OPINION 。 The University Daily KANSAN September 7,1983 Page4 The University Daily KANSAN Published since 1889 by students of the University of Kansas The University Daily Kaman (USP5 60/640) is published at the University of Kansas, 118 Stuart Finst Hall, Lawrence, Kan. DAILY, daily during the regular school year and Monday and Thursday during summer sessions; Saturday, June 27; Sunday, July 2; Monday, July 3; Tuesday, July 4; Wednesday, July 5; Saturday, July 11 are $15 for six months or $1年 in Douglas County and $18 for six months or $3 for a week outside the county. Student subscriptions are $1 a semester paid through the student activity for POSTMASTER. Send resume to USP5, PO Box 1012, Lawrence, KS 66040. MARK ZIEMAN Editor DOUG CUNNINGHAM STEVE CUSICK Managing Editor Editorial Author MICHAEL ROBINSON Campus Editor ANN HORNBERGER Business Manager PAUL JESS General Manager and News Adviser DAVE WANMAKER MARK MEARS Retail Sales National Sales Manager LYNNE STARK Campus Sales Manager JOHN OBERZAN Advertising Adviser After the battle The money from Gov. John Carlin's panacea to remedy state financial woes — a severance tax on oil and minerals — is starting to roll in. State officials predict the state will have gathered $23 million from the tax by the end of this month. The money is starting to come in, but whether the tax will help the state out of its financial doldrums remains to be seen. However, it's already become obvious that oil and gas producers aren't going to leave the state by the dozens because of the additional tax burden, as industry officials predicted would happen. Of course, those dire predictions came when the political debate over the tax was raging hot and heavy last spring. Don Schnacke, spokesman for the Kansas Independent Oil and Gas Association, said then that the tax would have a devastating effect on the state's oil and gas industry. "They're out wrecking our industry," he said of the Legislature then. However, his tone appears to have tempered somewhat now that the politics of the tax have been decided. He said recently that the producers "intend to obey the law and pay the tax," even if they weren't happy with it. The severance tax was the centerpiece of Carlin's campaign last year, and he staked much of the state's economic future on it. So he's probably a bit nervous — it may not produce the results he wanted. Lawmakers have estimated that natural gas production for 1983 will be 450 cubic feet. That's what they based their projections on. But industry officials predict natural gas production of only 300 billion cubic feet this year. That means less money for the state. State officials are also worried that a continued decline in gasoline prices could cut back the money from the tax on oil production. The political smoke has cleared somewhat, and the severance tax wasn't a death knell for the oil and gas industry. Now it must prove itself as the economic breath of life Carlin touted to be. Weakening OSHA U. S. workers, those venerable humans with sinewy hands that have forged a nation, had their day Monday. But it was only one day of celebration in a time that is otherwise marked by decline of organized labor. Labor is getting attacked from all sides, but its most outspoken and powerful opponent is undoubtedly the Reagan administration, which routinely listens to corporate America rather than the working man. Another example of the relentless attack on labor was revealed Sunday when consumer advocate Ralph Nader released a report on the weakening of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration during Reagan's term. Under Reagan, OSHA has become another impotent federal agency. It's more concerned with pleasing industry than protecting workers, which was part of the role given it by Congress. Violators are receiving lighter fines, and the agency is conducting fewer investigations than under previous administrations, according to the study. Nader said, "The Reagan administration, using code words such as 'voluntary compliance' and 'non-adversarial', has shackled OSHA and changed it from an enforcement agency against industrial hazards to an industry-indentured, demoralized bureaucracy." That's not what lawmakers had in mind when they invented the agency. U. S. workers have worked hard to improve their plight. The Reagan administration is trying to erase some of those gains, so workers had better realize that their struggle is not over. They've built a nation; they can survive Ronald Reagan. Reckless spraying Paraquet is a weed killer. If human beings get a whiff of it in their systems, it can cause severe respiratory ailments. It has been known to kill. So here were the drug agents wheeling around in helicopters dumping the stuff, and if it breaks down a few lungs . . . what's that compared to knocking out several acres of pot weed? Paraquat has garnered most of its human victims among marijuana smokers who used leaves that had been sprayed. says that's a never-mind. "We don't have any responsibility to those people. They do that at their own risk." he said. Fortunately a federal judge has put a temporary restraining order on the spraying. When it comes to chemicals, we need a judge around every moment to guard against our over-fondness for turning dangerous concoctions loose on the public. Georgia Gov. Joe Frank Harris —The (Burlington, Iowa) Hawk Eye GOP could lose Senate The University Daily Kansan welcomes letters to the editor. Letters should be typewritten, double-spaced and should not exceed 300 words. They should include the writer's name, address and phone number. If the writer is affiliated with the University, the letter should include his class and home town or faculty or staff position. The Kansan also invites individ- ual letters to suggest new columns. Columns and letters can be mailed or brought to the Kansas office, 111 Staffion-Flint Hall. The Kansan reserves the right to edit or reject letters and columns. WASHINGTON — Howard Baker was first. Then came John Tower. Mark Hatfield may be the next Senate Republican to announce his GOP chances of retaining control of the Senate in the 1984 elections. As chairman of the Appropriations Committee, Hatfield, 61, of Oregon, is the only leader of a major With only a fragile 54-46 majority, Senate Republican needs to keep as many incumbents in the race as possible to prevent a Democratic takeover that could be disastrous to a second Reagan administration. ROBERT MACKAY LETTERS POLICY United Press International Senate committee who has not indicated yet whether he will seek re-election in 1984. Haffield, a 17-year Senate veteran, is known to be considering retirement, but undoubtedly will come under pressure to run again by his Republican colleagues who are losing control of the Senate. Hatfield — a deeply religious man — is growing tired of life in the Senate. In the past two years, he has repeatedly fought attempts by the military to boost his benefit programs while increasing the military nuclear arsenal. "He is still weighing his options," a Hafftine spokesman said. "He has indicated he will announce one way or another in the fall." The House is overwhelmingly Democratic and expected to stay that way past 1984. Only with the aid of his Republican allies controlling the Senate has Obama been able to override Congress some of his legislative proposals. He also is the co-sponsor of the nuclear freeze resolution, with none other than a conservative Republi- cismist. He's Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass. As a result, even though he holds a strong position among Senate Republicans and is respected by most of them, he is not warmly embraced by the White House. And the contempt is well known. Of the 33 senators whose terms expire in 1984, 19 are Republicans and 14 are Democrats. In addition, the Democratic seat held by Sen. Henry Jackson of Washington, who died Thursday, will be for grabs. None of the incumbent Democrats At a recent Senate-House conference committee. Rep. Silvio Conte, R-Mass., joked with Hatfield that the administration wanted money for the International Monetary Fund so bad: "they're even be friendly." If Hafftie chooses not to run again, look for Democratic Reps. Les AuCoin, Denny Smith and Jim Weaver to jump into the race. Another possibility is former Portland Mayor Neil Goldschmidt, secretary of transportation under President Carter. appear vulnerable, but that cannot be said for the Republicans. Sens Roger Jepson of Iowa, Jesse Helms of Missouri, and Robert Hines of Illinois appear to be trouble Senate Republican leader Howard Baker announced in January that he would not seek re-election in 1884. The 57-year-old Tennessee, acknowledged as one of the best majority leaders ever, wants to run for governor in 1888 and then needs the time to get his organization ready. Republican chances for retaining control of the Senate then took another dive in August when Tower; the 57-year-old chairman of the Armed Services Committee, surpassed anyone by announcing his retirement. Democratic Rep. Albert Gore is considered the front-runner for Baker's seat. Democrats, who did extremely well in Texas in the 1982 midterm elections, could capture Tower's seat as well. The Democrats only need to hold their own and win five seats in 1984 to regain control of the Senate, which they lost in the Reagan landslide of 1980. The outcome will probably be decided in Tennessee, North Carolina, Iowa, Illinois and Texas. Hattief is not expected to have any trouble winning re-election. If he should retire, add Oregon to the list of Democratic possibilities. Bickering is no cure for herpes A judge in Everett, Wash., last week awarded $40,000 to a woman whose estranged husband gave her herpes, the lover's gift that lasts The 31-year-old woman sought $161,257 from her 31-year-old spouse. Anyone who catches herpes does so accidentally, but ignorance fails to be an excuse for personal negligence. Each person maintains responsibility for the maintenance of his own body. People who indulge in sex must take responsibility for their behavior. If you do not exercise. Except in rape, no one forces anyone to have sex with someone who has herpes. The woman got heripes during an attempt at reconciliation with her husband. The couple are now seeking a divorce. Unfortunately, she is not the only vengeful woman to wail about a disease that she contracted during sex that she chose to enjoy. At least two other women who have contended with the disease are seeking damages. Despite the discomfort caused by the disease, the woman should not have been awarded the $40,000. No money can cure her. But her KIESA ASCUE Staff Columnist pain results from her own gullibility and ignorance. Unless the man deliberately infected her, that case would have been tossed out of the courtroom. Instead of seeking vengeance and money from one another, victims should band together to support research to combat this virus. If a judge must place blame in a herpes case, it would be better to forward herpes research, not into the greedy fingers of a lover who seeks revenge. Herpes creeps into the nervous system and waits until stressful times to pop into play. Victims can be unaware of the condition, and may not complain, especially to an unsuspecting person unfamiliar with the symptoms. Some scientists contend that victims can infect lovers even when no sores are evident, which is terribly bad news for those who have herpes but want to enjoy sex with uninfected partners. But the man who sought reconciliation with his wife surely did not want to run his chances by revealing his disease. If he had given his wife any other infectious disease, the judge probably would have laughed the case out of court. But he gave her herpes. Victims should tell their lovers when there is a risk of infection. However, personal confessions may not be mandated by the courts. This case, a dangerous legal precedent, opens the door to a barrage of cases by angry victims. Placing blame will not help them find a cure. If a person unintentionally infects someone with a disease, the germs, not the person, are at fault. If every victim went to court, the courts would be bombarded with people who knew the person for damage done by a virus. Free world must unite to stop abhorrent acts A 747 umbair airliner has "vanished" from thin air. The Russians certainly had nothing to do with it. They only fired "warning shots" at an "intruder" plane that failed to respond to their warnings. The whole incident of the destruction of a plane is plot to ruin the image of Russia." His response on the part of the Russia to the charge that they shot and killed 269 innocent civilians aboard a commercial airliner. To the Editor: It is hard to believe that anyone or any nation can so brutally and repulsively snuff out the lives of so many people and yet brazenly try to lay the blame on somebody else. It is incomovable that there are people who do not want to bear the same "stuff" as we but are able to act in such an auctuous manner. We, as students in the ivory tower of higher learning and citizens of the free world, cannot stand by and let such an abhorrent act of savagery Sungil Lee be forgotten. If we do not do something drastic to let the cows behind the iron curtain know that we won't permit such acts to occur, they may take it as a sign that they can get away with anything — as they have been doing. We must unite in a show of force and firmness to prevent such tragedies from ever occurring again. Sungil Lee Vice president for undergraduate Vice president for undergraduate students KU Korean Student Association Law isn't unjust To the Editor: In your Aug. 30 editorial titled "Obeying an Unjust Law," you claim that it is an injustice for the government to require those students receiving federal aid to prove they have registered for the draft. You claim further that this law discriminates against those who are dependent on that aid to finance their education. Today's armed forces use the highest technology to gain an edge in How can these individuals justify accepting money from the taxpayers of this nation when they are so self-centered and so immature that they are more concerned with their own personal comfort and safety than with the security of some taxable goods. The people are now asked to join the military now, they are being asked to stand ready in the event that the integrity of this nation is threatened by external force. In answer to your charge that this law discriminates against the poor, I say that an all-volunteer Army is much more discriminatory. It discriminates against the poor, against the Army, against the security of the United States. The Army is forced to depend on those individuals who cannot support themselves to fill its ranks. combat, yet the Army must use comic books to teach the many illiterate recruits how to operate this equipment. For years the Soviets were afraid to act with force because of the overwhelming superiority of American military machine. Not so today. On Aug 31, a Soviet fighter shot down a Korean 745mm gun, one of several of them Americans, including one U.S. congressman. What is so unjust about requiring the educated young men of America to stand ready to defend this country against hostile forces? Why should the government finance the educa- tion system or see themselves above this duty? I would be proud to have the words "Died in Defense of his Country" engraved on my tombstone. I would have lost you, while my brother died in combat. Randall L. Brink Randall L.. Brink Topeka senior !