News & Reviews

Clinton and congress ready to rumble over tax relief A taxing showdown Poor President Clinton. Between all the house-hunting and fundraising for Hillary, there wasn't time for as much golf as usual during the First Family's summer vacation in New York and Massachusetts. And then, to come in from a hard day's schmoozing, flip through the channels in search of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, and end up catching a glimpse of those pesky ads: "Mr. Clinton ... won't you take a moment from your vacation to talk about real tax relief with Hillary and Al? You'll be glad you did when you're living in New York or whatever state you decide to call home." That would be Jim Nicholson, chairman of the Republican National Committee, driving home what the GOP sees as its No. 1 issue: cutting taxes. Whether in Martha's Vineyard or Skaneateles, N.Y., the president got the same message on TV and radio. With Congress returning to Washington after its long summer nap, Republicans are holding their collective breath to see whether the ads did any good. Both chambers passed the tax cut-$792 billion over 10 years-before adjourning. But they delayed sending the bill to the president, for fear he'd quietly veto it while its supporters were back home in their districts. Now, the waiting is almost over. GOP leaders promise that confronting the president with the tax bill will be one of their first matters of business. "We've done our job, now we're just waiting for the president to either sign or veto," says a spokesman for House Majority Leader Dick Armey of Texas. Republicans spent much of the recess trying to convince voters that they should oppose a veto. In more than 600 town hall meetings around the country, they presented a unified message: that budget surpluses mean the IRS is collecting too much money in taxes, and that taxpayers should have that money back to prevent the government from spending it on new programs. President Clinton, however, has continued to insist he can't wait to veto the measure because it will endanger existing programs, including Social Security and Medicare. Mr. Armey's spokesman says that the Republicans' educational efforts have paid off, with private polls showing growing support for the tax cut plan. But most political observers say polls and ads will have no effect, since the president can't afford to back down on his long-promised veto. unclean fast food Bad karma Siva Rama Krishna Valluru and his wife Sailaja have a beef with Taco Bell. After they found meat in the rice they were served at a Lincoln, Neb., Taco Bell, they complained that the fast food made them unclean. They demanded that Taco Bell pay $2,100 each to have them sent to India for a purification rite in the Ganges River. The company refused and the Vallurus went to small-claims court. The judge dismissed the claim because the rice was fit to eat and, besides, the vegetarian couple was never promised meatless rice. The pair still plans to make a run for the border on their own dime. "It's a must for me that I do it," Mr. Valluru said. military officer held to military standards Follow the leader Air Force Capt. Douglas Bass had sex with two enlisted women, lied to an investigator about it, and disobeyed orders to end his relationship with one, whom he later married. Now he's going to jail for four months after pleading guilty to nine counts of violating military law. Since this military officer is held to a much higher standard than is his commander-in-chief, Capt. Bass will be kicked out of the service upon release. His wife Krystal has already served 50 days for her conduct. The No-Comment Zone