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Friday, September 23, 1977
University Daily Kansan
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Comment
Unsigned editorial represent the opinion of the Kansan editorial staff. Signed columns represent only the views of the writers.
Lance questions stay
The Bert Lance affair twisted its way through weeks of press and Senate criticism of Lance, administration criticism of the press and the Senate, the transformation last week of Lance's inevitable resignation into Lance's theatrical victory in the Senate committee hearings—then, somehow yet a surprise, the resignation.
surprise, he maintained to the end, as did president Jimmy Carter, that his effectiveness as director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) was not harmed by the many allegations about his past financial adventures.
tures."
Haaps Lance could have continued as an able OMB director, but he almost certainly would have lost credibility and trust as a presidential adviser and congressional lobbyist, which he reportedly was so valuable. Lance is not the type who worked within the onurom OMB, and had he stayed on his ventures outside might well have been uncomfortable and ignored.
LANCE'S RESIGNATION is far from the end of the Lance affair.
Most prominently, what will become of Lance himself? He is totering financially and still faces investigations into his wheeler-dae师 past.
More importantly, though, there are legal, ethical and political questions raised in the Lance investigation that the resignation did not begin to answer.
First, the revelations of Lance's past publicized questions of bankers' ethics barely covered by federal regulations. The inner workings of banks' correspondent relationships and the question of when those relationships become illegal need to be more clearly defined to stop the cozy deals that, in the Lance case, met with wide disapproval from both the public and an embarrassed banking industry.
SECOND, ONE must still wonder why Carter himself did not know more about Lance's past when he nominated him for the post of OMB director last fall—or why Carter persisted in nominating Lance if he did know.
The assertions that Carter's staff did not fully disclose the facts to the man at the top strangely and unfortunately reminiscent of another administration. It is hard to believe that a man as meticulous as Carter would have lost all his curiosity about Lance's financial past after Carter learned of the Calhoun overdrafts and was assured that everything had been settled.
Finally, the whole mess points once again to the failings of the presidential appointee confirmation process. In the glow of post-election delight with the new Dewey administration, many bureaucracy investigators and staff members only winked at Lance's finances.
winked at Lance's mouth. However, only the most bloodthirsty administration critics could gloat over Lance's resignation.
IF LANCE WAS unfairly hounded from office, it is sad that our press and our people are so hungry for scandal that qualified men may become even more wary of working for the public.
But even if most or all of the allegations prove to be true, as seems more likely, then it is just as sad that a supposedly moral President—elected partially because of a hope that government could be trusted again—would choose Lance. And it is sad that the Senate did not catch the mistake, because such mistakes will continue to occur as long as political happiness can obscure the scrutiny cabinet-level appointees should get.
For those who are attuned to the political happenings that directly affect the University of Kansas, the squabbling over the construction of buildings at KU as well as Wichita State University has probed the issue in importance. After all, delays in the completion of the law school building, design errors in Wescoe Hall resulting in inadequate ventilation, a faulty roof in Robinson Gymnasium and an empty staircase in buildings hills glaringly point to the architectural problems KU has faced the past few years.
It's good that these defects have been brought to the public's eye. But to the average student, it's a bit of an remote as a prison riot in Portugal. They don't amount to a hill of beans when it comes to making your way through a day at a museum or annoying inconveniences.
- The bathroom doors on the fourth floor of Wescoe Hall are not only annoying but also dangerous. The doors were probably designed by some sadist who relished the idea of students, faculty and staff members colliding on their way in or out of the bathrooms. A simple answer here would be to add a door to prevent persons entering the bathroom from pushing the door into persons leaving the bathroom.
As any experienced student knows, there are many things on this campus that seem to absolutely defy engineering principles or common sense, yet they do. Here is some information. Here are some of the items that certainly should head up a "bug list":
U.S. fosters South African bias
By STEVEN BIKO N V Times Features
- While we're attacking doors, we should mention the main door in front of the building and the number one cause of hernias at
It has become pretty obvious to us that these are crucial years in the history of Azania (South Africa). The winds of liberation that have been sweeping down the face of Africa have turned their backs. There is no more doubt about the inevitability of change—the only questions now remaining are how and when.
Building bugs annoy students
At this stage of the liberation process, we have become very sensitive to the role played by the world's big powers in affecting the direction of that process. In a sense, America has played a shameful role in her relations with our country.
We rely not only on our own strength but also on the belief that the rest of the world views
WE ARE looking forward to a non-national, just and egalitarian society in which color, creed and shall form no point of reference.
Given the clear analysis of our problems, the choice is very simple for America in shaping her policy toward present-day South Africa. The impact black women have made diametrically opposed to each other. America's choice is narrowed down to either entrenching the existing minority white regime or alternatively assisting, in a very definite fashion, the decimations of millions of the black population as well as those of whites of good will.
America's foreign policy seems to have been guided by a selfish desire to maintain an imperialistic stranglehold on South Africa irrespective of how the blacks are made to suffer.
the African discrimination against oppression and blunt exploitation of the black majority by a minority as an unforgivable sin that cannot be pardoned by civilized society.
Though many words and statements to this effect have been made by politicians in America, very little by way of constructive action has been taken to apply concerted pressure on the minority white South African regime.
Besides the sin of omission, America often has been positively guilty of working in the interest of the minority regime in the United States or of black people. America's foreign policy seems to have been guided by a selfish desire to maintain an imperialistic stranglehold on this country irrespective of how the blacks are made to suffer.
THE NEW American administration must, however, take to account that no situation remains static forever. Through their politic intranational activities with African white minority regime has increased the level of resentment among blacks to
a point where it now seems that the people are prepared to use any means to attain their aspirations.
Heavy investments in the South African economy, bilateral trade with South Africa, cultural exchanges in the fields of sport and music and, of late, joint political ventures like the Vorsor-Kissinger exercise are among the sins of which people all of these activities relate to whites and their interests and serve to entrench the position of the minority regime.
- Carter should reverse the policy whereby America looks to the South African government diplomatic initiatives in Africa.
A FEW MINIMUM requirements perhaps can be outlined at this stage:
America must therefore re-examine her policy towards South Africa drastically.
to completely ensure that America is not involved in the exploitation of South African blacks.
- Where American firms do not on their own withdraw, the least that can be expected is for their governmental staff to work in these roles like remuneration, rate for the job, job reservation, trade unions, etc.
*AMERICA SHOULD cease showing any form of tolerance to Bantuans leaders who are operating as a model and platform obviously designed for the subjugation of black people.*
- America must call for the release of political prisoners and banned people . . . and the integration of these people in the political process that shall shape things to come.
- America must insist on South Africa recognizing the need for legitimate nongovernment-initiated platforms like the Black People's Convention...
THE DIRECTION in which allegiances will go obviously will be affected by the role played by the various world powers. If America goes for a full-scale support of the struggle for the black man's liberation, then she stands a chance of influencing political trends and perpetuating as a genuine friend. Otherwise, so far her role has been seen as that of bolstering the minority regime, all at the expense of the black man.
Steven Biko, South Africa's most influence black leader, died last week in detention after what the South African government said was an eight-day hunger strike.
KU, the doors are ready no problem on a calm day (which are rare in Kansas) but more frequent are the days when a banker makes those doors about as difficult to open as a bank vault door.
Dave Johnson
Editorial Writer
- Studying in Wescoe can also be an adventure, especially in the cafeteria. Again wind and temperature are a factor if you're sated inside. You're bastily copying notes borrowed from a friend and your chemistry lecture class starts in two minutes when the door opens and gives you a glimpse of the room and scatters your notes. You're lucky to collect your notes and make it to class on time.
Granted, many of these bugs are merely nitching and could be overcome with a minimal amount of effort. But really, who wants to confront vicious bathroom doors and tripping hazards? And more worthwhile things to devote our attention to?
"I's probably more a result of cutting costs than anything else, but the size of the desk tops is increasing. I'm taking notes comparable to writing a letter on top of a coaster. The short, oval-shaped tops will accommodate all of your books." She's sheet of notebook paper. If you have a professor that talks with all the restraint of an auckcup, she'll continually moving your paper avoid writing half your
More could be said about the history of design problems at UU but that would require a trip to the museum, and that another story.
- The chairs in the cafeteria of Wescoe were probably designed by the same guy who hung the doors on the bathroom upstairs. They are comfortable as comfortable as church pews but the jungle nut out constituting a hazard to life and limb. Walking to a table in the middle of the room is comparable to standing from one end of the Hawk to the other on a Friday afternoon.
notes off onto your neighbors desk.
going to be tyrannized by order and for that matter, reason. Let each trip through these halls be an adventure. And rightly so, if you want to learn about the work of your teachers, it is an adventure, map and all.
- Continuing the theme of making things an adventure in Wescoe, the architect must have thought students weren't enough to enjoy this skill, so he decided windows that don't open so we could imagine a breath of fresh air whenever a classroom got hot and no one was turning to turn the phrase of education in a vacuum into a reality.
- The sequence of room numbers in (you guessed it) Wescoe aren't bad on the fourth floor if you can follow the arrows on the walls. But the maze of randomly selected room numbers on the second and third floors is just as lack of sequential numbering was probably the result of a trend in humanitarian architecture: Because this is the humanities building, it's not
The absence of windows that don't open would not be bad if the room temperatures were kept constant. But some days walking from class to class in a snowy area would hike down a mountain with extreme coldness at the top and blasting heat at the bottom.
NEWS ITEM: CITY TO_CONSIDER TERMINATING FIRE SERVICES FOR CAMPUS
Farmers safe with common sense
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) isn't exactly a thorn in the side—its position is a bit lower.
Small farmers and hermits are almost the only people in Mexico who have any independence from government regulations. OSHA, already the industry and health control of small farms, too.
OSHA is a necessary evil, but its necessity don't make the evil of it any more acceptable. OSHA needs to regulate factories, warehouses, mines and construction sites. In these situations, the individual worker's environment really isn't really difficult, doesn't have much control over the level of danger.
But in small farms, often family-owned and operated, the farmer, and his wife and child, have same work as the hired hand.
A few hard-core OSHA enemies insist that it should stay out of agriculture entirely.
But that's foolish.
Just because the farmer doesn't provide hard hats doesn't mean he's the heartless capitalist oppressing his peasant workers with dangerous working conditions.
MIGRANT WORKERS and those on large, plantation-style farms need protection, but agency officials will have to realize that industrial rules won't apply to all agriculture.
In large farms, of course, farm risks are increased because of the greater number of workers and the fact that owners often don't do the same work as their employees.
Ross McIlvain Editorial Writer
the farmer runs the same risk of being run over by heavy machinery, gored, stumped and kicked. If a farmer has to take the same risks, he's going to keep them to a minimum.
OSHA ADMINISTRATORS like *to point that agriculture has a higher injury rate than any other occupations except for construction, mining and manufacturing, where they never speak for themselves.
Most people today work in very sedentary, controlled environments. How many newspaper accounts have appeared on Facebook or Twitter? Worker Dies Horrible Death in Electric Pencil Charpenizer?"
There are some risks in farming that just can't be regulated in Washington. How is OSHA going to regulate the degree of danger in a milk cow, the maximum sharpness of a bull's horns or the speed at which a horse may kick?
One OSHA administrator collects news clips about farm deaths and maimings to prove that his agency's powers should be expanded. An example given by Vernon Strahm, regional director of OSHA in Kansas, is that of a man who died when his tractor tipped over on him as he was chasing cattle.
CHASING CATTLE with a tractor may not seem odd to city dwellers but they are ridiculous. Any idiot who chases cattle on a tractor
KJHK mellow, noncommercial
To the Editor:
I wish to respond to a letter appearing in Monday's Kansan concerning KU's student radio station, KJHK. If KJHK adopted the rules, I should by Mr. himman, the campus disc by Mr. himman, and rival three ecophone announcers that permeate the airways on the likes of the "Super Q." As it is, I find the "Sound Alternatior" the only choice for radio in the play list of plays, uninterrupted by blaring commercial messages, the mellow voices of the announcers and the fine music heard on KJHK all make for pleasurable listening. The coverage of news and campus events is thorough and informative.
KANSAN Letters
Valerie Berkeley
San Diego graduate student
KJHK, don't change. FM is the only pure radio there is, and KJHK proves it.
can never be protected from himself.
A good example of OSHA's well intentioned bunging is a regulation it tried to push last year. OSHA declared that all farms with any non-family employees drink and drink in drinking and toilet facilities within walking distance of all fields.
Some OSHA regulations are reasonable for small farmers. No farmer will argue about the merits of keeping protective shields in place on dangerous machinery. And small farmers, who take the same risks as their workers, are prefectly willing to do so. They don't want to lose a hand or end up in a bale of hair. Humans don't have to be forced to look after their own interests.
THIS IS obviously a good idea if a farm has 100 migrant workers in one field, but for the family farmer with one or two hired hands, it's idiotic. It is not only completely superfluous (owners and workers have long lived sanctuary lives without
A
such frills), but it is economically impossible.
Small farmers have never been rich, but such a proposal would bankrupt them. Why should they have to provide cash for their hands when they can't even afford them themselves?
OSHA exemplifies the agency that can't stop when it's finished the job. Instead of being satisfied with the necessary regulation of industry and large farms, the US government specials drags to stay that will justify their existence and expand their control.
Nobody wants his job to be any more dangerous than absolutely necessary. But neither does any sane human want the job of a parent of bureaucracy to try to protect him from himself.
Americans, and especially small farmers—the last self-reliant individuals—need to stub their own toes, make their own mistakes and run their own lives.
They don't need OSHA
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY
KANSAN
Editor
Jerry Seib
Published at the University of Kansas daily August 10, 2015
Sunday, August 10, 2015
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