41 OPINION Page 6 Vol. XCIV, No.23-S 94 Years of Editorial Freedom Managed and Edited by Students at The University of Michigan Editorials represent a majority opinion of the Daily Editorial Board Friday, July 13, 1984 Wasserman IEN1A1111A-12TR wE'RE caT OF ofoNE/ -- Freedom restraints O NCE AGAIN, President Reagan has per- formed a remarkable policy pirouette for blatantly political reasons. Remember the emotional denunciation of air bags in the 1980 campaign? The pledge to "get government off the backs of the American people?" No more. The administration, in a shameless and incon- sistent play to the safety lobby, has wholeheartedly embraced a group of un- necessary restrictions on automobile - manufactuers. On Tuesday, Transportation Secretary Elizabeth Dole announced that automobiles operated in the United States will be required to possess some sort of passive restraints- regardless of the wishes of individual drivers' and the market as a whole. In order to save thousands of lives a year in the most1 economically efficient manner, the ad- ministration will require cars to be equipped with air bags, automatic safety belts, or crash-resistant interiors. In doing so, the government has ignored some very important principals of liberal democracy. Specifically, it is not up to the government to save these lives. The gover- nment is robbing the people of their basic right to personal autonomy. Everyone in a free society should have the right to make stupid or regrettable decisions - a point eloquently made by Reagan in the 1980 campaign. The lives they put at risk by not buying air bags are their own. It seems now that the president has illustrated his real commitment to individual liberties. Another, particularly disturbing aspect of the administration' new stance is the subtle blackmail it uses to coerce states into passing mandatory seatbelt laws. Dole's announ- cement stipulates that if states representing two-thirds of the U.S. population pass man- datory seat belt laws, the passive restraint order will be rescinded., In one sweeping movement, the ad- ministration has presented the state legislatures with a sticky problem of deciding how their citizens will be manipulated. They can either allow the government to write their criminal statutes for them, or allow the ad- ministration needlessly to pre-empt the choices of every automobile purchaser in the nation. Some choice. wAT cAu wE DO? WE CAN RUN UP A HU&E DEBT ON T HEBASIS ofA PROMI\SE - 2 Democracy emer strength for a tr By Franz Schurmann As the Democratic Convention approaches, it's worth noting that democracy as a political system is thriving around the world. Faulted and corrupt as elections often are, they nonetheless are seen as indispensible by regimes of all stripes. While there is plenty of voter apathy in the United States, elsewhere one increasingly finds big voter turnouts. Even when people stay away from the polls, if often is an act of protest rather than one of disinterest. THE TREND is especially notable in Latin America, where 20 years ago one military junta after another usurped power. Washington grumbled but rationalized the faits accommpli with the argument that authoritarian military regimes could at least guarantee economic progress. When the Brazilian junta, which started the process of militarization in 1964 generated an "economic miracle," whatever was left of U.S. concerns about democracy vanished entirely. Now, the economic miracles have vanished and democracy is reasserting itself. The Argentinian junta is gone, succeeded by a strong president elected in a euphoric popular election. Though the Brazilian junta has. warded off intense pressure for direct presidential elections, that country, too, is moving steadily toward democracy. THE URUGUAYAN military has clamped a popular opposition figure in jail after his return from exile, but pressures for a return to traditional democracy there also are increasing. And in Chile, Augusto Pinochet Ugarte stub- bornly holds on to power even as democratic fri breaking out allar Venezuela and E never went then have working systems. Peru i economic shape a: surgency, but eli ue to be held. Bol down an attem smuggling rightist military rule who forces decidedt democracy. In Central Guatemala recen tions even though determined to ho Flawed as the I elections may hav percentage of the out as they did in t election. The Sa hold elections in ea and even commu begun to ginger] with local election: ELSEWHERE munist world, the juntahwaS forced t which it "won" voter turnout Solidarity's call And liberal Hur toying with the ide parliament democratically liv All over Wes national elections despite the low t European parlia tions. On the ne democracy still s to many African dia's Indira Ghani habit of imposing rule" on state aft( though no one beli diversity and tur country, that den snuffed out there. INDIA, IN fact democracy has ti The Michigan Daily S1Q, I\ YOU PoMlSE Y OA.L BALANCE G BUD⁢ \E CM& oRROW (,1-1--("E~ MONEY W WANTf FOR RONALD REA&W Fa ging: Political oubled world eedoms are such an indispensible political oundhim. system. There, as elsewhere, r whi' h growing ethnic diversity and military route, political sophistication have democratic resulted in an upwelling of s in terrible demands for civil and human ad faces an in ihs ections contin Villagers stream into bvia just faced ballooning cities, and there they apt by dope- acquire the political savvy, the storeinstihe daring and the truculence toward to stick with authority characteristic of urban to sick ith people anywhere in the world. America, Anger rises easily, and almost as Amelec- easily forms into political op- tly heldryi position. When that opposition is the military is not allowed to vent itself at the El Slo r. ballot box, it easily flows into e been, a large illegal violence or insurgency. voters turned All this should not make theealie vr- Americans smug that "ur" ndinistas will democratic system is winning rly November, out. There is nothing American, mist Cuba has per se, about democracy. ly experiment Aristotle held that of the three s possible forms of government in the com- (tyranny, oligarchy, olish mhlita democracy), none worked all Polish military that well, but that a democracy despite a low guided by people of character because of and nobility was the least un- for a boycott workable. ngary also is DEMOCRACY IS the only a of making its political system that makes sense a more in a pressure-cooker world. rely body. r Americans should also note tern Europe that des ite the blase attitude remain lively' owr democracy in the United urnout for the States, the pressures are building rnot r helec- here as well. The Jackson cam- paign demonstrated that fact so gative side' far as blacks are concerned. The gamterisde Latinos have yet to be heard eems too risky from. And, fcus ra rulers, and In- fo. Ad of course, great di continues her 'pressures will surely arise if the strong "central current strong U.S. economic er Indian state, recovery should go the way of the ieves, given the earlier Latin American 'bulence of the "miracles." nocracy can be Schurmann wrote this ar- , suggests why ticlefor Pacific News Service. urned out to be 0 0 0 0 0