0 OPINION Page4 Thursday, February 11 1982 The Michigan Daily Edited and managed by students at The University of Michigan Repression in El Salvador Vol. XCII, No. 109 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 as U. S. military aid grows Editorials represent a majority opinion of the Daily's Editorial Board Careless construction THE UNIVERSITY, through its dis- regard for precautionary health measures, carelessly brought the potential for asbestos exposure to every student and worker who last month walked through the -Michigan Union or the Frieze Building. Fear spread quickly late in January when it was speculated that renovations in the two University buildings were uncovering possibly harmful materials. It was believed that the clouds of dust produced by new constructin ac- tivities contained asbestos, a dangerous carcinogen. The complaints of asbestos, first published January 30 in the Daily, sparked a belated University in- vestigation. Officials, who neglected to look for asbestos before the remodeling, decided that late testing was preferable to no testing and rushed buildings samples off to the University's Department of Environ- ment and Occupational Health and Safety. As fear and speculation on the presence of asbestos grew, the state stepped in and began its own inquiry. The University, meanwhile, hastened to amend its negligence by instituting safety measures, such as sealing off potentially contaminated areas of both buildings, a move that was enacted a .Unbal ane F-RQM ALL SIDES the Reagan administration's proposed budget finally is receiving the harsh criticism it deserves. The time is thus ripe for Congress to transform this criticism into political action and change the budget proposals before they become law. Next fiscal year's budget has been announced, and its pending deficit, which was supposed to shrink under Reagan's plan, has ballooned to $91.5 billion. The president discarded his in- famous promises of a balanced budget by 1984 some time ago, but the hopes for minor progress toward that goal were still plausible only last week. Now this goal is nowhere in sight. The ,problem behind Reagan's budget quandary is a simple one. The administration cannot, as it has at- tempted to do with its new budget, in- crease military spending by $40 billion and at the same time cut taxes. The numbers for a balanced budget simply don't ladd, up. Federal revenues are decreasing due. to tax breaks while military expenditures are increasing. A budget deficit was inevitable. Earlier, the administration had hoped that slashing federal aid programs would compensate for lost tax revenues and increased military spending, but the aid cuts necessary to balance the budget would border on bit too late for comfort. The tests, however, revealed no asbestos in the Frieze Building materials, but asbestos was uncovered in the Union pipe insulation. Univer- sity health officials claimed that the news was fortunate, since construction had not yet reached these pipes. But this seemingly happy conclusion cannot excuse the , University's careless handling of the matter. The precautions now in effect were long overdue. Even more frightening, asbestos testing might never have oc- curred if public outcry had not prodded University officials into action. The University could avoid repeating such needless danger to students and workers by forming and- adhering to a definitive safety policy for its construction sites. Before knocking down any more walls, the University should make use of its own environmental testing centers and make certain it endangers no more of the Ann Arbor community. The University's negligence has not produced substantial harm during this asbestos scare, but unless such blun- ders are prevented in the future, serious damage to the population's health could occur. A strict con- struction health code is needed to assure that dangerous cases such as this one will never happen again. d Teasoning Ramon Cartdona is a member of the El Salvadoran teacher's union, a rebel labor group that is closely affiliated with the guerrilla Revolutionary Democratic Front forces. Cartdona, who was born in El Salvador, appeared on campus as part of the Central American Teach-in this weekend and conducted a workshop on current agricultural conditions in El Salvador. Cartdona spoke with Daily Opinion Page Editor Julie Hinds about the extent To peoplewho aren't involved in political ac- tivities? Cartdona: Yes. The recent massacre of nineteen civilians in one of the suburbs of San Salvador, from the information that I have, is that troops just came in. They came in, chose different places, and rounded people up at random. They do this because they need to terrorize the population. Whenever there are suburbs or rural areas, where there is believed to be sympathy for the opposition forces, they do these kinds of things, whether a person is a member of an opposition forcq or not. It is a means of intimidating and terrorizing the rest of the villages who in fact do nothing to help the government's op- position. Daily: Have there been any agricultural reforms? Cartdona: There have been several tries, in 1976, and other times, but the big landowners refused reforms. When Duarte came in he announced three phases of reforms. The first phase carried out and appropriated about 15 percent of the land for redistribution, but af- 4 inhumane. The social services cuts already in effect and the cuts proposed in Reagan's New Federalism payment switch are a shoddy excuse for passing the budget buck. The poor may not be able to survive under the ad- ministration's proposals and even- tually the consequences will be felt. Yet Reagan stands by his plan. "Before the budget came out you could hear the sounds of knees jerking all over Washington. Despite all the talk, there is a deafening silence on alter- natives," Reagan said yesterday in Iowa. The Democrats should either put up or shut up, he added. So now the Democrats must come up with an alternative, and they must do it fast'. There already has been one Democratic proposal for a freeze on federal spending until 1984, which might reduce the deficit to $40 billion by that year. The initial reaction to this alternative has been reserved, but legislators in Washington realize that a better budget strategy than the current Reagan plan is necessary. It can only be hoped that our elected leaders in Congress will revise Reagan's budget with sensitivity and intelligence. Reagan's budget plan, a shameful political ploy that ignores economic realities, will hopefully be opposed and defeated by responsible Congressional leadership. of the government's repression in El Salvador and the aims and purposes of the revolutionary guerrillas. Daily: What is the current strength of the Revolutionary Democratic forces? Will they be strong enough to take over the existing government?. Cartdona: We think we could if it weren't for massive U.S. aid-in terms of training Salvadoran troops, sending military advisors, and sending millions of dollars of military aid. Now we're getting $55 million more in U.S. aid. Remember we're talking about a country of five million. That's a lot of aid. In terms of Salvadorans who will die, it will be thousands. For our military strength, we've been fighting since 1970, so we've developed the means necessary, the confidence of the people, the support of the people to carry out what we call a successful people's war. It's not an isolated war; the army lives with the people, mingles with the people. In that sense, we cannot be destroyed. If we are to be destroyed, Robert White, former U.S. am- bassador to El Salvador, said himself that 35 percent of the population will have to be destroyed. Daily: Secretary of State Haig recently said the United States would do "whatever is necessary" to support the existing gover- nment of El Salvador's President Duarte. Do you think U.S. troops may be introduced into El Salvador? Cartdona: We're really afraid of that. But with people like Haig, like Reagan, and others we're truly afraid that when it is seen that elections serve no purpose, when the junta breaks down militarily, they (Duarte's government) might in a desperate move in- volve other Latin American dictatorships, and eventually U.S. troops, unless the people in the United States create an opposition movement to stop such intervention. Daily: Reagan certified to Congress that the Duarte government has made im- provements concerning human rights? Is that true? Cartdona: No. If that were true, how come thirty, forty, fifty people are still being killed just within a 24 hour period? And killed in the most atrocious man- ner-multilations, wholesale massacres. No, on the contrary, there has been an increase of the killing of civilians by the army and by its death squads. Daily: How far does the repression extend? fine, but they will have to pay taxes and pay due wages and they will have to allow workers the freedom to organize, which up to this moment they do not allow, We're talking about settting- up an economic base whereby the workers can enjoy the benefits of produc- tion. We want to involve the people, not just, let them vote or express an opinion once ina, while, but make them organize the changes in, their own communities. In foreign realtions, we want to keep relations with all countries of the world, but"; be non-aligned with any superpower and be in. favor of dentente. Daily: When was the last time you were in El Salvador? Cartdona:In January of last year. In Mar ch my name appeared in one of the leading newspapers linked with that of what the government calls "terrorists." Then I knew I was irn danger if I went back, for when youi name appears in the newspapers it's as if you are on a government hit list. ter that for three years very few land titles have been reclaimed for the peasants. And those who have been given land are said to be members of paramilitary organizations. The land reforms have been used to occupy the countryside and spread the reign of terror. If Duarte really meant to help the landless peasants, he would have implemented phase two, which involved the redistribution of 50 percent of private lands. Maybe that would have helped. That would have broken the strength of the huge landowners, and the cof- fee plantation owners. But land reforms have not been established and have, as Duarte said, been postponed indefinitely. The land reform has been a sham, only created to give the junta some legitimacy abroad. Daily: What sort of government would the Revolutionary Democratic Front set up if' they were to gain power. What changes do they propose? Cartdona: What we want to set up is a pluralistic democracy with a mixed economic base. Deep and profound structural changes have to take place in the society. One of the most fundamental changes involves the land. We must stop two percent of the people from controlling 60 percent of the land, often the best land. And the workers in urban areas of- ten receive very little money. Not even Daily: What were your reasons for joining the teacher's union and becoming involved, with the Revolutionary Democratic Front? Cartdona: I was attending a university in 195 at the time El Salvador was holding the Miss Universe pageant and wasting thousands of dollars on it. There was a student protest over spending all that money; over 30 people were killed. It was one of the first massacres in San. Salvador. I was shocked by it. That got me in- volved in politics. Daily: What about your recent tours of college campuses. What is the mood of students toward El Salvador? Cartdona: I've found a very bad attitude among students toward Reagan's policies. I've been to 28 states and I've found sym- pathetic audiences. It's evident that people are saying no to U.S. involvement in El Salvador. The Reagan administration is sup- porting a brutal, criminal dictatorship. The way that the United States is acting militarily in El Salvador, the conditions exist to have another war like the one in Vietnam where the troops may land but they won't get out next week. They'll stay there a long, long time. We in El Salvador don't want that to happen because it will mean more human beings killed, not only El Salvadorans, but North Americans as well. ,, s .R , + .+ b i 9 Y enough to subsist on. creaseon salaries. porations want to stay There will be an in- If transitionalcor- in El Salvador, that's Dialogue is a weekly feature of the Daily''s Opinion Page and appears every Thursday. By Robert Lence n8 -t" .y, , _, ... : - . . , .. . r.. ....f rwrrMrrw r i i r i - ' 4 k r'?. Tii . Y ;, R .' IM MAD AS HELL AND I'M NOT GONNA TAKE REAGANOMICS ANYMORE! Weasel LIKE WATER L PONT RUSHIN DWN BIKE THIS TIE RAINISO RE OE C ~k6 "THE YOUNG\(. ANT THE RUTHILESS. " YOUL L AVE TO FIL-LME If ON WHATA6, G~t ( am H=R BA1 )TtFUL BOE W1THM TH LE . JE4~'SSICA, XgSwRA14MF BUTRANOL.+F FRIEND. SC ANYWAY, 3FS546A is GOaW6 M TRY 7b POION4 MER. HUSSAUJ1 Q0VtIN 6RDEIK. b H15 Mt'1UON$. air W#V JESS5(44 WAIT- i5 THERE ANYiONE YHOs v~oT C-HEAIM& ON I5ONrbNE. WLE- 3&55 [CA'S MOT14.. BUT sf#E. IN A C~OMA. 0. 5a I r II 7V7 /1 LETTERS TO THE DAILY: Hands off A meric 'an cultural trends enjoys things that millions of modern American art that is in-' other uncultured slobs enjoy? sipid-it is you. To the Daily: This is written in response to criticism. Mick Jagger has brought new t I-