March 31, 1992

Governing Without Privilege Upset by the President's attacks on lawmakers' perquisites, Democratic Congressional leaders have begun reviewing those enjoyed by Federal bureaucrats everywhere. Page A14. A Pattern of Hospital Error An examination of hundreds of deaths at hospitals in New York City reveals a pattern of mistakes in places strained by AIDS, drugs, violence and budget cuts. Page B1. Cambodians Return Home On the first day of a United Nations campaign to repatriate 370,000 refugees, Cambodians began returning to their homeland. Page A12. Struggle Over the Crimea The fight now testing the survival of the Commonweath of Independent States is really about the Crimean Peninsula itself. Page A6. Disney Deal for Channel 9 The Walt Disney Company is acquiring a 45 percent stake in stations in both the Los Angeles and New York television markets. Page D1.

Prodded by three years of economic stagnation, a growing number of prominent economists are putting aside their criticism of the budget deficit as the worst of economic evils. Instead, they are advocating a temporary rise in the deficit to generate spending for public works that would put idle people and machinery back to work. The latest evidence of the new priority appeared yesterday in an open letter made public in Washington and signed by more than 70 economists, some of whom said they would not have signed it even four months ago. Although a surge in retail sales has raised hopes that a recovery is finally under way, many economists say that without an injection of public spending, the recovery might not endure.

Connecticut became America's wealthiest state during the 1980's, as its residents' incomes soared and its poverty rate declined, according to newly released 1990 Census Bureau data. But there were also signs of increasing economic duress, evident in the rising costs of housing and the number of manufacturing jobs lost, even though the information was collected before the current recession.

The Economy The American steel industry has undergone a transformation in the last decade that has drastically sharpened its competitive position. Now the Bush Administration has decided not to extend protective quotas on imported steel. [ Page A1. ]

At Gracie Mansion, a dozen mayors will get a rare chance to press the two Democratic Presidential candidates on urban problems. Page A17.