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Thursday, April 1, 1993
OPINION
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
IN OUR OPINION
Firing of U.S. attorneys hampers justice system
In one fell swoop, U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno ordered all U.S. attorneys to resign their positions. These attorneys are responsible for federal prosecutions and investigations throughout the country. Their role is key to the enforcement of all federal laws.
It did not come as a surprise to anyone that these attorneys were ordered to resign. As holdovers from the Reagan and Bush administrations, the U.S. attorney positions were expected to go to loyal supporters of President Clinton. The original delay behind the quick installation of new attorneys was the absence of an attorney general.
Reno issued an order for all attorneys to resign within 10 days. The problem is that the administration did not have replacements ready to take their places. A U.S. attorney is nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate. It is the responsibility of President Clinton and Democratic representatives and senators to select nominees for replacements in each district.
Following the her confirmation, Reno received orders from the White House to dismiss all U.S. attorneys. This order, while expected, wasn't made in a timely manner.
At issue is whether the offices of the U.S. attorney across the nation can effectively carry out their mission and responsibility. Across the nation, federal prosecutions could be compromised. Investigations could grind to a halt. Without the direction of a U.S. attorney, criminal prosecutions of white collar and drug crimes could be seriously compromised.
Clinton should have waited to dismiss the U.S. attorneys until he was able to offer replacements for the positions. He didn't.
And now the federal criminal justice will have to pay the price.
THE EDITORIAL BOARD
More overtime work hurts new job growth
American workers are getting more overtime and the bigger checks that go with it. But if this sounds like good news on the employment front, forget it. Overtime, once considered a sort of emergency expense for an employer, has become a substitute for hiring new workers.
It isn't that the companies don't have work available. It's just that they would rather not hire any new permanent help. More and more, employers see new workers as liabilities rather than assets. One reason is the growing list of benefits and privileges — many of them required by federal law — that employers must take on when they add anyone to a permanent payroll. Fringe benefits — not affected by overtime and not usually paid to temporary workers — now account for 40 percent of labor costs. . .
An AFL-CIO economist says if industry could go back to the amount of overtime worked in 1982, it would create three million new jobs without increasing the federal deficit. Although the economy created 380,000 new jobs in February, cutting the unemployment rate to 7 percent, lowest in 15 months, 348,000 of the new slots went to temporary or part-time employees.
The problem may get worse before it gets better. The Clinton administration, even more than its predecessors, is pushing for more required benefits and employment costs. These will make it even less attractive for a company to increase its payroll.
The World Tulsa, Okla.
Kansan Columnists;
Steve Chapman, J.R. Clairborne, Lisa Cosmillo, Andrew Gilman, Francesca Glyn-Jones, Cecile Julian, Ann Jurcyk, Marvin McNett, Shelly Solon and Julie Wasson.
Kansan Cartoonists:
Michael Irwin, Michael Paul, David Rosenfield,
Moses Smith and Rob Tapley.
KANSAN STAFF
GREG FARMER
Editor
GAYLE OSTERBERG Managing editor
TOM EBLEN
General manager, news adviser
BILL SKEET, Technology coordinator
Asst Managing ... Justin Knump
News ... Monique Guelain
... David Mitchell
Editorial ... Stephen Martino
Campus ... KC Trauner
Sports ... David Mitchell
Movies Rowlund
Features ... Lynne McAdoo
Graphics ... Dan Schauer
STEVE PERRY
Business manager
MELISSA TERLIP
Retail sales manager
JEANNE HINES
Sales and marketing adviser
Campus sales mgr ... Brad Bead
Regional sales mgr ... Wade Baxter
National sales mgr ... Jennifer Pierer
International sales mgr ... Amy Stumbo
Production mgr ... Ashley Llangford
Marketing director .. Angela Clevenger
Creative director .. Holly Tomson
Creatives mgr .. John Toms
Art Director .. Dave Habiger
Letters should be typed, double-spaced and fewer than 200 words. They must include the name of the student, a list of courses taken, a description of the University with the class number, a class homepage, or faculty or staff position.
Guest columns should be typed, double-spaced and fewer than 700 words. The will be written by the instructor. The Kansas reserves the right to reject edit, guest letters, guest cartoons and cartoons. They can be submitted in any format except typed text.
...announced Boris Yeltsin in a historic compromise.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
KU should work as a team,not criticize its own
I have an undying love for the University of Kansas. One might call it hereditary. Since my birth, my father, a fanatic KU alumnus, has encouraged and instilled a pride for the University in me. Because I choose to share my devotion to the University by adding to the spirit of the Crismon Crew, I am condemned by some. I am offended that an organization that tries to share with others the greatness of this University is compared to an escort service. I cannot speak for all members, but I can assure you that I am proud to represent the Kansas Jayhawks on the Crismon Crew. I believe the Crismon Crew is a vital part of the football recruiting process at KU. I am not there to "smile pretty" or "make small talk." I work closely with the coaches and staff to spread the word about the University that Ilove. Crimson Crew, as stated in the advertisement in the *Kansan*, is a good experience for public relations and communications majors. I am a journalism major, and I feel that my work with the Crismon Crew will help prepare me for a career in the journalism field. I find it particularly interesting that Vered Hankin defends an organization that she is affiliated with. Wouldn't it be great if all of KU's organizations supported one another for the good of the University?
Angela Kokoruda Leawood sophomore
Colleen McCain's editorial concerning the Brady bill demonstrates her lack of knowledge regarding the acquisition of handguns.
What will mandatory waiting periods do for law-abiding citizens? Ask the woman in western Kansas who was raped and told to expect more soon. Ask the victims of Hurricane Andrew.
Reader thinks Brady bill curbs right to bear arms
It is federal law that a person buying a firearm must provide valid identification and complete the Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms legal document No. 4473. Questions are asked about drug use, criminal background, mental defects, etc. A person who makes any false statements becomes a felon.
A handgun is a piece of life-saving equipment that every law-abiding citizen should have immediate access to without any restrictions. Criminals don't wait for their guns, so why should we?
According to studies reported by the National Rifle Association, about 83 percent of all firearms used in crimes are obtained illegally.
David DiBella
Smokers, stop dropping your butts on campus
I hate smoking.
I do not hate smokers, though. You can smoke up a storm for all I care, as long as you refrain from shortening your lifespan in my personal space.
However, when you toss spent butts hither and thither you catch the bad side of my attention. I deplore having to bear witness to this habit of littering campus as well as anywhere else that may seem to be a convenient substitute for a trash can. I think it's about time that those party to this disregard for cleanliness take responsibility for their actions and properly dispose of their spent cigarettes. Flicking butts into the grass, stamping them out on the sidewalk or tossing them out a car window without caring a tinker's cuss for those of us who actually enjoy the beauty of this campus, is truly disgusting.
Now these people will accuse me of not considering anyone else who litters, whether the litter be paper, wraps, canisters or whatnot. I've got a message for them too: You are no better.
And finally, the accused will lambaste me for not offering a solution. Well here it is. If you smoke, carry around a little box or some container to keep your cigarette butts from offending the environment until you can get rid of them properly. For the other litterbags, using your pocketz or carrying trash to the closest garbage bin and disposing of it will keep KU neat and tidy. Take responsibility for your actions, and don't blame your problems on someone else. Hmm ... maybe we could apply this philosophy to all aspects of our lives. What a great idea!
Armen Kurdian Wichita senior
KU pedestrian ponders puddle predicaments
For what appeared to be the hundredth time, when in reality it was only the sixth or seventh time, as I was walking to class, I was oh so charmingly brought out of my contemplation of the rain, my French homework, what I was going to do this weekend or what color gelatin the cafeteria was going to serve for dinner. The splashing of gallons of water — not just water, mind you, but also mud, sand, and sludge — all over my person surprised me. I was splattered from head to toe. Of course, that is not much of a distance since I am barely five feet one inch tall, but it was enough to get the entire left side of my body soaked.
What was unique about this splattering from my past splatterings was my reaction. In the past, I would jump around, scream my head off and cast aspersions on the head of the driver. The driver apparently could not see the five-foot puddle of water or the innocent pedestrian walking on the sidewalk next to it. This pedestrian wrongly believed that all drivers would attempt to avoid splashing pedestrians. But instead of doing my normal just-got-splattered dance, I laughed and smiled.
I actually walked away from the experience with a smile on my face. I was shocked when 15 minutes later I ran into a friend who asked my why I was smiling and I had to tell him that it was because I had just been splashed by a car. The look he gave me was the classic "you're-losing it" look.
The purpose of this letter is to make drivers — especially those friendly bus drivers — aware that during the current wet and slushy season the water in those puddles that they drive through does land somewhere. That water and sludge mixture usually lands on the innocent pedestrians walking on the sidewalk. Secondly, it is to tell all those people who have been splashed before that there is hope out there. Eventually after you've been splashed numerous times you do find the humor in the whole experience and can walk away laughing.
Liz M. Green
Omaha, Neb., senior
GUEST COLUMNIST
BETH SKEET P.D.Q. Bach concert notes other band contributions
This is an open invitation to all students.
The University of Kansas bands celebrated their 100th year of existence in 1992. Most students remember the highfalfa show at the football game that celebrated this event. What they are not aware of, however, is the tradition of excellence that extends throughout the entire KU Band program. When I tell students that I'm in the band at KU, they say: "You're in the basketball band." I tell them: "No, I play the clarinet in the symphonic band. I play in the marching band. I play in the orchestra." Then they get a confused look because the KU concert ensembles are the University's best kept secret.
The band program involves a wide variety of students, many majors and has some of the best known directors in the country. Robert Foster, director of bands, Thomas Stidham, assistant director of bands, James Barnes, professor of music theory, and Dan Galey, director of jazz studies, have made giant contributions to the band program. It is because of them that KU bands have maintained their standard of excellence despite monetary cutbacks across the board.
I have been in the Symphonic band for five years, and I have yet to see Crafton-Preyer Theater filled. I know you can't give me the excuse that you don't know where it is because classes meet there every day. It's also really close to Allen Field House. Another thing I bet you don't realize is that you pay for these concerts. These "free and open to the public" concerts are made possible by the Student Senate Activity Fee. You ought to get your money's worth. College is supposed to provide a well-rounded education, and one learns much more from experience than from books.
Today, Peter Schickele, a.k.a "P.D.Q. Bach," will be on campus to direct the Symphonic Band. Of all the times to come to a concert, this is probably the best. Professor Schickle is retiring as P.D.Q. Bach, a witty and innovative composer of not-so-sorious music. The band department had to make special arrangements for him to perform his works. So since your activity fee helped pay his way here, why not come to the concert at 8:00 p.m. today, P.D.Q. Bach's birthday, at Crafton-Preyer Theater? Better still, enjoy your lunch at Rose's bar in Murphy Hall at 12:30 and get a taste of P.D.Q. Bach's style as we perform chamber music featuring such works as the "Safe Sextet" and "Fanfare for the Common Cold."
All concerts are free and open to the public. We hope to see you there for a night of music, laughter and fun, and at other fine musical performances throughout the year.
Beth Sket is a Lawrence senior majoring in Italian.
Mystery Strip
by David Rosenfield