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Wednesday, January 21, 1998 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 





Cacophony surrounding budget surplus drowns out good sense &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 German mythology has its story of Die Lorelei- a beautiful young woman who, &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; sitting atop rocks in the Rhine and singing ``a most wonderful melody,''
lures sailors to their deaths as their boat, steered toward the voice, crashes
on the rocks and sinksIt is an echo of the earlier Greek mythology of the
Sirens who also lured all but the most wise and resolute sailors- like
Ulysses- to disaster. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 These illustrations from the past come to mind as another election year
begins to unfold and the most common and enticing song by the politically
ambitious concerns tax cuts. You hear the promise coming from newly elected,
reelected, and surely ambitious mayors as in Kingston, Wilkes-Barre and
Scranton. You hear it from Gov. Ridge, from the likes of President Clinton,
and the top leaders of the Congress as all members of its House and a third of
its Senate arm for the campaign ahead. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Virtually none of the local governments have the surplus to justify tax
cuts. Pennsylvania has a modest nest egg to offer. And the federal government,
thanks to a burgeoning economy and heavy cuts in funding of its social
programs, has the possibility of a very modest surplus. But this is for a year
that doesn't end until October 1, and if there is anything life should have
taught all of us is not to "count our chickens..." For the experienced, the
unexpected has become the expected. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In fact, that is the cautionary note being sounded by the president's top
economic advisers. While a small surplus seems possible today, it is only a
possibility. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Yet, that tune in the air- a surplus- is driving the hopefuls wild.
Republican leaders, like Speaker Newt Gingrich, are baying full-throated for
sizable tax cuts- this time for the middle income taxpayers. Their last budget
rewarded the top income group. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 By contrast, President Clinton has used his bully pulpit to advance
proposals to upgrade a growing list of underfunded programs that primarily
benefit the young. Child care and education are chief targets and are targets
that are difficult for politicians to reject. His point, larger than the
special programs themselves, is to underscore the areas where additional
federal investments are needed, and to do so as a means of illustrating his
desire to create a sustainable and responsible balanced budget. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 It is a point that many, enticed by the prospect of tax relief, tend to
forget. In contrast to their dream, there are those reports that have found a
staggering number of public school buildings which are sorely in need of
repair. Many of these need more than repair; they need replacement. Many of
these were built 40, 50, and 60 years ago when the technologies and curricula
that now are commonplace in modern classrooms were still in laboratories.
These schools can't catch up without substantial capital investments. But with
the state government of Pennsylvania as an example, traditional funding of
public education has steadily declined as the state's share of the cost, even
while expensive experiments are being rushed that only further diminish the
level of that support. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Much the same can be said of highway bridges, and even of the interstates,
some of which are now nearing their fourth decade of service; ditto for rail
systems and airports, and for dams and water distribution systems. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Even public housing has fallen far behind demand. And nowhere is there
evidence of the investment needed to try to convert an essentially unskilled
labor force into what is needed to support the ever more complex demands of
modern enterprise. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Given just this very short list of needs, any suggestion that tax reduction
comes first, is purely political and wholly cynical. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 It would be irresponsible to cut taxes at a time when all the normal
measures of the nation's economic health indicate we could easily afford to
instead increase them- as we should if we are to meet the social and
infrastructural needs of the nation. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 If we can't afford to meet our obligations, including balancing the budget,
now, when can we? &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Furthermore, experience should hav

Cacophony Surrounding Budget Surplus Drowns Out Good Sense 
German Mythology Has Its Story Of Die Lorelei- A Beautiful Young Woman Who, 
Sitting Atop Rocks In The Rhine And Singing ``a Most Wonderful Melody,'' Lures 
Sailors To Their Deaths As Their Boat, Steered Toward The Voice, Crashes On 
The Rocks And Sinks.