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University Daily Kansan, March 25, 1985
OPINION
Page 4
The University Daily KANSAN
Published since 1889 by students of the University of Kansas
The University Dialy Kansas, (USP$ 650-640) is published at the University of Kansas, 118 Staffer Flint Hall, Lawrence, Kan. 66045, daily during the regular school year and Wednesday and Friday during the summer session, excluding Saturday, Sunday, holidays and periods second-class postage paid at Lawrence. Kan. 66044 Subscriptions by mail are £15 for six months or £27 a year in Douglas County and $18 for six months or $27 a year. Postmaster: POSTMASTER. Send address changes to the University Dialy Kansas, 118 Staffer Flint Hall, Lawrence, Kan. 66045
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Acid showers
April showers are bringing more than Mav flowers
April showers are bringing high rain. The spring rains, once welcomed as necessary moisture for the crops, lawns and flower beds, now are sometimes cursed for killing trees, sterilizing lakes and pitting buildings, as the amount of acid rain pouring on the land increases.
increases. The rain, natural precipitation that has mixed with sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and other chemical pollutants, and become acidic, is showering a multitude of problems on North America and parts of Europe.
Canada now considers acid rain its most pressing problem with the United States. It came as no surprise that the topic was high on Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney's agenda when he met with President Reagan over the weekend.
weekend. Although the two leaders agreed upon no drastic steps for solving the problem, they did decide to assign the issue of acid rain to a study commission.
By agreeing to the joint commission, President Reagan has at last publicly acknowledged acid rain as a very gray cloud hanging overhead.
The most thorough of studies will not in itself solve the problems of acid rain. But the commission could finally find the answers that for years have eluded those concerned with acid rain.
Environmental experts are hesitant in recommending any solutions as definitive answers because there is still much to be learned about the causes of acid rain.
Canadian officials point a finger at their southern neighbor when placing blame for the pollution problems raining upon their land, claiming that half the deposits of offending acid comes from U.S. burning of fossil fuel.
Although the United States may be responsible for adding chemical pollutants to the atmosphere, creating the acid rain that then falls on Canada, no one has yet been able to figure out just what needs to be done to solve the problems of acid rain.
Certainly, the problem is one that needs to be thoroughly studied before expensive cleanup programs are initiated and later found to be ineffective.
But while the acid rain commission studies the problem, the United States should look at the steps Canada has taken to curb some of the known pollutants and follow suit.
Such steps as reducing the emission level of sulfur dioxide by big-scale smelters and toughening emission standards for cars may not in themselves rid the skies of pollutants.
But these smaller steps may help both countries along the road to solving the acid rain problem so that one day, April showers may once again bring more beauty than destruction to the earth.
Election reform
Attempts prompted by Watergate to reform presidential campaigns may have run dry for the time being. A week ago, the Supreme Court ruled 7-2 against restrictions on spending by political action committees.
PACs became popular in the early 1970s partly as a way to avoid limits on campaign contributions by individuals and companies. Many people thought PACs simply rerouted potential efforts to buy political influence. In the post-Watergate mood of change, Congress placed a limit of $1,000 on contributions of PACs — a move that many saw as essential to true election reform.
But the limit did not affect the 1980 and 1984 elections because of lower court rulings and litigation. The Court's ruling last week abolished the limit as a violation of the right of free speech, calling it "clearly protected conduct."
The Court ruled on a suit filed by the Federal Election Commission and the Democratic Party against the National Conservative Political Action Committee and the Fund for a Conservative Majority.
But concern continues that presidential elections do not work as they should. Also last week, a privately organized Commission on National Elections met for the first time. Its 38 members include ranking party officials, members of Congress and a governor.
The commission intends to review not only the costs and financing of campaigns — the Carter and Reagan campaigns together spent at least $42 million in 1980 — but also the scheduling of caucuses and primaries, advertising, opinion polls, debates and the role of the media.
Howard H. Baker Jr., former senator from Tennessee and Senate majority leader, was the commission's first witness. He called for a total end to PAC contributions, a requirement that candidates appear in their own commercials, and a one-year limit on campaigning.
The widespread sense that campaign methods do not serve the public well is justified. The review commission deserves a hearing and its recommendations deserve a healthy public debate.
Congress should seek again to find a way of limiting contributions. Surely some means exist to avoid distortions of free speech that develop in a campaign when certain interest groups have vastly more money than others.
Illegal aliens work as near-slaves
Nobody knows exactly how many illegal aliens are in this country, except that the figure is in the millions. No other developed country has so little control of its own borders.
So why, the question recurs, can't something be done about it? Immigration laws that might help have been proposed, they've been humanitarian and up being shot down in Washington.
It's usually assumed that the main opposition to new immigration laws comes from opportunistic Hispanic politicians or chronic do-gooders.
They're probably a factor, even though some of their positions are so clearly goofy. I've heard defenders of the illegalargs argue that anybody who should immediately qualify for all welfare benefits.
Some people with soft hearts — and even softer heads — have even argued that illegal aliens should have the right to vote.
It has to do with something a restaurant complained to place on the other day.
But I suspect there is much stronger clout involved. And it has nothing to do with compassion.
The restaurant owner dresses well, lives well and likes to talk on his mobile phone as he wheels around town in a big, expensive car.
She works in a big downtown restaurant, owned by a man who owns two other successful places.
Syndicated Columnist
His employees have a less flamboyant lifestyle.
MIKE
ROYKO
As the waitress said, "It started in December, when business fell off after Christmas. They just stopped issuing paychecks.
"First they told us they had switched accounts from one bank to another and there were problems. Then they said the payroll delivery team had sent them money, but just didn't have the money to pay us because business was slow.
"They told us that if we weren't patient and willing to wait awhile for our money, they'd just close down and we'd never see any of the money.
"It was a month before I got a check, I could scrape by because of my tips. But most of the help in the case was from the staff with get tips, so they were really shaffed.
"And most of them are illegal aliens, so they just kept their mouths shut. They're afraid that if they plastic wrap I will get picked up and shipped back."
"Some of the illegals worked for two or three months without getting paid. And when checks were issued, they bounced.
"So, a lot of the illegals finally just gave up and moved on. The owner got two or three months of free labor out of them. But he didn't care if they quit because he can replace them with other illegals."
It's a dream of a setup for a businessman. Pay your help the minimum rate. Then, if the cash flow is slow, or you need money for other investments, or your personal expenses, don't bother to pay them at all.
And there's not much the illegalis can do. Sure, they can go to their state's department of labor and file a claim for their wages.
A spokesman at the Illinois agency says, "Whether they're citizens or not is not our concern. We're here to protect employees, including aliens."
"The only fear they should have is if the employer turns them over to imperialism."
That's like saying that if you require a certain level of fear you should have is in landing.
The immigration people also say
they don't like to see aliens being cheated, and they will help them get what they worked for, if they complain.
And they will not snatch them up
them, them, either. At least not
immediate.
But they have to open a file on them. That's their job. And that will cost them money.
Which is why the aim of themselves be used by people such as the restaurant operator. They fear being deported a lot more than they fear being cheated out of a few weeks of their labor.
An immigration official said, "It's a chronic problem. Some businesses are always taking advantage of it," he added. "All the time here in northern Illinois."
That's only one part of one state. You can multiply it by thousands across the country.
So, when you hear the argument that it would be cruel and terrible to reform the immigration laws, don't. It's barking with compassion.
It's just as likely that you're hearing from somebody who has discovered the economic benefits of a modern form of slavery.
Who would have thought that after all these years, this country would have so strong a pro-slavery lobby in Washington?
Republicans seek new party faithful
WASHINGTON — The Republican Party's effort to become the majority party in the nation hinges on its ability to make permanent Republicans out of millions of women, young people and blue-collar workers who voted for President Reagan.
There's no question that Reagan busted the New Deal coalition that kept Democrats in the majority for half a century. The more difficult job was to transfer that vote to the party's candidate in 1983, who that may be.
To that end, Republican National Chairman Frank Fahrenkopf has started a huge effort to identify the women, young people and union members who voted for Reagan. He then will try to sell them on Republicanism.
Although efforts to recruit blacks and Jews into the Republican effort have pretty much failed, some exit
CLAY F. RICHARDS United Press International
Republicans note that they don't need to win a majority from all these groups to win at the polls. Just denying Democrats a monolithic labor and Hispanic vote is enough.
polls showed that about 45 percent of the Hispanic vote went for Reagan. For that reason, GOP leaders have made Hispanics a target group.
The Republican approach is also regional. The party's biggest target is now the South, once solidly
Democratic but more and more seen electing Republicans to Congress.
The South is also the fastest-growing area of the nation. One of the GOP's methods is to register new voters as they move into the state. Republican registration in the Southeast and Southwest jumped 5 percent between 1980 and 1984, the highest of any regions of the country.
State legislative races also will be a key target of Republicans. The party is now within 10 seats of control of 20 legislative chambers across the nation — and much party money will flow into each key races.
The legislatures will handle reap-
portionment in 1991 after the next
census, drawing the lines that will
determine party control of Congress
for the rest of the century. The GOP
was burned badly in the 1981 reapportionment and will make a strong bid to heal its wounds next time around.
To achieve this, Republicans will make a special effort to capture governorships in states that have Democratic legislatures, so they have at least a veto power over reapportionment.
The Republicans have a tough political road ahead of them, and they won't have the popular Ronald reckonable head of the ticket to pull them along.
But Fatheenkopt is convinced that the country has been moving to the right for some time now and the time is ripe for realignment. And he's got the money and the political organization to do it.
Cliches hold gold mine of good sense
Attention,premed majors!
Apples might be dangerous to your health!
Your future economic health, that is. Perhaps you never have considered the implications of the saying, "a little apple a day keeps the doctor away."
Old, familiar sayings — clichees — become so old and familiar that we tend to use them on impulse despite all the warnings against their use. Indeed, it's almost become a cliche to tell someone. "Don't use cliches."
For example, penny pinchers undoubtedly have heard. "A penny saved is a penny earned." Ridiculous, you say, when we are still children and faces of infants madepenny a nuisance. No – after all, a person who tries to keep all the pennies received in change certainly earns them!
Another saying pertains to the argumentative souls among us. "He who laughs last laughs best." The implied meaning appears to be that
the person who draws (first blood in
dispute will not necessarily prevail in
the end; the underdog can still win,
and thus laugh.
Unfortunately, usually nobody is around that person by the time he can laugh. Everyone else is off celebrating with the initial victor, because of two sayings: "First come, first served," and "the winner takes it all."
A variation on the saying is, "He who laughs last laughs loudest."
A related saying is, "Winning isn't everything; it's the only thing." The person who espouses this idea obviously hasn't heard of a Pyrrhic victory.
Indeed, the ultimate victor might laugh loudly, but the silence of his former associates — who are with the initial winner — will be deafening.
Coaches often pay tribute to the saying, "It's not whether you win or lose; it's how you play the game." However, as many ex-coaches who are now selling insurance or real estate can tell you, it better to play poorly and win than to play well and lose.
saying, "The early bird gets the worm."
People who are in a rush at mealtime likely believe in the saying, "First come, first served." However, those people might want to take a look at the menu beforehand, let everyone else eat, then apply the saying, "Better late than never." Such a course of action is especially appropriate in light of yet another
If, however, the menu looks promising, a handy saying is "I don't care what you call me, as long as it's not late for supper."
A familiar saying that appeals to people on both sides of the political spectrum is in danger of oblivion, because it makes "saying is 'only the good die young.'"
Conservatives might be tempted to use this saying to mock the fossilized Soviet Politburo, but they need to keep in mind the age of the U.S. president. On the other hand, liberals who grew up as the flower youth of the '60s might want to use this saying to pay homage to Martin, John and Robert, but they first had better check in the mirror for gray hairs.
The final saying for today applies to readers. That saying is, "Don't believe everything you read."
If premixed majors among the readers believe that saying, then it is likely that they will be