, including the Master of Divinity and the Master of Theological Studies, and about related resources within Harvard University's other graduate faculties and the nine-school Boston Theological Institute. ALL STUDENTS, ALL MAJORS AND ALL YEARS WELCOME For more information, contact the Office of Admissions and Financial Aid at (617) 495-5796 or consult the Harvard Divinity School website at http.//www.hds.harvardcdiu GRADUATE SCHOOL OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND PACIFIC STUDIES (IR/PS) UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO (UCSD) IR/PS has established itself as a leader in training people to compete in the global arena. Program graduates are employed in media, telecommunications, international trade, manufacturing technology,financial services, consulting, government and nonprofit organizations. The M.P.I.A. and Ph.D. are graduate degrees that focus on business and policy issues facing the regions of the Pacific Rim specifically the countries of Latin America, China, Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia. For further information contact: Graduate School of International Relations & Pacific Studies Universityof California,.San Diego 9500 Gilman Drive La Jolla, CA 92093-0520 Phone: (85851:4-s9 Fax (858) 534-1135 World Wide Web site: http://www-irps.ucsd.edu/ Teen holds Arizona classroom hostage GLENDALE, Ariz. -- An armed teen-ager briefly held a classroom full of children and a teacher hostage yesterday at his former elementary school before surrendering to authorities. No one was injured. The former student at Pioneer Elementary School gave up after talking with members of a police SWAT team, police spokesman Matt Brown said. The standoff in the eighth-grade classroom lasted about an hour. "He came here with a purpose but thank goodness he didn't carry it ou , said Brown. He did not elaborate beyond saying the boy discussed the reason for his actions with authorities. Brown said the portable classroom was full when the student walked in with a 9mm handgun, but he gradually let students go. There were still se- eral people in the room at the time the student surrendered. The school has classes for kindergarten through eighth grades and the children involved were about 13 or 14 years old, Brown said. Other students were bused to a high school, where parents could pick them up, and the school was closed. Courtney Smith, who lives across the street from the school, said she saw the suspect enter the school grounds at about 11:15 a.m. He w wearing camouflage and had a hood over his head, but she didn't see weapon. Discovery touches super successful mission" Mission Control said after Discovery rolled to down in California a safe stop. "Great to be back' replied Cmdr. EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Brian Duffy. Calif. - Space shuttle Discovery and Gusts of close to 30 mph forced its seven astronauts landed in Califor- NASA to pass up a landing attempt nia's Mojave Desert yesterday after Cape Canaveral, Fla., earlier in the d dangerously high wind prevented a touchdown in Florida for the third day Ameritech ordered in a row. The shuttle swooped through a to clear sky and touched down on the pay Cu~JLm1rS runway at Edwards Air Force Base MADISON, Wis. - State regulators about 2 p.m., ending a 13-day flight yesterday ordered Ameritech to pay during which the astronauts got the S0 million as part of a deal to com- international space station ready for pensate some 90,000 Wisconsin cus- the arrival of its first full-time resi- tomers affected by service troubles that dents next week, have plagued the telephone company. The desert landing, the first for a The Wisconsin Public Service Co shuttle since 1996, will be expensive mission and Ameritech agreed to the for NASA. Ferrying Discovery back to settlement after the state agency Florida, done piggyback on a modified received twice the number of com- Boeing 747, is expected to cost close to plaints than usual following severe SI million. The mission was NASA's weather that caused a series of outages 100th shuttle flight. The shuttle zoomed this summer. Under the consent order across the Pacific and right over Los the PSC approved yesterday, a cus- Angeles, then northward into Edwards tomer who lost phone service for one on the final approach. week would receive SI31; Ameritech "Welcome back to Earth after a previously would have paid S13. AROUND TH--E WORLD SBarak wleas to allies weeks of fighting to 127 - the vast majority Palestinians. in light of clas hes A 17-year-old Palestinian boy was shot and killed in Gaza, and a JERUSALEM -- Israeli Prime 13-year-old died of a bullet wou Minister Ehud Barak stepped up his suffered four days earlier, the Sh urgent quest for the political allies hospital said. needed to save his fragile government, A Palestinian man was fatally and the army warned yesterday that it shot in the West Bank town of was bracing for extended clashes in Jenin. Palestinian towns. "Friends, this is a time of emer- Voters denied in gency, and in an emergency, broth- ers walk together," Barak told Israel Egyptian elections radio as lie appealed to all of the nation's diverse political parties to ASHMUN, Egypt -- Police fi join in an emergency coalition gov- on opposition supporters and beat ernment. them with batons as clashes erupted For Palestinians, yesterday was a during parliamentary runoff elections holiday marking the ascension of the yesterday. One person died and Muslim Prophet Muhammad to heaven dozens were wounded. from Jerusalem. Scores of voters denied entrance to Rain-drenched streets and cold polling stations in Ashmun gathered weather helped dampen - but did not outside the courthouse yesterday and extinguish - confrontations in the pelted police trucks with stones. West Bank, while clashes carried on Police responded with tear gas, live in the drier Gaza Strip. ammunition and batons. Three more deaths were reported, bringing the toll from nearly four -Compiledf/iom Dui: wire rewort The Michigan Daily (ISSN 0745967) is published Monday through Friday during the fall and winter terms by students at the University of Michigan. Subscriptions for far term. starting in September. via U.S mail are $100. Winter term (January through April) is $105. yearlong (September through April) is $180. On-canipus subscriptions for fall term are $35. Subscriptions must be orepaid. The Michigan Daily is a member of The Associated Press and The Associated Collegiate Press. ADDRESS: The Michigan Daily. 420 Maynard St.. Ann Arbor. Michigan 48109-1327. PHONE NUMBERS (All area code 734): News 76-DAILY: Arts 7630379: Sports 647-3336: Opinion 764-05 Circulation 764-0558: Classified advertising 764-0557: Display advertising 764.0554: Billing 764-0550. E mail letters to the editor to daily.letters@umch.edu. World Wide Web: www.michigandarly.com. You only have one life, so choose your career wisely. When you become a Doctor of Chiropractic, you get lifestyle rewards plus the satisfaction from helping others to good. health. You do it the natural way, with your own hands, not drugs or surgery. And, when it comes to your chiropractic education, one name stands out. Palmer. I LITRA STAFF, MikeSahEito:i h I palmer chirop ractic. Don't miss these opportunities to meet with Palmer representative Sarah Hughes! Monday, October 23, Western Michigan University, Ellsworth Hall 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday, October 24, Grand Valley State University Graduate School Fair, Kirkhof Center 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, October 26, Jackson Community College, McDivitt Hall 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. NEWS Jewel Gopwani, Managing Editor EDITORS: Nick Bunkley, Michael Grass, Nika Schulte, Jaimie Winkler STAFF: lindsey Alpert. Kristen Beaumont. Anna Clark. Laura Deneau. Lizzie Ehrle. Whitney Eliot. David Enders, Jen Fish, Robert Gold. Krista Gullo. Rachel Green. Lisa Hoffman. Elizabeth Kassab. Jodie Kaufman. Yael Kohen. Lisa Ktnvu. Jane Kruij. Hanna LoPati. SusanLuth. Jacquelyn Nixon, Caitlin Nish. Jeremy W. Peters. Natalie Pbosky. James Restivo. Karen Schwartz. Tara D. Sharma. Maria Sprow. Joanna Wetmore. CALENDAR: Lindsey Alpert GRAPHICS: Scott Gordon EDITORIAL Emily Achenbaum, Managing Editor ASSOCIATE EDITORS: Peter Cunniffe, Ryan DePietro, Josh Wickerham, Nicholas Woomer STAFF: Dane Barnes. Ryan Bliay Kevin Clune. Chip Cullen. Sumon Dantiki Seth Fisher. Lea F ost. Rob Goodspeed. Jesica Guerin. A 'br'ey Henrtty Henry Hyatt. Pa'r"cki"ley. Cortney Konner, Chris Kula. Thomas Kulurgis. Ch stine Lamber t.Eti Enn MCQinn. Del Mendez. Manish Rags. Branden Sanz. Rachael Smith, Wai Syed. Katie Tibalde SPORTS David Den Herder, Managing Editor SENIOR EDITORS: Chris uprey, Mark Francescutti,Geoff Gagnon, Stephanie Of*en NIGHT EDITORS Raphael Goodstein. Arun Gopal, Michael Kern. Ryan C Moiorrey. Jon Schwartz Dan Wliiains STAFF: Rohit liave. Michael Bloom. Chris Burke. Kareem Copeland. Sam Duwc. Krsten Fidh. Rhonoa Gilmer. Richard haddad, David Horn. Steve Jackson, Nick Kacher. Shawn Kemp. Albert Kim, Nathan Linsley, Peter Lund. Janes Mercier. David Messp. Jeff Philips. David Roth. Naveed Sikora, Benjamin Singer. Jeb Singer, Joe Smith. ARTS Gabe Fajuri, Christopher Kula, Editors ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Ben Goldstein WEEKEND, ETC. EDITORS: Jenni Glenn, Elizabeth Pensier SUB-EDITORS: Matt Barrett Film Robyn Mela d lFine/Pefforrning Attsi, Gina Hamadey iBookst. Jennifer Fogel ( TV/New Mediai Jarin Ui (Music. STAFF: Gautam Baksi. Leshie Boxer. RoaBrode, Jee Chang, Chrstopher Cousino. Kiran Divvela. Melissa Gollob. Joshua Gross. Lyle Henretty, Christian Hoard. Elena Lipson. Jenny Jeites. Matt Manser. W. Jacarl Melton. Shannon O'Sulivan. Darren RingeL Jim Schiff. Jac qulenc Smith Luke Smih. PHOTO Louis Brown, Jessica Johnson, Edito@ ASSOCIATE EDITORS: David Katz, Marjorie Marshall ARTS EDITOR: Peter Cornue STAFFPeer CorneRahel Feieman. Justin Fitzpatrick, Sam Hollenshead. Jeff Hurvitz. Michael Hynes. Joyce Lee. Carno McGee. Danny Moloshok. Norman Ng. Brendan O Donnell. Joanna Paine. Brad Quinn. Abby Rosenbaum. Brandon Sedloff. Ele White. Alex Wolk, Alyssa Wood ONLINE Rachel Berger, Paul Wong, Managing Editors STAFF: Kran Divela. Dana M. Goldberg. Sommy Ko, Mark McKinstr y oce Sust. CONSULTANT: Satadru Pramank BUSIESSSTAF Mrk J i homord Busne* Maage f