Page 4- The Michigan Daily-- Tuesday, March 17,1992 Editor in Chief fG y,2 ba v LIN G r > CHU~CK 1T-1 Z 9-LY 0Q114 ,, , 1r _ 1. ,_ ,...- 420 Maynard Street Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109 764 - 0552 W MAI'IHIEW D. RIENNIIE Opinion Editors YAEL CITRO GEOFFREY EARLE AMITAVA MAZUMDAR Edited and Managed by Students at the University of Michigan , ,'"1c I Unsigned editorials represent a miajority of the Daily's Editorial Board. All other cartoons, signed articles, and letters do not necessarily represent the opinion of the Daily. .'0:.:.i.?.! T IL .r s }{.....'"...............T..} }..... ... ............... ;v" " ..: ....... .... .....%VA I -1 Remember to vote today Frustration and anger with the Washington es tablishment is widespread. The front-pages of our major newspapers are splashed with scandal- ous news: a rape in Palm Beach, congressional check-bouncing, the savings and loan fiasco, and Rubbergate. Voters in the 1990 election promised to "throw the bums out." Naturally, because the populace failed to react, the bums are still there. This year, voters will choose the first president since the end of the Cold War. Anew era may begin with the 1992 election. Only if every citizen exer- cises their franchise will the people have a hand in directing the future of the United States. Don't forget to vote. Hours before the 1948 election, pollsters were declaring the wide-margin victory of Republican Thomas Dewey. Millions of Republican voters, certain of Dewey's victory, never showed up to the polls. The citizens who supported Truman, by exercising their right to vote, sent Harry Truman back to the White House. In 1960, President John Kennedy won by less than 200,000 votes - a fraction of a percent. The United States came frighteningly close to electing the man who called Truman a traitor and used his dog Checkers to save his career. Gov. James Blanchard suffered a surprising defeat to Gov. John Engler last year. Today, many Michigan residents regret the Republican victory. The arts, general assistance, care for the mentally ill, the environment, and a wide array of other state concerns have suffered at the hands of the axe- wielding Engler. Engler's win-margin was slim. Had more voted, he may not be governor today. Citizens in Eastern Europe and China shed blood to restore the government to the people - some successfully, some not. As the tanks rolled through Tiananmen Square and through the Red Square in Moscow, the Chinese and Russians con- fronted authoritarian regimes with the courage of true democrats. With the revolution of democracy in Eastern Europe, many wonder how democracy has fared at home. The chasm between the rich and the desti- tute has widened. The number of homeless has doubled since 1980. Some 30 million Americans can't afford to see a doctor. Despite popular opin- ion, everybody is affected by politics, both in Lansing and in Washington. Still, less than half of all eligible voters cast their ballots in presidential elections. Even less show up if it rains. Today's primary will send hundreds of del- egates to the political conventions this summer. After the 1968 Democratic convention, the pri- mary system was revamped to better include citi- zens in the process of choosing the party candidate. Michigan residents should take advantage of this. The election today is important- as important as any other. Remember to vote. ,G-I- AL r.-. r.. i -" -' . .. N Cs' Ct.,-- ,v'- " / , 4 > - r § C~1g w . ~. L /'72~ ~ i r -1111...__...... / ©I 0O o !' c J____ 1i 0 \ \X CDNG OfONAL- 10 : . . _ _ ".1" .1Y. " " M " 1i" " 1.111".1" "'.11": :" ".1": '.1":.11".1"J.":: t.1"::. :.1".'.iY.11":::::: ".1"::: "::::.i":.i":.M"::::: ".i11i:": :" i::1:1":.i\i1:1i".":::.1" 1.. :1.; ".ti".::Y:ti:::ti":' ::":1.1 "::1::::.};: :"; .V.1}:ti':ti':Y}::ti::::"3:rii".:.i.:::":"::"1:1"":"i"::"........i..... ..h .........t ..1 '.' 1 .4 . .11.: ...i1 .1 ..................................".:::::.1.11": Y:: ":.1":::. ::::: : :.::. :.1"::::.1 .i':::: ". :..:."::..............: '. ':.1"::: ".1".'.11'... 1};. : : .1 1V 1"::.Y:: " " ..1: :':.i': 1": i1":. :.1 ............................................1 ...1..:...... ..; .:..........: 1":: "':. : :.".":. :.1"::::::::. :::: :"::::." Y:.1":.".":'.1 ::1 :. '1 1. 11..1..1...:.. 11 ".1Y.1"{:. .. ..1:.1:.11"'ti"":.:' ":. : 1"::::: X::. :.1 :.": ".V: '.': " ": '.1":: '.": :1" ".:":.V::.:" .:":.1::.:.: t::."::. :.:...:.1..:....... . ..1 1JI .1y]{I , ..M 1" " ".1':.i .1i:.1S'.i1':.1:.: ".":'::":\111:.1 ". ..1 ........... ..1 :.1":: :11": :":: ": " " ":: .:1Y.; .1Y::. .". :.... ":.1.., ..i . ..i...i ..1... ..i ......1 . ..1: Y: 1 ...: 1:": "":::::: ".1".:...::: '.: ":.111"::.... .,:.'::.": ."."}.':": :".:':":.:"::"::V:" ti" '.1 ................ .... .... ..: .. y.... .... .... .1...1 . . 1 " i1" 1:::::::::. :. ":::.::.: ... ..:::.".":.a::.1^::::. ::::.i;.": :.....1...::... N.....1.. :.1 :"::::::. 11:.i".::"::".1iV..1":.i'::::::::::..: :11".111":: ................1 ... ..:..:::..:..::..................1..". :.,.................................. .................................................... Credit cut continues uncorrected L ast year, the LSA Curriculum Committee voted to change all upper-level history and political science classes from four credits to three credits. Even after condemnation by both departments and a severe drop in enrollment in history and political science classes, the LSA Curriculum Committee refuses to reverse its decision. This damaging decision will continue to weaken the quality and bradth of courses undergraduates take. This original decision to decrease the credit values of these courses was made under the pre- sumptionthatthenumberofclassroom hours should reflect the amount of credit awarded, while bring- ing the History and Political Science departments iwline with the rest of the University. This reason- ing is flawed, because the relative amount of work for the credits received in upper-level classes is greatly disproportionate to the amount of work done in lower-level classes. Since the credit changes, both the History and lfolitical Science departments have reported a 15 tb 18-percent drop in enrollment. With less stu- dents taking classes, cutbacks are sure to follow. With these departments offering less credits, students will have two options when scheduling their classes. They can take five upper-level three- credit classes, and risk faring poorly because of the overwhelming workload. Or, if students want to avoid overburdening themselves, they would have to stay an extra year, spending thousands of dollars in additional tuition. The committees decision to cut credits seems to be an ingenious money-mak- ing scam for the University. One of the purposes of a liberal-arts education is to take classes in a wide variety of areas and to gain an understanding of a variety of subjects. The University attempts to meet this ideal through its distribution requirement. But, with the credit decreases, even fewer stu- dents who are not concentrating in history or political science will be able to select advanced courses in the two fields of study. Many will simply not be able to afford to devote the necessary effort to these difficult classes if they only offer three credits. The vast majority of non-concentra- tors will have little exposure beyond the rudimen- tary basics of History 161 and Political Science 101. Unfortunately, the LSA Curriculum Commit- tee will not yield, despite the lack of positive results during this past yearto justify this draconian decision. The committee should at the very least, reopen the subject for discussion among teachers, students and administrators. Allegations of letter were tasteless To the Daily: I am compelled to write in response to Rick Shick's letter ("Flier tacky, not sexist," 2/19/ 92). Shick has unfortunately bought into a stereotype that has plagued women for centuries: the belief that women who do not participate in life as virgins do so as prostitutes. I need only point to Shick's own mother, who I can only hope, was "a willing participant in the whole copulatory act," and who is, according to the logic of her son, "a slut and a woman of loose morals," to demonstrate the horrendous implications of such a statement. Shick claims to find Theta Delta Chi lacking in "taste and sophistication." If this is true, perhaps he should consider rushing there; the allegations of his letter are among the most tasteless that I've encountered at this University. Stephanie Cook RCsenior Judge thyself To the Daily: The front cover of the U. magazine distributed with The Daily (3/11/92) has a blurb on it bitching about the lack of intelli- gence shown by college students today. I just thought this was kinda funny coming from a publication which calls itself "The National College Newspaper" and which reads, looks and feels like a section that fell out of USA Today. Pete Dresslar LSA junior Bullard unfit for Judgeship To the Daily: As of late, I am forced to ask why the Daily deems it so important to parrot everthing Perry Bullard (D-Ann Arbor) says as truth. This is particularly tragic in light of what the man has to say. It is also somewhat laughable that the words and minutiae of the life of Bullard headline above the news of the real world, i.e. that nebulous region outside of Ann Arbor. Bullard exposes himself as unfit for a judgeship with words expressing deep-felt political prejudice. His statements about conservatives in both parties show a type of blind impassioned liberalism that escapes the bounds of rationalism. Calling Bill Clinton "trou- bling" and Pat Buchanan a "fascist" is a tactic that reeks of McCarthyism. Blind extremism on either side of the political fence is dangerous. For Bullard to attack his opponents on what they are and not what they stand for is in itself prejudiced. The simple labels he attaches to people don't help his position, and certainly don't go very far to explain what the American people are thinking. A judgeship requires at least a pretense of being nonpartisan and ideologically neutral. It would be a crime for a man with such deep- seated irrational views to hold a position whose purpose is to interpret laws in a neutral fashion. Dante Stella LSA sophomore Alcohol abuse, serious problem * To the Daily: It is unfortunate that a major problem on this campus such as alcohol abuse be used to bash the Conservative Coalition (CC). While I certainly agree with the fact that last year's Alcohol Awareness Week events were a "disaster" due to the extremely low turnout, the truth is that alcohol abuse is one of the premier issues among students. For those who are binge drinkers, blackouts are common. Alcohol is a factor in more than half of the reported rape and sexual assault cases on campus. There is even some evidence to suggest that alcoholism may be passed on to future generations through biological means. Your attack on the "puritanical moral- ity" of those who would have students make wiser decisions with regards to alcohol consump- tion is disappointing. Part of a newspaper's responsibility is to inform its readers. Also, the insinuating reference to the "many" CC representatives who are members of the Corner- stone Christian Fellowship was uncalled for. It does not matter whether Michigan Student Assembly representatives are Christians, Jews or otherwise. Finally, your suggestion that LSA Representative Scott Gast "loosen up and have a drink" is in contempt of the law, which currently prohibits consumption of alcohol (responsible or otherwise) for those under the age of 21. I hope the Daily uses better judgement in the future regarding alcohol on campus. Michael Barry LSA sophomore Rubbergate revisited The U.S. House of Representatives voted 426- 0 early Friday morning to release the names of all 355 members who wrote bad checks at the House Bank over a 39-month period. The irrespon- sibility displayed by these representatives by their part in the check-writing scandal, as well as other abuses of power, fosters the notion that the Con- gtess has become an imperial branch of govern- mient. For the 24 worst offenders, detailed informa- tion outlining the number of bounced checks and their amounts have been released. The worst of- fender, former Rep. Tommy Robinson (D-Ark.) bounced 996 checks totaling nearly half-a-million dollars. Four Michigan members have admitted to louncing checks: Rep. John Dingell (D-Trenton), Majority Whip David Bonior (D-Mt. Clemens), Rep. John Conyers (D-Detroit) and Rep. Bob Davis (k-Gaylord), who is the worst Michigan offender, bouncing $344,000 in checks. Despite pressure from House republicans, Speaker Thomas Foley (D-Wash.) stubbornly re- fused to support the release of the names of the offenders. Clearly, the public has a right to know about the improprieties of its elected officials. Three out of four Americans consider excessive check bouncing reason enough for removing a representative from office. The American public has a vested interest in ensuring effective oversight of the legislative process and the Congress itself. But the public fury that has developed is not just about "Rubbergate." Rather, it is about how the public views Congress. The 24-percent public ap- proval rating of Congress is at an all-time low. The public is increasingly viewing the Congress as a body spoiled by corruption and unnecessary perks. The amenities that go along with a Congressional seat have grown to almost royal proportions. House privileges include: a special office that serves as a travel agent where members can get discounted airline tickets, five subsidized restaurants on Capi- tol Hill, free parking privileges for members and their senior staffs, free health club privileges, $5 subsidized haircuts and a subsidized hair salon, $100,000 in life insurance with one-third of the cost picked up by the taxpayers, free medical service, free drug prescriptions, a special $3,000 - tax deduction, not to mention the secret midnight more than 25 percent pay raise that Congress voted itself last year. Bills introduced in the House by Reps. William Hughes (D-N.J.) and Charles Bennett (D-Fla.) would abolish virtually all extra benefits that Con- gress receives at free or reduced cost. These mea- sures are a welcome step to restore accountability and to bridge the ever-widening gap between con- stituents and a Congress that is increasingly out of touch with them. .1" " 1 ':.V:. :: RA" Y"Lt ".1" Y.V: J.W.1V,1W: W: r.14": Xr:.:Wr "." N: r: J.1Y.14".LL":.L": r.": Y:: A4:.4Y:: A":: AY.YJ: J.Y:: h1YJ V.4 ", ."rA4'F1V.1Y :.14 ] J "} " ".:'h4 '.h4'::.L".L :".144h':Lh". :.441hLY.'r :V:".":LLLL".L"'.141h4'.'.'r'.'rr:.L" Vr :L"r::: J''.":.'.L'r.".h4".hr :":':.h".ti':':':':':LV'.L':.' Y.h h: ti"::^:"}:'::':"::.;{.;.1Y.;.}};";"}':".";";':J: ;"};:. 4;.4;.;.h;.;r.::":r":V;r .:":"::":tir.';.;.;r.;.;.:;.".'..41r 4.. .:.4"",Y: ... ... J.::.'.'.... r. 1 {[[r,.'1 :L r"L.r....14."........,..L."... r. ..L ... ". :.1"}.:"i::':":::'}: }:::"::r":::. s...... h'.L "J.YJ.".".1'."::. . .111 ..4 }JJ:".": }."... ,..o: J': r."'r."J::. vr:".:v:dv1 ..L...........r.. r.,....... ..1 "L. } ..4. ::V: "Y: :rh": :.L r ..L. ..4.M' :"LLLVr:.r s.1. J.L Y.1 . hl.... "::ti4::":1:..".. . Y.14'". . }: VJ. 4........41....,. ": : ":1":. open to An letter Maureen Hartford by Devlin Ponte To Ms. Hartford: I am writing you to express my disgust with your recent description of students as a "mob" at the campus-police protest on Feb. 20, 1992. It is sad that you have resorted to name-calling and labeling of students in a very delicate issue. Black students, in particular, are disturbed by your hasty remarks noted in the Ann Arbor News and the Daily. Your "mob" remarks have set back the credibility you should be working hard to develop with the Black Student Union (BSU) and students in general. Instead, you have joined an administration that lacks any credibility in terms of student input, issues and rights. On Feb. 21, 1992 you were informed of the brute force and obscenities used by the Depart- ment of Public Safety (DPS) and the Ann Arbor Police against Black students inside and outside the Fleming building. Subse- quently, you have only come out publicly in describing students inaccurately, and have not mentioned the lack of supervision and training of DPS officers at the protest or the fact that students were attacked physically. Why were Ann Arbor Police called when the University has its own have not talked to them about their feelings and interpretations of the event. Furthermore, you have been here for less than a month and are unfamiliar with the history of developments and struggle of this issue and Black students on this campus. While your three-week honeymoon should be over, our nightmare still continues. The right to protest. Students did not turn into a mob. In your letter you stated, "There is never a place for violence on a university campus:" An outcry, to say the least, should come from you for the incredible armament of the DPS, the University research of chemical weapons, the excessive number of gun-toting DPS officers at Black What the BSU wants from you is a written public apology to students and denouncement of DPS and Ann Arbor officers in their treatment of students. e contradictions of our condition on this campus speak to the fact that last year a protest of mainly white students, much larger and potentially more aggressive, protesting campus deputization, was not subjected to the same police presence, treatment and media portrayal. Maureen, you should ask why has there been such a dramatic shift? Ask the administration why it has not responded to Black students being maced, white supremacist graffiti, harassment of a Black female student, and abuse of the Union Policy, just to name a few. You might then understand why DPS and Ann Arbor Police were sent after student functions, etc. Finally, your public remarks°T affirm what we expected the University to do: criticize the tactics instead of addressing the concerns of students at hand. We do not accept the blatant disre- spect and abuse in referring to students as a "mob" and utilizing "mob violence" in addressing University issues. You have shown plainly your inability to be fair and accurate on this issue. Your "mob" remarks have only increased tension between students and the University. There are questions and actions that the University must account for in this whole deputization process. What the BSU wants from you 06 Nuts and Bolts by Judd Winick ." {SUN? oH...7NANK You... of. YouLGOTTA BE 'lDpN6.