2 - The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, September 11, 2001 NATION/WORLD Tapping Social Security seems likely The Washington Post WASHINGTON - Top Republican officials yes- terday sought to calm fears that President Bush's economic policies jeopardized the Social Security program, reassuring retirees that their benefits would be safe even if the government dipped into the pro- gram's surplus funds. While Republicans in both chambers of Congress drafted budget-cutting measures designed to protect Social Security funds, Vice President Dick Cheney turned an energy-policy event into a speech defend- ing Bush's budget, and Senate Minority leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.) said the political ramifications of using the Social Security funds were exaggerated. Monday's efforts underscored the anxiety Republi- cans have felt since White House Budget Director Mitchell Daniels warned on Friday that the current fiscal year's budget could tap into Social Security funds - something Bush and most lawmakers promised not to do. While Bush and his aides contin- ue to assert that their budget will not need the funds, Daniels' unexpected warning sent lawmakers scram- bling to consider bookkeeping changes and spending cuts that would keep the surplus retirement funds intact. The Republican National Committee sent out a news release yesterday noting that tapping Social Security surplus funds would not harm beneficiaries. The statement referred to quotes from Marty Corry, an official with the AARP, saying that tapping the surplus "doesn't affect the trust funds one way or the other." The RNC said it was not building a case for Bush and Congress to dip into the Social Security funds for the year ending Sept. 30, but was trying to cor- rect any misunderstanding. "There's this sense out there that if the trust fund were to be used, benefits would be in danger," said RNC spokesman Trent Duffy. "It's just not right." Lott told reporters that the government need not and should not spend the surplus retirement funds, but argued that the political danger of doing so "probably is being over-dramatized and over-empha- sized." Last, week, Sen. Pete Domenici (N.M), rank- ing Republican on the Budget Committee, said there was no reason not to use the Social Security funds. While the president delivered an education mes- sage at a school in Jacksonville, Fla., Cheney, in Frankfort, Ky., switched his remarks to the economy. "This budget does protect Social Security and Medicare," Cheney said. "Benefits will be paid on time and in full." Throughout the day, lawmakers and Bush officials discussed ways to keep the government from tapping the surplus funds in the current fiscal year and in fis- cal year 2002. That goal is complicated by proposals to spur the sluggish economy that would either boost spending or reduce revenues. Republicans on the House Budget Committee tentatively scheduled a hearing for Tuesday to draft legislation that aides said would ensure that surplus Social Security payroll taxes would be used for debt reduction in the fiscal year that ends in three weeks. The plan would impose across-the-board spending cuts in all discretionary programs, includ- ing defense, in the 2002 fiscal year, in an effort to pay back any payroll taxes money that was used for spending in 2001. Thomas Kahn, House Budget Committee Democ- ratic staff director, said an across-the-board cut was "a sledgehammer approach" that would slice funds for a range of domestic programs, including admin- istrative costs for unemployment insurance, Medicare and children's health programs. NEWS INBRIEF1Pk.. HEADLINES F M AROUND THE WORLD SACRAMENTO, Calif. Suspect wanted in shooting kills self A former security guard wanted in the slayings of five people shot himself to death after a high-speed chase and police shootout yesterday, capping a weekend of violence that followed another Sacramento rampage three weeks ago. Joseph Ferguson killed himself in a stolen car after leading officers on a 40- minute chase through suburban Rancho Cordova, shooting an officer and a bystander during the pursuit, said Sacramento County Sheriff's Capt. John McGinness. The chase began after Ferguson claimed his fifth victim late Sunday, police said. Ferguson exchanged fire with officers during the chase, then smashed into a light pole in front of a fast-food restaurant, police said. Ferguson remained sprawled in the car while authorities waited, and when they approached they found he had shot himself, McGinness said. A bystander shot in the stomach during the chase was in serious to critical condition yesterday. A highway patrol officer was in good condition with a gun- shot wound to the arm :authorities said. Authorities say Ferguson was upset about breaking up with his girlfriend and get- ting suspended from his job with Burns Security a week earlier. His ex-girlfriend, also a Burns employee, and three other former co-workers were among the victims. JERUSALEM Israel and Palestinians agree to peace talks Israel and the Palestinians said they were willing to hold high-level truce talks today, despite a series of deadly weekend attacks by Arab militants, but remained at odds over where the meetings should take place. Even if Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat settle the disagreement over the venue - Egypt or the Erez crossing near the Gaza Strip - there is little expectation they will produce a cease-fire. Previous U.S.-led truce efforts have failed to stop nearly a year of fighting and the Palestinians suspect Peres has only a limited mandate, while Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon remains distrustful of Arafat's intentions. Also, Arafat's planned meeting tomorrow in Damascus with Syrian President Bashar Assad, a staunch opponent of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, was seen as a possible signal the Palestinians are hardening their stance toward Israel. A senior Israeli defense official said he expected the fighting to persist and he saw no signs Arafat has changedwhat Israel considers the Palestinian leader's strategy: trying to extract concessions through violence. The official briefed mili- tary correspondents on condition of anonymity. r. :1 JOBS I Bush touts education proposal in Florida Thi, W ~lhiLii t P t , Fall Term Apply now at the Law Library non-Law Students " Law Students S. I. Students Minimum pay is $8.50 per hour! Apply at the hiring table outside room S-180 in the Law Library's underground addition. AA/EOE 0 Food For Thought Who was the better fighter? U.S. military studies conducted in WWII showed that only 15-20% of riflemen fired their weapons in combat. In Vietnam, the same studies showed 95% of riflemen fired their weapons. The difference was in the training, to be described in following ads. Gary Lillie & Assoc., Realtors www.garylillie.com ie wasrungonrost JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Florida once again became a political battle- ground yesterday as President Bush and his younger brother, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, traveled to an elementary school cafeteria to promote reading and Democrats began moving in for a national party meeting later this week. The president plans to devote all week to pressuring Congress to finish work on an education bill that includes money for his campaign promise to help every child learn to read by third grade. First lady Laura Bush will join the effort by speaking Tuesday morning before a committee chaired by Sen. Edward Kennedy (D- Mass.). "There's too many of our kids in America who can't read today," Bush said at a 30-minute "Leadership Forum" the White House staged here. "Now it's time to wage war on illitera- cy for the young, and to whip this problem early." Bush will remain for a second day in Florida, the state that made him president. In an effort to capitalize in residual bitterness among Democrats about the election's outcome, the Democratic National Committee will hold a three-day meeting in Miami beginning Thursday. "Florida Democrats are pumped up, fired up and ready to fight," DNC Chairman Terence McAuliffe said. I ~ ~~.1* U COLD PREVENTION STUDY PARTICIPANTS NEEDED TO HELP EVALUATE INVESTIGATIONAL DRUG Individuals: -Must be at least 18 or older -Mist be available this Fall and Winter -Will need to have 1)Aood draws/throat cultures/pregnancy tests ualified Particip ants Recewce : -Up to $210 for 6-7 visits OR an electronic diary (your choice) For Information: Phone (734) 615-8331 Conducted ) p U of Al1/School of Public Health Epidemiology Department Ann Arbor, :ll WASHINGTON Elizabeth Dole will run for Senate seat Elizabeth Dole, who unsuccessfully sought the Republican presidential nomination in 2000, will take the first formal step toward a bid for the Senate from North Carolina today with the establishment of a campaign commit- tee that will allow her to begin to raise funds and put together a staff. "I'm going to be raising money, traveling thetstate, taking the first steps, and then make a formal announcement of candidacy later in the fall," Dole said in a brief telephone interview yesterday. Dole will be seeking the seat held by Sen. Jesse Helms (R-N.C.) who has served in the Senate since 1973, and she enjoys the strong support of the Republican establishment in Washing- ton. But Dole will face a potentially tough primary contest for the GOP nomination against former Charlotte Mayor Richard Vinroot. KABUL, Afghanistan Suicide bomb puts Massood in hospital The symbol of opposition to Afghanistan's hard-line Taliban rulers, Ahmed Shah Massood, was uncon- scious and in serious condition yester- day following a suicide bombing attack, his brother said. But there were conflicting reports about the 48-year-old Massood, with the Russian news agency ITAR-Tass reporting his death. Massood's brother, Ahmed Wali, said he underwent emergency surgery in Tajikistan to remove shrapnel from his head after the attack by two men posing as journalists. The attack Sunday in northern Afghanistan killed one of Mas- sood's spokesmen and both bombers. The loss of Massood would devastate the opposition, already a fractured col- lection of groups who fought each other when they ruled much of Afghanistan for four years until the Taliban took control in September 1996. AUSTIN, Texas Bush daughter's case dismissed The underage drinking case against President Bush's 19-year-old daughter Barbara was dismissed yesterday after she completed community service and other requirements, a city spokes- woman said. Bush had pleaded no contest in June to a charge of minor in possession of alcohol. She completed eight hours of community service at Goodwill, attended an alcohol awareness class, paid $100 in court fines and stayed out of trouble for three months, city spokeswoman Patty Gonzales said. The charge will be wiped from her record, Gonzales said. Bush, who attends Yale University, and her twin sister, Jenna, who attends the University of Texas, were ticketed after their visit to a Mexican restaurant in Austin in May. Jenna was fined $600 in July and her driver's license was suspended for 30 days. - Compiled from Daily wire reports. The Michigan Daily (ISSN 0745-967) is published Monday through Friday during the fall and winter terms by students at the University of Michigan. Subscriptions for fall term, starting in September, via U.S. mail are $100. Winter term (January through April) is $105, yearlong (September through April) is $180. On-campus subscriptions for fall term are $35. Subscriptions must be prepaid. 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 763-0379; Sports 647-3336; Opinion 764-0552; Circulation 764-0558; Classified advertising 764-0557; Display advertising 764-0554; Billing 764-0550. E-mail letters to the editor to daily.Ietters@umich.edu. World Wide Web: www.michigandaily.com. 1 di~ i- 1.1 ,! -~z7' ' I ,tr u I-rNT 1 i I - CUI I VIUAL a IArr wwwa l l wy %muslavly VMgbV us voua." i NEWS Nick Bunkley, Managing Editor EDITORS: David Enders, Lisa Koivu, Caitlin Nish, Jeremy W. Peters STAFF: David Baybik, Kristen Beaumont, Kay Bhagat, Ted Borden, Anna Clark, Lizzie Ehrle, Whitney Elliott, Rachel Green, Lisa Hoffman, Elizabeth Kassab, Shabina Khatri, Louie Meizlish, Jacquelyn Nixon, Shannon Pettypiece, James Restivo, Stephanie Schonholz, Karen Schwartz, Sarah Scott, Maria Sprow, Carrie Thorson, Kelly Trahan, Elliott Wells-Reid, Kara Wenzel CALENDAR: Lisa Koivu GRAPHICS: Amanda Christianson, Scott Gordon. EDITORIAL Michael Grass, Nicholas Woomer, Editors ASSOCIATE EDITORS: Johanna Hanink, Aubrey Henretty, Manish Raiji, Josh Wickerham STAFF: Howard Chung, Sumon Dantiki, Jessica Guerin, Rachel Fisher, Catherine Groat, Henry Hyatt, Fadi Kiblawi, Kevin Klune, An Paul, Jess Piskor, Rahul Saksena, Jim Secreto, Lauren Strayer. CARTOONISTS: Chip Cullen, Thomas Kulgurgis COLUMNISTS: Peter Cunniffe, David Horn, Rebecca Isenberg, Steve Kyritz. Dustin J. Seibert, Amer G. 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Autumn Brown, Japiya Burns, Laura Deneau, Kiran Divvela, Melissa Gollob, Joshua Gross, Erik Johnson, Meredith Keller, Jenny Jeltes, Laura LoGerfo, Willhelmina Mauritz, Sheila McClear, Rosemary Metz, Michael Osinski, Shannon O'Sullivan, Ben Oxenburg, Jeremy J. Peters, Darren Ringel,.Dustin Seibert, Christian Smith, Rohith Thumati PHOTO Jessica Johnson, Marjorie Marshall, Editors ASSOCIATE EDITORS: David Katz, David Rochkind ARTS EDITOR: Abby Rosenbaum STAFF Lakeisha Avery, Joyce Lee, Danny Moloshok,.Brett Mountain, Brendan O'Donnell, Brandon Sedloff, Alyssa Wood ONLINE Paul Wong, Managing Editor STAFF:Sommy KoMark McKinstry, Vince Sust I P, No one told you the hardest part of being an engineer would be finding your first job. Of course, it's still possible to get the high-tech work you want by joining the U.S. Air Force. You can leverage your degree 101 immediately and get hands-on experience with some of the most sophisticated technology on earth.To find out how to get your career off DISPLAY SALES Micah Winter, Manager ASSOCIATE MANAGER: Carrie Wozniak STAFF: Ayala Barkiai, Jessica Cordero, Brad Davies, Laura Frank, Ellen Gagnet, Jennifer Kaczmarek, Juiie Lee, Kristin Nahhat, Leslie Olinek, Glenn Powlas, Amit Rapoor, Natalie Rowe, Anne Sause, Tarah Saxon, Nicole Siegel, Debbie Sharro, David Soberman the ground, call 1-800-423-USAF or visit our Web site at airforce.com. CLASSIFIED SALESE ASSISTANT MANAGER: Jeffrey Valuck SENiInOACCOUNT EXECUiTIVES: Tinia Chuna, Carrie Haddix Esther Choi, Manager I I I L I