Copyright 2000 The Washington Post
The Washington
Post
April 7, 2000, Friday, Final Edition
SECTION: A SECTION; Pg. A29; IN THE LOOP; THE FEDERAL
PAGE
LENGTH: 896 words
HEADLINE: Message From the Occupant in Chief
BYLINE: Kamen
BODY:
The administration is doing its utmost to ensure a
successful Census 2000. We got a short e-mail notice the other day from Office
of Personnel Management director Janice R. Lachance that was sent to the "heads
of all executive departments and agencies."
Lachance directed those top
officials to "make sure this important memorandum from the president" about how
all federal employees should fill out their census forms "reaches all employees
in your agency."
But somehow the White House message she received--and
then retransmitted--got garbled along the line. Our copy of President Clinton's
message has a half-dozen typos in it. (Her original doesn't.) Some are small
typing errors.
The best typo was the last. Clinton's original memo has
his personal Robo-Pen signature. Our e-mail is all typewritten and it says:
"William G. Clinton."
That's "G" as in Gennifer--not "J" as in
Jefferson?
Drawing Lotts on Census Questions?
Speaking of the census, House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert
(R-Ill.), at a news conference yesterday, tried to simplify the privacy concerns
being raised over the long form. Obviously some people don't like anyone to know
they don't have an indoor toilet. After all, G-men may chopper over and install
one, likely one of those enviro-sensitive toilets that don't work too well.
"I think every American ought to fill it out to the best of their
ability," Hastert said. "If they have reservations about their phone number or
some things that they think are private, I think that's a condition that they
ought to be able to make their own decision on."
"It's just like filling
in--you know, taking those tests that we all took one time in college," Hastert
said. "That sometimes you can fill out the whole test, and sometimes you may
have to leave something blank. But the important thing is to turn in the test,
turn in this census. And I think that's the message that we want to get out."
Of course, there are differences. For one thing, there's a federal law,
as opposed to a test monitor, requiring you to answer every question. And in
those college tests, most folks leave questions blank because they don't know
the answers, not because they think it's neat to get a really low score.
GOP Courts Traficant, Offers an R for His D
Speaking of Hastert, the House Republicans' wooing of Rep. James
A. Traficant (D-Ohio) paid dividends yesterday as the House approved his
amendment providing Youngstown with $ 35 million for a community center.
GOP lawmakers cheered as the measure passed 225 to 201, with 129
Republicans and 96 Democrats voting in favor of it. Traficant stood on the GOP
side of the aisle on the floor, hugging lawmakers such as Rep. Deborah Pryce
(R-Ohio) after the measure passed.
"Go, Traficant!" exclaimed Rep. Randy
"Duke" Cunningham (R-Calif.) as the votes were tallied.
Traficant told
reporters he was grateful Hastert had ruled the amendment in order. "I would
probably, if asked, support Hastert" for speaker next year, said Traficant, who
has said he expects to be indicted by a federal grand jury investigating
corruption in Youngstown.
"I think it's great," Traficant said of the
GOP's assistance. "I have a community that has a serious problem, and I'm doing
what I can to support my community."
Utah's China National
Monument Should Do It
Utah Republican James V. Hansen's idea to
link administration environmental policy to a vote on permanent normal
trade privileges for China may be gaining steam. At a House Resources
Committee gathering Wednesday, Hansen repeated his opposition to Clinton's 1996
designation of 2 million acres in southern Utah as a national monument.
"I know I'm being political here," committee Chairman Don Young
(R-Alaska) said, "but I would suggest that my members call down to the White
House" and tell them to forgo any more monument designations if they want to win
the China trade vote.
"Are you asking members to oppose
permanent normal trade relations?" asked Rep. George Miller
(D-Calif.), who, like many Democrats, opposes the administration's trade
initiative, which has strong GOP support.
Young said that would be the
idea.
"Yessss!" Miller said, pumping both fists in the air.
Finally the Meeting Came to a Head
Sometimes
it's not so glamorous being a Cabinet member, what with all the endless
meetings. Take, for example, Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman a few weeks ago
at the first meeting of the department's biotech advisory committee.
Glickman listened and listened to the various reports on food and
biotech matters. When, after 2 1/2 hours, there was finally a break, the
committee turned to him for closing comments.
"That's the longest time
I've stayed in one chair since I've been in this job," Glickman said.
"And given how often you have to go to the bathroom at my age," the
55-year-old secretary added, "this can be difficult."
Must have been all
that coffee he drank to hang in there during the session.
Hultman's Long 360
Sometimes you can go home
again, it seems. Former Senate Judiciary Committee general counsel Eric Hultman
left the Hill in 1983 to become a partner at Van Ness Feldman. But House
Republican Conference Chairman J.C. Watts (Okla.) has named Hultman managing
editor of the Legislative Digest, which analyzes bills for House Republicans.
LOAD-DATE: April 07, 2000
