Page 4-Wednesday, April 5, 1978-The Michigan Daily Eighty-Eight Years of Editorial Freedom 420 Maynard St., Ann Arbor, MI 48109 Vol. LXXXVIII, No. 147 News Phone: 764-0552 Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan loo eyond the vote tallies An argument for abortion T HE REPUBLICAN sweep in Monday's city elections and the decisive victory of the two tenants' rights ballot issues were surprising, particularly since they occurred at the same time. There may be a message in it. Despite a relatively healthy turnout, which normally aids Democratic can- didates, Republican Louis Belcher picked up enough votes to bring him- self - and a decisive GOP Council majority - into City Hall.. Clearly, the returns represent an erosion of Democratic Mayor Albert Wheeler's support among Ann Arbor voters. The change was small, but in a community with a close partisan balance, it was all Belcher needed. Just as Wheeler was losing his bid for reelection, two housing-related City Charter amendments were getting overwhelming voter approval. The first proposal will now make it illegal for landlords to include decep- tive or, unenforceable provisions in leases. That bill passed 18,634 to 7,618. The second issue will establish a revised tenants' rights booklet to be distributed to all tenants in the city. It passed 17,346 to 8,850. Although voter approval of the housing proposals was expected, the large margin of victory was not. Also surprising was the number of voters the issues drew to the polls. That seems to be the only logical ex- planation for the big jump in voter tur- nout from a year ago,- when Wheeler and Belcher last faced off. From the beginning of its campaign, the Coalition for Better Housing (CBH) had clearly struck a responsive chord among Ann Arbor tenants, who make p a majority of th.e city's residents.. The coalition gathered the necessary etition signatyres,to place the issues on the ballot in a record three weeks. It then managed to sign up thousands of people to vote for the first time in an Ann Arbor election. CBH is now discussing what it wants to do next. One move under con- sideration would be to push for some form of rent control in the April, 1979 city election. Rent control, though twice defeated at the polls, keeps coming up as an an- swer to Ann Arbor's spiraling housing costs. A carefully written rent control plan, backed by a group with the necessary funds to wage a strong cam- paign, would have a decent chance of getting local voter approval. Previous rent control plans lost as a result of massive campaign spending by local housing moguls which rent control backers couldn't match. If CBH wants to push rent control, it will have to mount an intensive fund- raising effort to counter the inevitable counter-campaign. Meanwhile, incoming Mayor Belcher has an excellent opportunity to implement the housing and other programs he espoused as a councilman and as a candidate. Although The Daily endorsed his opponent, we also expressed support for Belcher's programs to stimulate new housing construction. During his campaign, Belcher projected an image of moderation and openness, which contrasted greatly with the hard-line conservatism promoted by the last city Republican administration under former Mayor Jim Stephenson. We hope the new mayor recognizes his responsibility to represent the needs of the entire community, poor and rich, student and non-student. If he does so, then his administration could be a productive and effective one. If he does not, he may learn what Al Wheeler has just found out - Ann Ar- bor voter mandates can be taken away as easily as they are given. In his recent article on abortions published on this page,entitled "A deadly insurance pol- icy," Mr. Gregory Lynne presents a very narrow minded and ecclesiastical view of the abor- tion issue. The author states his opposition to all for- ms of killing. In this, he ignores the possible death of the mother during pregnancy. It is known that in the first three months of pregnancy, an abortion is less dangerous than childbirth itself. THE SUPREME Court recognized the rights of the pregnant mother in 1972, in Roe v. Wade. Apparently Mr. Lynne does not. The Constitutioon guarantees every person the right to privacy. Mr. Lynne, however, does not seem to believe in this doctrine. I am appalled by the author's wanton disregard for the lives of people that are now living. What is presented in the article is an extremely chauvinistic view of the abortion issue. Should a woman be forced to bear a child conceived as a result of incestous relations or rape? What of conception in a retarded or mentally disturbed woman? This fetus should not necessarily be forced into being reared in such an environment. It is unreasonable to force an unborn child, incapable of communication, to be brought in- to a world of hatred, starvation and possible neglect. Where the abortion article defends tie notion of life itself, and buttresses it with a technically supported argument as to the moment it begins, my focus is elsewhere. My concern is not for "life," but rather for the living, life in the every-day, non-abstract, By Phil Merdinger sense of the word. The lives disrupted by un- wanted and unplanned pregnancies. The lives unwanted and uncared for. These lives are a burden on society, and a problem for them- selves in a hungry, crowded world. In short, the article focuses on the quantity of life, and overlooks the consequence. In contrast, I take the painful look at the con- sequences of this moral argument - and wind up seeing the quality of life. The priority should be there. No one will dispute whether life exists in a child born unwanted who does not have enough to eat and wear - a child that lacks the emotional well-being that a wanted child is better afforded. I will not debate the question of, "At what stage of pre-natal . development does life begin?" This question is akin to the medieval debates on how many angels can dance on the head of a pin. One may extend the logic of the article on abortion to the point of adamant objection to contraception. Pending this, one might justify the outlawing of contraceptives altogether. One might also then want to pass legislation My concern is not for 'life,' but rather for the living. requiring all women over age sixteen to bear chilren-. This 'line of reasoning i4 preposterous, as is the reasoning in ths aforementioned article. When considering the question of abortion' one cannot take a myopic view. Instead, th~ rights of both the living and the unborn, muse be considered.t The purpose of a group insurance progran - the Michigan Student Assembly's Insuran4 ce program included - is to provide maximum protection for a maximum numbeg of people. Mr. Lynne feels that abortions should be excluded from the MSA program's coverage. This perspective defeats the entire purpose of the group insurance. Title IX of the anti-discrimination implie that abortions are a viable alternative fo pregnant women to consider. Such an inter- pretation is already observed by the Insurand ce Deparment of Michigan. The Department has required insurance companies to treat abortions as a normal surgical expense. Excluding abortions from insurance' coverage, then, is in direct opposition to state law. The fact that Mr. Lynne has disregarded; the need for abortions in certain situations,; and desires to deny insurance coverage to those women, is certainly deplorable. Phil Merdinger is chairman of the Michigan Student Assembly 's insurance committee and is a graduate student in Actuarial Maths LETTERS TO THE DAILY: 'Ramblings'didn'tgive diner a chance Who should'purchase the pot? T HE DORM government- sponsored pot party at Bursley last weekend raises a brood of conflic- ting moral and legal questions. The story goes that the Bursley Board of Governors allocated some $400 in student funds for a pre-Hash Bash party Friday night, knowing that half of that sum would go to purchase three-quarters of a pound of marijuana. On first examination, there is no more wrong being done by a gover- nment's purchasing marijuana for a party as by its purchasing liquor. It is common for dorm governments to put up funds for a mixer or happy hour. There is nothing wrong with the idea as long as students attending these fun- ctions are not forced to partake of the alcohol when they don't want to. Pot should be treated the same way. But underlying this argument is the fact that pot is not yet recognized by state and federal laws as a ''legal" substance. For this reason, it may have been unwise for the Bursley Board of Governors to purchase pot for Friday's party. Current laws being the way they are, the discovery that a student governing body has taken upon it- self the task of supplying marijuana to constituents will probably lead to a crackdown on pot use in that dorm - if not a campus-wide crackdown. Pressure may be applied to RDs and RAs to take note of pot smoking where they may have closed their eyes before. Cops could start hanging around dorm lounges. - A number of truly unfortunate even- ts could take place. This simply points up the absurdity of the marijuana laws in this country. Current efforts should not only serve to decrease penalties for pot use, they should concentrate on legalizing it altogether. Soon, hopefully, the day will come when a dorm government can order pot for a party as easily as it orders a few kegs of beer. It should really be that way now. To The Daily: Regarding Ken Parsigian's "Ramblings" column in the Mar- ch 26 Sunday Magazine. Let me start off by saying that I too, like Mr. Parsigian, had my doubts when I heard that the Lees had "sold out," and there would be a new couple running Steve's Lun- ch - a tiny diner squeezed into astorefront on S. University. I had practically resigned myself to the fact that I would never' savor another bacon and cheesy omelette again. This is where Mr. Parsigian and myself part com- pany. Unlike Mr. Parsigian, I gave the new owners a week or so to get settled, and then ventured to Steve's one morning to give them a chance to prove them- selves., At this point it became quite apparent that Mr. Parsigian was not the connoisseur that he professed to be in his Ramblings column. For, Pete and Dorothy Pappademetriou - to my unex- pected surprise - are .not only doing an outstanding job of main- taining the high quality of food that we have all grown ac- customed to; but with all' due respect to Mrs. Lee, I even noticed a slight improvement in the chili. And if Mr. Parsigian was as "tight" with the Lees as he in- timated iri his Ramblings column, he wouldtundoubtedly be aware of the fact that the Lees still frequent Steve's Lunch. In their own words, "it's still the best place in town, we don't know where we can get a betterhmeal." If Mr. Parsigian still has his doubts, letahim ask the Lees if the quality %has gone downhill at Steve's Lunch. He can find them at Steve's almost every morning having breakfast. Best of luck Pete and Dorothy! Ken Parsigian, keep on "Ram- bling." - Jon Kottler Neal E. Byrd, Robert Spankel Jeffrey Hyman Jules S. Fine Rod Kosann (al/avidSteve's Lunch fans) labor 's strategy to purs To The Daily: there, Over the last couple of years, especiall the news media has taken great determin pleasure in publicizing "signs of South, a] a growing conservatism" on go. Ones campuses and in cities. However, J. P. St .there is one such trend that the have c media has failed to cover: the in- Amalgan creasingly aggressive antilabor tile Wor stance of big business. This facet refuses t of many current labor disputes and atte has been ignored in coverage of ce worke national issues, such as coal The ra production, and local ones, such antilabor as the AFSCME strike against widers the U of M, GEO, and the strike tradition against the Oakland Press, these a Much of business's significa agressiveness is undoubtedly a than the reation to increased worker cleanenh militancy and the process of sexual" democratizing unions, but much housing. of its strength comes from are also having an antiworker base to fall- rights.T back on. This base, the nonunion pany haN south, not only gives material basic rigl support to businesses with and ass operations in the North, but also privacy. serves as a "haven from union in- for all of terference" and thus as a merely s management trump card in con- this dis] tract negotiations, and, when the consume company does move, increasing out of it, unemployment and competition in the nev for jobs. -Pe Labor's strategy for survival is An Health Service Handbook By Sylvia Hacker and Nancy Plachik ue businesses into the and organize workers A few struggles are ly important and will ne how the rest of the nd perhaps the U.S., will such struggle is with the evens Co. Wokers there voted to join the mated Clothing and Tex- ker's Union, but Stevens to bargain in good faith, mpts to harass and coer- ers away from the Union. rmifications of Stevens' )r policy give the dispute significance than the nal labor issues (though lone are of national nce), and wider even. associated issues of a evironment, racial and equality, and decent J. P. Stevens workers struggling for individual [he actions of the corn- ye denied workers such ;hts as freedom of speech ;embly, and rights of The significance of these us is obvious. These are some of the reasons why ;pute, and the national er boycott that has gron deserves more attention ws media. ter Downs nn Arbor save legal aid To The Daily: While in law school these past three years I have worked con- tinuously in some capacity at the Campus Legal Aid office. It is dismaying to hear that the Office of Student Services is talking about cutting out a program that has been so helpful to so many students. During my years at Legal Aid our budget for an entire year was about half of Pres. Fleming's, salary. But each dollar spent on Legal Aid has been able to ac- complish so much for University studentsdbecause it has been multiplied many times by the volunteer-efforts and work-study jobs of numerous law students and undergrads. Cutting support for Legal Aid will have only a minute effect on the rest of, the University's budget, but an enormous effect on the services presently available to stdents. If the OSS doesn't fund Legal Aid, the students themselves should vote to fund it. Students should nio more be left without adequate legal services than adequate health services. -Bill'VanWyke Law, 1977 Ann Arbor QUESTION: I have enjoyed your columns on sleep very much and have a related question which I have been wondering about for a long time. My husband usually wakes up in the mor- ning with an erection which he says is related to a full bladder. Is this common? ANSWER: The idea that morning erections were related to a full bladder was commonly held at one time. Recent laboratory research on sleep, however, suggests that penile erections are a normal accompaniment of REM (rapid- eye-movemient) sleep. As a part of REM sleep, they may occur as many as four to six times during the night, and their absence is sometimes even an indication of disease. REM sleep, as you may remember, is a stage in the sleep cycle oc- curring approximately every 70-100 minutes during the night, and is characterized, in general, by a high level of arousal. Sometimes bodily arousal during REM sleep may even be greater than during an individual's normal awake period. QUESTION: How much physical activity is dangerous? There seem to be differences of opinion about this. ANSWER: According to Dr. Lawrence Lamb, M.D., Medical Columnist for Newspaper Enter- prise Association, it appears that the lesson to be learned about exercise is that it must be treated with respect. It is just like any medicine you take - it can help you or it can harm you. You wouldn't take a whole bottle of aspirins for a headache or a whole bottle of any medicine you might need. You take the right amount as prescribed for a specific purpose. The same is true of exercise. The people who get into trouble with exercise are often those who foolishly disregard the proper use of it. No one can guarantee that if you follow any set of rules that you won't have a heart attack during or im- mediately after exercise. But no one can guaran- tee that you won't have one in your sleep either. been shown to cause the tiny platelets in the blood to clump, part of the process of starting the formation of a clot. In addition, it increases the amount of carbon monoxide gas in the blood. This combines with the hemoglobin in red blood" cells and decreases their ability to carry oxygen. You can't afford this kind of reaction at the time your heart muscle needs more oxygen because of exercise, and so it is a mistake to light up after the game or after the jog. If you must smoke, wait until at least an hour after the exertion is over and don't smoke before exercising. 3. Exercise before Eating. The heart must! work to provide increased circulation to the digestive organs, and oxygen to process the food you eat. It is an added burden to the work the heart must do with exertion. If you want to avoid compounding the load on the heart, do your: exercise before eating, or at least two hours after eating. Never exercise vigorously after a heavy meal. 4. Avoid Cold Beverages During or After Exer- cise. Cold fluids in the stomach may set off powerful reflexes that affect the heart, of may cause "spasm" of the coronary arteries. If you are thirsty, drink a moderate amount of a liquid at nearly room temperature. 5. Get Rid of your Fat. You must work harder and your heart must work harder if you have ex- tra pounds of fat. Not only does getting rid of ex-1 cess fat lower your blood pressure, lower your blood cholesterol and help correct diabetic-type responses, but it takes the load off your heart during exercise. If you are fat, it is important that you exercise lightly while you are getting rid of pounds - that means walling instead of run- ning. 6. Get a Medical Exam. Exercise is great for people who do not already have advanced heart disease or other important medical problems. It can be dangerous if you do. A good medical examination which includes some form of exer-. cise testing with an electrocardiogram after the' exercise, can provide some useful information