New Hampshire Daily; New Hampshire Daily Episode from 2/05/1990

Major funding for fresh air is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. By this and other NPR member stations and by a grant from Talbot's retailers of women's classic clothing and accessories through stores and catalogs. 1 800 2 2 5 8 200. This is NPR National Public Radio and this is member supported New Hampshire Public Radio. Stay tuned for New Hampshire daily with Martin Murray coming up in just a moment. Programming on New Hampshire Public Radio is made possible in part by a grant from Continental Cablevision operators of cable television systems in New Hampshire providing diverse programming and consistent service for 25 years and by a grant from the Merrimack Repertory Theatre in Lowell Massachusetts presenting the landmark of 20th Century Theater. Samuel Beckett's comedy Waiting for Godot through February 24th and by a grant from NH savings bank of Portsmouth committed to your growing needs. Coming up at 5:30 ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from National Public Radio and at seven o'clock he will be in with music through the evening and tonight Monday night is mystery music night. Here's a look at the weather tonight. Up

north it will be clear early on then increasing cloudiness with a 40 percent chance of flurries toward morning mostly clear elsewhere in the state lows tonight minus five to plus five up north. Five to ten involved elsewhere in New Hampshire. Tuesday will be mostly cloudy with a chance of scattered flurries in the north partly sunny in the morning. Elsewhere in the state sunny in the afternoon highs in the upper 20s to lower 30s up north then near 40 degrees in central and southern sections. Tuesday night mostly clear low zero to. 10 above in the north lows in the teens elsewhere. Fair on Thursday and chance of showers in the south on Friday a chance of flurries on Saturday. Stay tuned now for New Hampshire daily with Martin Mari. It's 5:00 o'clock. From New Hampshire Public Radio. This is New Hampshire daily for Monday February the 5th 1990. I'm Martin Murray.

On today's program a debate on the need for Citizen referendums in New Hampshire. Let's talk about another state income tax proposal and language commentator Richard letter describes new ways to say You're fired. Or simply the higher de-selected non retained non-renewed or selected out or they undergo workforce adjustments headcount reductions negative employment retention restructuring downsizing career alternative enhancement programs or volume related production schedule adjustments that more coming up. First a look at the news. From National Public Radio News in Washington I'm Sharon Green Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev today asked the Communist Party to give up its constitutionally guaranteed monopoly on power and institute a multi-party system. Gorbachev landmark speech to a meeting of the Communist Party plenum came one day after 200000

citizens staged the Soviet Union's largest demonstration since the Bolshevik Revolution. They were demanding radical reforms and an end to communism. Exclusive control of the government and Washington the Bush administration has voiced support for the demonstrators and for political pluralism. But carefully refused comment about a potential change in the Soviet constitution. If Gorbachev defeats hardline Party opponents. East German opposition groups joined the government today. Eight opposition ministers were sworn in as ministers as did your burger reports from West Berlin Germany's opposition groups agreed to join the government last week to keep it from collapsing. In return the government agreed to push up parliamentary elections from May to march in is probably in today the parliament approves new ministers from eight opposition groups. The new cabinet members are without portfolio which means they have no specific department public funds abilities. Their chief function is to participate in Cabinet decisions on important political and economic issues. In other

business today the East German parliament banned the far right wing Republican Party a West German party has already launched. Then that camp activities in East Germany organized a chapter I might say when National Public Radio this program my brother James Sasser the chairman of the Senate Budget Committee warned Defense Secretary Dick Cheney to expect Congress to cut next year's Pentagon budget by at least 10 billion dollars. We have details from NPR's new Conan Senator Sasser said that he finds a three hundred billion dollar defense budget insupportable given both the dramatic changes in the Soviet Union Eastern Europe and the fiscal restraints facing Congress Sasser said that Congress will have to weigh requests for five B-2 stealth bombers against a proposed cut in child nutrition and 900 million dollar increase for the Strategic Defense Initiative with a proposed cut in federal aid for highways. It was a call generally supported by committee Democrats but resisted by Republicans who tended to support the secretary's arguments that the defense budget already represents a cut in real terms of 2.6 percent. That

to cut deeper and faster could mean administrative chaos and threaten national security. Tomorrow the secretary of defense will hear some arguments for radical cuts when he testifies before the House Armed Services Committee. This is Neal Conan reporting 50 former Reagan administration official refused to testify today before a congressional panel investigating the influence peddling scandal at the Department of Housing and Urban Development. James Hammer unexcited his constitutional right against self incrimination. On Wall Street the Dow industrial average gained nearly 20 points today to close at twenty six twenty two point fifty two. In light trading. This is NPR News. More world and national news later on ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. This is New Hampshire daily Good afternoon I'm Martin Murray one of New Hampshire's largest private employers said today it will lay off 250 people by mid March. Lockheed Sanders based it based in Nashua said the reductions are necessary for the company to successfully compete for defense industry contracts. Company spokesman Mark Braman said in the past year the company has laid off about 1000 workers. Lockheed Sanders currently employs about

60 200 workers down from an all time high of 10000 in one thousand sixty eight. The positions being cut represent a wide variety of skills although one hundred twenty are in manufacturing. Employee notifications began today and are expected to be completed by the end of the month. Affected workers will be given assistance in finding another job and will be given two to 16 weeks in pay depending on seniority. Lockheed Sanders does about 98 percent of its business with the federal government. Most of that is with the Defense Department Braman said. Last year Sanders record a profit in that the company is not in financial trouble. Some prominent New Hampshire Republicans have gotten together to defend their pro-choice stance on abortion. Concord attorney Robert Bass says New Hampshire Republicans for Choice has been organized to make sure people realize that not all GOP members are pro-life. He says many pro-choice Republicans decided to make their position known after the U.S. Supreme Court shifted abortion laws to the state last summer Bass's nephew state senator Charles Bass of Peterborough is one of the sponsors of the abortion rights bill the House will vote on next week. The former Jaffery

police officer convicted of trading cocaine for sex with a teenage girl will spend at least the next six years behind bars. Cheshire County Superior Court Judge Philip mag goanna sentenced the 31 year old John McCain to six to 15 years in New Hampshire state prison for felonious assault. McCain was also given three and a half to seven years for distributing cocaine and for one year terms three for sexual assault and one for indecent exposure. After serving six years for the first felony he can add the second felony charge charge suspended or reduced. Defense attorney Richard Smith says McCain has been used as an example because he was a police officer and he will file to have the sentences reviewed. Another idea for a state income tax that's coming up next on New Hampshire daily programming on New Hampshire Public Radio was made possible in part by a grant from child life America who probably sponsors this broadcast on behalf of its employees insurance and financial service agents and the community.

The state Senate plans a public hearing tomorrow regarding a House passed supplemental budget that is still millions of dollars short of balancing the state books. Among the proposals to correct that imbalance are further budget cuts further tax and fee hikes and a suggested income tax the latter comes from Keen Democratic Representative David Lamar who joins us now live in the studio. Thank you very much sir for coming in today. Glad to be here. Mr. Lamar we've already heard of three tax proposals this session two are already dead one has been sent to study this one is new would describe it for us. Well what I'm trying to do here is to find a substitute for the shortfall in revenue that we had from our present 18 different tax sources that we have for the state. Social I want my tax will do would be to repeal the present interest and dividends tax which is a 5 percent tax after certain exemptions have been deducted on interest and dividends and a substitute for that a tax of 1 percent on the

taxable income that shows up on line 37 of your form 10:40 your federal income tax form. You say this is simply to address the current deficit is this a one time only proposal. Well it is aimed at curing the current deficit. However if I presume that this would become part of the stable of tax resources that the state can use in the future also. Why the proposal to eliminate the interest and dividends tax. Well the interest and dividends taxes strictly has been rather unpopular with the people because it considered rather discriminatory about for especially for older people who are living on a fixed income and living off their savings. But if you're going to have a general income tax then of course the interest and dividends will be included in the money that they pay to the federal government of course and it will also be included in the taxable income. What you're going to pay taxes the how the wise it would be a double taxation.

The House Ways and Means Committee has not acted on your bill they've suggested though that you bring it before the whole house and that's going to happen tomorrow. Simply to elicit discussion on that is that right. Yes this is this is the idea is that an income tax is rather. An unpopular concept or has been. However there are a lot of Republicans Democrats Bolt who have realized that the present tax structure of the state really doesn't yield on a stable basis a revenue flow for the state to support the state's activities. What do you view that simply getting it to the House floor as a significant victory not as a significant victory I think. I view it is that the recognition of the leadership that there are enough representatives out there who want to discuss it and want to chance to vote on it to vote for it. How do you personally handle the criticism of some who would label you a broad bass broad based tax or and say that New Hampshire should never ever go in that direction. Well I'm not sure that I could consider it an insult or that I consider it a

criticism. I think if you take a look at most governments around the world and most states in the United States do have an income tax and it does provide. A tax base that is more stable. And of course what it does. It spreads the tax load among a very wide spectrum of our society which I think every tax system should be it should be fairly distributed fairly widely throughout a society. Some people might view this though is just a new tax a new way to get the taxpayers money. Would it be fair. I think it's a new way for the state through its representatives to vote for supporting state government. Representative Lamar thank you very much for joining us today. Representative David Lamar is a Democrat from Keene. The budget that has been passed by the House and Senate to the Senate has been described as cutting

the excess out of New Hampshire's State Government and streamlining programs without affecting the way services are provided. Mary O'Connor disagrees O'Connor is director of the state wide Injury Prevention Center and she says the current budget proposal totally eliminates the injury prevention program. O'Connor told Leslie Bennett accidents and injuries are the leading cause of death for people between the ages of 1 and 44. The center provides services to people and to two groups who provide care to children. In other words we retrain people who are working directly with children health professionals childcare providers parent and other community groups. We also develop a public education materials we distribute audiovisual materials and we maintain a hotline here in the office that people can call in on and direct questions to regarding different areas of end of childhood injury control.

Now in the work that I've done over the past few weeks in terms of the budget the individuals I've talked to who say basically members of the House Appropriations Committee that say we've cut this down to our bare bones necessity level without diminishing services without diminishing what the state provides to people. Would you disagree then that what's being proposed here with this cut is actually impacting quite a few numbers of people. Well I I think that as I understand what's happened to this budget it will effectively eliminate all injury prevention programming in New Hampshire that there is no other program that will that will do the kinds of things that this program does. We've worked with the through child health agencies worked with low income families and provided safety devices such as smoke detectors syrup of that attack Poison Control Center telephone stickers and educational materials directly to the families. We've also provided printed educational

materials that can be distributed to families and that the health professionals themselves can use as a resource information because. We are here and are able to to be informed about what the current issues are and injury control and how to how what are the effective prevention countermeasures and then can pass that information along to the people who are working directly with children I think in that way. We can be very effective because we're using systems that are already in place working within the health care agencies and daycare centers and places that are already in the community in terms of being on the cutting edge as you describe what injury prevention shooting clewed my first part of the question is is what is that now. What are we talking about in the 90s in terms of what types of injuries should really be addressing most specifically. Yes and what have you seen change over the last few years.

We have and I think that that was a leading cause of injury death and disability is certainly motor vehicle crashes and we've seen changes with the with laws in all 50 states now that require that young children be buckled up in cars that they use child restraint devices. And we have seen the numbers of children that are dying in crashes reduced as a as a direct result of those laws and it is groups like this one. And other concerned people in New Hampshire who have gotten together and drafted the bills and had them introduced into the House and Senate I think that we have seen legislation implemented that requires smoke detectors in new thing and federally subsidized housing and renovated housing so that more and more and more homes now have to get to that place it's part of the fire code. You have to have it. So we've certainly seen changes there but there's still a lot more that can and should be done.

What has been the direction of the injury prevention center up to now or up until the news that you just heard about in terms of perhaps losing the center completely. Well we've had couple. We've had several different directions one is the public edge. Cation issues that I talked about be making good materials and state of the art materials available to people. The other is direct services and going out to and doing workshops and work groups with with parents and with the with childcare providers training childcare providers on how to how to maintain a safe daycare environment for for kids. And we have also done some research work in that area looking at at New Hampshire data and seeing trying to tell what what are the causes of some of the different kinds of injury. What's different about New Hampshire and perhaps than is happening in another state. And that again allows us to perhaps to target our programming more precisely to what the issues are and what the age groups are that are most affected.

Hampshire that's Marion O'Connor director of the injury prevention resource and Research Center. One issue before the New Hampshire legislature this session is whether to allow referendums to be placed on election ballots. That means any citizen could place a law on a ballot to be considered by the state's voters simply by having the required number of petition signatures. That is the topic of today's legislative debate between Democratic State Senator Wayne King from Romney and Republican state representative from Salem Wayne while the idea of an initiative petition sounds very small d democratic. I think we should be wary of such a proposal for three reasons. First in New Hampshire because of the size of the house. Anyone with an idea no matter how humble or absurd can through his local representative have an opportunity to have that idea considered by the legislature. Our rules make sure that every issue gets voted on. Nothing dies in committee in New Hampshire. Second in many states special interests unknown to the voters masquerade as doers of the

public good and to promote their own narrow agenda. For example the Oregon sports betting referendum was initiated funded promoted by the gaming industry but it was sold to the public as a way to fund college athletics. While I'm not disappointed with the outcome in that particular case I don't think it was the best way to make public policy. My third reason is a variant of the second. And it's that few voters will take the time to consider the merits of each referendum measure particularly if we have 75 questions like they do in California. The voters stand to be gulled by slick advertising campaigns and simple solutions to complicated problems. Remember the question too bad for you. Not much substance there but it worked in Massachusetts. Now Wayne I don't want to say that the voters don't know what they're doing. After all they elected you and me. But I don't think New Hampshire is ready for government by slogan or bumper sticker solutions to complex issues. Donna you don't want to say that the voters don't know what they they're doing. But that's

exactly what you said. New Hampshire needs a referendum process several weeks ago an actor historian playing Thomas Jefferson spoke to a joint convention of the house in the Senate celebrating the Bill of Rights. One of the points that he made was that in a government of by and for the people the process of policy making should be a dynamic process subject to the changes made possible by changing times but always keeping an eye toward a government that is closest to the people. The fact that New Hampshire has no referendum process runs contrary to everything that we pride ourselves in and demonstrates an arrogance on the part of the legislature that is absurd. What makes us believe that we understand the issues any better than the citizens of this state. The size of the House has little to do with allowing citizens to enact a new public policy when only 13 votes in the Senate can kill anything. I believe that in fact it is the special interests that do not want a referendum process in the state of New Hampshire because they know that their cause often depends on manipulation of the legislature. Donna let's give the people

of this state some credit. I believe that they're capable of sorting out the rhetoric from the substance and we should have a referendum process to allow them to participate in public policy making. Well when you've touched on a totally different subject that we should probably debate some other time about the size of the Senate I agree that it's too small and too much of a narrowly focused power in the state that's another issue. New Hampshire already does have a referendum process a town meeting any citizen can bring in put an article on the warrant can have his idea debated. And those who have listened to the debate can vote on it. I like that aspect of New Hampshire local government and I think that the outcomes of referenda at the local level give direction to the legislature about what the public is truly feeling. I think that this traditional New Hampshire way of getting a sense of the voters has served us well. I think the current process is working very well and I don't see any need to change it.

Donna the underlying theme behind all of this that I hear from you and that I hear from other people who oppose a referendum process is heaven forbid we should put these decisions in the hands of the people of the state of New Hampshire. They might make a mistake as though we never make mistakes in the state of New Hampshire. Look at the governor's dock tax look at the telecommunications tax look at the tailpipe tax. Look at all of the different proposals that have come before the legislature that weren't spawned by a citizen but were spawned by members of the legislature. We make mistakes in the legislature and the people will make mistakes in a referendum process. But the wonderful thing about this country and about this state is that when we make a mistake we pick ourselves up we dust ourselves off and we continue on and we try and make things better. States under Wayne King and Representative Donna scientific debate issues of concern to the state legislature Mondays and. In today's language commentary. Richard letter reviews an important new book on double

speak. I'm pleased to share with you the news that Professor William lots of Rutgers University has compiled his nearly two decades of experience as a super duper double speak snooper into a just released book called double speak from revenue enhancement to determine a living how government business advertisers and others use language to deceive you it's a Harper and Row book. In this double speak call of shame Let's discuss this and analyzes the euphemisms jargon gobbledygook and inflated language used by accountants advertisers airlines business executives educators food purveyors government at all levels hospitals lawyers the military and a host of other people in profession. Somebody once quipped that language is what separates the human beings from the bureaucrats in the topsy turvy world exposed by William Lutz and double speak that somebody was certainly right. He writes There are no potholes in the streets of

Tucson Arizona just pavement deficiencies. The Reagan administration didn't propose any new taxes just revenue enhancements through new users fees. Those aren't bums on the street just non-goal oriented members of society. There are no more poor people just fiscal underachievers. There was no robbery of an automatic teller machine just than an authorized withdrawal. The patient didn't die because of medical malpractise. It was just a diagnostic misadventure of high magnitude. The US Army doesn't kill the enemy anymore it just services the target. Believe me these are all real I'm not making any of them up nor is Mr lots. And people don't get fired any more they are simply the hired de-selected non retained non-renewed or selected out or they undergo workforce adjustments headcount reductions negative employment retention restructuring downsizing

career Old Hundred of enhancement programs or volume related production schedule adjustments. Double speak that the fines cab drivers as urban transportation specialist elevator operators as members of the vertical Transportation Corps and automobile mechanics as automotive internists can be considered humorous and relatively harmless. Lots concedes but at his back and hurrying the ER the author hears the wing hit chariot which the manufacturers would probably call an avian eye's mobile conveyance unit of George Orwell's newspeak. Newspeak the insidious language of Orwell's nightmare society in 1984 a language designed with casual phrases in fewer words so as to make unorthodox thought impossible. Like Orwell William lats emphasizes again and again the iron link between language and thinking. And he writes one of fire in a nuclear reactor building is called rapid oxidation

and explosion in a nuclear power plant is called an energetic disassembly. The illegal overflow of a legitimate government is termed destabilizing a government and allies are seen as in operative statements. We are all seeing double speak that attempts to avoid responsibility and make the bad seem good. The negative appear positive. Something unpleasant appear attractive and which seems to communicate but doesn't. It is a language designed to alter our perception of reality and corrupt our thinking. Well let's hope that Bill and his committee of verbal Crusaders will be out there puncturing the hot air balloons of inflated language with a needle of humor and helping us all to speak good clear single speak. This is Richard Lederer. And if you have a question or comment on language write to Richard a letter in care of twenty six Pleasant Street Concord New Hampshire 0 3 3 0 1. Business

news is next on New Hampshire daily. Good evening this is Steven McRae reporting from the offices of PaineWebber in Concord. Stock prices edged higher today in the slowest session of the year as nervousness about interest rates ahead of tomorrow's treasury auction kept players at bay. The Dow Jones Industrials finished it up nineteen point eight two points at two thousand six hundred twenty two point five to do eight hundred thirty one issues advancing six hundred forty six declining and four hundred ninety one remaining unchanged volume stood at one hundred thirty one million shares versus one hundred sixty five million on Friday. Looking at stocks of local interest GTA sixty two and a quarter up want to have IBM ninety nine and three quarters up two and five eighths Tyco. Forty five and a

quarter up 1 8 and Chubb life 94 in a quarter up two and a half and summary the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at two thousand six hundred twenty two up 20 points on a volume of one hundred thirty one million shares. This is Steven McRae reporting from PaineWebber in Concord. Have a nice evening. In business no it's the United States the largest temporary help company is expanding into more international markets. Kelly Services has acquired companies in the Netherlands and New Zealand bringing to eight the number of overseas services it's acquired in the past two years terms of the transactions were not disclosed. Now for a look at whether this weather report is made possible in part by a grant from Johnson index fuel Corp. suppliers of petroleum products throughout New Hampshire and Vermont skies remain sunny around the Granite State into this afternoon with their only afternoon temperatures ranging from the teens in the north to the lower 20s in mid 20s in the south. Some cloudiness and just the chance of a flurries possible in the north late tonight and early Tuesday as a weak cold

front works its way across the region. Temperatures will remain on the cold side through tonight. Then look for milder temperatures and lots of sunshine by tomorrow afternoon overall but the far north where some clouds and flurries will linger. High pressure builds back across New England late Tuesday and Wednesday with attendant fair weather and temperatures running a little above normal fair skies expected on Thursday a chance of flurries north and chance of flurries or showers south on Sunday on Friday. Chance of flurries over the state on Saturday. Looking at temperatures around the region clear skies in Concord 24 degrees Portsmouth and the seacoast partly cloudy 25 Nashua clear 21 Manchester clear and 25 Lebanon and the upper valley clear and 22 degrees until tomorrow night when they play the Milwaukee Bucks at Hartford. No game scheduled tonight in the NHL Tomorrow night the Bruins play in Detroit and the Islanders play in Pittsburgh according the Boston Marathon off as the Celtics and the Bruins have agreed in principle to Lisa's committing them to play in the new Boston Garden for 10 years

starting in 1903. That's New Hampshire Danley for Monday the 5th of February 1990 I'm Martin Murray the engineer is Paul Jamieson and programming on New Hampshire Public Radio is made possible in part by a grant from crass appraisal associates with offices in Bedford in Portsmouth New Hampshire providing real estate valuations market analysis and feasibility studies and by the friends and neighbors at the New Hampshire insurance group and local Independent Insurance Agents. The New Hampshire your connection to the world. All things considered is coming up next on New Hampshire Public Radio. The time now is twenty nine minutes after 5:00. But it's a day in form. Join me for NPR's MORNING EDITION for in-depth coverage of national and international news plus reports on help science. From the time you wake up to the time you get to work you'll find what you need to know on MORNING EDITION.

That's. Tomorrow morning at 6 o'clock here on. All things considered is funded by another NPR member stations and by contributors to the NPR news and information fund including Fleishman Hillard an international public relations consulting firm William Bingham foundation. General Foods corporation providing food and beverage products around the world. Jennifer and Ted stammering. Stay tuned now for all things considered it's 5:30. A freedom struggle for whites in South Africa. In this half hour of All Things Considered. South Africa's Conservative Party leaders launch a freedom struggle to protect South African

whites from domination by a black majority. International banks move to reduce Mexico's debt burden. And Andrew Young announces that he will run for governor of Georgia as a civil rights leader young marched in Atlanta as a Tamir he was an advocate of business and development. I didn't stop my concern for civil rights. When I got in politics. I just realize that there's some things that you can do in office that you can't do marching on the office to try to get them to do. First an update of this hour's news. From National Public Radio News in Washington I'm Bill Bradley. Former President Ronald Reagan has been ordered by a federal judge to give a videotaped deposition in the Iran-Contra trial of his former national security adviser. U.S. District Judge Harold Greene also renewed his ruling Mr. Reagan must immediately turn over 33 diary entries to John Poindexter. However an attorney for Reagan Theodore Olson told the court the former president was invoking his executive privilege to avoid turning over the diary entries. The judge says he'll consult with all parties

to set a date and place for the videotaping of Reagan's testimony before the beginning of the trial which is set for February 20th in Lebanon's Christian enclaves general Ooms forces are trying to smash through the defenses of a major stronghold alarming belonging to show marriage Aaja as Lebanese Forces militia in east Beirut. Nearly 300 people have been killed and over 1000 wounded in six days fighting. Mike the Attilla reports often repeated I get a soul I don't.