President racking up victories in partisan Congress
WASHINGTON (AP)—Between
the Democratic-control led 103rd Con
gress and President Clinton, it has
been more lockstep than gridlock. '•
Despite a setback on his still-lin
gering jobs bill, Clinton in 75 days
won approval for his economic blue
print, reordering economic priorities
and envisioning higher taxes, defense
cuts and selected domestic spending
increases. He and the lawmakers
worked together to pass the family
leave bill that Democrats had been
seeking for years.
In addition, Congress supported
Clinton in his plan to lift the bans on
abortion counseling at federally
funded clinics and on using Medicaid
funds for the abortions of poor women.
sharp reversals of 12 years of Reagan -
Bush policies.
They brought the Motor Voter
Registration Act back for another go
round and cooperated in laying the
groundwork for a national health re
form plan.
“I think we’ve made remarkable
progress in a short period of time,”
said Senate Majority Leader George
Mitchell, reflecting the key factor:
for the first lime since Jimmy Carter
was in the White House, one parly
has controlled both houses of Con
gress and the executive branch.
“I would say from Clinton’s per
spective, it has been successful so
far,’’acknowledged Rep. Henry Hyde,
R-Ill., who wrote the law banning use
-ii
/ think we've made
remarkable progress in
a short period of time.
—Mitchell
Senate majority leader
-ff -
of Medicaid funds for abortmns. “He
has been able to encourage his troops
to rally around the flag, and they have
done so with only minor dissent.”
At the same time, Republicans
bristle over what they feel isClinlon’s
failure to consult them often enough.
“The only call I got was from the
presidenlof ihc American Red Cross,”
deadpanned Senate Republican Leader
BOD uoie, reicrring 10 nis wife, Eliza
bcth Dole. “I told her I didn’t want to
give blood.”
The jobs bill setback may have
been a reflection of the GOP’s deter
mination to keep from being
steamrollered by the Clinton jugger
naut.
Clinton pledged Tuesday to con
tinue his fight for the bill, and the
White House and Democratic leaders
said they were ready to compromise
after three unsuccessful efforts to crack
a Republican filibuster.
‘‘We will see when Congress comes
back whclherlhcRcpublicansarccom
miltcd to putting America back to
work or just playing politics,” the presi
dent said.
Russia nuclear blast
worst since Chernobyl
Radioactive cloud
moving toward
Siberian villages
MOSCOW (AP) — A radioac
tive cloud moved across S iberia on
Wednesday after a tank of radioac
tive waste exploded in what the
government called the worst
nuclear accident since Chernobyl.
R ussian and foreign experts said
Tuesday’s explosion at the Tomsk-,
7 nuclear weapons complex was
far less severe than the 1986
Chernobyl disaster. But a spokes
man for the environmental group
Greenpeace said several villages
were at risk from windbome fall
out.
No deaths were reported and no
one was evacuated Irom the con
tain inated region, about 1,700m ilcs
east of Moscow, Only one fireman
received a high dose of radiation,
said Georgy Kaurov, head of the
Nuclear Energy Ministry’s infor
mation department.
The State Emergency Commit
tee said radiation levels around
Tomsk-7 were .03 roentgens per
hour Wednesday. Northeast of the
plant, levels were .04 roentgens.
The average acceptable dose
for nuclear workers is 2 roentgens
per year, according to the Interna
tional Commission on Radiologi
cal Protection. A roentgen is a
measure of the human body’s ex
posure to radiation.
Russianaulhorilicssaidlhcwind
blew the radiation away from
Tomsk-7,a secret military city built
by the Soviets, and the much larger
nearby city of Tomsk, which has
about 500,000 inhabitants.
Tomsk-7 docs not appear on
ordinary maps, and its exact popu
lation is unknown.
Commonwealth television said
the Russian Air Defense Command
was monitoring the radioactive
cloud, which was moving north
east toward less densely populated
areas at a height of 1.2 miles and a
speed of 22 mph.
Late Wednesday, the cloud
passed north of Ashino, a town of
about 30,(XX) people 75 mi les north
east of Tomsk, according to Dmitry
Tolkatsky of Greenpeace’s Mos
cow office.
Tolkatsky said the cloud was
heading toward the Yenisei River
in the general direction of 11 Sibe
rian villages,each with a few thou
sand inhabitants.
Cuomo withdraws his name
from consideration for court
washiinijIUN (Ar) — Mano
Cuomo formally withdrew Wednes
day from consideration for the up
coming Supreme Court vacancy be
fore President Clinton had narrowed
his list of prospects.
In a letter to Clinton, Cuomo said
he wanted to remain as governor to
help New York’s economic recovery.
He said staying in the political world
would allow him to “continue to serve
as a vigorous supporter of the good
work you are doing for America and
the world.”
The letter was sent to confirm an
earlier telephone conversation with
Clinton.
Clinton refused earlier in the day
to confirm reports of the withdrawal,
but said, “I think he’s terrific.”
Cuomo’s decision, which Newsday
said was forwarded to Clinton last
I hursday, was unknown to some of
Clinton’s closest advisers until now.
Among the candidates being men
tioned by administration officials are
Judge Judith Kaye, chief judge of
New York ’ s h ighest state court; J udge
Patricia Wald, who sits on the U.S.
Court of Appeals in Washington; and
Judge Richard Arnold of Little Rock,
who sits on the 8th U.S. Circuit Court
of Appeals.
Clinton has by no means limited
hischoices to those three people, White
House officials say.
Cuomo had emerged as the liberal
wing’s sentimental choice, though the
Clinton inner circle had never tipped
its hand about Cuomo’s chances.
The loss of a celebrity candidate in
Cuomo could rob Clinton of one of
the qualities he is seeking in a nomi
nee.
NelJra&kan
Editor Chris Hoptensperger Night News Editors Stephanie Purdy
472-1786 Mike Lewis
Managing Editor Alan Phelps Steve Smith
Assoc. News Editors Wendy Mott Lori Stories
Tom Malnslll Art Director Scott Usurer
Editorial Page Editor Jeremy Fitzpatrick General Manager Dan Shattll
Wirt Editor Todd Cooper Production Manager Katherine Pollcky
Copy Desk Editor Kathy Steinauer Advertising Manager Jay Cruet
Sports Editor John Adktsson „ Senior Acct. Exec. Bruce Krooee
Arts A Entertainment Mark Baldridge Classified Ad Manager Karen Jaekaon
Editor Publications Board Chairman Doug Fiedler
Diversions Editor Kim Spurlock 438-7862
i Photo Chief Kltey flmperiey Professional Adviser Don Wallon
473-7301
FAX NUMBER 472-1781
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ALL MATERIAL COPYRIGHT 1993 DAILY NEBRASKAN
Clinton s budget bound
for success in Congress
WASHINGTON (AP) — Presi
dent Clinton sends Congress his first
full-scale federal budget Thursday, a
$1.51 trillion spending plan guaran
teed a serious reception in the Demo
cratic-led body.
The Clinton fiscal 1994 budget
already is drawing as much attention
for what it won’t include as for what
it will. Abortion restrictions won’t be
there. Nor will proposals for health
care financing or the president’s new
$1.6 billion aid package for Russia.
It also is the first budget in 12 years
that isn’t being declared “dead on
arrival” by congressional leaders.
The House and the Senate have
already approved budget resolutions
endorsing its broad outlines.
The budget Clinton sends Con
gress will detail-thousands of specific
spending decisions to help him achieve
his goal of close to $500 billion in
deficit reduction over five years.
propriations and tax-writing commit
tees get down to the nitty gritty of
specific items.
Republicans arc expected to
pounce hard on many of the budget’s
proposals, as they have on Clinton’s
separate $16.3 billion fiscal 1993
stimulus package.
Thursday’s budget will put into
details the many programs and pro
posals Clinton outlined in his eco
nomic address to a joint session of
Congress on Feb. 17.
Clinton’s plan projected that the
government in fiscal 1994 would take
in $1.25 trillion and spend $ 1.51 tril
lion. An administration official on
Wednesday said there would be some
changes from these in the figures re
leased on Thursday, but that they
would be slight.
Clinton’s budget is expected to
reflect his central campaign vows —
culling dofense, culling the deficit,
ing on the nation’s infrastructure, on
education and on communications and
other high-tech programs.
The defense section calls for$263.4
billion in spending, $10 billion less
than last year and $12 billion short of
what former President Bush had envi
sioned.
Defense savings in the slimmed
down budget come from a reduction of
108,000 in active duty military, a pay
freeze and modest cuts in the Strategic
Defense Initiative.
The blueprint terminates no major
Reagan-Bush era weapons systems.
Clinton’s proposal for additional
“infrastructure” spending is expected
to be seen the most clearly in the
Transportation Department budget —
a 10.9 percent increase over this year.
Total outlays would be S40.3 billion,
including S28.4 billion on highways,
bus transit systems, railroads, airports
and maritime development.
AS UN elects Kubik as speaker
By Andrea Kaser
Staff Reporter
New senators elected their speaker
at the first ASUN meeting of the term
Wednesday, even though parliamen
tary procedure took some gelling used
to.
One senator said it seemed loo
rigid.
“Does this have to be this uptight?”
said Sen. Jay Ncmcc of the College of
Home Economics to First Vice Presi
dent Trent Steele,
who presided over
the procedure.
“We generally
liketokccpilbusi
ness-like ” Steele
replied.
I But through the
formalities of mo
tions, seconds, “ayes” and “nays,” the
Association of Students of the Uni
versity of Nebraska elected Brian
Kubik, senator to the College of Ag
ricullural Sciences and Natural Re
sources, to be its speaker.
Kubik said he was qualified for the
job because he felt he could represent
the senate, even if he disagreed with
some senators.
“My job is to represent you. . .to
push the ideas of the senate as a
whole,” Kubik said. “I promise an
unbiased opinion and an open mind
and the ability to do the job.”
Kubik said He could handle the
press because he had received media
training and had worked in public
relations.
He also said he could make wise
decisions regarding committee ap
pointments. The appointments he
would make would reflect the views
of the students, he said.
Ncmcc said he supported Kubik
because he was cool-headed.
“I don’t picture him pulling his
foot in his mouth,” Ncmcc said.
Sen. Deb Silhacck of the College
of Arts and Sciences supported Kubik.
The speaker needed 10 be a good
judge of character and not power
hungry, she said.
“Sometimes you can be loo politi
cal, and sometimes not enough,”
Silhacck said, “and he fits right in the
middle.”
The speaker serves as the senate’s
chief officer and spokesmen and
makes committee appointments. Other
nominees were James Collura and
Zachary Moore, who arc both sena
tors for the College of Arts and Sci
ences.
In open forum, former committee
leaders described the six standing
committees of ASUN.
Steele explained the obligations of
senators and pari iamcntaryjproccdurc.
Government Liaison Committee
members urged the new senators to
write letters to state senators protest
ing the proposed university budget
cuts. The new proposal calls for half
the amount in budget cuts but a 5
percent tuition increase._
rratner
Continued from Page 1
school, Prather said, he “partied”
for a year and then joined the Navy.
But he was discharged when he and
his roommates were found with
marijuana.
He then hitchhiked around the
country, sleeping on the streets and
mooching alcohol and drugs. At one
time he even joined a carnival.
Prather’s addiction became so
bed that he cannot remember much
of his life from 1983 to 1987.
“I remember the Bears won the
Super Bowl,” Prather said. And
that’s about it.
Prather said he went to drug
treatment three limes, but that it
was unsuccessful because he wasn’t
readv to <|Uit his habits.
“I don t think anyone under age
25 should enter drug treatment —
they haven’t been through enough
hell,” he said.
Too many people arc forced into
drug treatment for the wrong
reasons, Prather said.
-44
I was tired of drugs
and tired of hanging
out with slimy people
and tired of not
knowing where I was
when I woke up.
—Prather
UNL student
-ft -
Some sock treatment only to
save their marriages or their jobs, or
they go for someone elsc’s sake,
Prather said.
In 1989, Prather finally decided
he wanted to go to treatment for
himself. And the treatment worked.
“I was tired of drugs and tired of
nwigmg out with slimy people and
Urcd of not knowing where I was
when I woke up,” Prather said.
I was sick and tired of heinc
sick and lired.”
So Prather signed up for his
fourth treatment, and out of the 100
people who graduated with him, he
is the only one who is drug-free
today.
Prather said he didn’t believe
drug and alcohol addiction were a
disease, and shouldn’t be treated
like one.
“(The addiction) wasn’t an
uncontrollable biological urge,”
Prather said. “It was a conscious
decision.
“If you call it a disease, you are
no longer responsible for your
actions,” he said.
Prather isn’t bored with school
anymore, he said. At the age of 33,
he is pursuing a degree in psychol
ogy at the University of Nebraska
Lincoln, and he plans never to go
back to his old habit.
His professors tell him he is a
good writer, and he has far more As
than Cs and Ds.
Prather wants to go to graduate
school and become a practitioner in
psychology in order to help others
recover from drug addictions, he
said.
Now the only thing he is ad
dicted to is caffeine.