Page 4-Wednesday, January 24, 1979-The Michigan Daily
..
420 Maynard St., Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Eighty-Nine Years of Editorial FrPedom
Looking the other way
Vol. LXXXIX, No. 95
News Phone: 764-0552
Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan
What is waste?
RESIDENT CARTER'S "lean"
proposals for the budget, which
he submitted on Monday to Congress,
should- be both condemned and
praised. In attempting to slow inflation
and to reduce the growth of the
economy, Mr. Carter has taken a
courageous, positive step. But in
deciding priorities, Mr. Carter is hur-
ting the people, especially those who
can afford it least.
Already the budget has sparked con-
troversy from a wide spectrum of
congressional leaders. It seems
unlikely that the budget adopted later
this spring by Congress will bear much
resemblance to Mr. Carter's
proposals. Much of the criticism of Mr.
Carter's proposals come from mem-
bers of his own Democratic party. The.
fact that the President has increased
spending for the poor by only $4.5
billion, a figure which even ad-
ministration officials admit will hardly
keep pace with inflation, has drawn
much of the fire. At the same time, Mr.
Carter wants to increase defense spen-
ding by three per cent after inflation.
Spending for the military, which now is
estimated at 24 per cent of total spen-
ding- by the federal government, was
given a bigger increase than any other
area.
Many areas seem to have falle prey
to bad judgement by the Carter ad-
ministration. Social programs have
been cut by about $5 billion over what
would have been spent if the programs
were carried out according to existing
law. Social Security, especially, will be
slashed by $600 million if Mr. Carter's
plans go through. Among the social
security programs to be gradually
eliminated, is one which would provide
an average of $164 a month to about
400,000 new college students in 1980.
This program has been open to 18- to
21-year-olds who are dependents or
beneficiaries of Social Security
beneficiaries.
Of course, the list goes on. Spending
for energy, against which Mr. Carter
said the United States should wage the
'moral equivalent" of war, received a
cut, as did programs which involve
cities. Construction of low income
housing was reduced, and spending on
mass transit systems remains the
same.
A 1.1 in all, we feel Mr. Carter has his
budget priorities reversed. Spending
on defense should be slashed, and
spending on social programs and on
the cities should be dramatically in-
creased. However, when Congress
goes over the budget, the members
should keep in mind that Mr. Carter's
attempt to deal with chronic inflation
woes is correct. By the ad-
ministration's own figuring, however,
slowing down the economy and main-
taining a budget deficit' of a mere $29
billion is a precarious trick.
Several things could go wrong in this
area. For one, the $29 billion figure
could go by the wayside if the
"slowdown" turns to a recession, and
the government must pay extra in
unemployment benefits and,
simultaneously lose tax revenues.
Such a recession would, we hope, spark
Congress to initiate new programs to
stimulate the economy. Also, by cut-
ting back in programs such as city
projects, which have a regenerative
affect on the economy, Mr. Carter's
plan may actually cause a recession.
Certainly, Mr. Carter's attack on
waste is a necessary and welcome
step. We just wish Mr. Carter had
refined his sense to better differentiate
between what is, and what is not,
waste.
A recent decision by the federal
government ot deny political
asylum to Mexican socialist Hec-
tor Marroquin - a featured
speaker at the recent Ann Arbor
Teach-In on Mexico - is drawing
fire from Marroquin supporters
and civil rights activists around
the country who contend that the
government is playing politics
with a man's life.
At the heart of the matter is the
unwritten policy of the United
States government to deny
political asylum to exiles or
refugees from countries which it
considers "friendly." In order to
grant asylum, the U.S. must in ef-
fect admit that political
repression does exist under these
friendly governments - a
position which it is reluctant to
take, regardless of the facts.
Marroquin's case is a typical
example. Formerly a leftist labor
and student leader in Mexico,
Marroquin fled the country and
entered the United states
illegally in 1974 after he was~ ac-
cused of being subversive. Of three
other leftists accused at the same
time as Marroquin, two have
subsequently been killed and a
third has disapeared completely.
Although Marroquin has been
accused by the Mexican gover-
nment of committing various
non-political crimes, the eviden-
ce in support of these charges is
either weak or non-existent. One
of the alleged crimes - the rob-
bing of a bakery - actually oc-
curred while Marroquin was
recuperating from a traffic ac-
cident in a Texas hospital.
Because the prosecution of
Marroquin is so obviously
politically motivated, his plea
for asylum has received the sup-
port of a number of civil rights
groups, as wel as the 1.6 million
member National Education
Association. Marroquin's cause
has also been-backed by several
congressmen, including Rep.
John Conyers of Detroit.
In a decision handed down on
-
Dec. 21 which denied Marroquin
political asylum, the Im-
migration and Naturalization
Service (INS) stated: "it has
been concluded that you failed to
establish that there is a likelihood
of your being persecuted in
Mexico due to your political
opinion ... "The INS made this
statement despite recent reports
by Amnesty International that
hundreds of dissidents in Mexico
have simply vanished Their
disappearance isrgenerally
believed to be the work of gover-
nment-controlled terrorist
groups, and is not an uncommon
By Thomas O'Connell
Marroquin reflects a standard at-
titude of the U.S. government,
which tends to consider political
repercussions as being more im-
portant than reality when making
such decisions. The government
has traditionally been reluctant
to grant asylum to refugees from
countries considered pro-
American - Chile, for example,
or Iran during the reign of the
shah - regardless of how bad
conditions ther may be. Opponen-
ts of leftist or anti-American
regimes, however, are likely to'
be granted asylum regardless of
their personal background or
criminal record.
repression does exist in Mexico,
an acknowledgement unlikely to
improve relations between the
two countries.
Another factor besides
diplomatic tip-toeing is the in-
terest of the Federal Bureau of
Investigation in Marroquin's ac-
tivities. During his appearance at
the Mexico Terach-in last
November, Marroquin presented
copies of a number of heavily-
censored documents, obtained
under the Freedom of Infor-
mation Act, which indicated the
Bureau had been maintaining a
file on him since his first in-
volvement in a Mexican student
movement at the age of 15. The
investigation of Marroquin is no
isolated incident and his depor-
tation would be in accordance
with along-standing FBI policy
of helping to stifle dissent in
Mexico.
The INS rejection of his asylum
request means that Marroquin
will face a deportation hearing
before an immigration judge in
the near future. Although a
hearing in a courtroom at-
mosphere means that
Marroquin's lawyers will be able
to make a more thorough presen-
tation of his case, Marroquin
feels his future is more likely to
be decided on the basis of public
support for his cause rather than
the legal merits of his defense.
"The case legally is the
strongest case you could have,"
Marroquin said. "There is no
doubt the charges against me are
false. Historically, however, the
decisions have always been
negative in cases like mine.
"I think the case is going to be
won on the basis of the support we
get."
The Ann Arbor Committee for
Human Rights in Latin America
will be meeting tonight at 7:30
p.m. in Room C of the Michigan
League to plan area defense ac-
tivities on behalf of Marroquin.
a All interested parties are en-
couraged to attend.
fate for dissidents living under a
number of repressive Latin
American regimes.
Despite the widespread
publicity that his case has
received in the United .States,
Marroquin believes he would still
be in danger if he is forced to
-return to Mexico.
"You expect anything from
that government," he said last
week in a telephone interview.
"The have no shame. The danger
is~still there, violations of human
rights are still going on.'
The INS denial of asylum for
A couple or otner factors also
affect Marroquin's particular
case. One is the recent revelation
that Mexico's untapped oil reser-
ves may be far greater than
anyone has previously
imagined. The United States is
counting on Mexican oil to lessen
its dependence on the OPEC
nations, and therefore is more
anxious than ever before to avoid
offending the Mexican gover-
nment in any way. If Marroquin
were granted asylum, the U.S.
would essentially be
acknowledging that political
Letters
On what do we spend money and why
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To the Daily:
I'd like to thank Earl Townsend
Jr. for his letter of 19 January
1979. If not for his "honesty" in
sharing his thoughts with the
University community on the
MichiganfootballIprogram and
Bo Schembechler, I would still be
wondering whether the'
traditional representation of the
"rabid alumnus" was a
caricature of reality.
The "rabis alumnus" is an
example of the failure of the
University (Michigan or any
other) to perform its most essen-
tial function: to educate. Four
years of college were evidently
not enough to instill in Mr. Town-
send a sense of balance and per-
spective. His remarks reflect the
total abjuration of any
reasonable perspective on the
place on intercollegiate athletics
as part of a university let alone as
part of the larger society.
While losing a football game
may be a disappointment, there
are many programs that spend a
great deal of their time losing,
and they discover that life indeed
does go on.
From the tone of Townsend's
letter, one would expect to read
about an issue of inestimable im-
portance. Instead, we read about
a Michigan football team that
has had the audacity to lose the
Rose Bowl several times after
enormously successful regular
seasons. We read about the "cod-
dling of a cardiac patient who
didn't dare to rip and rare about
bad officiating."
Coach .Schembechler must
have found the "rip and rare"
part mildly amusing since he
ranks as a Big 10 coach who has
been censured and reprimanded
by the League for doing just that.
And the "coddling of a cardiac
patient?" To attack Schem-
bechler on such grounds is a
reflection of a sick, demented in-
dividual who has stooped to a
level unbefitting normal stan-
dards of decency.
We read further about the fact
that "quality young men" do not
come to play ;football at
Michigan. At least Townsend
doesn't reserve his insults and
depreciations only for Don
Canham and Schembechler.
To those M ichigan alumni who
have "died" now for 13 years
-waiting for that last Michigan
victory and for a return of the
glory that once was, take your
$1,000 contributions and stuff it.
Money contributed to perpetuate
the outrageous values and prin-
ciples enunciated by Townsend is
money I hope this University can
do without.
-Alvin J. Levy
Bo's school of etiquette
The problem with secrets
WE. NEE1A WOMENS RKNIT5
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Dfst. Fittsd Newspaper Syndicte, 1971
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To the Daily:
It seems that the academic
community should respond to
Oksenberg's revelations about
surreptitious CIA connections on
campus with, as he fears, not
only criticism but an official in-
vestigation of the extent and
character of such activity. Why?
Because public knowledge of the
mere "exchange of papers"
using "exclusively unclassified
information'' between
academicians and "colleagues in
government" cannot be con-
strued as a danger to foreign
policy, as he argues in his sworn
affidavit.
Indeed, the real danger is in ex-
tending the principles of con-
fidentiality from the realm of our
private lives to the role of in-
dividuals in helping formulate
national policy. If the activity
Oksenberg has been involved in
with "the Agency" is really so in-
nocuous, there is no reason such
relationships must remain sub.
rosa unless, of course, such
collaboration involves more
serious use of university person-
nel and resources in support of
the anti-popular activities of the
CiA worldwide than is admitted.
Oksenberg's shallow apoloegic
begs investigation. -John Keller
To the Daily:
I - have always thought of
myself as being open-minded and
unbiased with regard to "jocks."
Having a brother who plays
college basketball, I resent
people who stereotyoe athletes as
"dumb," and only good for
careers in radio/advertising. I
feel that all athletes should be
given a chance to prove them-
selves. Only then will one be able
to make his own personal
judgment, whether good or bad.
I hate to admit, though, that I
have met number of the fresh-
men football players who have
proven to be the stereotype of
"crude, rude and ignorant." One
incident, at a recent hall party in
South Quad. I was greatly offen-
ded when one such "jock"
crassly called a close friend of
mine a "slut" and after, yelled
vulgar words to me. Being a
woman, I held my temper and let
it pass rather than pick a fight
with a 220 lb. bully - having little
to nil manners, he probably
would have punched me out.
This one incident isn't the only
one which has made me narrow-
minded as to these athletes. I'm
not saying that all these "rising
young stars" are "ignorant and
rude," but it seems that the
majority of them are. I suggest
that Bo teach his boys the fine art
of manners along with the "Ever
so important" art of how to play
football.
-Mary Ann Misciewicz
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EDITORIAL STAFF
Editors-in-chief
eW IA S I t
N)O. TvO ScRV
VaJI'fftJ
No.~
7-a
DAVID GOODMAN
Managing Editors
M. EILEEN DALEY
DAN OBERDORFER
GREGG KRUPA
Editorial Director
RENE BECKER
BUSINESS STAFF
NANCY GRAU ............................ Business Manager
DENISE GILARDO E .... ........... ....... Sales Manager
LISA CULBERSON ......................... Dislay Manager
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IIJ P ,sILy
Arts Editors
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