Opiiiol 4 Page 6 The Michigan Daily, Vol. XCII, No. 4S Ninety Years of Editorial Freedom Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan Saturday, May 8, 1982 The Michigan Daily Sinclair TH E lcDNE S Alternative budget plans ALTHOUGH RONALD REAGAN appeared to be leading the nation out of its current budgetary impasse, it was Republican Sen. Pete Domenici of New Mexico who provided the leadership to bring the Republican troops to compromise. The problem is, however, he led them even further to the right than the president did in budgetary talks with House Democrats. The resulting budget proposal would cut Social Security benefits by $40 billion over three years, while allowing a combined budget deficit of nearly $220 billion over the same period. And even though the president had promised congressional Democrats he would await com- pletion of a study being conducted on the Social Security system before he proposed cuts, he quickly endorsed the new budget plan. Something has to be done to rescue the nearly bankrupt Social Security program, but the Domenici plan is premature because it commits Congress-to cutting the program. Proposed cuts in the system have in the past provoked heavy public protest. While the elderly may suffer under the new proposal, the Pentagon receives $6 billion more than even our hawkish president proposed - perhaps enough to shop around for one more MX missile. Now that the intent of the Republicans is clear, the Democrats should not only fight the budget proposal, but show some unity and form an alternative budget of their own. The budget deficits must be reduced. They are fueling high interest rates that are choking off the economic recovery this nation so badly needs. If Democrats quit their inter-party squab- bling and unite behind a budget that reduces the tax cut implemented last year, they might win in Congress. Several moderate Republicans are wary of Domenici's planned Social Security cuts and may give the Democrats the votes they need to pass a truly sound budget. The Democrats have the-chance to make the proposed Social Security cuts and budget deficits major issues in the 1982 congressional elections. But they can only do so if they seize the initiative now and put the issues and their plans before the voters. Public pressure may induce the president to back an alternative proposal that will lead to lower interest rates and start the economy moving again - away from the 10 percent unemployment disaster course the nation is now on. TS TESE - PEO LE. -ALK To TEM .UT tECAREFUL WAF YOU SAY LETTERS TO THE DAILY: State loan programs 4 4 4 I To the Daily: I read with interest and some disappointment the editorial which appeared in the April 10 edition of The Michigan Daily regarding the establishment of. "student loan authorities" in a small number of states. It is im- portant to be cautious on this matter and not criticize our state legislature too strongly for not yet taking similar action for reasons I want to explain. For the very reason you cite-the existence of an alter- nate loan program - our state legislature created the State of Michigan State Direct Loan Program and the Michigan Higher Education Loan Authority in 1975. Since January, 1976, students who are Michigan residents have been able to turn to the state and its direct loan program as a lender of last resort under the federally Guaranteed Student Loan Program. Over the intervening six years, 85,000 students have borrowed $157,000,000 through this state- sponsored program. Financing for this program has been acquired through the sale of tax- exempt bonds, with the ad- Tempting fate To the Daily: If students are inclined to determine how many bodies can be shoe-horned into a given space, they should squeeze into a small car and not an elevator. As you reported in a Today item, "Overcrowded dorm con- ditions," (Daily, April 16) studen- ts who piled into a South Quad elevator attempted to open the doors. Although there are safety devices on all elevators which will prevent a car from falling, the attempts' to escape from the ::} i vi.?9"4 ,a { +v"vJ{Cv"~SY~~i: t :ii::v: stalled car may lead to injury. In other incidents, people have crawled out of escape hatches only to find themselves on top of the car in the elevator shaft. The best and safest thing to do when caught in a stalled elevator is to push the alarm bell and then wait calmly for atrained elevator mechanic to help you out. Another good idea is not to tempt fate by deliberately overloading an elevator in the first place. Russell Reister Director Plant Operations April 19, 1982 ministrative costs being paid for from federal allowances, loan in- terest, and borrower origination fees. No cost for the financing of this program or its ad- ministrative costs have been in- curred by Michigan taxpayers. To date only eleven other states and the District of Columbia have created direct loan programs. This has given resident students and, of course, Michigan post- secondary institutions support which is still not available in the vast majority of states. Quite simply, although no one is certain what changes - which seem to be ongoing - will be made in the federal regulations which govern the GSL Program, the record clearly shows that our state legislature has been supportive of loan program access by Michigan students. In addition, over $40 million was ap- propriated by our legislature this year for student scholarships and grants. With this perspective, con- tinued student awareness is, however, needed of legislative actions which affect student aid programs - on the state as well as federal level. The role which The Michigan Daily has played this year in "getting the word out" regarding possible funding reductions in the various federal student aid programs for 1982-83 and 1983-84 has been substantial and appreciated by many - students, faculty, staff, and ad- ministrators alike. -Harvey Grotrian April16, 1982 4 Editorials appearing on the left side of the page beneath The Michigan Daily logo represent a majority opinion of the Daily's staff.