The University Daily
Visa denied Nicaraguan leader can't visit Kansas Inside, p. 7.
KANSAN
CLOUDY
Published since 1889 by students of the University of Kansas
SUN
WIND
RAIN
High, 55. Low, 35.
Details on p. 2.
Vol. 94, No. 135* (USPS 650-640)
Thursday morning, April 12, 1984
Auto plant welcomes Reagan
By LORI DODGE Staff Reporter
CLAYCOMO. Mo. — Autoworker Leroy Gray was just eating another lunch yesterday in the plant's cafeteria when President Obama came in and started talking about "regular stuff."
Gray spends his weekdays driving a fork lift at the Ford Kansas City Assembly Plant. He and hundreds of other plant employees get out to eat after lunch to catch a glimpse of the president.
Although many of the union employees sported Mondale hats, the atmosphere around the plant was filled with excitement over Reagan's visit there.
MEMBERS OF THE United Auto Workers union, which has cast its support for Democratic presidential candidate Walter F. Mondale, distributed Monday hats and buttons earlier that morning. But many Claycomo workers said that, despite their support for the party, they were thrilled about the opportunity to be actively speak or shake hands with the president.
"Everybody's really more excited," said Gary Dunegan, a production worker. "Hell, when's the last time you got to see the president?"
"I'm not saying who I'd vote for; I'm just excited to see him," he said.
The United Auto Workers Local 249, which represents the plant's 4,500 workers, has criticized Reagan's visit as part of a political campaign. And the UAW has pointed to next year's budget cuts as occasions that Reagan's real reason for visiting the plant, which is north of Kansas City, Mp.
BUT THE WHITE HOUSE labeled Reagan's visit non political. That means that the trip's costs were not paid for by Reagan's re-election campaign but by taxpayers.
Jack Critchfield, an assembly line worker,
said that Reagan probably would pull in more votes from the plant's workers than most people would think.
"he's got a way about him." Critchfield
he's got a way of talking without
humor.
Charles Hazlett, who works installing springs on trucks, said he thought some of the workers had been rude by wearing Mondale hats.
"I think it's just neat to get to see the
Quality is Job 1
See CLAYCOMO, p. 6, col. 1
CLAYCOMO, Mo. — President Reagan receives applause from workers at the Ford Kansas City Plant Assembly. Missouri Gov. Christopher Bond, at right, and Ford chief Philip Caldwell, second from left, accompanied Reagan on his tour
yesterday, Caldwell is Ford's chairman of the board and chief executive officer. Below, Steve Hanson, a 12-year employee at the factory, avails the president's arrival. Hanson said he supported Mondale.
Reagan lauds recovery
By LORI DODGE
Staff Reporter
CLAYCOMO, Mo. — President Reagan told Ford autoworkers yesterday that “the sun is shining” again on a strong economy and the U.S. automobile industry.
In his address to workers at the Ford Kansas City Assembly Plant north of Kansas City, Mo. Reagan cited the auto industry's upswing as an indication of an improving economy and lauded his administration's economic program for guiding the recovery.
"In this place, in one of our country's basic industries, we can see where America's people work."
Reagan pointed to increased factory orders, housing starts, and retail and auto spending.
people," he told a group of workers squeezed between huge assembly lines.
"All of us, working together and ignoring the gloomcrriers and pundits who said it couldn't be done, have hung tough. Today, as we see the auto industry and the economy humming with activity, aren't we glad we did?"
Reagan's speech followed a short tour of the Cliveycoom plant and lunch with employees from the US.
Although Reagan's visit to the plant was labeled non-political by the White House, members of the United Auto Workers union
See REAGAN, p. 6, col. 3
Chernenko gains last of top 3 Soviet posts
By United Press International
MOSCOW — The Soviet Parliament elected Konstantin Chernenko to the presidency yesterday, giving him the top three posts in the Kremlin hierarchy with unprecedented speed at a time of growing superpower rivalry.
Chenkerno said in his acceptance speech that Soviet foreign policy demanded "constant activity, firmness, consistency in the search for evidence, diligence," according to the official news agency, Tass.
"It is directed at overcoming international tension, ensuring security, our state interests in the world arena and upholding peace throughout the world." he said.
Chernenko
Chernenko's election comes at a time of mounting East-West tension over such issues as Soviet charges of harassment of its Olympic athletes and the suspension of nuclear arms talks.
Chernenko, 72, now holds the three titles held by his late predecessors, Yuri Andropov and Sergei Bukharin. The Secretary of the Communist Party and Chairman of the Defense Council, which controls the military.
No official announcement is ever made of the defense appointment. When he gained the title is
It took Brezhnev 13 years to add the presidency to his leadership of the Communist Party, which controls the levers of power at all levels of Soviet society. Andropov waited seven months to add the title of president to his party leadership position.
Cherenko, who is believed to be suffering from emphysema, moved with unprecedented speed to consolidate his power, taking all three titles barely two months after the death of Andropov Feb. 9. He was named party leader Feb. 13.
By assuming the title of presidency, a largely ceremonial post, Cherenko becomes head of state and thus will be on equal diplomatic footing with other world leaders, such as President Reagan.
"Konstantin Chernenko, General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Central Committee, was unanimously elected president of the presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the U.S.S.R. at a session of the Soviet Parliament," Tass said.
The Parliament was thought only to have
approved a decision made Tuesday by the Communist Party Central Committee.
Cherenko's name was proposed for the president's job by Mikhail Gorbachev, considered by many Western diplomats to be the No. 2 man in the ruling Poliburo.
"The simultaneous fulfillment by the General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee also of the functions of the president of the presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the U.S.S.R. is of tremendous significance to the execution of the Soviet Union's foreign policy." Gorbachev said
The new president's first official act was to nominate Nikola Tikhonov, 78, to be reappointed to the post of premier, a motion that was swiftly postceded by the 1,500 members of the Supreme Soviet.
Underscoring the East-West chill, Soviet Ambassador to the United Nations Oleg Troyanovsky said Tuesday that the Soviet Union has "one of the darkest periods" in their relations.
Cherenko reiterated this week in an interview with the Communist Party newspaper Pravda that the United States was blocking progress on Iran's nuclear program by buying new nuclear missiles in western Europe.
House OKs deficit bill 318-97
Bipartisan supporters say $49 billion plan is 'an ounce of faith'
WASHINGTON — The House yesterday approved a $49 billion tax bill favored by Democrats, Republicans and the president, and supporters predicted that the deficit-cutting measure would give "an ounce of faith to a doubling nation."
The bill passed 318-97, with 223 Democrats and
14 Republicans. The bill passed 318-97, with 223 Democrats and 14 Republicans. Republican values in the
Rep. Henson Moore, R-LA., said that he had been in Congress for 10 years and "this is the first time I have been asked to lead."
Moore said that in the past he always "had found a way to vote against taxes." But he said, this vote for deficit-reduction is "a time for statesmen, not politicians."
THERE WAS MINOR DISSENT on a provision in the bill that puts a cap on the number of tax-exempt industrial development bonds that can be issued by states. Those bonds finance such governmental projects as low-income housing, stadiums, airports, and industrial parks. The cap is equal to the population of the state multiplied by $150.
Opening House debate on the bill, Ways and Means Committee chairman Dian Rostenkowski said revenue that would be raised by the three-year bill was modest compared with the highly spiraling deficit, expected to rise by about $700 billion over the same period. But, he said, it shows that "Congress is prepared to move against the defect."
Both Democrats and Republicans spoke in support of the bill, which also has the backing of President Reagan. The bill is an essential part of the Democrats' deficit-cutting plan.
The bill is the "pay" part of the House approved "pay-as-you-go" budget that includes a $150 billion deficit-reduction plan. It would be used to finance the 3.5 percent increase in military and some social spending called for in house budget for fiscal 1985, which starts Oct. 1.
"Compared with the revenue increases that face this body over the next few years, the deficit impact is marginal." Rostenkowski said. "But passage of this bill is a statement that we intend to stand our ground. It is one more ounce of faith that we give a doubting nation."
THE HOUSE BILL will close corporate tax "loopholes," increase the tax on liquor and cigarettes, move to curb the use of tax shelters, reduce tax on trucks and raise the diesel tax.
The Senate worked late into the night on a separate $48 billion tax bill essential to Republican leaders' refreshed-reduction plan, but did not complete action. Senators did approve an amendment to allow jobless workers who run out of unemployment benefits to withdraw from their Individual Retirement Accounts without paying taxes on the money.
Earlier, the Senate rejected a program that would have provided health insurance for some low-income residents.
THE SENATE VOTED 57-10 against the proposed $700 million insurance program after Sen. Robert Dole, R-Kan, argued that it is not worth the investment payment rate has dropped rather dramatically*.
The amendment, proposed by Sen. John Heinz, R-Pa., would have been limited to jobless workers eligible for unemployment benefits who work in the lower tier group health plan when they lost their jobs.
The Senate tax bill is an integral part of the $150 billion deficit-cutting plan worked out by Senate GOP leaders and President Reagan earlier this year. The all-Republican plan was agreed upon after talks with Democrats collapsed.
GLSOK did not expect budget cutoff
By MARY SEXTON
Gay and Lesbian Services of Kansas expected the Student Senate Finance Committee to substantially reduce its budget request, the group said, arguing that a group never expected to be cut off completely.
"We expected to be cut back down to 'token funding, rent and phone.'" said Ruth Lachinger.
Lichtward said that GLSOK had not yet decided how to respond to the committee's Press Conference.
Jon Gilchrist, Finance Committee chairman,
said that the committee denied money to GLSOK
because the group was able to generate its own
funds.
"We're going to wait to see what the Senate does." she said.
Carla Vogel, student body president, said that the recommendation by the committee would have to be approved by the Senate, which would not look at appropriations bills until next week.
'If I felt the need to veto it, I would.'
—Carla Vogel, student body president
But Vogel said that she would veto an appropriations bill that did not contain funds for GLSOK.
The committee denied funds to GLSOK after reviewing the group's current budget, Gilchrist said, which showed that it would carry money over into the fiscal year 1985.
During preliminary budget hearings,
GOSOK's initial request for $2,863.73 was cut to $605.
"If I felt the need to veto it, I would," she said,
have faith that the Senate will do what's right.
The committee voted 8-3 to deny funds to the organization. Gilchrist explained the committee's denial by saying that GLSOK could support it with the revenue it generated from its dances.
He said that the committee members were instructed not to vote in favor of denying funds if they were voting for any reason except that GLSOK was self-supporting.
Gilchrist said the committee decided that the group could support itself because it had been able to raise about $4,500 from dances last year.
But Lichtward said that GLSOK could not rely solely on dance revenue because that income fluctuated. Relying on dance revenue is often a "Catch-22," she said.
The organization must advertise to have good dances, she said, but at the same time must have profitable dances to afford advertising.
She also said she didn't know how much revenue GLSKOW earned from dances next
"In the past, when we needed money," she said, "we held a dance and hoped we made enough."
Gilchrist said the committee also denied money to the University Film Society because that group could support itself with revenue from ticket sales.
Life renewed for satellite in repair shop in the sky
By United Press International
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Two spacewalking mechanics from the space agency's "Ace Satellite Repair Co." quickly mended Solar Satellite in Challenger's zero-gravity garage yesterday. The satellite probably will be returned to orbit today.
"Not a bad day at the office." was how the National Aeronautics and Space Administration characterized the first orbital overhaul. "Pinky" Nelson and James*Ox" van Hoften.
"We've all got our big happy faces on this evening," Jerry Ross in mission control told the astronauts as they prepared for sleep. "They don't look like it's coming along just fine."
If Solar Max passes the checkout on the shuttle's robot arm. Challenger's crewmen
will put the satellite back in orbit early today
and start planning for a landing tomorrow in
the next few months.
"I think these guys had a respectable day out in the payload," said Challenger commander Robert Crippen, who added that Nelson and van Hofen made the repair job look easy because of their "practice, practice, practice" on the ground.
A SUCCESSFUL, repositioning of Solar Max, the most sophisticated sun-watching satellite, would provide positive proof that Crippen, Dick Scobee, Nelson, van Hoten and Terry Hart have moved the American space program into a new era.
NASA started referring to the crew as the "Ace Satellite Repair Co." after its mission was salvaged by the arm's capture of Solar Max on Tuesday.
See SHUTTLE, p. 6, col. 4
4