4 OPINION Page 4 Saturday, November 3, 1984 The Michigan Daily I ., Edited and managed by students at The University of Michigan Sinclair czar 1 t .. 4 (1 ('0eie- Vol. XCV, No. 51 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 1 ( ' "T'11t Editorials represent a majority opinion of the Daily's Editorial Board Write-ins for regent ST HIS UNIVERSITY needs regents who will fill the important function of listening to diverse view-points and con- scientiously formulating policy based on more than the wishes of their party and the University administration. The regents tend to do nothing more than provide a rubber stamp to the ad- ministration's policies and are democratically elected in only the most warped sense of the term. None of the official candidates are accep- table. Two write-in candidates who we feel would represent the best interests of the University are current regent Gerald Dunn and former University student David Mikelthun. The regents come into town two days out of every month and essen- tially do nothing. An hour is divided in- to five-minute segments for public comments but apart from that their time is spent listening to and agreeing with the administration. In the past few years the only divisive issue was the decision not to extend classified research guidelines. The regents' stance toward the administration is completely supportive, rarely questioning. Thus, the voice of the students is entirely lost. The regents have made it perfectly clear that the student voice doesn't matter in the formulation of University policies. Their willingness to pass over the heads of the students to enact the proposed code of non-academic conduct is a stark and representative example of this lack of regard for student feeling. Regent Thomas Roach summed up the problem nicely when he said, "the University is not a democracy." Un- fortunately, it doesn't even approach a democracy. There is no mechanism for student or even faculty input. The regents have proven time and again that they are philosophically and blatantly opposed to any student power. Realistically, only drastic, in- stitutional changes can reverse the situation. We would like to see two seats for students and two seats for faculty on the Board of Regents. That, however, is a dream that will most cer- tainly never be fulfilled. Working within the system, we recommend the write-in candidate, David Mikelthun who ran a makeshift campaign for regent earlier in the year with the belief that a student belongs on the board. We share that belief and support him for regent. From the start Mikelthun didn't st- and a chance within the party system.Even though he may have ser- M! ved the University better than any other candidate, he lacked member- ship in the closed circle of Michigan party politics. Partisanship has affec- ted and will continue to adversely af- fect the University. The citizens of Michigan do vote for the regents, which gives the im- pression that it is a democratic process. In reality, however, their selection is carefully orchestrated by the Democratic and Republican parties to reflect who the parties want to see in office, not who'the people want to have in office. In August Michigan's Democratic Labor Caucus voted over- whelmingly to reject University Regent Gerald Dunn's bid for reelec- tion. This "democratic" decision had nothing to do with the best interests of the state or the University. Party leadership, particularly leaders of the United Auto Workers, simply found Dunn personally disagreeable. Democracy and good government finished a distant second behind par- tisan politics. The Democratic Party robbed us of our only real choice for regent. The nominated Democrats Marjorie Lansing and Robert Nederlander are a part of the same system that rejected Dunn. If elected, nothing can be expec- ted from them but the same old thing. Lansing admirably talks about in- creasing minority enrollment, but when it comes down to it none of the existing regents, with the exception of Dunn, or those up for election will make the sacrifices necessary. Everyone agrees it is a problem, but within the system there is not enough courage or will to take the measures necessary to achieve success. Dunn did more than talk about problems, he tried to do something about them. In addition, he was a par- ticularly good representative of the student community. He consistently voiced opposition to the Solomon Amendment, opposed last year's 9.5 tuition hike, and was the first to propose the University's divestment from its holdings in South Africa. In fact, he has been the only regent to recognize student concerns as legitimate. We urge that Dunn be sup- ported by a write-in vote. David Mikelthun and Gerald Dunn may not be a constructive way to vote, but voting for the official candidates is worthless. Whether Democratic or Republican, the result will be the same: the regents will continue to ignore the student body and continue to do little more than give a blank check to the administration. II MR. WNTISTAR WAL DE MPRARI, UNT% WE 11 A Je too 't The facts about Reagan By Eli Chalfin I was deeply disturbed by Sherri Silber's article in the last issue of Consider. As a Mondale supporter myself, I was dismayed to find Silber's article not only commensurate to Carl Edelman's pro-Reagan article in political rhotoric, but as undynamic as Mon- dale himself. Obviously, Silber and Mondale are mutually deficient in their ability to communicate effectively and subsequently fail to convincingly make their message heard. Silber is correct when she says that this election is not about the Olympic torch, but this election is nothabout pro-Mondale political rhetoric either. This election is about the facts: The inconsistencies, political double talking, and insensitivity of the Reagan administration. REAGAN HAS vowed to remove government from the public's back, yet he has pushed his presidential nose into such issues as abortion and religious prayer. The president is adamant about his anti-abortion position by emphasizing his moral and religious convic- tion. However, as Governor of California, Reagan signed into law one of the most liberal pro-abortion laws in history. How does one account for such a monumental reversal in, moral and religious conviction? The fact is that the Reagan administration professes the importance of the separation of church and state. Then how does one account for his adamant stance on prayer in schools. This last weekend the president attended a political rally in a synogogue on Long Island, and in the vice-presidential debate Bush stated that one of the evils of the Marxist- Leninist regime of Nicaragua was that it didn't recognize the church. Now I ask you, is this administration's policy truly indicative of separation of church and state, or are we being deceived? In the 1980 debate, Reagan promised the public that the budget would be balanced by 1983 and that he would never cut social security benefits. However, immediately af- ter his inauguration the president proposed a 20 billion dollar cut in social security. The fact is that the budget wasn't balanced by 1983, and instead we have the greatest deficits in our history. Should we really put our faith in this president for another four, unrestrained years? In foreign policy, the president has claimed great successes. The Grenada invasion was hailed last week with pomp and ceremony. The fact is, that if Grenada was such and overwhelming success, then why has the Pen- tagon refused to issue an official report to this day? The president accepted full respon- sibility for the Beirut bombings. The fact is that in the last presidential .debate, the president blamed the Pentagon staff for the ill-positioning of the Marines. Again, I ask you, what does it mean for the president to accept full responsiblity and why did he shirk. responsibility in the debate? THE FACT is that the people of this country are being deceived. The fact is that there is a secret war being waged by the CIA in Nicaragua. We did mine a Nicaraguan har- bor. For the first time in history we were for- ced to refuse judgement by the World Court because it was clear that our actions were in violation of international law. It is a fact that the CIA produced a terrorist manual, and it is also a fact that Reagan has asked William Casey, CIA director, to investigate the mat- ter. This is the same man who masterminded the acquisition of Carter's briefing notes for Reagan in the 1980 debate. Again, I propose the question: do people honestly believe that the current administration is not deceiving us, and will they continue to accept an ad- ministration that sweeps important issues under the rug? I am a firm believer in the idea that the people with whom the president surrounds himself truly determine the quality of the administration. The fact is that the president has not been able to dissociate himself from the likes of Edwin Meese, William Casey, An- ne Burford, and James Watt, even when politically pressed. Isn't this indicative of the president's insensitivity to the American people? How can one remainso committed to Edwin Meese as Attorney General when there is so much controversy over his credibility? ON THE issue of arms control, the president has pursued a policy dedicated to nuclear weapons. He has pressed ahead with his Star Wars missile defense which has only suc- ceeded in forcing the arms race into space. The facts are first, that most scientists believe the development of this defense weapon to be impractical and unfeasible until the late 21st century, and second, that an in- dependent military research organization in Europe this week declared that the president's proposal would only serve to in- crease the nuclear arms race. Besides, the monetary cost for a perfected weapon of this type would be unbelievable, and to commit to underdeveloped technology would be wasteful. It is a fact that this president has balked at all previous arms treaties, and has failed to provide any plausible proposals. Mondale is committed to strengthening conventional for- ces so that we do not need to rely on nuclear weapons and a first strike capability as our defense. I ask you, who will be better able to negotiate with the Russians, Mondale, or a president who has already had a chance and failed and who has already publicly joked about declaring nuclear war on Russia? The fact is that Reagan's civil rights record is shameful. Countless federal judges have had to order the administration to restore disability payments to thousands of helpless people. The fact is that five Supreme Court justices could be appointed by this president, the consequences of. which would leave their mark on the civil liberties of this land until the year 2000. It would prevent ratification of ERA, equal pay for equal work, and would render abortion illegal without exception. The president had claimed great success in his handling of the ecomony. Although it is true that there is an apparent recovery, people don't look at the facts. Real interest rates are up, residential construction is down, there are more people on welfare than ever before, and more people beneath the poverty line. Even if people want to believe that the economy is better off than four years ago, we must have foresight enough to forecast what will happen when the bubble bursts. In his letter to Nixon in 1960, Reagan said he "year- ned to hear someone come before us and talk specifics instead of generalities." Then I ask you, is this what this president has done? Why hasn't he announced his plan to reduce the deficit, or does he truly believe it will magically disappear? I believe the public has a right to know the facts and that is why I feel that although Mondale is neither the most dynamic of per- sonalities nor the most photogenic of can- didates, he is knowledgeable, realisitic, and truly for the people. Chalfin is a senior in LSA. I Bullard for state House LETTERS TO THE DAILY Support those with conscience FOR THE PAST twelve years Perry Bullard has effectively represented Ann Arbor in the state House of Representatives. Originally elected with the support of students here at the University, he has not forgotten the constituents who had been his original supporters. Bullard has acted admirably in the past few years to oppose the conservative "tax cutters" who have recently invaded the state Legislature. Bullard's opponent, the perennial suggest that the Republican voters of Ann Arbor do the same. Jensen does not deserve any of the partisan sup- port which normally comes with the winning of a primary. Bullard's proposal to insure the rights of students in the state assem- bly, and his support of the Nuclear Free Ann Arbor proposal proves that he is generally concerned with his con- stituents and not his own political gain. Also his Solar Tax Credits legislation is a positive step forward for the state of To the Daily: We have, of course, all ap- plauded the brave stand of the KOR group (the intellectual brain-trust of Solidarity) who, in the Polish prison, defied the chicannery of the Polish regime by insisting that "We must follow our conscience. We must not be guilty bystanders." We also awaited with some anxiety and great fascination for the trial that was scheduled to take place in July 1984 - for during this trial the members of the KOR group were determined to hiurn the tahlec a~nd n,rrtI the in far away countries. We seem to be less compassionate and less understanding to the voices of conscience in our midst, even though in the samemanner they insist that: "We must follow our conscience. We must not be guilty bystanders." I am now refering to the forth- coming trial of the 11 Progressive Student Network members, which is to take place on Novem- ber 8. It is curious to me, and BLOOM COUNTY really incomprehensible that those young people would be denied the right to speak in their own defense, to speak their own conscience - something that the political prisoners in the Com- munist Poland were not denied. Are we so afraid of the views of our young people with conscience that we cannot even allow these views to be heard? Is our system of justice less liberal than the system of justice of the Communist Poland which granted those who wished to speak in their own defense to do so? Those questions will no doubt arouse uncomfortable feelings in many of you - and so they should. -Henryk Skolimowski October 27 Skolimowski is a University humanities professor by Beske Brathed w auiiinuwni I iPf'Ar f CAME /N amR I ...i~r AVM i'.1