Section A · Page 7
The University Daily Kansan
Friday, February 11, 2000
Nation/World
House passes tax cuts for married couples
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Staking election-year strategy on a parade of tax cuts, House Republicans yesterday delivered a marriage valentine by passing a 10-year,$182 billion tax cut for married couples, including 25 million who pay more than single people.
"Most Americans understand that it is ridiculous for our government to penalize married couples," said House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill. "We need a tax code that doesn't punish married couples."
The House voted 268-158 to send the bill to the Senate, despite President Clinton's veto threat. The vote, insufficient to override a
veto, was timed to coincide with Valentine's Day next week.
Before that
Before that vote,
the House defeated by 233-192 a Democratic alternative costing $95 billion over 10 years. Its tax relief targeted at lower- and middle-class people and included trigger delaying
Clinton: Has said he will veto the bill
the cuts until toward fixing Medicare and national debt.
there is action Social Security paying down the
Replaying last year's tax fight, President Clinton is threatening a veto because the bill is too costly and skewed toward higher-income people. But at an appearance today across the street from the Capitol, Clinton said the marriage penalty should be eased, as long as tax relief was geared toward lower- and middle-income taxpayers.
Some Democrats worry the GOP bill will have political appeal in competitive districts as Democrats attempt to retake control of the House. Still, they said the measure marked the first piece of the GOP effort to carve last year's vetoed $792 billion tax cut into separate pieces and force Democrats to take a stand on each one.
The GOP bill would cut taxes for
all married couples who file joint income tax returns, not just the two-earner couples who pay a "marriage penalty" compared with what they would owe if single. Roughly half the bill's total cost would go to increase the "marriage bonus" enjoyed by millions of other couples, mainly those in which one spouse earns much more than the other.
"If we are going to provide tax relief for married couples, why pick and choose which couples will benefit?" Sen. Paul Coverdell, RGa., said. "All married couples should benefit, not just those with dual incomes."
Clinton and Democrats say it uses far too much of the budget surplus before other priorities are met.
Ventura to drop party
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Gov. Jesse Ventura, who rose to political prominence under the Minnesota banner of the Reform Party, wants to split from the national organization, officials close to him said yesterday.
Ventura is expected to urge the Minnesota Reform Party to leave the national group, a possible step toward setting up a new organization — perhaps called the Independence Party.
"The governor is disappointed with where the national Reform Party is right now," said Minnesota party chairman Rick McCluhan.
Ventura scheduled a news conference for
today, and several officials familiar with the event said they expected him to condemn the state of the national party as a step toward separating from it.
In today's press conference Ventura is expected to urge the Minnesota
convention delegates this month. Such a vote would clear the way for the state party and Ventura to officially sever ties with the national Reform Party.
Minnesota's senior Reform Party committee will meet tomorrow to consider whether to disaffiliate with the national organization and put the matter to a vote of 300 state
Ventura: Unhappy with the national Reform Party
party to begin that process the officials said.
The national party's presidential race was already in turmoil.
Donald Trump, who like Ventura has said he was disgusted with the national organization, is considering running for president under the new banner, according to a knowledgeable official who spoke only on condition of anonymity. The official said that
The official said that on Wednesday Trump and
Ventura discussed the possibility of the governor running for president on the new party's ticket, with the New York developer as his vice presidential running mate. However, Trump has indicated no interest in the No. 2 spot. He is to announce his plans next week.
McCluhan shot down the possibility of a Ventura-Trump ticket.
Activists sue filmmakers for damage to Thai beach
The Associated Press
MAYA BAY, Thailand — *The Beach*, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, tells the story of a backpacker whose quest for the perfect tropical beach leads him to a secret commune on a remote Thai island. But utopia isn't quite what it seems and paradise turns into bloody savagery.
Likewise, the image of sunny, sandy perfection achieved in making the 20th Century Fox film has destroyed the once-pristine beach where it was shot, environmentalists say.
Maya Bay, a strip of sand and vegetation backed by dramatic cliffs, is located on Phi Phi Le island, about 350 miles south of Bangkok.
But for filmmakers, led by director Danny Boyle and producer Andrew Macdonald, it wasn't quite perfect enough. They brought in bulldozers to widen and flatten the beach and strip away native grasses, scrub and other vegetation. They also removed garbage that had washed ashore and planted 60 coconut trees.
The filmmakers pledged to restore the beach to its original state and set stakes in the sand to prevent erosion. But by the time the monsoon season ended in November, it became clear the stakes didn't work nearly as well as native vegetation. More sand than anyone could remember was washed away by the annual storms.
Activists have brought a $2.6 million lawsuit against Fox, the Forestry Department and the Agriculture Ministry for damage to Mava Bay.
"Their campaign is about greed, not reality," said Prasertpongse Sornuwat, a local council member. "There is no beautiful beach anymore."
A lawyer for 20th Century Fox defended the filmmakers, saying they took every precaution and the erosion was caused by unusually severe storms.
Ecologists fear the loosened sand could damage fragile coral reefs on the beach front. That could threaten the livelihoods of hundreds of boatmen who bring sunbathers to Maya Bay.
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