BOND CALLS FOR DEFICIT REDUCTION

Pollsters and political advisers have told U.S. Sen. Christopher Bond that the last things he needs to talk about during his campaign for re-election is reducing the deficit. You can't talk about reducing the deficit without proposing cuts that make most voters tense.

But Bond, in an interview with the Southeast Missourian Thursday, said he is making deficit reduction a priority of his re-election campaign because the problem can no longer be ignored. The senator said he is "ignoring the conventional wisdom."

"We are not being honest with the people by ignoring the deficit," said Bond, a Republican. "If you don't talk about it during a campaign, how are you going to mobilize support for reducing the deficit?"

If the status quo is maintained, the present $367 billion deficit will balloon to over $1 trillion by the year 2010, said Bond. He termed that "a disaster of unparalleled proportions."

"When we start hitting trillion-dollar deficits we are nothing more than a banana republic - it would be an economic Armageddon," said Bond.

Bond said he is pleased that members of Congress are starting to express an interest in dealing with the deficit. But he cited several recent votes that indicate members have not yet made that a priority.

Later, in a discussion with a group of advanced government students at Central High School, the senator warned the students that their future was being jeopardized by the growing deficit.

"The good news is we can still do something about it," said Bond. "We're fighting this case in Congress right now," he said.

"Unfortunately, the conventional wisdom is prevailing in Washington today to put off those tough choices this year because it is an election year."

Bond explained that the deficit has slowed for the last five years because of cuts in defense spending and the impact of Gramm-Rudman-Hollings. The national debt "on the credit cards of our children and grandchildren" is $3.7 trillion, he said, pointing out that interest payments are about as much as the federal government has for discretionary spending.

Displaying a chart entitled "Bond Plan vs. Fiscal Armageddon," Bond said that by using Congressional Budget Office figures and projecting a 2.3 percent growth each year, his plan would generate a surplus of $990 billion that could be applied toward the national debt. That compares to having a $1 trillion deficit in 2010, if the status quo is maintained.

Bond's plan calls for a continued reduction in defense spending, cutting it another third over the next five years. He said the cuts would still give the United States enough military strength to deal with emergencies.

The senator is also calling for a stronger reliance on the National Guard instead of cutting Guard units. He said it costs one-fourth as much to keep a Guard unit ready as having forces in the field.

The defense cuts would save $177 billion and would be $60 billion above the current projections.

A 5-year freeze at 1992 levels for domestic and international programs would reduce the deficit $110 billion. Included in that is a 5 percent reduction in the civilian federal workforce and a 25 percent reduction in the funding of Congress over the next two years.

Bond's plan also calls for caps on entitlement programs so that increases are adjusted only for cost-of-living and the growth of the population using those entitlements. Social Security already operates this way and would not be targeted for further cuts under Bond's plan.

Using his new approach to entitlements would reduce the deficit $182 billion, he said.

The deficit reduction would decrease interest payments and therefore reduce the deficit another $58 billion, for a total reduction of $532.6 billion.

Many of the entitlement cuts would be in the areas of health care, particularly payments for Medicare and Medicaid.

Bond stressed the importance of bringing health-care costs under control as a way of reducing the deficit. He said that in 1960 health-care costs were $25 billion; now it is $665 billion.

"We've got to get serious about bringing this under control," said Bond. He said some simple things can be done to reduce health costs such as standardizing forms and putting a cap on malpractice judgments.

Bond said getting a consensus on deficit reduction will require leadership from the executive branch, something he admits may not be likely in an election year.

"I believe the president should show leadership - that's where we need leadership," said Bond.

The senator also indicated he does not believe Texas billionaire H. Ross Perot will be a major factor in the presidential race. "Perot hasn't taken a stand on anything," said Bond. "I think he has peaked."

Bond contended that interest in Perot's third-party candidacy is coming from frustration among Democrats and Republicans who are unhappy with the other candidates. Ultimately, Bond said, Perot will hurt Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton more than Bush.

Bond said if there really is a grassroots effort building for Perot, "it's because he's watered it and fertilized it."

"The more you learn about Ross Perot the less excited you will be about him," he said.

Bond said Perot's "my-way-or-highway" management style would not make him an effective president.

Bond is seeking his second term in the Senate and will face one of 13 Democrats running in the August primary.