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Show National Monday, December 24, 1990 The Daily Herald, Provo, Utah n n A: IT TP All lfdli?aO TOirkeirs i?e(gove paw WASHINGTON (AP) Federal workers everywhere, from Vice Resident Dan Quayle to the troops ;the Persian Gulf to the at the White House, will Picket fatter paychecks in the new year. There's one exception to the rule: President Bush. 2His salary stays frozen at $200,-06right where it has been for the last 22 years and five presidencies. iiFor several million Workers, both military and civilian, the pay raise is a flat 4.1 percent. L,But thousands of top federal executives are getting big raises, on the scale of $20,000 to $30,000, thanks to a 1989 law that lifted the lid on salaries. TQuayle's pay will rocket from 0, rank-and-fi- But Bush rs ground-skeepe- le -- like presidents before him to $160,600. Chief Justice William Rehnquist and Speaker Thomas Foley get the same 29 percent increase. Cabinet salaries $124,000 swell from $107,300 to $138,900. The Constitution precludes raisor lowering the presiing dent's pay during his term, so Bush has no immediate prospects for a salary hike. Bush has "no complaints," says White House spokesman Marlin Fitzwater. "He thinks his pay is "adequate. The presidency's still a pretty good job," quipped the press secretary. No one disputes that, but a blue- - ribbon panel that reviewed government salaries two years ago did recommend boosting the president's salary in 1993 to $350,000 plus a adjustment. Congress ignored the recommendation. Consumer advocate Ralph Nader begs to differ. Nader, who lobbied strenuously to block the pay hikes, believes Bush should revoke the 1991 raises and cut his own pay "as a gesture to the American people at a time of considerable sacrifice for them." "At a time of deficit and recession, he should set an example," cost-of-livin-g New York's &ab fleet agrees to lough rules Y0RK Ap) Cab driver i&aude Jacques learned English Sftfld his way around New York at the same time. .'2'One time this guy asked to go Jtp.' "The Garden,'" said Jacques, who arrived from Haiti 10 years Sago. "I start going to Central Park. IThe guy screams, 'Madison Square Garden, man!' No tip from him." Hut those were more freewheel-JJIJ- g days. Now before new cabbies the streets, there are classes to take and tests to pass. With the city's cab fleet becoming increasingly international 91 nations and at least 72 languages represented among drivers at last count officials have made the 4eense requirements more challenging in an attempt to improve service and stem passengers' complaints. "pn Nov. 1, the English language test was made more rigorous to Presidents have only gotten four pay increases in history. Experts agree that whatever the salary, the presidency is rich in perquisites, from a mansion staffed with servants to the limousines, helicopters and Boeing 747 jumbo jet at his beck and call. "The president probably gets the equivalent of another $500,000 in perks," said lawyer Lloyd N. Cutler, who chaired the 1989 Quadrennial Pay Commission. "The perks make up for an awful lot of sala- ry," Still, Cutler said the president's overlapping into secular society are disappearing as activists work to build a stronger wall between church and state. Some targets are obscure, like the notice for a church event posted on a park district's community event board. Others can't be missed, such as the "God Reigns" motto blazoned in a city seal water tower. across a The crusade may not be veheyear-roun- d 136-fo- ot ment, but constitutional wrongs must be righted, said Robert I. Sherman, national spokesman for American Atheists Inc. "I don't go out trolling for crosses. But often people will see a ur ABU DHABI, United Arab EmirTwo sailors from the aircraft carrier USS Midway were ates (AP) mid-1980- two-thir- ' "'i- - r ' 'it. TArf'-MW- AP Laserphoto Daring rescue Burbank, Calif., firefighter Ron Pearlman, far left, is held by others as he struggles with Rodolfo Regaldo for control of Regaldo's daughter Satur killed when a tour bus they were on overturned, the military's Joint Information Bureau said today. Five other U.S. sailors were injured, of whom two were in serious condition in the accident Sunday about 50 miles south of airbase in Abu Dhabi. The sailors were on shore leave, tour in an taking an bus when the accident oc off-ro- - ered his home engulfed by flames. The fire apparently was ...sparked by a Christmas tree that n fell over. Martin Dell'Orco, 38, at first escaped the fire but died when he re-- T entered the ranch-styl-e home, Fire Chief Melvin Paulun said Sunday. Z", Intense heat blocked firefighters jfrom immediately entering the ''house in this suburb 22 fof Detroit, Paulun said. miles west One fire If Bush were paid commensurate to corporate chiefs and top lawyers, "I suppose you'd be over $1 million," said Cutler. "With present budget constraints, this president would never ask for a raise if he were again." going to run "was a darn good salary" back in 1969, said Fred Hohlweg, a pay expert with the Office of Personnel Management. "He's doing worse and worse." The Consumer Price Index has increased nearly fourfold since The $200,000 display and, if it offends them, they'll call me," Sherman said. The constitutional separation between church and state has been a perennial battlefield for atheists and religious believers. Atheists have maintained that religious symbols have no place in government or on public property. Churches have argued that they have a right to express their beliefs in public forums, and that to do so does not violate the separation of church and state. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled several times on the issue, most recently in October when it refused to allow the display of a Christmas nativity scene on the lawn of a county government building in Charlottesville, Va. In other rulings, however, the court has ruled that religious symbols can be displayed in some cases when secular symbols are fighter suffered minor burns in the Saturday night blaze. Also trapped inside were Dell'Orco's children: Bonnie 12; Sara, 9; Katie, 8; twins Megan and Michael, 5; and Robert, 4. "It's a tragedy almost beyond comprehension," said Steve Garse-l- a, 40, a neighbor and family friend. "Marty lived for those kids." Dell'Orco's wife, Debbie, 36, escaped and later was released from a hospital. Another son, Adam, 6, escaped unharmed. The two other in curred, the military said. The statement said the cause of the accident was under investigation. A Navy spokesman said that because of the remoteness of the area, helicopters from the Midway flew to the scene to assist local authorities. One of the injured was flown to the hospital ship USS Comfort and three to the Midway. The whereabouts of the fifth were not immediately known. The names of the dead and in day. Regaldo jumped from a third-flobalcony with the child but was caught by a firefighter. Police were at the scene because of an alleged domestic dispute. 1 alongside them. Sherman's group is one of the most active in opposing religious displays on public property. In one case, Sherman challenged lighted Christmas crosses on two water towers in Wauconda. Al trad though they were a tion, the village backed down last December and quit erecting them. Many of the nation's test cases stem from Sherman's vigilance, including a four-yefight against the town motto of Zion, "God Reigns." A federal appeals court is reviewing an appeal by Zion of a lower court ruling that the motto must go. ar ar Activists also have demanded that officials move Nativity sceneS off city hall lawns, that PTA offi cials stop saying prayers before meetings and that cities stop pay. ing for community prayer breakf fasts. . jured were being withheld, 1 children, Jimmy, 16, and Kelly, 14, were away from home at the time of the fire. The Dell'Orcos were described as devoted parents. The children "were their whole life; they barely went out without the kids," said DeU'Orco's sister, Mary Anne Belaire. She said her brother was a carpenter. "We had a lot of respect for these Yhsi jM, 'A JmBl people," said Garsela. "There are a lot of kids in this neighborhood and everyone is very close." Briefs Inmates S.F. mayor will create cards sign VDT law FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) assortment of 12 Christmas cards includes smiling Santas and bouquets of holly wrapped in messages of love, an angel of peace playing a flute, a pair of doves floating above mistletoe and fir. No doubt greeting cards drawn by professional artists, you say? No. They were crafted on Death Row by 10 inmates, two of whom have been executed since their ink drawings first were published. Before his death in September 1987 for killing a probation officer, Joseph Starvaggi envisioned the spirit of Christmas as a floating angel playing the flute as the Star of Bethlehem shines through her wing. Starvaggi's Angel of Hope is the second most popular card. The most frequently ordered Death Row design was drawn by Bob Black, 43. convicted for the 1985 contract slaying of his wife. His sketch shows an inmate hunched over a Bible inside a prison cell, barren except for a paper Christmas tree and paper star taped to the The wall. The cards are marketed by Help Our Prisoners Exist, a support group for Death Row inmates and their families that idvocates the abolition of capital punishment. The assortment sells for $8. SAN FRANCISCO (AP) Businesses will have up to four years instead of two to provide safer equipment and working conditions for video display terminal users, under a compromise Mayor Art Agnos has agreed to sign, his aides say. What was hailed as the nation's toughest VDT law won final approval last week from the city Board of Supervisors, but Agnos wouldn't commit to signing it until he talked to business and labor groups about its impact and cost. After a weekend meeting with Agnos, the two sides agreed Saturday to several amendments, one extending the compliance period from two years to as many as four years, the mayor's aides said. The compromise, which Agnos plans to sign Thursday, must go back to the supervisors for approval. The compromise measure still calls for frequent work breaks, proe screens, adper lighting, anti-glar- justable computer furniture and equipment to make VDT use safer. Among the problems associated with regular work at a computer keyboard are nerve damage to the wrists and fingers, back and neck strain, eye strain, sleep disturbances, chronic headaches, nausea and fatigue. pending" notification of next of kin. The accident broueht the number of U.S. deaths in Operation Desert Shield to 80. On Saturday in th$ Mediterranean, a chartered Israeli ferry carrying U.S. sailors capsized while returning to the USS SaratoJ-gfrom the Israeli port of Haifaj killing 21. It was the single largest death toll from accidents related to the operation. Five other Western mili tary personnel have also died. or Father dies in try to save 6 children A WESTLAND, Mich. (AP) father died in a vain attempt to ,save six of his children after he salary is "way below what it ought to be." Two sailors die when tour bus overturns conversations. course has been expanded to include city tours and geography lessons. The final exam, enlarged nearly s, now threefold since the covers questions on how to maneuver through obscure neighborhoods and the channels of city bureauca-cy- . The failure rate is now close to 40 percent, up from about 10 percent before the revisions. "We're dealing with the whole city here," said Jack Lusk, chairman of the city's Taxi and Limousine Commission. "Without standards, it would be crazy." Of the 40,000 licensed cabbies in New York in 1984, were born outside the United States, according to a taxi commission study. The percentage is likely Close to 85 percent now, some experts say. The mandatory Nader said. CHICAGO (AP) For many, Christmas is a time of peace and religious celebration, but for atheists it can be a time to protest Nativity scenes in city halls or crosses in parks. Many such symbols of religion E NEW real-lif- e forgoes pay hike 1969. If the president's pay had kept pace, Bush would be drawing $730,000 a year. Put another way,: $200,000 today barely buys what $55,000 did back in 1969. Walton R. Winder, a vice president of Towers Perrin Co. in New York, said the chief executives of the nation's 100 largest corpora-- ; tions averaged $1.3 million in cash compensation last year, more than five times their 1969 level. Even top university and non-- ; profit organization jobs pay more( than the presidency, Winder said. When the first Congress fixed; George Washington's salary at the then kingly sum of $25,000 in 1789,' the lawmakers allotted $5,000 for Vice President John Adams 20 percent of the president's salary. Atheists seeking to drive wider wedge between church and state a simulate raise neni week rail Mra mm mm mm Labor leaders hope the VDT law a model for other cities and counties in California and for the state and other states nationwide. will be City budget analysts estimate businesses will spend as much as $76.5 million and the city as much as $6 million to comply with the law. The law applies to companies with 15 or more employees. If you're afraid of being dogged by salespeople who don't know anything about laser printers, call Associated Business Products. Our laser printer specialists will match your needs 'ft,. Reverend struggles over Cruzan choice MOUNT VERNON, Mo. (AP) -Ten days ago, the Rev. Ted Coleman We feature Kyocera high quality laser printers that deliver perfect docu- thought removing Nancy Cruzan's feeding tube was immoral and cruel ments every time. At Associated Business Products, we laser printers. 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