4- The Michigan Daily Summer Weekly-Wednesday, June 2, 1993
rPI 11
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EDITOR IN CHIEF
Hope Calati
OPINION EDITORS
Sam Goodstein
Flint Jason Wainess
Unsigned editorials present the opinion of a
majority of the Daily's editorial board. All other
cartoons, signed articles and letters do not
necessarily reflect the opinion of the Daily.
420 Maynard Street
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Students at the
University of Michigan
Look no further than the ongoing joust
between conservative Democrats and the
White House overPresident Clinton's proposed
budgettowitnesstheinvidiouseffectsofaskewed
campaign finance system that has moved the
politicalpowerin this country from the people to
big business and specialinterests. Senators from
highenergy-producingstateshavebeenputinthe
uncomfortable position of fighting the proposed
energy (BTU) tax because it would be political
suicide for them to go against the wishes of the
powerful lobbyists in their district.
Andwhocanblamethem?Currently,over50
percent of money raised for congressionalcandi-
dates comes from Political Action Committees
(PACs).Politiciansface theultimate Catch-22-
make a stand against special interests (probably
losing the election as a consequence) or become
a part of the system that many of them detest.
There is only one solution: Congress, following
the lead of the President, must enact stringent
campaign finance reform.
Unfortunately, the last time Congress grit its
teeth and produced a bill to eliminate soft money
from federal elections, it fell victim to the oft-
used veto pen of President Bush. Clinton has
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PACing big business
Campaign finance reform is a must
pledged, though, to make campaign finance re-
formapriority.Hehasputforthaplanthatwould,
among other things, provide free television and
radio time for congressional candidates, a tactic
that would prevent wealthy candidates from buy-
ing their way into an election. While Clinton's
reforms are badly needed and would help even
the playing field for challengers, his plan leaves
out many of the quintessential elements of pow-
erfulcampaign financereform.Theprincipalflaw
in Clinton's proposal is that it lacks significant
restrictions on the contributions of PACs. In the
1974FederalElectionandCampaignAct(FECA),
Congress attempted to limit the influence of
specialinterests, butlefthuge loopholes open for
PACs. Theresulthas been devastating to Ameri-
can politics as special interests are empowered to
use their big bucks to influence politicians. The
vociferousNationalRifle Association blocksgun
control while the tobacco lobby, defending pow-
erful cigarette companies, continues to fight re-
strictions on their deadly drug. Many of the
biggestproblemsfacing the country today cannot
beconquereduntilspecialinterestsarecontrolled.
Many interesting proposals have floated
around that warrant investigation by the Clinton
team.Firstoff, "bundling," orthepractice of one
group or individual presenting a stack of checks
toa candidate (in other words, giving much more
money to politicians than the law allows under
the guise of just handing in a check for a friend),
shouldbeeliminatedoutright."Bundling"allows
big business to dance around the FECA laws and
gain unfair access to politicians. Emily's List, a
PACthatpromotesequality betweenthegenders,
has waged a fierce war to keep "bundling" legal,
saying that the practice helps women become
more represented. But the position of Emily's
List is short-sighted and detrimental to the ulti-
mate goalof equality.In the long run, "bundling"
stacks the deck against the underdog, and all too
often, women.
Brooks Jackson of the Washington Monthly
has an even more innovative idea. He suggests
that the public should use the Teamsters PAC as
a national example. Any Teamster that wants to
contribute to the PAC signs a form with hisorher
employer towithhold one dollar a week that will
go the PAC. Why not do this on anational level?
Individuals that so desire would finance cam-
paigns by paying up to a dollar a week. For
instance, if just five percent of the 38 million
adultsregisteredasstrongdemocratsagreedtodo
this, it would raise $200 million every two-year
election cycle. This is a novel and long-overdue
approach. For once, politicians would be able to
act on conviction, not guided by concems of the
pocketbook.
Exactly which idea would work best toward
reform is unclear, but what is clear is that the
status quomust prevailnolonger. Conservatives
can rant and rave all they want about how term
limits will end corruption. But until campaign
finance reform is passed, the citizens of this
country will continue to be held hostage by the
special interest giant.
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Pass the budget
The Senate should pass the president's plan
tes identClinton weathered a major po-
ticalstorm, andmayhave spared his troubled
young presidency, when his proposed budget
passed the House of Representatives Thursday
evening. Aftera full day ofdebate only 38Demo-
crats spurned the President, leaving Clinton with
anarrow 219-213 victory.Facing heat from con-
servativeDemocratswhocriticizedtheproposed
budget for being laden with too many tax in-
creases and not enough spending cuts - even
though the budget is sure to be altered in the
Senate - Clinton and his staff barnstormed
Capitol Hill to ensure success.
By facing off with the President, the 38 de-
fecting representatives were toying with the fate
of theDemocratic party.If the President failed to
pass a budget with an overwhelming majority in
the House, he likely would have lost so much
momentum that his health-care reform package,
andany otherproposed budget, would have faced
an insurmountable challenge from Republicans
andrenegadeDemocrats.Longhailedas amaster
politician, Clinton spared, for the time being, his
reputation and quite possibly the Democratic
party.
WhileClintoncelebratedvictory,the factthat
the largest political test of his career lay before
himmusthave weighed heavy inhismind.Many
senators are eager to attack his proposed tax-
increases and energy (BTU) tax. We can only
hope that Clinton will have the same success in
the Senate that he enjoyed in the House. This
budget is the most important legislation that
Washington has faced in years. The President,
contrary to the claims of the Republicans and
their new friend Ross Perot, does understand the
gravityofourdeficit-andhehasasolidplanto
reduce it. While nobody will deny the fact that a
middle-classincometaxincreasewillslowgrowth
(although a lowering of interest rates will help
counter this effect), it is painfully clear that it is
necessary to cut the burgeoning federal deficit.
The highest tax bracket in the United States is
embarrassingly the lowest of all our industrial
allies; embarrassing because we continue to bor-
row money from our allies - loans they politi-
cally cannot refuse - and then refuse to make
ourselves pay the loans back.
Thecomponentoftheproposedbudgetlikely
tofacethemostoppositionintheSenateisnotthe
incometaxhikes,butthelBTUtax.Manysenators
from oil-producing states are threatening to use
their considerable power to derail the budget if
Clinton does not withdraw the BTU tax. While it
isunderstandablethatthey,led bySen.Boren(D-
Okla), are only attempting to protect the interests
of their constituents, it is deplorable that they are
willing to threaten legislation so pivotal to reduc-
ing the deficit. While theBTU tax may beregres-
sive, anditmay stifle the energy industry, itis the
best altemative available - far better than a
gasoline tax or other proposed options. More-
over, a BTU tax could begin to make US citizens
-who make up6 percent of the world's popula-
tion, but use 28 percent of the worlds energy-
think twice before they leave the lights on.
Beyondthepoliticalandeconomicintricacies
of the coming battle in the Senate lies the fact that
this budget symbolizes the future of the United
States. If a Democratic president cannot effec-
tively mobilize themajority hehas inboth houses
of Congress to pass an all-important budget, he
will face unimaginable difficulties passing his
health-care reform package - which is quite
possibly the most important post-Vietnam era
legislation. More importantly, if Democratic
members of Congress do not understand the
importanceofworkingwithClinton-insteadof
against him - the evil "gridlock" may never
departIgnoreland,D.C.,our deficit willplagueus
for generations, and the United States will fall
into socio-economic oblivion.
Stop the guns
Comprehensive gun control must be enacted
W hen will the madness end? fense was that he thought his life was in danger,
Last week, a Louisiana man was acquitted and his wife testified that "there was no thinking
of criminal negligence in the shooting of a Japa- involved." Thisisexactly why handgunsmust be
nese exchange student who came to the man's outlawed - because in situations where fear
door simply looking for a Halloween party. The takes precedence over rational thought, violence
exchange student was perceived asa "threat" to isalltoooften the easiest- andmostirreversible
the man's property - so the man took out his -answer. The statistics tell the same story: in
ever-ready handgun and shot the teenager to 1986, handguns were used approximately 200
death. Forsome, theman'sacquittalmay beseen times for self-defense. In that same year, hand-
as the end of the case, the close of the story. guns were used in 12,000 suicides, 9,000 homi-
However, some of us know that it is simply cides, and 1,000 accidental deaths.
another chapter in the book of tragic handgun In the areaof gun control, the United Statesis
violence. As the nation absorbs this verdict, the one of the most backward nations in the world.
gun control story is concurrently unfolding on News of the Louisiana verdict has been front-
another front. This week, the Connecticut state page news in Japan for days, as Japanese citizens
legislature will vote on whether to ban semiauto- watch in amazement at the free acceptance of
matic weapons in its state. The vociferous Na- weaponry in this country. The family of the slain
tional Rifle Association (NRA)is making agreat student has collectedmorethan 1.6million signa-
effort to oppose the bill, as it does on almost any tures on a petition urging Congress to adopt
bill that would place eventhe slightest restric- strictergunlaws. AmericanswhotraveltoCanada
tions on the availability of weapons in the United marvel at the "civility" of the nation - in part
States. because of its tight gun controls. In this respect,
TheNRAclaims that the Second Amendment the United States appears to the world commu-
to the U.S. Constitution, with its guarantee of the nity a nation which feeds barbarically on vio-
right "tokeepandbeararms"issufficientgrounds lence.
for their argument. But the NRA's arguments The only solution to the problem of gun
have always been flawed as it and other gun violence in this country is comprehensive gun
enthusiasts strategically leave out thefirst half of control on a federal level. This begins with bills
the amendment which provides this right on the like the Connecticut one, which does not even
condition of "a well regulated Militia, being target handguns, but merely seeks to ban assault
necessary to the security ofafree State...."'The rifles - the sort which serve no purpose except
amendment was bom out of the colonists' fear of to kill. The Brady bill, which would provide a
the British, and their desire to keep a standing waiting period before one can purchase a gun,
army in order to protect their nation. This is also must be enacted. This would provide au-
clearly the purpose of the amendment-not that thorities with an opportunity to conduct a back-
every citizen should be able to carry a deadly ground check on the gun purchaser and would
weapon in his or her home. serve as a "cooling-off'period for the purchaser.
TheNRA'smantrais "gunsdon'tkill,people Itistime forustorecognizethatourfreedom
do." Yet if the homeowner in Louisiana had not with guns, far from protecting us, is actually the
hadagunathisfingertips,he wouldnothave been direct cause of tragic deaths. It is time for us to
able to shoota teenager whose only crime was recognize that a comprehensive gun ban is the
looking for a Halloween party. The man's de-. only way to stop these tragedies.
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