IOA - The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, September 6, 1995 Sen. Peli will not see re-election Senate veteran is 7th Democrat to resign NATIoN/WoRtLD Gridlock in D.C. , M Pell was a principal figure in reshaping the government-financed college loan program WASHINGTON (AP) - Sen. Claiborne Pell (D-R.I.), whose liberal politics and genteel eccentricities have been a Senate hallmark for more than three decades, said yesterday he will not seek re-election next year, boosting the number of impending Democratic retirements to seven - a record for modern times. Pell, 76, was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease last year but said he was not retiring for health reasons, asserting he felt "strong and healthy and sharp" and reluctant to leave the Senate he loved. But "there is a natural time for all life's adventures to come to an end and this period of 36 years would seem to me about the right time for my service in the Senate to end," Pell said, an- nouncing his plans in Providence, R.I., and later to his Senate colleagues. Pell was a principal figure in creating the government-financed college grants that bear his name and in passing legis- lation setting up the national endow- ments for the arts and humanities. An ardent advocate of arms control and the rule of law in international affairs, he was also senior Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for the past 14 years, serving as its chairman from 1987 to 1994. Although he was faulted by many for his low-key and unassertive leadership of the foreign relations panel, contrib- uting to its political strains and loss of influence in the late 1980s, Pell was liked and respected in the Senate and Rhode Island. Always gracious and often absent- minded, Pell dabbled in parapsychology, jogged in a tweed coat, carried a copy of the United Nations Charter in his coat pocket and frequently sailed against the prevailing political currents. In what may bea first fora retiring senator, Pell thanked his constituents for having "tolerated my eccentricities." Characteristically, while many of his collagues have bowed out of office with blasts at Congress, government and the political system, Pell paid trib- ute to the Senate as a "marvelous insti- tution" and reaffirmed his belief that "government, and the federal govern- ment in particular, can, should and does make a positive impact on the lives of most Americans." Pell's announcement sets a record for retirements by senators of one party in a single election cycle, at least since the election following the 1913 ratifi- cation of the constitutional amendment calling for direct election of senators, according to several compilations of election statistics. Senate Democrats had six retirements last year, tying a previous record set by Republicans in 1958. The retirements Democrats to retire The following Senate Democrats have already announced that they will not seek re-election: Bill Bradley of New Jersey J. James Exon of Nebraska Howell T. Heflin of Alabama J. Bennett Johnston of Louisiana David Pryor of Arkansas Paul Simon of Illinois Senate Republican to retire: Sen. Hank Brown of Colorado In addition, Sen. Sam Nunn, a Democrat from Georgia, has not said whether he will run again. Republican Senators, including Sens. Mark Hatfield of Oregon and Nancy Kassebaum of Kansas, havesnot yet disclosed their plans. were a contributing factor to the Demo- crats' loss of Senate control last year. The high number of Democratic re- tirements has sharply reduced the chances of Democrats regaining con- trol of the Senate next year. It even raises the possibility that Republicans, who now have a 54 to 46 edge in the Senate, could approach the 60 votes needed to cut off filibusters, a tactic the minority party often uses to thwart the power of the majority. Other Democratic retirees are Sens. Bill ,Bradley of New Jersey, J. James Exon of Nebraska, Howell T. Heflin of of Alabama, J. Bennett Johnston of Louisiana, David Pryor of Arkansas and Paul Simon of Illinois. In addition, Sam Nunn, a Democrat from Georgia, has not said whether he will run again, deferring an announcement until later this fall. Only one Republican, Sen. Hank Brown of Colorado, has said he will retire, although several others, in- cluding Sens. Mark Hatfield of Oregon and Nancy Kassebaum of Kansas, have not yet disclosed their plans. In his retirement statement, Pell said he planned to help elect a Democratic successor and re-elect President Clinton, whom he described as "sadly under- rated." Beyond that, he said, he had no specific plans except to "stay engaged in public service." Pellisa wealthy descendent ofa family of landowners and politicians, including five relatives who served in Congress, one of whom was his father, who served in the House. Pell was elected to tde Senate in 1960 and won election to a sixth term in 1990 with relative ease despite being made a prime target for defeat by Republicans. He is the longest-serving senator in Rhode Island history. AP PHOTO Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole addresses the Economic Club of Chicago yesterday, promising to fulfill a GOP mandate. Dole pledes to contnue to. fight for Rkepublicans' ol isks gvt shutdown. WASHINGTON (AP) -The train wreck. Pick the metaphor. Some call it the Titanic, others say it's the Washington equivalent of World War III - an epic struggle between two political super. powers, the Democratic White Houe, and the Republican Qogress. Each has the power towage the economic equiv lent of thermonuclear war: the shut- down ofthe federal government and the potential default of the United States. It's too early to tell whether either sid has the will to commit to such a step. Both the President and Congress insist they'll stand firm. And politicians on all sides of the debate are breathlessly awaiting the battles about to begin. "Won't it b. fascinating!"OfficeofManagementa*4: Budget Director Alice Rivlin exudes. The risks to both parties are high, because a government shutdown orde- fault carries heavy consequences. Each side is angling to deflect as much of the blame as possible. But,just as in nuclear war, both sides will suffer heavy casu, alties. The train wreck scenario could take, place on two different tracks - the battle over the annual spending bills for the fiscal year starting Oct. 1, and the parallel effort to rewrite tax and federal benefit laws (such as for Medicare and welfare) needed to enact the Republi- can plan to balance the budget by 20Q. The first battle might result in a shut- down of all but essential government services - national parks would be closed, for instance -and even esser, tial services like airtraffic control,bor- der crossings and federal prisons would be operated by staffs whose federl paychecks werewithheld. Social Secu- rity and welfare checks would still b issued, but vendors and companies do- ing business with the federal govern- ment would not be paid. But a failure to resolve the debt limit issue would mean that the g - ernment couldn't borrow any new funds and could default on its debt and thus cut off all federal benefi and services. Before any of this happens, the Re2 publicans who control the House and Senate must agree among themselves on the various appropriation measure - no easy task. Then, President Clinton must decide to sign or veto the bills, Clinton wants to restore some cuts itr many ofthe spending bills, and he want to balance the budget by 2004, so he'll probably veto most of the bills passed by the Republicans. The Republicans don't have the votes to override Clinton's vetoes. That would seem a recipe for compromise. But the Republicans have other weapons attheir disposal. If the annual spending bills aren't signed by Oct. 1, the first type of gv- ernment shutdown - all but essential services and federal benefits - would take place. The Senate and House are farbehind schedule in writing the spend- ing bills, so it's unclear if they Will make the deadline. The Washington Post CHICAGO - Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole (R-Kan.) vowed here yesterday that "this will not be an au- tumn of compromise" by a Republican majority determined to enact sweeping changes in budget, tax, welfare and other policies. Dole, the frontrunner for the Re- publican presidential nomination, spoke to the Economic Club of Chi- cago,.an address his campaign aides hinted would include a major pro- nouncement on tax policy and the increasingly popular idea of a "flat tax" to replace the existing federal income-tax structure. Dole fell short of that advertise- ment, but did seek to dilute his image as the ultimate Washington legisla- tive tactician whose willingness to compromise in the past is troubling to many of his party's most conserva- tive activists. With Congress about to tackle the most contentious issues on the Repub- lican agenda, Dole said President Clinton "should know hat we will never compromise away the mandate the American people gave use last Novem- ber. We will fight to the end for funda- mental conservative change, or we will take our case to the American people in 1996." Clinton, on a trip to California, re- plied that "good people of goodwill want us to find common ground, want us to find honorable compromises." The only issue on which Dole sug- (President Clinton) should know that we will never compromise away the mandate the American people gave us last November" - Bob Dole Senate majority leader gested compromise would be appropri- ate was the one on which Democrats see the Republicans as most vulnerable - the GOP's call for steep reductions in the growth of spending for Medicare. "If there is one issue that should rise above partisan politics, it's Medicare," Dole said. "I call on the President today tojoin me in acommitment to America's seniors: Let's lift Medicare out of the general budget debate and put it on a higher plane so we can work together to save and strengthen this program of vital importance to older Ameri- cans." Two other Republican presidential hopefuls outlined their own economic views yesterday. Conservative com- mentator Patrick Buchanan, writing in The Wall Street Journal, offered a pro- gram he said would blend the policies of Ronald Reagan with Buchanan's own prescriptions for protecting American business and jobs from foreign compe- tition. Among the features of the Buchanan plan are a flat tax on personal income above $25,000 for a family of four, with deductions only for charity and mortgages; a flat corporate tax rate, with special low rates for small busi- ness; an end to inheritance taxes on family farms and businesses and es- tates up to $5 million; and a six- month capital-gains tax "holiday" to encourage people to recycle accumu- lated assets. Buchanan would link those tax re- ductions with tariffs of 10 percent on Japanese goods and 20 percent on Chi- nese imports and an unspecified-rate "social tariff' on Third World prod- ucts, all to protect American workers from low-wage competition. Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.), in a statement, said he agreed with Clinton that the economic frustrations of Americans have been caused by low growth rates, not affirmative action or immigration. Lugar said the real answers lie in balancing the federal budget and shifting from reliance on the federal income tax to a national sales tax. "True tax reform requires the aboli- tion of the federal income tax," he said. - I Clinton says he will fight to continue federal ai for subsidized college loans REGISTRAR'S BULLETIN BOARD STUDENT SERVICES The Office of the Registrar announces the opening of two new student service sites and the closing of one: G255 Angell Hall 763-5174 and 1212 North Campus Commons 763-7650 Hours...8am to 5pm, Monday-Friday Students may come to either of these sites to order transcripts, request certification, obtain help with registration, make name and ID number changes, request nondisclosure of personal information, ask questions related to their academic records, and to receive a variety of other services. The Windows in the LSA Building will no longer be a service site. TRANSCRIPT FEE Los Angeles Times SELMA, Calif. -President Clinton, raising one of his favorite issues on the eve of Congress' return to work, said yesterday he will turn funding for fed- erally subsidized college loans into a major battleground during this fall's budget debate. "In California you have had enough of cutting education," Clinton told stu- dents and parents at a middle school in this Central Valley town 15 miles south of Fresno. "We need to invest more in education, and we can do that." "Tell the Congress and the President you want the budget balanced but you want us to invest in education and the future," he said. "We don't want to be penny-wise and pound foolish." Despite his fighting words, Clinton sought to cast himself as the champion of moderation in the budget debate and said Republicans should bow to his requests for more education funding as a matter of sweet reason. "There are some who say that there should be no compromise this autumn. But I say that good people of goodwill -vnn ite o fnd rmm armnd ant debate over the budget will force Con- gress "to choose what direction we're going to take." Before he left California for Wash- ington, the President also taught a class at the middle school and met with two dozen San Joaquin Valley farmers in a Fresno Air Terminal hangar - a decidely conservative group that in- cluded winemaker Ernest Gallo. The meeting was closed to the news media because of the expectation that it would be rough going for Clinton, but it was amazingly cordial. The President's choice of education as an issue reflects two realities about this fall's budget battle: Most Ameri- cans want Congress' Republican lead- ers to succeed in enacting a plan to balance the budget but a large majority - as big as 71 percent in some polls- agrees with Clinton that education fund- ing should be protected. As part of their drive to balance the budget in seven years, Republican lead- ers have proposed cuts in education programs that they consider inefficient. The administration estimates the total fthe GOP-nmnnosed cuts at D6 billion Clinton's first-day-of-school visit to announce four modest grants to state departments of education to develop "character education" curricula promo- ing such virtues as hard work, respons- bility and respect. The farmers, who traded in their blue jeans and hats for suits and ties, had come to their session with the President carrying a long list of complaints about onerous environmental laws and water reforms that seemingly give more weight to fish than farmers. They left the 75-minute meeting impressed with Clinton's grasp of the issues, if not believing he was on their side. "None of the expected rancor came out," said David Mas Masumoto, Fresno County grape and tree fruit farmer. 'He listened and he said a lot of the right things." In a private meeting with Clinton, Gallo expressed his concern about e- tending North American; Free Trade Agreement membership to Chile, which is exporting increasing quantities of low-priced wine. According to Whie House Chief of Staff Leon Panetta, the President assured Gallo that any nego- I