University Daily Kansan, February 22, 1985
Page 2
NATION AND WORLD
NEWS BRIEFS
GNP finishes strong in 1984
WASHINGTON — The gross national product expanded at a surprisingly strong 4.9 percent annual rate during the last three months of 1894, a full point better than previously reported, the government said yesterday.
The new growth figure prompted most forecasters to conclude that interest rates are rising.
But it also appeared the economy has enough vigor to continue growing a healthy 3 percent to 4 percent annual rate. Economic progress last year was the best in the record books since 1951.
Peron resigns as party leader
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Former President Isabel Peron has resigned as titular头 of the divided Peronist party, a key party official announced yesterday.
a key party affirms announced a Province Gov Jose Maria Viverra first to declare one of two rival party factions, did not disclose the reason for Peron's decision, but many Peronist politicians have accused her of being a powerless leader.
The Peronist party split in early February when competing factions conducted two separate congresses.
U.S. missing fun, author says
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Americans are having less fun these days, says a professor who has written a serious book on having a good time.
"It is very difficult to have fun in our society," says Geoffrey Godby, a faculty member in the parks and recreation department at Penn State University. "We just are not a fun-oriented society. We are not a fit up in status, competence and control."
Godby has written a book titled "Leisure in Your Life: An Exploration," which examines Americans' use of their leisure time.
Club puts squeeze on students
STANFORD, Calif. — A small club at Stanford University believes in reaching out—with affection.
The Hug club's motto is "Dare to Hug" and its dozen members walk up to fellow students and hug them, all in the interest of relieving the stress of academics, club members say. People who are hugged receive a card explaining why.
"In most cases, it's a very energizing experience and you'll probably both smile with it," the result said founder Michael McTellman, a second-year business graduate.
Compiled from United Press International reports.
Democrats reject end to filibuster
Ry United Press International
WASHINGTON — Senate Democrats, insulted by a letter from Agriculture Secretary John Block, yesterday rejected a deal to end a filibuster and allow a vote on Edwin Meese's nomination to be attorney general.
Sen. Alan Dixon, D-II, said that Sens. James Exon of Nebraska and David Boren of Oklahoma would represent the Democrats in further negotiations with Republicans and the administration in an effort to reach an agreement on how to aid indebted farmers
Efforts to win more aid for indebted farmers prompted the filibuster against Meese, who President Reagan has twice nominated as head of the Justice Department.
Exon said the Farm Belt senators have not gotten the assurances they want from the administration.
"WE THINK IT'S more important for the farmers to get their crops in the ground than it is for Ed Meese to be attorney general," he said.
Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., said the Democrats rejected the farm deal because "it was the unanimous feeling that the proposals that have been made so far are not acceptable because they will not relieve the flight of the American farmer."
A tentative accord on farm aid yesterday seemed to bring Meese to the brink of approval, but conflicts between the administration and farm interests quickly took their toll on the agreement and it was unanimously rejected by Senate Democrats.
Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., called a letter from Block on the plan to rescue farmers in the state of Texas and Detroit, D-Ohio, a vote on Meese's nomination appeared "less and less likely."
But Senate Republican leader Robert Dole said he hoped to pull the deal through late yesterday and bring Meese's long-awaited confirmation to a vote.
LEAHY SAID EARLIER that the deal hammered out between Barm Belt senators and the administration to end the 2-day-filbuster was "fast unraveling," and Sen. John Melcher, D-Mont., who has singlehandedly delayed farm legislation the last
Earlier, Exon told reporters the agreement to improve the administration's program to aid farmers caught in a credit crunch was ready to approval by the Democratic caucus.
few years, said he would not go along with the deal as presented.
Roadblocks to Meese's moving from White House counselor into the Cabinet are not new. Reagan picked his close adviser for the job more than a year ago, but confirmation was delayed. He has not integrated and cleared Meese of criminal wrongdoing relating to his personal affairs.
Although many Democrats oppose Meese's nomination because of questions concerning a number of his friends who received government jobs after giving Meese financial aid, he has had little opportunity to focus attention on these issues because of the farm dispute.
Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., who has said he opposes Meese for policy and ethics reasons, took the Senate floor to declare, "Sacrificing the American farmer at the altar of an abstract economic policy is irresponsable."
Thatcher backs stance on New Zealand
By United Press International
Thatcher said she would not divulge the information to New Zealand Prime Minister
WASHINGTON - British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher backed President Reagan's hard-line position on New Zealand yesterday, saying she would refuse to reveal whether British ships visiting its ports carry nuclear weapons.
Thatatcher wound up a two-day visit in Washington, which included meetings with Reagan and top administration officials and
an address to a joint session of Congress. Her midday departure was delayed by 12 hours because of bad weather in Britain.
Reagan has canceled six military exercises with New Zealand over Lange's anti-nuclear policies.
The ANZUS alliance of Australia, New Zealand and the United States was dealt a serious blow last month when Lange said a U.S. warship could not visit a New Zealand port unless the Reagan administration said it carried no nuclear weapons. The administration refused and canceled a series of military exercises with New Zealand.
backs Reagan on foreign policy issues, told reporters she was disappointed in Lange's action and said British ships carrying out North Atlantic Treaty Organization operations must do whatever was appropriate to perform their NATO mission.
"I shall be very disappointed if our naval ships cannot visit New Zealand," she said, citing the close ties between the people of Britain and New Zealand.
The New Zealand overseas news service reported that Adam Butler, British minister for defense procurement, said during a meeting in Tokyo that he might ask New Zealand to allow a visit.
Thatcher, a conservative who frequently
Postmasters protest plan to cancel offices
By United Press International
WASHINGTON — Thousands of postmasters converged on Capitol Hill yesterday to protest a government plan to close almost half the nation's post offices and raise the cost of a postage stamp to a possible 26 cents as early as this year.
"If Congress goes along with the budget that has been proposed, we're going to need $2 billion) by mid-1986 to break even." Rep. Bill D. Ford, D.-Mich. and chairman of the Post Office and Civil Service Committee, told more than 4,000 members of the National
Association of Postmasters of the United States.
First-class postal rates went up this week for the first time in more than three years, to 22 cents, and Ford said under the present proposals, a 26-cent stamp would be necessary.
The postmasters were assembled for their annual legislative conference.
The government no longer subsidizes the postal system, but taxpayers pick up the cost of special mailing rates to non-profit institutions, a program that loses about $1 billion a year.
those costs onto the Postal Service, along with $1 billion a year in federal pension expenses.
Reagan's proposed 1986 budget would shift
Besides fighting budget cuts, the group is seeking to block an Office of Management and Budget proposal to adopt recommendations made last year.
Among other things, the panel recommended closing 12,469 mostly rural post offices, saying they were unnecessary.
Tom Costin, president of the postal organization, said although Congress has not indicated it would approve the closures, he says he waits for the point where you have to react."
Report says labor union is stagnant
BAL HARBOUR, Fla. — The AFL-CIO released a frank report yesterday warning labor leaders that they are too slow to change and outlining plans to entice new union members with new services and benefits.
"Despite their accomplishments, unions find themselves behind the pace of change," the report said. "It is not enough merely to search for more effective ways to work within the organization. We must expand our notion of what it is workers can do through their unions."
By United Press International
The report, commissioned by the labor federation, traces the fundamental changes in the U.S. work force and the subsequent effects on the labor movement.
The report, "The Changing Situation of Workers and Their Unions," is the second part of a three-part study the AFL-CIQ commissioned to help chart its future.
Labor's future lies in organizing the current generation of non-union workers, mostly in the white collar service sector, the report said, citing polling data that show prospects are good if a radical new approach is used.
NON-UNION WORKERS "accept the fundamental premise on which the trade union movement has been and is based: that workers are more effective in ensuring democracy in the workplace and in obtaining redress for their grievances; they act against them when they act against the report, which took more than two years to compile.
Lane Kirkland, AFL-CIO president, agreed with the premise of the report and said that unions had lost influence with workers. But he predicted that unions would not only change, but that they would flourish again.
"Survival is a constant adaptation to change." Kirkland said. "It's our history. When the vultures are circling, that's how they react to a threshold of resure, 'nec and survival.'"
Kirkland said unions always had evolved as society changed, and he was confident unions would succeed in organizing service sector workers now that mass production industries have peaked in performance.
New issues - pay equity for women, health and safety concerns, a voice in the workplace - are important to young workers, the report said.
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HITTING THE BARS SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 23 ? AFTER THE KU OKLAHOMA GAME ??! DON'T DRIVE- LET A.U.R.H.! in conjunction with Bull Winkle's - Johnny's Tavern - West Coast Saloon Cogburn's - The Jayhawk Cafe - The Wheel Louise's and Louise's West - The Jazzhaus (a 21 bar)
...will be sponsoring a bus route on the night of February 23 (8 p.m.-7 a.m.) round trip from the residence halls and the bars listed above.
Cost is only 25 cents A small price to pay to promote responsible drinkin' and drivin'.
BUS SCHEDULE
Times listed are minutes after the hour
GSP : 00 : 20 : 40
JRP : 03 : 23 : 43
Daisy Hill : 10 : 30 : 50
Oliver : 15 : 35 : 55
West Coast Saloon : 20 : 40 : 00
Hawk, Wheel, Bull Winkles : 30 : 10 : 10
Louise's, Jazzahaus : 35 : 55 : 15
Mad Hatter, Cogburns : 40 : 00 : 20
Johnny's : 45 : 05 : 25
Louie's West : 55 : 15 : 35
A. U.R.H.- working to improve KU students' home away from home!