CHINA'S AID, TAX RELIEF, A FEW EXCERPTS

China fortifying Iraq's air-defense system: China is building a fiber-optic communications system for Iraq's new air-defense network that was targeted by U.S. and British bombing last week, Pentagon officials confirmed. ...

The air-defense network will greatly increase Iraq's ability to target and shoot down patrolling U.S. aircraft with anti-aircraft missiles, defense analysts said.

Iraqi President Saddam Hussein has offered a reward to any air-defense unit that succeeds in downing a U.S. or allied jet patrolling the two air-exclusion zones over northern and southern Iraq. ...

Pentagon officials said they do not know how long China has been helping build the air-defense network or whether the U.S. government has protested the apparent violation of U.N. sanctions on Iraq. ...

The Chinese involvement in an Iraqi military program is raising questions among some U.S. officials about China's assistance to America's enemies. CIA Director George Tenet stated in Senate testimony that China is a leading supplier of weapons and missiles to rogue states such as Iran, Libya and North Korea. However, the Iraqi fiber-optics program is the first time China's involvement in selling arms to the Baghdad government was made public. -- Bill Gertz, The Washington Times

---

Family values and tax relief: I met a little girl by the name of Jasmine Windley from Annandale, Va. Both of Jasmine's parents work -- her mom as a bus driver and her dad as a retail manager. The Windleys could use an extra $1,600 every year to start a college fund for Jasmine and open up other opportunities for her.

That same day I also met Marian Emano, a stay-at-home mom also from the Washington area. Marian, whose husband works as a cook, could really use an extra $1,600 each year to keep up with the costs of their two growing kids.

For the Windleys, Emanos and millions of other American families, the real story behind President Bush's tax relief proposal is their personal story. For these families, $1,600 is a big deal that can make a real difference in their daily lives. That's why Congress will move expeditiously, before Memorial Day, to pass tax relief for everyone so this fair and responsible package can be signed into law by our nation's 225th Independence Day. ...

Now that the president has sent his plan to Capitol Hill, the Congress must get down to work in order to infuse the tax code with a good dose of common sense by eliminating unfair taxes.

For instance, it's plain common sense that we enact across-the-board tax relief for all Americans so that everyone who pays taxes gets something back. Taxes are too high at all levels. ...

It's common sense that the federal government should stop penalizing people for getting married. ...

It's common sense to double the per child tax credit to $1,000 so families can better handle the expenses that arise when rearing kids.

It's also common sense to stop the death tax. Family farmers and small business owners need the peace of mind that once they die the IRS will not confiscate their farms and small businesses. ...

And don't believe the naysayers who outrageously claim we can't afford tax relief. Only days ago tax surplus estimates jumped $1 trillion to $5.6 trillion over the next 10 years. And the House voted to lock away much of that tax surplus in a Social Security-Medicare lockbox. Even after that historic action, there is plenty of tax surplus left over to give Americans tax relief, pay off our national debt and increase resources for important priorities. Quite frankly, there's no legitimate excuse not to cut taxes and stimulate our economy.

In fact, White House economic adviser Larry Lindsey told House Republicans that the best medicine for an ailing economy is broad-based tax relief. Lindsey says that kind of fair and responsible package would stimulate the economy and create new jobs with higher wages in both the short and long term.

With these commonsense changes, the average American family could keep $1,600 more of their own money each year, while one out of every five taxpaying families with children would no longer pay any taxes at all. Under the president's plan, lower to middle-income families benefit the most, while every American taxpayer would see some tax relief simply by lowering rates across-the-board. Single or married, with or without kids, everyone who pays taxes gets tax relief.

So remember, the real story behind Bush's tax-relief package isn't its overall price tag, but the real people it would help overall. As a Congress, it's time to rally around our new president, pass his tax-relief package into law and make a real difference in the real lives, hopes and dreams of Jasmine Windley, Marian Emano and millions of other taxpaying Americans from coast to coast. -- U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert

---

Excerpts from my re-marks to company associates last week announcing management changes:

Something else I get to do today which I've never done before is to announce my retirement from the day-to-day operations of our company.

We have plenty of qualified leaders here at Rust Communications, and I believe my experience and energies can be better utilized in a new role.

Our current department heads plus Wally, Dick, Jon and Rex will be the operational management team, and I will continue to be active as chairman of the board of Rust Communications.

Teddy Roosevelt said, "The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men and women to do what he wants done, and self-restraint enough to keep from meddling with them while they do it."

Some of you people have worked alongside me for over 30 years. Some of you newer associates know little about me.

But I'd like to close with this quote from Douglas MacArthur for all of you to think about: "Youth is not entirely a time of life. It is a state of mind. Nobody grows old by merely living a number of years. People grow old by deserting their ideals. You are as young as your faith, as old as your doubt, as young as your self-confidence, as old as your fear, as young as your hope, as old as your despair."

By those standards ... I'm still very young. My ideals are intact, and I look forward to the next phase of my life with enthusiasm.

Gary Rust is chairman of Rust Communications.