Page 12-Wednesday, May 23, 1979-The Michigan Daily

Legislature
say state
budget cuts
will not pass
LANSING (UPI) - Republicans and
Democrats agreed yesterday that Gov.
William Milliken's plan to cut $100
million from his 1979-80 state budget
will be difficult to get through the
legislature.
The last-minute reductions further
diminish chances the $4.6 billion budget
will be approved before the
legislature's summer recess, House
Speaker Bobby Crim said.
THE NEW liscal year starts Oct.:1.
Senate Democratic Leader William
Faust of Westland said the governor's
cuts may not go far enough and may be
in the wrong areas.
"It certainly appears that the gover-
nor is going to take the money away
from the elderly and the disadvan-
taged," Faust said.
OVER HALF OF Milliken's reduc-
tions would come by cutting back the
Medicaid system and canceling a $33.8
million home heating assistance
program.
Those two proposals likely will be the
most controversial, lawmakers agreed.
The governor did not specify exactly
what he wants cut from the Medicaid
budget, but it has been suggested that
cutbacks include elimination of dental,
vision and hearing aid services.
MILLIKEN'S recommended budget
cuts also included a reduction in
proposed increases for recipients of Aid
to Dependent Children benefits.
Rep. Thomas Mathieu, who authored
the home heating assistance program,
called Milliken's recommendations an
"unconscionable, cold-hearted stab in
the back of Michigan's senior citizens."
"It's amazing when you consider that
he was such a strong backer of my bill
last year - an election year," the
Grand Rapids Democrat said.
"NOW THAT the election is over, he's
telling seniors and the poor that his
support was only a political gesture to
get their votes."

Excavated tablets may validate Bible

By VICKI HENDERSON
Information on tablets excavated
from Elba, Syria since 1964 may
validate Biblical accounts if they are
backdated 500 or more years, accor-
ding to Biblical studies Prof. David
Freedman.
If the information is correct, "we
have authentic data for a very early
period supported historically in
relationship to the Bible," he said.
FREEDMAN said he was reluc-
tant to talk about the findings due to
the political situation in the Near
East. But in an article outlining the
findings, published in an Ann Arbor
quarterly - Biblical archeologist,
he cites relevant data supporting his
theories.

According to Freedman's article,
the exact number of tablets has not
yet been determined since inventory
numbers and tablets do not coincide.
The tablets date between 2600 and
2300 B.C., and two languages are
represented - Sumerian and a
Semitic dialect, said Freedman in
his article. Although the origin of the
Semitic language has not been
determined, it is a "distinctive
dialect which belongs somewhere on
the Family tree," he said.
ACCORDING TO Freedman, most
of the tablets are records of the
economics of Elba and other city-
states in the Near East. The rest in-
elude "interests and activities of the
royal house," he said..

The main value of the tablets, said
Freedman, is the information they
may provide about life in the Near
East during this period.
The discoveries were made by
Paolo Matthiae and Giovanni Pet-
tinato, both from the University of
Rome. According to Pettinato, the
last of the three discoveries - which
were made in 1968, 1974 and 1975 -
provides a great deal of information
on the cultural, political, and
economic roles played by Elba.
Freedman said similarities bet-
ween the Bible and the tablets could
not be coincidental. "You couldn't
have the same situation 1,000 years
apart with all the names the same."

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House Dems oppose oil deregulation
From The Associated Press shortage may be contrived." The White House issued a statement
n a test vote yesterday, House On a 153-82 vote, the House late yesterday through the office of
mocrats expressed nearly two-to-one Democratic Caucus rejected an attem- press secretary Jody Powell, saying,
osition to President Carter's plan to pt to sidetrack a resolution expressing "any thoughts that such votes will
price controls from domestically opposition to Carter's oil deregulation change the president's policy are com-
duced oil. move. pletely misdirected.
leanwhile, administration officials THE HOUSE Democratic Caucus - , "THE PRESIDENT continues to
d refineries are being asked to boost composed of all 276 House Democrats seek a phased end to controls coupled
ir gasoline production to ease lines - had scheduled a vote yesterday on with a windfall profits tax to finance an
he pump. But these officials insisted the anti-decontrol resolution itself. But energy security fund to help develop
4 the move would not threaten after the vote to reject a motion to kill alternative energy forms," the
ting oil supplies for next winter. the resolution, the caucus was forced to statement said.
UT INDUSTRIAL western nations recess for lack of time, delaying final
e coal a massive boost yesterday, action until today. Energy Secretary James
osing it over atomic power and as a "This is a complete repudiation of the Schlesinger, representing the United
me weapon against the energy crisis president's position," said Rep. Ed- States at the IEA meeting, told a news
I the skyrocketing price of oil. ward Markey (D-Mass.), after the vote. conference that "coal is a natural area
he International Energy Agency "The Democratic Party has put the to turn to."
A), a 20-nation group founded in president on notice that the litmus test THE IEA urged governments to im-
4 as a counterbalance to the of the 1980 elections will be how he prove the financial allure of coal
rodollar might of the Organization of comes to grips with energy problems." mining,

Petroleum Exporting Countries, ended
a two-day meeting with a call for
"greatly increased coal use."
It also reinforced earlier decisions to
cut back oil consumption among mem-
ber states by five per cent and played
down the role of nuclear energy.
THE IEA also warned that if the West
remained dependent on oil at present
levels, there would not be enough
energy to maintain even "moderate
economic growth."
And the Energy Department said
available evidence does not back up
speculation by the Federal Trade
Commission that "the current gasoline


In
Memoriam

.,s
/ taG

FTC may regulate terms in
non-prescription drug ads
WASHINGTON (AP) - Drug com- He said, for instance, it would require
panies might have to stop advertising federal regulators to agree to the use in
their non-prescription products as ef- advertising of "runny nose" instead of
fective against colds, arthritis, in- "rhinitis" or "anti-gas" instead of "an-
digestion and many other maladies ifa ti-flatulent" before the better-known
proposed federal regulation is adopted. terms could be used.
The Federal Trade Commission Under the FTC staff's recommended
(FTC) staff yesterday urged the four regulation, advertising claims that
commissioners to promulgate a could become illegal would include:
regulation requiring advertisements * Touting Bayer Aspirin, Anacin, and
for non-prescription drugs to say only Arthritis Pain Formula as being good
what the government allows their for arthritis. The 309-page report noted
labels to say. . the FDA panel finding that not all
THE FOOD AND Drug Ad- medications with aspirin may be ap-
ministration (FDA) is determining propriate for some types of arthritis
what the labels may say, and FDA and some can lead to irreversible joint
panels have recommended that the damage.
agency ban many terms frequently " Saying Alka-Seltzer will fight "up-
used on non-prescription labels. set stomach." The report said an FDA
FTC adoption of the same restrictions panel found "upset stomach" to be too
for ads probably would have more im- broad because that can mean anything
pact because studies show that con- from acid indigestion to cramps,
sumers get their information on non- nausea, and diarrhea.
prescription drugs more often from ad- " Calling Pepto-Bismol effective for
vertisements than from labels. "indigestion." Because of the
The FTC staff recommendation, if similarity of this to "acid indigestion,"
accepted by the commission, could ef- many people think it is an antacid.
fect the $3.8 billion annual sales of the The FTC staff also cited an FDA
non-prescription drug industry, which panel's finding that there-is no non-
now advertises heavily. prescription drug "acceptable for
JAMES COPE, president of the specific treatment of the common
Propriety Association, whose member cold."
companies make 90 per cent of the Some common advertising claims
drugs that do not need a doctor's could continue, such as that a product
prescription, said the recommended aids in bringing relief from acid in-
regulation "would be an uncon- digestion, heartburn, headache, and
stitutional prior restraint on adver- constipation. These terms have been
tising and on the rightof free.speech." approved by the PDA for use on labels.

of spring term-itis, Health Service will be closed Monday, May 28, 1979. The
Medical Clinic, pharmacy, x-ray, lab, and cashier's office will be open from
8 am until 12 noon'on Saturday, May 26. All specialty clinics will be closed
the entire Memorial weekend. Health Service will resume regular summer hours
on Tuesday, May 29.
Contact Health Service Information if you have a question, problem, or
complaint.
WEEKDAYS, 8 am to4 pm-764-8320