VOL 100,NO.8 (USPS 650-640)
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
T THE STUDENT NEWSPAF OF THE T UNIVERSITY OF KANSA SAS
WEDNESDAY SEPT.6,1989
ADVERTISING: 8644355
NEWS: 864-4810
Bush outlines $7.9-billion war on drugs
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON - President Bush decried drugs as the quicksand of society yesterday as he called for a $7.9-billion war on narcotics. He emphasized harsher penalties for users and more money for prisons, treatment programs, education and prevention.
Bush, unveiling the program in his first nationally televised address from the Oval Office, described the speech as a heart to heart talk with the American people.
Even before the speech, praise came from the president of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, Charles D. Reynolds, who said in a statement that "the criminal justice recommendations of this report are responsive to critical needs."
However, Rep. Dan Edwards, the Democratic chairman of the House Judiciary Committee's civil rights subcommittee, said the plan "proposes more of almost everything that hasn't worked — more arrests, more prisons, tougher sentences." And he said a proposal to expand drug testing and step up arrests of users would pose serious threats to civil liberties.
Douglas County anticipates Bush's plan
Overall, the plan would authorize $1.6 billion for corrections, $250 mil-
By Rich Cornell Kansan staff writer
Jack Colyer already knows what he would like to do with his share of the extra federal funds President Bush proposed last night for the fight against illegal drugs.
Colyer, director of the Douglas County Citizens Committee on Alcoholism, said he would like to create an addiction reload program for the indigent and working poor. Such programs now exist only for people who can afford therd, he said.
"Some people who really need to go to treatment don't get to treatment." Colver said.
President Bush's statement that the American people needed to change attitudes about drugs was correct, Colyer said. Colyer compared recent attitude changes about illegal drugs with the recent concern people had developed about cigarettes and alcohol.
Colyer said alcohol addiction also deserved a place in the war on drugs. Most drug abusers abuse alcohol as well, he said.
"There is a great deal of support to the hypothesis of the addictive disease." Colyer said.
This means that a person who becomes addicted to one drug will
likely become addicted to another, he said.
All police agencies should get along as well as Douglas County's and Lawrence's do. Anderson said.
Bush's call for everyone to get involved encouraged Anderson.
Douglas County Sheriff Lorel Anderson said he agreed with Bush's emphasis on cooperation among different government agencies.
"It doesn't hurt to prod them along," he said. "Hit the ball when it's time."
Like Colyer, Anderson said he thought public attitude would affect drug use.
Anderson said that his department could do better in its fight against drugs, and that many drug dealers were afraid to operate in the county.
"They didn't want to put their lab here because Douglas County is too hot." Anderson said.
The sheriff's department will compete for grants available from the federal government's funds for the war on drugs, Anderson said. The department already obtained a $43,000 grant from the state to pay for radios and personnel training for the local drug war, he said. The county must match one fourth of this amount.
lion to beep up the court system, $3.1 billion for law enforcement, $1.2 billion for prevention and education, and $255 million for treatment.
To attack cocaine at its source, Bush's plan would triple, to $261.2 million in 1990, the amount of military and law enforcement aid for Colombia, Bolivia and Peru. Beyond that, Budget Director Richard Dar-
man said Bush was proposing a $2 billion five-year program for the Andean region.
Bush's program would authorize spending $2.2 billion in 1990 more than the current anti-drug war chest of $5.7 billion. More than half of the increase — $1.2 billion — is earmarked for a previously announced expansion of federal prisons.
society." Bush said in an afternoon meeting with his Cabinet. "They're suffocating individuals and families and institutions as well. And all Americans must pull together to solve this problem."
Actual outlays to carry out the program in 1990 would be $6.4 billion, an increase of $1.5 billion or the amount already earmarked. The higher figure of $7.9 billion also includes budget authority for additional spending on multi-year programs.
Bush said his program was the first time there had really been such a lack of
"There's no question but that drugs are (the) quicksand of our entire
Democrats are considering their
own proposals to offer debt relief to Latin American nations to subsidize withdrawal of farm land from production of coca crops that are refined to produce cocaine.
Under Bush's plan, money for local law enforcement efforts would more than double, to about $350 million, to a street-level attack on drugs.
States will be urged to adopt stiffer fines for casual drug users, seizing users' cars and sending some offenders to military-style camps.
White House officials said that under Bush's plan, $716 million would be siphoned from other federal programs to pay for part of the drug package. The Economic Development Administration was targeted for a $194 million cut. A federal program to assist states in processing immigration cases would lose $320 million. An additional $50 million would come from funds now allocated for operating public housing.
With cocaine and crack dealing creating violence and record homicide rates across the country, U.S. authorities are ready for a new assault against drugs.
A Gallup Poll released at the White House last month said a record 27
See BUSH, p. 6
The Associated Press
BEIRUT, Lebanon — U.S. ambassador John McCarthy and his U.S. staff evacuated Lebanon this morning after hundreds of Christians besieged the U.S. Embassy to protest Washington's policy in Lebanon, an army spokesman said.
Supporters of Christian army commander Gen. Michel Aoun surrounded the embassy Tuesday, hoping to force the United States to take a tougher stance against Syria's military presence in Lebanon.
Unofficial sources in Cyprus, 100 miles west of Lebanon, said the airrvaft later landed at Akrotiri, one of two British sovereign bases on the Mediterranean island.
The army spokesman, at Aoum's headquarters in the Christian suburb of Yarze, said the U.S. diplomats left the city on Saturday after their destination was not known.
Since then, fighting between the factions has clained the lives of 827 people and wounded 2,452.
Beirut's leftist daily paper As-Safir had said yesterday that the U.Embassy "has informed those concerned that it is prepared to close down if it comes under harassment." It did not elaborate.
The siege reflected widespread anger among Lebanon's estimated 1 million traditionally pro-Western Christians that the West has not come to their rescue. They are trapped in a coastal enclave that is ringed by the Syrians and their allies.
Yesterday, the crowd had gone into a frenzy, shouting "We Sacrifice Our Blood for You, Oh Aoun,""McCarthy Go Home" and "The Biggest Catastrophe Is McCarthy." They waved placards and posters denouncing the United States.
The Christians besieging the embassy compound were angry at the United States for not coming to their aid against the Syrian army and its Moslem allies since hostilities began March 8.
Christian sources said the embassy siege was designed by Aoun to whip up anti-U.S. sentiment among Christians inside and outside Lebanon, to bring pressure to bear on the United States.
the demonstrators said yesterday that their peaceful siege of the American diplomatic mission would go on "until our demands are met."
The demonstrators also demanded that Washington dispatch an official delegate to Lebanon on a fact-finding mission like "the Soviets and French did" and the lifting of the blockade imposed on the Christians by the Syrians.
They demanded that McCarthy submit his credentials to "the legitimate Lebanese authorities represented by General Aoun" and official U.S. recognition of Aoun's authority.
Acting Prime Minister Salim Hoss, a Sunni Muslim, is competing for legitimacy with Aoun's three-member Christian Cabinet.
Man smokes pot at police station
Father protests war on drugs gets arrested
By Rich Cornell Kansan staff writer
Mark Cramer had to try hard to be arrested for smoking marijuana.
He walked up to the Lawrence Police Department reception desk in the Douglas County Law Enforcement Center at 9:30 last night and lit a marijuana cigarette.
Jan Berk and Jack Cross arrest Mark Cramer for smoking a marijuana cigarette in the lobby of the Douglas County Law Enforcement Center.
An officer asked Cramer how she could help him.
"Hi. Yeah, I'm smoking marijuana," Cramer responded.
Stacey Gore/KANSAN
"What do you want me to do about it?" the officer asked.
Cramer told the officer he was breaking the law and thought he should be arrested.
"Do you want to do it someplace else?" the officer said. "Are you trying to get in trouble?"
"I hope they arrest me soon," Cramer said. "I'm getting awfully stoned."
When she realized that Cramer would not leave, the officer went to get more police. About five minutes passed before three police officers returned to question and arrest Cramer for suspicion of possession of an illegal substance.
Cramer was arrested on two
counts of possession of a illegal substance and disorderly conduct. The disorderly conduct charge was later dropped. Cramer was being held on a $500 bond, said Chris Mulvenon, Lawrence police spokesman.
Cramer said he decided yesterday that if President Bush did not legalize marijuana during last night's speech, he was going to smoke marijuana in front of the
old courthouse at Eleventh and Massachusetts streets until he was arrested. He said he wanted to protest Bush's four-point strategy to fight the nation's drug problem.
"There's going to be a lot of people dying because of the war on drugs." Cramer said.
Bush should distinguish marijana from hard drugs, Cramer said. If marijana were legalized, he said, lives would be saved
because sales could be regulated.
Users would not be tempted by pushers offering both marjuana and hard drugs like cocaine and
Cramer, 42, is a sculptor and househusband. He is married and has six children.
He said he started smoking marijuana in 1967.
See CRAMER, p. 6
Watkins changes its insurance carrier
By Melanie Matthes Kansan staff writer
Barbara Joseph has more anxiety in her life than she cares to deal with.
When Joseph, Lawrence graduate student, sought medical treatment outside Watkins Memorial Health Center last summer, she thought the University of Kansas' student health insurance plan would pay for more of the expenses than it has.
Aside from the normal pressures of college, Joseph has hundreds of delivery medical bills that have not been covered by her insurance company.
KU offered a student insurance plan through GM Underwriters Inc. and the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States for the 1988-89 school year.
These words have been echoing through the ears of University officials since they began having problems with their student health insurance carrier last year.
"You never know what you have until you have to use it." Joseph said.
"As we went along, we found more problems," said Ray Walters, associate director of Walkins. "Equitable was very hard to deal with."
For the 1989-90 school year, KU is offering a new health insurance policy to students through Blue Cross
New firm promises coverage
and Blue Shield
University officials are confident of the new plan.
"As far as student health insurance programs go, KU has one of the best, if not the best," said James Muiir. "We are a community health insurance commission."
The new plan costs $252 a year and covers up to $250,000 in medical costs. The Equitable plan cost $468 last year and included a list of scheduled benefits. A plan with less than $100,000 cost limit on each type of procedure.
He said the Blue Cross and Blue Shield insurance plan would beat any individual plan on the market in terms of cost and benefits.
Walters said Equitable had taken an unusually long time to reimburse Walke for medical costs. He said the lack of reimbursement came, the checks were not valid.
Muir said he hoped that the new plan would eventually cover up to $1 million in medical costs.
When Equitable wanted to change a condition within the policy and no
longer wanted to accept students' payments on a monthly basis, Walters said KU eventually complained to the state insurance commission about the problems with Equitable.
KU's former insurance carrier, Colonial Penn, resigned from the university health insurance business shortly before the Fall 1988 semester. Walters said after Colonial Penn cancelled its plan, KU chose the Equitable plan.
"We were really railroaded into taking that plan or not having one at all," Walters said. "We were not pleased with the plan."
"The way the brochure was writ ten, it was unclear," he said. "There were a lot of vague statements."
Muir said the Board of Regents required KU to offer student health insurance.
"We were saying, 'This plan stinks. This is not what we want.'" Muir said. "But we had to take it. It was a
He said KU officials knew that the Equitable plan was not what they wanted before they accepted the plan.
'Catch 22.' "
He said the Equitable plan was the only one offered by GM Underwriters, an agency that matches insurance clients to carriers.
Muir said because of the short amount of time between Colonial Penn's cancellation and the beginning of the semester, KU was forced into a "take it or leave it situation."
And because of the University's situation, Joseph said that she felt she had been taken advantage of.
Joseph said she received medical treatment last summer and had not been fully reimbursed. She said her outstanding bills probably were about $1,200.
Joseph said it was difficult to know how much she owed because the insurance company was taking so long to get back to her.
Muir said, "I'm not going to say that Equitable hasn't paid all their claims. They still have time to make those payments under the contract."
Walters said he had not heard of any complaints since last spring. He said that he was not aware of students covered by Equitable last year who still had outstanding medical bills.
New business, new jobs
By Steve Buckner Kansan staff writer
When it comes to luring businesses to Lawrence, there are formal channels and then there are barber shops. Yes, barber shops.
"Anything can happen," said Bill Martin, director of economic development for the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce, 209 W. Eighth St. Martin represents the formal channels. As for the barber shops . . .
Earlier this year, a plant manager for a Kansas City-based garage door manufacturer was getting his hair cut by local barber Rockie Browning. Martin said. The manager complained that he had been in the same little radius of Kansas City and not found a suitable place to move his company.
The result? The Garage Door Group will open later this year in the East Hills Industrial Park, and Lawrence will gain 65 jobs.
Browning suggested Lawrence to the manager and then called Martin after he finished the haircut, Martin tracked down the manager.
Regardless of the methods, Martin's hard work has paid off in many new jobs for residents of Lawrence and Douglas County. The county's unemployment rate for July was 3.6 percent, said Mike Pritchard, manager of the Job Service Center, 833
Ohio St. Most economists consider 3 percent to be "full employment" in any economy.
"We concentrate on manufacturing, warehouses, research and development and corporate offices," Martin said. "In other words, basic jobs. The theory is if you create basic jobs, then the secondary jobs will naturally follow."
Secondary jobs are considered to be service oriented.
Other recent successes for Martin include United Autographic Register Co., a Japanese-owned direct mail product distributor in Eudora, and Standard Liquor Corporation, a distribution center that will open in Timbered Park.
Martin credited the persistent efforts of the state in bringing UARC0 to Eudora. He said that Kansas pursued UARC0 for five years before the company considered the state. Once UARC0 showed an interest, Martin said, the state picked 12 communities within Kansas for the company to choose from. Eudora was one of the 12.
During the site selection, Martin said he spent eight months meeting with seven UARCO officials, most of them vice presidents, who made 10 trips to the area. He said the trips were not to pick the ideal place, but
See JOBS, p. 6