Page 4-Thursday, August 2, 1979-The Michigan Dail1 Michigan Daily Eighty-nine Years of Editorial Freedom 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor. M. 48109 Vol. LXXXIX, No. 57-S News Phone: 764 O 2 Edited and managed by students at the University of Mi~higan Chrysler should get federal aid G OVERNMENT INTERVENTION is not wel- comed by businesses in this country now or in the past. So Chrysler Corp.'s request for a $1 billion advance in tax credits from the federal government is clearly not by choice. The beleaguered automaker is in such bad financial straits that the U.S. government is the only viable funding source. Recently, Chrysler reported second quarter losses of $207 million. Financial analysts say in view of the recession the nation is experiencing, it is unlikely the company can regain profitability soon. While it is up to consumers to turn things around for the number three automaker, the red ink will not darken if the public's confidence in Chrysler remains minimal. Cars cost too much for consumers to buy them haphazardly-without consideration of a company's solvency. But more important than the company's profits are the thousands of workers who would be laid off if Chrysler is permitted to go defunct. The impact on Detroit, Michigan, and the nation's economy would be serious if Chrysler's business continues to wane. Likewise, the purpose of maintaining some degree of competition in the auto industry out- weighs resistance to government involvement in private industry. The government is already in- volved to the extent of imposing increased costs on automakers so that their products do not pollute the air excessively. Auto emissions regulations cannot falter or be reversed since that would be unfair to environmentalists and other manufacturers who must abide by them. The fact that complying with standards has cost Chrysler relatively more than its competitors, justifies federal aid to facilitate the firms' continued operations. Chrysler obviously cannot regain profitability by itself. The alternatives to federal aid to dig Chrysler out of be debt are mergers with one of the other auto giants, or Volkswagon may pur- chase it. Both these options are more threatening to the competitive marketplace and national economic security than government intervention is to private industry's freedom. Chrysler is not the first private firm to request government aid. Amtrak and the postal system both had to be bailed out at one time, and not just in the form of advanced tax credits. Chrysler asks not for government bureaucratic management or control; it merely wants, a chance to regain solvency at a time when economic circumstances are not conducive to car-buying. SUMMER EDITORIAL STAFF ELIZABETH SLOWIK Editor-in-Chi JUDY RAKOWSKY. . .............. Editorial Director JOSHUA PECK..,..... ... ..... Arts Editor LETTERS: Yearbook nearly void of blacks To the Daily: As a member of the April, 1979 because the yearbook staff saw an entire section to fraternities graduating class from the fit to include pictures of black and sororities, but there is ab- University of Michigan, I pur- students pursuing these ac- solutely no reference made to the chased a copy of the '79 tivities, they also felt that it was three black sororities and four Michiganensian to add to my indicative of our extracurricular black fraternities that have chap- collection of Michigan pursuits. ters at the University. As a mem- memorabilia. After skimming There are numerous black ber of one of these organizations, through this publication which is organizations on Michigan's Delta Sigma Theta-a public ser- supposedly a retrospective look campus, but the yearbook staff vice organization with over 95,000 at the big events of the previous failed to include a picture of any members in over 600 chapters in- academic year, as well an attem- one of them. It's interesting to cluding the United States, the pt to capture Michigan students note that a picture of the Society Virgin Islands, and the republics at rest, play, business, etc., it of Women Engineers was in- of Haiti and Liberia. It's an would be an understatement to cluded, while there was no men- organization which for 66 years say that I was upset over the tion made of the organization of has dedicated itself to a program marked paucity of photographs minority engineers that 'also of educational advancement, or mention of the number of black exists in the College of economic development, housing students that are enrolled on the Engineering. There is also a and urban development, and Ann Arbor campus. black psychology students other areas crucial for the bet- As a matter of fact, if I hadn't organization, an organization of terment of the black com- myself spent four years on this black medical students as well as munity-I feel that a definite in- campus, I would wonder if there black nursing students, a black Justice has been done. Black even was a sizeable black student business students organization, greek organizations are not population on campus. As a black as well as countless other "social" sororities or frater- student, I am aware that we do organizations in several of the nities, as several of the white study, go to football games, live other academic disciplines greek organizations that were in- in dorms, move to apartments, throughout the University, on cluded in the yearbook boasted actively participate in both an undergraduate and of; we aren't housed in the white organizations, and in general graduate level. In each of the pillared homes on Washtenaw exist at the University, even residence halls on this campus and Hill streets; and we don't though in the pictorial depiction there is also a black student participate in "mud bowls of these activities we have been organization that participates in Derby Day," or any other of the excluded. But it is interesting to fund-raising activities inane. "Animal House," type ac- note that there are three pictures throughout the year to produce tivities that several of our white of blacks in the section entitled such events as the annual Black counterparts choose to do. I can't "Lunch," and two pictures in the Awards Banquet and the Bursley believe that black fraternities coverage of student participation Show, even though there was no and sororities on this campus are in IM sports and the physical fit- mention made of either of these invisible, but I do believe that the ness programs offered through two events. yearbook staff chooses to think the recreation buildings. Perhaps The yearbook staff dedicated so. -Regenia Lumbard HI, MYNAMES PAUL. THIS THE STRP is5SET IN AND Y*HEY! IS A COMIC STRIP C4LLED AROUND A UNNEwiITY IN WAKEUP t'HLlLlrE' LijCH 4 ILL CNICAoITLL. B 7T THAT BE APPERIING I/ THE MPITERS LITTLE AS FA' NICH/'4V PI LV FOR THE AS THE CONTEr OF THE NEXT7 L O WEEKl0OR SD. STRIP GOES. REAut.. - IT'S HEAsT FOR EVERYONE Wio - EVER WENT T t ~SCHOOL , COLLEGE OR~ >tHERO4SE. huPILL ASLEEP! I DOM'T sELIET! WAa- UP MAN. CLASS IS OVER. W,(!YOORE 1 REAW RELAXED1 YOU DIN T MISSToo MUCH. REA4 THAS AL! WSH Ib H ARD THAT. YEAH, O8ERTS JUST TALKED ('tBOO THE REA- I NG, OFFICE ON YOO KNOW... GVE ASHORT _ r)SPER A Ef ( s Hey, Yoo WERE 7HE SAR!