OPINION

Page 4
Edited and managed by students atThe University of Michigan

Sunday, November 22, 1981

The Michigan Daily

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Vol. XCII, No. 64'

420 Maynard St.
Ann Arbor, M! 48109

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Editorials represent a majority opinion of the Daily's Editorial Board

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6

Talmers for LSA-SG

I F THEY COULD hear themselves
talk, they'd laugh - we hope. In an
interview with the Daily Thursday,
Margaret Talmers and Will Hathaway
spoke of committees on councils,
discussion groups, student forums and
"stressing interaction" as methods to
solve the college's problems; in short,
they spewed forth a lot of bureaucratic
mumbo-jumbo.
But sadly, Talmers and Hathaway,
seem to be the most viable presidential
and vice presidential candidates in the
LSA-Student Government elections.
The two are running on the Students
for Academic and Institutional
Development slate = the same group
that has held the reigns of power in
LSA-SG for the past three years - and
are still running with the same issues.
Yet, beneath their bureaucratic
rhetoric, Talmers and Hathaway have
some good ideas{ and a satisfactory
grasp of the problems currently con-
fronting LSA students. In addition,
Talmers would bring a year's ex-
perienceas LSA-SG vice president to
her past. The two candidates
recognize that student participation is
key to battling many of the college's
problems and have pledged to fight for
it. Their knowledge of dealing with
University red tape can be helpful to
making some gains in these areas.
SAID's most serious competition
comes from Mark Klein and Monmeta
Wilson of the Experienced Students in
Politics Party. But Klein and Wilson,
while 'they demonstr'ate a refreshing
idealism and exuberance that has long
been absent from student politics, also

demonstrate a profound and fundamen-
tal naivete toward LSA-SG which
could, ultimately, prove to be severely
detrimental to their administration.
The Elliot Erbas Party has managed
to throw some humor into the election
by running on a playform that in part
calls for the allocation of one Izod short
to each student, the eliminiation of all
morning classes, and the replacement
of the North Campus buses with "1500
little red wagons."
Ellot Erbas has clearly displayed in
their campaign literature a mastery of
incisive wit; the same literature,
however, seems to also display a
definite.lack of mastery of the con-
structive uses of student government.
Their bid for power is, we hope, a joke.
From their platform, Doug Meadow
and Jeff Hagan of the Students
Promoting an increase in
Knowledgeable Education party, seem
to have some good ideas, but nothing
exceptional. What was exceptional,
however, was the candidates' failure to
respond to inquiries, made through
their campaign manager, by the Daily
editorial board. Their failure makes
them seem to be inclined toward
either secrecy or laziness, neither of
which is acceptable in student gover-
nment.
The Daily, therefore, reluctantly en-
dorses Margaret Talmers and Will
Hathaway for president and vice
president of LSA-SG. We hope that
their experience and knowledge of the
issues Will tome forward - and that
they will not be swept up in their af-
finity for bureaucracy.

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A storm brews at U.N.

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-Puerto

Rico ties

Tables turn at EPA

I N THE OLD DAYS, it was Anne
Gorsuch who was to be feared.
When nominated by President Reagan
to head the Environmental Protection
Agency, Gorsuch proposed cutting 18
percent from the EPA operating
budget. Most environmentalists
feared, justifiably, that she was
systematically dismantling the agency
and would ultimately destroy many
important environmental gains of the
70s.
But now, even Gorsuch must fear for
the agency's well-being.
It was announced Wednesday that
the Office of Management and Budget
plans to cut the EPA's operating
budget by 36 percent in fiscal year
1983. Gorsuch, however, reportedly
argued such a cut would destroy the
agency and has vowed to fight for its
life.
Over the past year, the Reagan ad-
ministration has continuously demon-
strated little regard for the sanctity of

the environment. The administration
has made several attempts to loosen
environmental protections-weaken
the Clean Air Act and abolishing the
Council on Environmental Quality, for
instance-in an effort to appease large
corporations. Reagan's appointment of
James Watt, a fierce anti-environmen-
talist, to Interior Secretary is another
example of the administration's
disregard for the environment.
Until now, it has seemed as if Gor-
such has shared this same disregard.
But her reported willingness to fight
the proposed cut is encouraging. At
least she is not committed to the com-
plete destruction of the agency she
heads.
The nation's environment is far from
safe and needs an agency like the EPA
to ensure that it does not get worse.
The Reagan administration should not
be allowed to sacrifice that safety sim-
ply to go along with a senseless
economic plan.

By Antonio
Stevens-A rroyo
NEW 'YORK-With unrest
mounting in the Middle East,
NATO allies marching toward
neutralism, and the position of
the junta in El Salvador fast
deteriorating, the last thing
President Reagan's foreign
policy needs is a full-scale U.N.
debate on the question of Puerto
Rico's status.
But that is exactly what it may
get. On November 24 and 25, the
General Assembly will decide
whether or not to add such a
debate to its agenda for 1982, and
early indications are that the
motion will pass.
PAST DEBATES on Puerto
Rican status have been confined
to the Special Committee on
Decolonization, which has the
task of implementing U.N.
Resolution 1514 (XV), also known
as the Charter of Decolonization.
Even there, the United States of-
ten has managed to table con-
sideration of its treatment of the
Caribbean island.
Since the departure of influen-
tial Ambassador Andrew Young
from the U.S. delegation,
however, the committee has not
only approved consideration of
the Puerto Rican question, but
also amplified and toughened its
language denouncing alleged
U.S. violations of international
guidelines there. Nevertheless,
the Decolonization Committee
has no authority to send an in-
spection team, supervise a
plebiscite, administer a territory
or censure a U.N. member, so
that past resolutions generally
were ignored by the United
States.
A debate in the General
Assembly is another matter.
Sympathy for Puerto Rico runs
high among Third World nations
which dominate the international
body, and the assembly could
well adopt measures adverse to
the U.S. position on the island.
THE PRESIDENT'S con-
siderable powers of persuasion
might help defuse this situation,
but at the moment it does not ap-
pear likely that he will personally
intervene at the United Nations.
Instead, the matter will be left
to U.N. Ambassador Jeane
Kirkpatrick.
Kirkpatrick's handling of Latin

Jeane Kirkpatrick, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations
before the U.N. General Assembly. Her recent lobbying eff
have stirred up more controversy over U.S. policy in Puerto F
support for it.

believes that judged strictly on
its legal merits, the Puerto Rico
motion would win passage Nov.
25 and be included on the General
Assembly agenda for 1982. .
But the lobbying power of the
United States has her worried.
"They have a whole building full
of diplomats and staff across the
streeet," she said, pointing her
finger at the headquarters of the
U.S. delegation. "We have only
this tiny office and a volunteer 6
staff. Who knows what promises
or threats they are making in or-
der to sweep the issue of Puerto
Rico under the rug once again?"
INDEED, Ambassador Kirk-
patrick already has begun to
exert pressure on the Non-
Aligned Movement, which
delivered a strong statement of 6
supprt for Puerto Rico at its Oc-
AP PhotQ tober meeting.
Kirkpatrick sent a letter to
s, speaks about 40 members of the 93-
orts may nation movement, challenging
Rico than them to explain why they would
vote for a series of resolutions
that, in her words, amounted to
an Bar "lies" and "exaggerations"
at U.N. about the United States.
"Puerto
at status IN THE meantime, former
nited in U.N. Ambassador and now New
cide the York Sen. Daniel Moynihan has
attached a non-binding __"sense
d States of the Senate" rider to all foreign
t Spain air appropriations, asking the
sion of president to consider eliminating
ed as a U.S. support to any country
ear, the which signed the movement
status document supporting Puerto
United Rico.
I and its At Cancun, however, President
f self- Reagan unwittingly undercut this d
dely ini- strategy when he announced fur-
ational ther restrictions in U.S. aid. "The
toward Reaganites have shot themselves
in the foot again," said a staff.
Puerto member of the Cuban delegation
titioned who preferred to remain uniden-
iers: in tified. "They need to use foreign
,ach oc- aid as a tool to get their way at
efused the U.N., but they go to Cancun
suppr and take that weapon out of the
hsppers hands of their diplomats.
hcating "Countries have nothing to lose
ence in by voting our way now. and may
tions to do so just to spite the United
States."

America in recent months has
been far from successful. Prior to
the Decolonization Committee
debate on Puerto Rico in August,
she made a whirlwind trip to key
Latin American capitals in sear-
ch of support for a motion to table
the Puerto Rican issue.
BUT THE visits stirred up
more controversy than support,
and a Cuban and Iraqi-sponsored
resolution calling for self-
determination for the'island
passed in the committee, with
greater support than ever before.
Kirkpatrick's difficulties were
particularly telling in the case of
Venezuela, which the -ad-
ministration had hoped to con-
vert into an active advocate of
U.S. policy in Puerto Rico.
The net result, however, was a
September 14 speech to the
United Nations by Venezuelan
President Luis Herrera Campins,
in which the centrist statesman
declared: "I hope that the day is
not far off in which the Latin
American people of Puerto Rico
will take their place" among new
Caribbean states enjoying "full
sovereignty."
"THIS HOPE of all Latin
America is sustained by the con-
viction that it is only the Puerto
Rican people who can determine
their future," Campins added.
In much the same vein, Luis
Camacho, president of the

prestigious Puerto Rica
Association, testified'
hearings held in August:
Ricans may differ on wha
we prefer, but we are all u
our, demand to freely dec
issue."
Acquired by the iJiite
after the 1898 war agains
the Caribbean possess
Puerto Rico was classifi
colony until 1952. In that y
present commonwealth
was conferred by the
States, granting the island
people a measure o
government that was wi'
terpreted by the intern
community as a first step
eventual independence.
THREE TIMES the
Rican government has pe
Congress for greater pow
1969, 1967 and 1972. On e
casion, the request was r
Hence, in 1978 even thes
ters of the commonwealth
joined with those adv(
statehood and independ
requesting the United Na
push the United States to fu
obligations and decolonize
Rico.
Wilma Reverson, whos
York-based Office for
mation on Interna
Solidarity for the Indepe
of Puerto Rico monitor
deliberations on thei


ulll its
Puerto
se New
Infor-
ational
ndence
s U.N.
island,

Stevens-A rroyo is vice
president of the advisory
committee to the U.S. Com-
mission on Human Rights. He
wrote this article for Pacific
News Service.

6

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LETTERS TO THE DAILY:
UGLI beautification unnecessary

To the Daily:
Now is not the proper time to
begin a remodeling project
within the University's Un-
dergraduate Library. Earlier

that I should prepare myself for
another hike in the already high
tuition rates if Mr. Norden insists
on having unneeded luxuries in
the UGLI? This university is not

being a "watering hole" and it's
the noise and commotion that
makes the UGLI a most distur-
bing and unappealing place to
study. Obviously, there has been

answer for making the UGLI a
more appealing and inviting
place to study. With Norden's
plan to carpet some of the floors
there will no doubt be a lot of
Ch4..,4,nfe.anh^.L L ."-# -- K C!a1

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