compiled by Janice Moerschel

Tax stats: The average American must now work 2 hours and 49 minutes of each day in order to pay federal, state and local taxes, according to a report by the Tax Foundation. In 1960, it was 2 hours and 20 minutes; in 1930, it was 58 minutes. And Americans still pay more in taxes than for food, clothing and housing combined.

First Lady, Whitewater and extraterrestrials. Mrs. Clinton compares ongoing interest in Whitewater doings to ''some people's obsession with UFOs and the Hale-Bopp Comet.'' Now UFOs may well exist (more people believe in them than in Social Security's viability, perhaps reasonably so) and we know the Hale-Bopp Comet exists (most of us have probably seen it), so that would seem to indicate that Whitewater and surrounding misdeeds are within the realm of earthly possibility . . . But the Clintons insist that helping the convicted Webster Hubbell in his time of need was 'not' a payoff for his silence----nor was his receipt of $500,000 (which included $100,000 from the Lippo Group).

Prop 209 upheld. The measure which California voters passed last fall, the California Civil Rights Initiative, abolishing race and gender preferences, was ruled unanimously by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to be constitutional.The Institute for Justice was involved with fighting for the proposition's enactment, but the ACLU (which was on the opposing side) termed the victory for equal rights a ''grave disappointment'' and plans to appeal the case. President Clinton, meanwhile, says ''we'll all have to regroup and find new ways to achieve the same objective.'' What is 'your' objective, Mr. Clinton?

Internet blamed for ''Heaven's Gate'' suicides. As is always the way in this day and age, the mainstream media is not satisfied that anyone does anything of their own free will. Thus, after evidence showed that ''Do'' did not kill his followers, they had to blame someone or something else for the decision these people made. After all, they couldn't have decided to be beamed up voluntarily now, could they? Some ''experts'' fear that the Internet is the place for cult recruiters. ''Experts'' say the Internet is cheap and keeps cult members hooked; they claim that people who spend a lot of time on computers are vulnerable. With attacks from the right (the anti-pornography crowd) and attacks from the left (from lost liberals who don't like freedom of speech anymore), anti-cultists, and anti-technology folk, it's only a matter of time before the feds try to regulate one of the last outposts of the free exchange of information and ideas.

Interesting proposal. Congressman Dana Rohrabacher, a Republican from California, is proposing giving the U.S. Postal Service to its 750,000 employees, making it ''one of the largest employee-owned corporations in the world. After a year, employees would be free to sell their shares. My bill would also end the Postal Service's monopoly after five years.'' He foresees innovation, motivation, improved service, and profitability---- and, ultimately, a competitive market.