Principi also said he would also consider suspending [!?] the VA’s policy of open enrollment for all veterans to reduce a backlog of treatment requests and maintain the quality of care provided at agency facilities"--Associated Press.

‘Old Glory’ getting older?--With the Kmart chain bankrupt, 200 of its stores are conducting deep discount sales prior to shutting down. In Utah, the Salt Lake Tribune reports on the remaining piles in area stores, mainly U.S. flags and "God Bless America" lawn signs. A Kmart spokesperson conceded, "It’s possible some of them were left over."

They’ll get back with you--Declares a headline in the Denver, Colorado, Post: "Poll: Teen girls earn less than boys." Said a spokesperson for Junior Achievement, which made the survey: "Overall, we’re troubled by the teen-age gender wage gap." Noting that surveys over the past three years turned up the same finding, he added: "We don’t see any compelling data exactly why that’s the case, so we’d like to do more research next year to get at that."

No management raises?--On the brink of bankruptcy, US Airways has made a few modest demands: $950 million in wage givebacks from its unions; $200 million in concessions from creditors, suppliers, and vendors; $1 billion in loan guarantees from the feds.

Philosopher, big time--"Bankruptcy is not failure but a less preferred plan to success."--David Siegel, top dog at US Airways.

The education priority--"A fifth of teachers moonlight to make ends meet."--Headline, the Times, London.

Forget it--To avoid court action, the makers of Wonder Bread will drop the claim that the calcium in the bread makes children’s minds work better and improves their memory. We do remember eating our last slice of Wonder Bread years back on reading a consumer report that such white breads had a longer shelf life because insects passed them by for lack of nutrition.

Wow, what a deal!--In San Francisco, one-bedroom apartments had soared to an average monthly rent of $2,172, but are now down to $1,848.

Line forms on the left--In Hollywood it’s said that you can’t be too thin or too rich. For this column, we would say, we can’t have too many clippings. Right now we’re confronted with a delightful superabundance of clippings from veteran and new readers. But, please, don’t stop. If your contribution fits the general thrust of the column, it will survive the bottleneck. Many thanks.

P.S. To new readers, send clippings to: Great Society c/o Pathfinder Books, 4229 S. Central Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90011.  
 
 
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