Word: offsets
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Congressional rules state that lobbyists cannot give members gifts worth more than $100. But the rule is offset by a loophole that allows legislators to accept airfare, hotel rooms and meals if attending a legislative conference, visiting a company plant or taking part in a celebrity golf or tennis tournament. A spouse or an aide can go along; children somehow slip in. Common Cause found that in 1987 Congressmen took eleven years' worth of free vacations courtesy of this proviso...
Afterward, Kohl denied any intention of completely getting rid of nuclear weapons, a prime fear of the U.S., which deems them necessary to offset Soviet superiority in conventional forces. But the Chancellor added, "I think we are on the right path" in demanding early negotiations...
Nonetheless, Chancellor Helmut Kohl did not back down, and last week formally proposed negotiations with Moscow. In the U.S. view, the German demands threaten the entire NATO strategy of nuclear deterrence. For 40 years NATO has relied on nuclear weapons to offset the Warsaw Pact's overwhelming superiority in conventional arms. The backbone of its land-based tactical nuclear force consists of 88 U.S.-made Lance launchers...
...contrast with 1988, when the binge in corporate buyouts helped offset the defection of millions of small investors, the latest downturn reflected weakness in virtually every phase of Wall Street's business. With merger mania dampened by high interest rates and fears of a political backlash against debt-laden megadeals, the value of announced corporate acquisitions fell to $76 billion in the first quarter of 1989, down 58% from the comparable period last year. At the same time, intense competition has driven down the commission on stock trades to as little as 4 cents a share, vs. about 8 cents...
...advocates of the amendment said that the $50 million--which would help offset the federal government's reduced funding of Medicare payments--was promised to the hospitals last year in return for their support of the state's unprecedented universal health care...