Show 16A Friday Ogien © March 13 1987 Q Israel can't ignore role in spy affair ' ' The impact of the Jonathan Jay Pollard spy affair is just beginning to be felt in Israel and the United States An Israeli official was quoted as saying "Pollard was used by us But it's an ugly world You do We all feel disgusted something you have to pay for it" Pollard will pay all his life for his betrayal of his country He was sentenced to life in prisonment his wife was given five years in prison The Israelis have so far emerged unscathed- - An Israel officer who collaborated with the Pollards was indicted in America — but will not be extradited for trial The chief spymaster was switched from intelligence to run Israel's biggest government corporation Officially Israel claims this was a rogue spy operation High Israeli government officials who may have known about the US spy ring have so far been untouched In the US the government has maintained that this affair does not affect our close ties Indeed Israel has been given special ally status as it deserves The conviction and harsh sentencing reflect the justified anger that the United States feels against two American citizens who betrayed their country Those who say the affair doesn't in any way affect the relationship between America and Israel are being diplomatic In true democracies such as the United States and Isra- el public perceptions do affect relations The American public is shocked by the Israeli government's involvement in the spy ring Some feel betrayed by a nation that is our friend a nation we have generously aided a nation that we trust and that we expect to trust us Americans do support Israel deeply But we support the Jewish state in the same way we support — or condemn — our own government We don't support Israel right or wrong any more than we tolerate a president who violates the law Israel has the honor of being held up to the same princi- pics to which we hold ourselves — and that honor is also a great burden but one which the Israelis should accept with honor Israel can do no less than severely punish its citizens just as the US has if it wants to keep the respect of its staunch ally A proud tradition Juliette Gordon Low would be proud She could not have envisioned the impact of her wisdom of calling to- gether 8 young women and forming a Girl Scout troop to foster and promote character growth and stimulate inter- ests in art and music as well as community service Her idea for helping enrich the lives of young women is now 75 years old and growing Scouts from the founder's hometown of Savannah Ga joined Nancy Reagan in cer emonies marking the 75th anniversary of Girl Scouts It was one of the thousands of gatherings of members of the g organization that were held throughout the land Thuisday Following the ceremony a new stamp honoring the Girl Scouts was released marking the beginning of an d recitation of the Girl Scout Promise: "On my honor I will try to serve God and my country to help people at all times and to live by the Girl Scout laws" Scouts were asked to gather at 4 pm local time to recite the promise in every time zone around the world In Ogden police diverted traffic off Washington between the afternoon ceremony 22nd and 24th to accommodate 'honoring the troop members in Weber County The 75 years of Girl Scout tradition being celebrated this week holds special significance The organization noted its largest membership growth in 18 years Mrs Low might not recognize some of today's scouting activities Scouts originally earned badges in housekeeping and laundry today's badges include automobile mechanics aerospace and computers This generation of Girl Scouts is perhaps best known for their cookie campaigns Who has not been charmed by the innocence of the young girls as they go taking orders for cookies an ever popular tradition of spring which gives the scouts an exposure to the American free enterprise system Although scouting has changed dramatically the original mission inspired by Juliette Low has not changed and that is to help each girl reach her fullest potential A proud tradition today's Girl Scout programs continue to embrace the goals and values of the first troop but reflect the in this contemporary sociopportunities for ety Insurance and accidents Editorial From a 1937 Ogden Owners of automobiles in Utah are being made aware of an impending increase in the rates for liability insurance which will come if accidents involving death and injury go on multiplying Underwriters arc pointing out that if rates arc to be kept down drivers must be more cautious and there must be far less reckless driving Insurance covering losses in accidents is a good thing but it can be made almost prohibitive by wild driving on our highways for with increasing casualties and damage it will be necessary to push up the rates '1 ISRAEL y VJUOLtBUNCUO? SECKTDOCMS TWCPI Michigan experiment may blaze trail WASHINGTON — The nation will be hearing a great deal about the theory of federalism in this bicentennial year of the Constitution For a specific example of the theory in action consider Michigan's program called MET It merits a round of applause MET stands for Michigan Education Trust It is exactly the kind of experimental program the founding fathers had in mind when they wrote the 10th Amendment into the Bill of Rights in 1791 Because of this program conceived by Gov James J thousands of Michigan children eventually will be assured of a higher education The principle of federalism is one of the two great rocks upon which the Constitution was founded (The other is the principle of separation of powers but that doesn't apply in this instance) Under the Constitution certain powers were to be delegated to the national government but all other powers not prohibited to the states by the Constitution were to be reserved "to the states respectively or to the people" In this as in other provisions the framers of the Constitution sought to limit the possibilities for abuse of power If Delaware wanted to try some experimental program and the program didn't work neighboring Pennsylvania would not be affected If the program did work maybe Pennsylvania would want to emulate Delaware's example The states would function as independent laboratories fashioning public policies according to the needs of their citizens All of which brings us back to the Michigan Education Trust signed into law last December Under this plan the state guarantees five years it has averaged a rate of return of nearly 19 percent Even so money managers have no precise way of predicting future rates of return Neither can the tuition fees be forecast During prolonged debate on Blanchard's bill warnings were heard that by 2000 if inflation gets out of hand tuition at Michigan State might reach $20000 a year It is conceivable that a couple of decades down the road the state's general fund would have to be tapped in order to supplement the MET In any event once a child is signed up the state is committed to provide the future service The idea of tuition guarantees was originated at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh two years ago Since then more than 500 families have made deposits to the university's trust fund Other private institutions have instituted different versions of the Duquesne idea Among the state governments Michigan is the pioneer — and to return to the theory of federalism this is how the theory is supposed to work If MET succeeds as state officials are confident it will succeed other states may profit from Michigan's happy experience If MET flops and turns out to be a heavy burden on the state treasury in future years no other state will suffer from the disappointment Such powers of public experiment are reserved to the states "respectively" That's what the founding fathers provided It was a good idea in 1791 and remains a good idea today Universal Press Syndicate James J Kilpatrick a child's tuition for four years of future eduinstitution of cation at any higher learning Parents of a newborn child could obtain this guarantee with a deposit to the trust fund of as little as $3000 Parents of would have to make larger deposits because their children would be going to college much sooner The program covers the University of r colleges Michigan and 14 other Children also would have the option of choosing one of the state's 29 schools If a participating high school graduate chose instead to attend a private college "or university or an institution the fund would pay for four years of tuition tubased upon a weighted average of ition fees Because the MET is waiting upon a critical ruling from the Internal Revenue Service no contracts yet have been signed If the IRS rules that interest on the deposits will be tax time the program will exempt at plunge ahead this summer If a ruling goes the other way some amendments may be necessary Meanwhile the state treasurer's office reports that an estimated 10000 inquiries have been received from parents or grandparents of prospective students More than 40 states have asked for copies of the MET act The state is taking some calculated risks with its novel plan for the higher education trust fund The state has done well with its wholly separate pension fund Over the past Catastrophic insurance plan flawed President Reagan can talk all he wants to about how his catastrophic health care plan will "provide that last full measure of security" to elderly people But it won't The catastrophic health insurance plan proposed by the Reagan administration is a cruel hoax It's so full of painful holes that some senior citizens' organizations say the elderly would be better off without it at all A government program that would really save the elderly from catastrophic health care bills however would mean adding another d entitlement program to the federal budget Nevertheless many members of the Congress seem bent on passing a catastrophic health insurance bill that would do considerably more for the elderly than the administration's proposal — and damn the cost What the Reagan administration is trying to do is conjure up catastrophic health coverage for the elderly without getting stuck with the tab The plan essentially developed by Otis Bowcn health and human services secvolretary is supposed to be untary and sidestep the financial pitfalls of government entitlement pro- grams The proposal calls for putting a cap of $2000 on how much Medicare recipients would have to pay for hospital and doctor bills themselves The new coverage would add $492 to monthly Medicare charges of $1790 In theory the $492 would be raised periodically if it weren't enough to pay for the program although political realities would make it easier to pass excesses on to taxpayers But the holes in the plan are obvious and gaping The new insurance would apply only Joan Beck to hospital and doctor bills It would not cover prescription drugs home health care eye or dental bills or nursing home charges Only about 800000 to 14 million of Medicare's 27 million recipients would benefit at all from it in any given year it's estimated Medicare already picks up hospital bills for the elderly for 59 days after an initial deductible now set at $520 Recipients are then eligible for partial coverage for another 90 days But it's unusual for an illness to require acute hospital treatment for that long Because of the DRG (Diagnosis Related Groups) system in which Medicare bases its reimbursements to hospitals on standard payments for specific diagnoses hospitals are under great financial pressure to push the elcare as quickly derly out and into as possible nursing home charUsually it's ges (averaging $22000 a year) that drive the elderly into poverty Most states will pay for a necessary nursing home through Medicaid once a patient is poor enough to be eligible But that means an elderly couple may have to use up all their savings and go on welfare to get help if either of them faces a long stay About 14 million elderly people are now nursing homes Health care experts estimate that the number would be fqur times as large if the government would pay the bills But it's not only the elderly who may face catastrophic health care bills or need a nursing home for months or years Every year about 28 million people under age 65 spend more than $5000 on health care And almost any hospitalization or long illness can be a fi In ' nancial disaster for the 37 million Americans who have no health insurance at all Now that the issue of catastrophic medical costs is on the national agenda it will be politically difficult to limit any new programs just to the elderly Members of Congress have been badly traumatized (or should have been) when compassion and political opportunism persuaded them to start paying medical bills for several big chunks of the American people For years these programs handed blank checks on the treasury to what are now known as "providers" Such programs have been a major reason for the devastating increases in health care costs which in 1985 totaled $425 billion and which put a growing burden not only on federal and state governments but on private employers and individuals as well Although the rate of inert se in medical costs has slowed they still rose 77 percent in 1986 well above the II percent jump for all consumer prices and the overall inflation rate of 32 percent Efforts to slow the inexorable spiral of increasing costs have led to a bewildering array of regulations paper work alternative ways of providing and pricing health care interference with physicians' decisionmaking and patients' choices — and what may be in effect the beginning of the rationing of treatment It may be tempting to make political capital out of catastrophic health insurance but the nation will pay a price for it — one way or another Congress still has time to explore oihcr possibilities — such as broadening private coverage and sterner controls on costs — before it gets any deeper into the entitlement morass or backs the administration's hoax Chicago Tribune |