Summer Daily
Summer Edition of
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Edited and managed by students at the
University of Michigan
Tuesday, August 21, 1973 News Phone: 764-0552
Cause of shortages
is our own gluttony
EARLY THIS YEAR, Americans screamed that m e a t
prices were skyrocketing and something had to be
done. So the administration froze the price of meat.
But the costs of the food for the cattle was not frozen
and the marketing of cattle became unprofitable. So the
farmer did not bring his cattle to market and there was
a meat shortage.
And the American people are screaming again-now
for more meat.
We, Americans, are spoiled gluttons who want cheap
and plentiful supplies of everything from meat-to lumber.
But we are slowly realizing that quantity, even if it lacks
quality, is going to cost in the future.
THIS COUNTRY consists of six percent of the world's
population, yet we use 50 per cent of the world's re-
sources. We have become accustomed to having all we
want and not having to pay much for it. Now, we are
finding out that we are getting less and paying more.
Without doubt, the ineptitude of the Nixon admin-
istration in controlling inflation has, to a great degree, in-
creased the severity of the multiple economic crises. Each
Phase has been a successive greater failure.
And, the infamous wheat deal with Russia, wherein
we gave the Russians grain at below cost prices, and then
now pick up the tab on the difference, has brought rising
prices for Americans.
And, the monopoly in the oil industry, has reduced
competition to such an extent that needed oil was not
produced and we now have resultant higher fuel prices.
FHERE ARE OTHER FACTORS that have contributed
to our present situation: high prices and little quan-
tity.
But, the primary cause remains that we use just too
much. We have become addicted to meat and potatoes
at every meal, a full two-car garage in every home, and
the individual home for every family.
A dirty environment is another consequence of our
fascination with quantity and eventually, we will have to
pay a high price for that, too.
Compared to most countries in the world we have
more of everything at a cheaper cost. But we have always
measured ourselves by a separate standard - not against
other countries but against our own country at early
years.
It is understood that inflation in our country hurts
the poor most and we must not change our living stand-
ards at their expense.
BUT, FOR THE VAST MAJORITY, we must realize that
we cannot expend our resources using them to excess,
and still expect that they will remain cheap and plentiful.
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PENSIONERS -
IE MILWAUKEE JOURNAL rulbers-Tull syndicate,1974
Listen, m0y good woman! Even with these record
high food prices you housewives have it better
than most people in the world!'
In-state tuition: Heads or tails?
By GORDON ATCHESON
WHAT'S ALMOST as good as
winning the Michigan lottery
and definitely better than finding
a ten dollar bill? Why being grant-
ed in-state residency, of course.
For those of us not lucky enough
to decide our college plans during
our pre-natal existence, becoming
a Michigan citizen has turned out
to be the biggest challenge since
beating the draft board.
With the cost of a University
education, such as it is, rising fast-
er than the price of ground beef,
bread, and just about every other
necessity, impoverished out-state
students see the bestowal of in-
state tuition as an elusive salvation
which will allow us to continue
sinking in the academic mire here.
UNIVERSITY "officials", those
senile gnomes who populate the
numerous local ivory towers, claim
the new residency guidelines make,
it easier for people from foreign
lands like New York and Nebraska
to be counted among the 1 o y a 1
Wolverines.
But after examining the n e w
regulations, obviously the only peo-
ple who easily qualify are students
who already practice law, o w n
tenements, or have been members
of the Michigan National G u a r d
since kindergarden.
For that select few just a little
advice-don't spend your windfall
in one place.
THE REST OF US, however,
will have to tighten belts, h o c k
socks, or hawk dope in self defense
against the coming tuition bills.
Clearly the group responsible for
drawing up the guidelines has fol-
lowed in the foot steps of t h e
mighty Warren Commission and
Nixon's Watergate investigative
team, yet may well top both august
bodies for vague, incomprehen-
sible, and arbitrary results.
The four committee members ad-
mitted they really don't have a
clear concept of how to apply the
specific regulations. "The decisions
just aren't simple ones," one mem-
ber said. "The circumstances vary
so much."
AND TO complicate matters the
committee has also added a few
special guidelines of its own, such
as:
-on Tues. and Thurs. all type-
written requests are denied.
-any petition with mustard
stains is granted except if a com-
mittee member just had coneys for
lunch,
-every 43rd applicant must at-
tend an interview _session sched-
uled for 6:15 a.m. But after ar-
riving he finds out the meet has
been postponed until noon the next
day.
Once the committee turns down
a request the applicant can appeal
the decision to Vice President for
Academic Affairs Allan Smith, the
man with the second biggest ivory
suite in the University.
NEEDLESS TO SAY convincing
Smith, when the four who giveth
and takety away don't giveth, is
about as easy as coming to grips
with a half set bowl of jello.
After grappling with Smith, there
can be no appeal - not even to
President Gnome himself. That's
where the buck finally stops and
of course its in the Univesity's
pocket.
So when the autumn breezes be-
gin to blow and most students start
thinking about football, we unfor-
tunates lacking Michigan residency
will spend our time walking around
with noses to the ground looking
for ten dollar bills.
Energy crisis answer:
Let the sun shine in
By DICK WEST
WASHINGTON (UPI) - Whither and whence, you may well ask,
shall we derive our energy once present power resources are ex-
hausted?
The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind. Government ex-
perts tell us we shall obtain energy by harnessing the passing breeze.
And likewise from the golden-helmeted sun. Converting solar
energy to practical uses above and beyond getting a good suntan looms
large in current government planning.
EXCELLENT: The sun and the wind-friends to man. But what
of the falling rain?
Vast amounts of energy are expended by the gentle rain that
droppeth from heaven. Could not the pitter-patter on the roof also
become a power producer? *
Time will tell. Meanwhile, employment of these natural forces
in the tasks now performed by coal and oil is pleasant to contemplate.
For the restless wind and the burnished sun surely beat digging up
West Virginia and haggling with the Arabs. But some little worries
intrude upon this gladsome prospect. Will the technology for wind
and solar energy be available in time to prevent power shortages?
To be on the safe side, additional incentives and inducements are
needed to spur development in this field.
TOWARD THAT END, I should like to become the first to propose
a sun depletion allowance.
The sun isn't going to last forever, you know. Best present esti-
mates are that it will burn itselfout in roughly five billion years.
In some cases there may be a question as to whether five billion
years provides enough time to recover the capital outlay and still
make a decent profit.
BEAR IN MIND that these installations aren't going to be worth a
plugged nickel once the sun goes out. They'll be lucky to sell it for
scrap.
Such doubts could be removed by amending the Internal Revenue
Code to include a sun depletion allowance.
Under that provision, solar energy developers could write off a cer-
tain percentage of their taxes as compensation for investing in some-
thing which has a limited future.
Considering that the sun is burning itself out at a continuous rate
of 390 sextillion kilowatts of power, I would say a depletion deduction
of 26 per cent would be a fair allowance.
THAT WAY, most solar energy developers could amortize initial
plant and equipment costs in about 25 years. Leaving them 4,999,999,975
years in which to turn a modest profit.