Page 4-Thursday, March 2, 1978-The Michigan Daily
Eighty-Eight Years of Editorial Freedom
420 Maynard St., Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Vol. LXXXVIII, No. 126 News Phone: 764-0552
Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan
etback for Motor City
A UNITED STATES District Judge
ruled Monday that the affirma-
tive action program implemented by
the city of Detroit to raise the number
of black officers in its police depart-
ment is unconstitutional.
for1 The ruling is a giant step backwards
for the city and for race relations in
general.
When Mayor Coleman Young took
office in 1973 only 16 per cent of the
Detroit Police Department was black.
At that time the black population of that
troubled urban area was 47.9 per cent.
The Young administration implemen-
ted a 50 per cent departmental hiring
quota in a move to wipe out what Young
called the police force's "extremely
racist attitudes.."
Five years later the police depart-
ment is 35 per cent black while the
population of the city is 55 per cent
black. And Federal Bureau of Investi-
gation crime figures show that all
crimes in Detroit dropped 20 per cent in
1977.
The affirmative action program im-
plemented by Young can not only be
credited for rectifying hiring discrepen-
cies within the department but it also
has contributed to the dramatic de-
crease in crime in the Vity.
Judge Fred Kaess ruled that "racial
discrimination is as indefensible when
practiced against whites as when prac-
ticed against blacks."
We agree with Judge Kaess. Racial
discrimination is ugly, ignorant, and it
should be avoided at all costs. However,
when discrimination against blacks
over some 100 years causes a totally
disproportionate number of whites to be
hired, something must be done, and
done quickly, to restructure the depart-
nent. What Young did was only just.
The Detroit Police Officers Associa-
tion (DPOA), who won the favorable
ruling from Kaess has long been op-
posed to Mayor Young. The DPOA is a
white dominated labor group. Many
black officers in the department have
formed there own labor organizations
although they too are bound by the
DPOA contract. The DPOA has pressed
to overturn the affirmative action pro-
gram and has also pressed to have the
residency rule for police officers in the
city overturned, allowing officers to
live outside the community they serve
- a community they should be familiar
with and feel some allegiance to.
The affirmative action programs
implemented by Mayor Young in the
Detroit police and fire departments
have done nothing but improve the
living environment of the city. There
are now more job opportunities for ur-
ban blacks. And the major reason for
white flight from the city - the ever
rising crime rate - has been turned
around.
We are hopeful that upon the city's
appeal Kaess' regressive ruling will be
overturned and Mayor Young will be
allowed to continue to move Detroit
forward.
Economics has often been
called the "dismal science." This
is not the case in Ann Arbor,
though. The Spa'rtacus Youth
League's (S.Y.L.) "course offer-
ings" in the Fishbowl and the
Diag are really quite amusing.
Their leaflets and sermons
should be clumped with James
Thurbers "things that go bump in
the night." Only in a superficial
sense can the Spartacist diatribes
be considered intellectual dis-
course.
For those who are not yet ac-
quainted with the S.Y.L., the
Spartacus Youth League is a
group of people who believe that
the United States and the world
would be best served by adopting
a universal communist society.
This goal, however, does not
make the S.Y.L. -intrinsically
nasty; the views of Joseph Mc-
Carthy not withstanding.
KARL MARX' theories de-
serve study for two reasons.
Intellectually,. speaking, Marx
was a thoughtful and even bril-
liant economist. A valid argu-
ment can be made for many of
Marx' ideas. Communist
Russians and Chinese, for exam-
ple, have much higher standards
of living than did their Tsarist
and Manchu ancestors. Anyone
seriously concerned with eco-
nomics should be familiar with
Marxism.
On a pragmatic basic, a knowl-
edge of Marxism is essential for
those interested in world affairs.
Currently, the population of
Marxist nations outnumbers that
of the capitalist world. While
large numbers ensure neither
truth nor strength, it would be
preposterous to unnecessarily of-
fend such an enormous chunk of
the earth.
While Ann Arbor is not the
tumultuous college town it was
during the '60's, there is still
much active political debate.
This is as a university should be.
The Spartacists are offensive,
however, not for the position they
advocate, but for the way in
which they do so. Very few people
are ever impressed by screaming
tirades. S.Y.L. members who
foam at the mouth should consid-
er shaving instead of discussing
economics.
AS IS TYPICAL of most defen-
ses of Marxism, only rarely does
Aneconomics
primer ,for A2
By Jonathan Reiskin
the S.Y.L. publish in English. quisite tool for supplying human
Usually pamphlets are printed in needs. Soviet bureaucrats are
"thesaurus-dogma." This is a searching for capitalist
nasty dialect of freeze-dried technology and incentives to in-
phrases brimming with hideous 'crease production. In contrast,
adjectives. For example, a busi- Jimmy Carter's administration
nessman is a "capitalistic fascis- is trying to implement socialist
.. A businessman is a "capital-
istic-fascistic-imperialistic tool of
bourgeois - international - finance
capitalism." All of that for an
M.B.A..?OR
Capitalism as practiced by the
West has worked very well in the
West., Admittedly, this system
has many faults and has created
gross injustices. Winston Chur-
chill, though, might have stum-
bled upon capitalism's most ap-
pealing argument. "The inherent
vice of capitalism is the unequal
sharing of blessings; the inherent
virtue of socialism is the equal
sharing of miseries."
CITIZENS of the United States
and Western Europe enjoy high
standards of living and a gener-
ous amount of political freedom.
In ordler to cure the social, eco-
nomic and political problems of
the United States, it seems silly to
opt for the shortages of goods and
human rights which now exist in
Easten Europe and the Soviet
Union.
The British thinkers John
Locke and John Maynard Keynes
gave the United States a political
and economic system that places
great importancehon individual
freedom. While this system has
flourished in nations which have
already undergone industrial
revolutions, capitalism and rep-
resentative democracy may not
be feasible in developing coun-
tries.
Marxism has great value for
countries which need to develop
an industrial plant. It is much
more efficient than democracy at
organizing government institu-
tions. The people of impoverished
nations are probably willing to
trade First Amendment rights
for food - and rightly so. How-
ever, with the United States at its
present stage of development,, -I
would not choose to trade Consti-
tutional checks and balances for
the omniscient wisdom of a prole-
tarian politburo.
In a calm, rational manner, we
ought all try to answer the ques-
tions: If the U.S. continues on its
present course, what will hap-
pen? Is there a better way to run
a country? A planet? What is that
way?
Ultimate, blinding diplectrical
truths do not haphazardly pop in-
to well-intentioned minds. They
probably do not even exist. Per-
haps if lucky though, we can find
a good hunch on which to act.
Jonathan Reiskin is a run-
of-the-mill LSA sophomore.
tic-imperialistic tool of bour-
geois-international-finance capi-
talism." All of that for an
M.B.A.?
Admittedly, both advocates
and critics of Marxism occasion-
ally tend toward the absurd. In
Annie Hall, Woody Allen said he
worried about becoming a dod-
dering old man with saliva run-
ning down his chin - the kind
who walks around carrying a
shopping bag while screaming
about socialism. This is indeed a
morbid thought. I submit, how-
ever, that it is equally frightening
that one might become a droolipg
twenty-five year old bellowing
about capitalism. A wise sage
(my father) was correct in noting
that the radical right is just as
mindless as the radical left. Is not
Stalin as contemptible as Hitler?
Strict adherence to radical
ideology is not only obnoxious,
but impractical. Many govern-
ments are finally learning that
people cannot digest ideology.
Pragmatism may compromise
the conscience, but it is an ex-
programs to aid the poor.
CAPITALISTS, communists
and the general public would all
benefit if economic discussion
were to take place calmly. No one
would be harmed if both sides
toned down their jargon and each
stopped cringing at the name of
the other. Last October I had a
chat with an S.Y.L. member:
Him: People's newspaper? The
socialist view from the Spartacus
Youth League.
Me: No thank you. I'm a Key-
nesian.
Him: (Astonished) What?
Me: You're a Marxist; I'm a
Keynesian.
Him: That doesn't even make
sense!
Me: Of course it does.
Him: (Scowl)
Including the course I am now
taking, I have only 14 credits in
economics. Neither Paul Samuel-
son nor Milton Freidman need
worry about my snatching their
jobs. Therefore, I would be truly
pleased if the S.Y.L. would calm-
ly reply to the following observa-
tions of mine.
A new, SAFE place to go
LETTERS TO THE DAILY
Nursing cut would threaten system
VICTIMS OF domestic violence now
have a place to seek shelter and
protection with the opening of the She1-
ter Available for Emergencies (SAFE
House) in Ypsilanti.
The shelter, which opened -yester-
day, is one of only a handful in Michi-
gan. It will provide lodging and coun-,
seling for battered spouses for up to 30
days. SAFE House directors estimate
the center will operate at full capacity
housing nearly 50 residents at all
times.
Figures like these indicate the seri-
ous extent of domestic violence in this
and other communities. Fifty persons
threatened with physical abuse to a
degree which makes them seek
assistance from a shelter is a bad
enough number, but these people are
only the tip of the iceberg. According to
estimates made by groups studying
domestic violence, the actual number
of these assaults is many times greater
than cases reported.
With the opening of SAFE House,
Washtenaw County area residents
should no longer be afraid to seek help
when threatened with physical injury
by their spouses. And by seeking help
for their problem, battered spouses can
prevent further harm to themselves
and their children. People should not
hesitate to take advantage of the
facility when necessary - particularly
its peer counseling program - in at-
tempting to find some solution to their
dilemma.
The area is fortunate to have SAFE
House. In order to maintain this center,
however, continued donations and sup-
port from the community is necessary.
Protection and counseling for bat-
tered spouses has been too long in
coming. Too many persons have sus-
tained irreparable mental and physical
injury inflicted upon them by their
mates. While SAFE House cannot com-
pletely end these beatings, with con-
tinued community support, it can help.
"ICON Nor IVLL ALie..,. NixoN DIa it
t
To The Daily:
I have recently been informed
of President Carter's plan to cut
back on the Nursing Education
budget. I am a graduate student
in pharmacy and would like to
express to you how alarming the
outcome of this is, as well as why
I am outraged against this
proposal.
As you are probably aware, in
todays medical health care
system, nurses take care of 70 per
cent of all health care patients.
There is a shortage of registered
nurses, especially those who are
well trained. The only way to
maintain and increase the com-
petence of our RNs is through
good education. By eliminating
funds for nursing education you
eliminate the major health care
personnel in our system.
There are only two groups of
people left to attempt filling the
role of the nurse. These two
groups are the clinical phar-
macist and the physician. You
should, however, be aware that
there are very few clinical phar-
macists and they are involved in
helping the physician in diagnosis
and proper drug therapy. In ter-
ms of the physician, in my
estimation, there are none who
would give up their respon-
sibilities of diagnosis and
initialization of treatment to have
the responsibility of 24 hour
patient treatment.and care.
We must not forget the other
responsibility nurses have which
involves the health care checks
and balance system. The RNs are
the checks and balance for the
physician's diagnosis and treat-
ment procedures. They are also
the ones to check on the phar-
macist's proposed drug therapy.
I hope you can see how impor-
tant it is to maintain or even in-
crease the nursing education
budget. If you eliminate the nur-
ses which a drastic cut in the
educational budget would do,
there is no one to replace them.
This means: A cut in the budget
would cause a tremendous
decrease in the credibility of the
American health care system!
-Gary Ross
Owens' history
recall, the tone in which the Daily
responded to Owens' removal as
director of the Center for Afro-
American and African Studies in
1974 was only more biased than
the manner in which*your recent
attempts at "impartiality" fails
to take Owens to task for the
characteristic egocentricities
that stands as a trademark of his
temperament. Parenthetically, it
is worth commenting that a good
deal of Owens' recent display of
jugmental vagaries are probably
traceable to the stubborn resen-
tment he has harbored ever since
his CAAS debacle some four
years ago.
While it is not the purpose of
this mini-missile to render a full
judgment in the Owens affair
(since I do not have all the facts),
a number of his allegations do
warrant critical response. In
view of what most individuals
.comprehend about Owens'
problems, it is difficult to discern
precisely what "principles" he is
so determined not to com-
promise: "But this is a matter of
principle, and I just can't com-
promise principle," he was
quoted as saying. Certainly one's
academic career at the Univer-
sity of Michigan ought to involve
one's principles, but also the
priorities of one's interests. In
Owens' case, his tenured postion
at the University of Michigan is
inextricably tied in with any
"principles" he cares to avow.
And if the priority of certain of
Owens' "interests" don't
correspond with what should,
prima facia, underscore his prin-
ciples, then there is something
questionable about his interests
outside of the academic confines
of the University of Michigan.
This, of course, throws into
doubt many of Owens' allegations
used to support his actions. He
claims that certain "High
ranking administrators are
against the black movement and
the teaching of courses related to
it." That may be true, but it is
like saying that there never has
been an academic innovation in.
the entire history of American
academia that did not have its
established coterie of detractors.
Professor Owens ought to keep in
mind the fact that those an-
tagonists among the high ranking
gan in 1971; there were civil
rights courses taught in 1968, 1969
and 1970 introduced by others
before Leslie Owens' celebrated
arrival-and in the face of more
opposition and controversy than
Owens subsequently had to con-
front. In fact, part of Owens' en-
suing ideological and academic
problems, following his arrival in
1971, was that he never quite un-
derstood the intimate facts
surrounding the development of
"civil rights" courses between
1968 and 1971. Moreover, those
who were in the position to know
the facts better than anyone else
couldn't advise Owens because,
similar to the attitudes of the Six-
ties crop of graduate students of
which Owens is one prime exem-
plar, he thought he knew
everything that was important?
When he was appointed director
of the Center for Afro-American
and African Studies in 1973, he
showed the most contemptuous
disregard for the experiences and
knowledge of those who preceded
him in CAAS, and who would
have been quite willing to advise
him on how best to manage his
directorship. His academic
training as, a historian did not
lead him to investigate thg essen-
tial history of the very academic
institution he presumed to ad-
minister in 1973-the history of
the Center for Afro-American
and African Studies and the
history of the evolution of civil
rights courses at the University
of Michigan. If he had done so, he
might still be the director today,
and would not find himself in the
awkward position of having to
legitimize his "principles" in the
University of Detroit. Moreover,
had The Michigan daily, in 1974,
seen fit to interview available
CAAS senior members on their
reactions to Owens' dismissal,
The Daily would have, perhaps,
had more to offer editorially than
the facile, white liberal con-
clusion that the administration
was all wrong in dismissing
Owens. As a director of CAAS,
Owens was not all right in some
of the immature atrocities he
committed as director of CAAS.
As a result, Professor Owens is
still committing immature unor-
thodoxies. He has left scores of
Michigan students stranded in
crusaders review
To The Daily:
I am outraged by your review
of the Crusader's concert, which
is both ignorant and musically
chauvinistic. It is evident that
your reviewer knows little or
nothing about the contemporary
jazz scene.
The Crusaders are a progres-
sive band, whose sound is con-
stantly evolving and changing. If
the reviewer had listened to any
of the band's latest albums,
(Southern Comfort, Those South-
ern Knights, Free as the Wind) he
would have known that the Crusa-
ders have shifted their emphasis
from jazz to funk (which is not a
derogatory term) while still re-
taining their jazz roots. This
"commercial sell-out band's"
last album received five stars
(highest rating) in Downbeat
iagazine, the jazz Bible.
The Crusaders have been to-
gether for 25 years and their
ability to evolve their sound and
consistently please their audi-
ences is a credit to their creative
musicianship. The audience at
the concert thought the band was
so "sloppy" that they refused to
leave until after two encores. The
fact that the reviewer derogates
the audience ("disco kings and
queens") because they ap-
preciated the music and he
didn't, is testimony to his unpro-
fessionalism and musical imma-
turity. This review is just another
in a long line of misinformed and
unsubstantiated musical reviews
that have appeared in your news-
paper.
-Tom Hagopian
divest
To The Daily:
I am a white student, but I want
to know what the hell is going on
with this South African divest-
ment issue. Why is everyone so
quiet in the face of the compro-
mising mood of the Regents who
have been left home to tend the
farm while farmer Fleming takes
a vacation? Divestment is the
only alternative open to the Re-
gents, and they better realize it
soon! Divestment is the only suba
stantial action the university can
take against these corporations;.
Divestment, in short, is the only
way to save blacks' lives in South
Africa.
!U igm