October 10, 1984
OPINION
Page 4
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The University Daily KANSAN
The University Daily KANSAN
Published since 1880 by students of the University of Kansas
The University Daily Kannan (USPK 609.840) is published at the University of Kansas, 118 Staffer Flint Hall Lawn, Kanun 6045, daily during the regular school year and Wednesday and Friday during the summer session, excluding Saturday, Sunday, holidays and final periods Second class postage paid at Lawnun 6045. Subscriptions by mail are $1 for six months or $2 a year in Douglas County and $18 for six months or $3 a year in Sheridan County. Please refer to the PASTMER! Send address changes to the University Daily Kannan, 118 Staffer Flint Hall Lawn, Kanun 6045
DON KNOX
Editor
PAUL SEVART VINCE HESS Managing Editor Editorial Editor
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The first debate
The first of the 1984 Presidential Debates has finally come and gone. Mondale failed to score the knockout punch he was looking for, and the "Great Communicator" failed similarly by staging an uncharacteristically lackluster performance. On the balance, the polls gave Mondale a slight lead, a rather insignificant event considering the boost his campaign needed.
And so things remain much the same, with the possible exception that Mondale now knows that even if he can't score a knockout, he can at least spar in the same ring with the president.
More disappointing to debate viewers than the performance of their respective candidates, however, was the performance of the League of Women Voters. The second and final debate can be much more useful if the League makes some changes.
First, they should recognize the futility of trying to get the two candidates to agree on the panel of journalists. Better to simply choose tough, intelligent panelists on the basis of qualifications and let the candidates answer questions from other than their favorite reporters.
Secondly, they should instruct Barbara Walters to be at least as tough with the candidates as she was with the studio audience. Surely Walters was as unsatisfied with the directness of the responses as were most Americans. The panelists, as well, must respectfully but firmly pursue their questioning until satisfactory answers surface.
questioning until satisfactory answers. Finally, they should plea with both the panelists and candidates alike to use more discretion with what were so often referred to as "facts." The confetti of facts witnessed Sunday night reduced comments from both candidates to jibberish.
The modern media tradition of holding televised debates between candidates will always be less than satisfactory. Candidates will always dodge questions, and the questions themselves will never be able to address all of the issues that the voters need to hear. But within the realm of these limitations, faults such as those listed above can be corrected.
Doing so would make the second of these most celebrated debates something more to celebrate.
House gauges nation
WASHINGTON — The most accurate barometer of public opinion in the country is not a poll by Gallup or Harris; it's the return from a recess of the House of Representatives.
Representatives.
The House, a 435-member body,
is the "people's house." No other
agency or body of government is
as close to the people of the United
States.
State and local bodies may be closer to smaller segments of the public, and the White House certainly holds sway over the life and death of the country because the president is commander of the armed forces.
However, with about 500,000 constituents each and facing election every two years, House members are in a position to accurately gauge public opinion among their opponents in transition to office, with their colleagues and the press after they return to Washington.
For example, the news media learned after a congressional recess that the country was far more worried about high interest rates than cuts in the federal budget. That's no surprise now, but it was then.
Keep a close eye on the press after a congressional recess. That's when one can learn what is bothering the country.
For one thing, indications are that the country still is angry. The backwash of Vietnam and Water gate has not subsided.
So, with the 98th Congress draw to a close, what is the portrait of the country as painted by the House over the past year?
Perhaps this is because the House in the 98th Congress has turned into a bitterly partisan body. The House's members often seems to be huddled into foxholes at one time, so the party at one time. This is often the case within political parties, as well as between them.
between them
The country is confused. It wants lower taxes, but it also
wants federal money spent on its particular projects. It wants low inflation and lower interest rates, but it doesn't seem too concerned about the greatest budget deficits in history.
It wants a strong defense establishment, but cringes at $500
DON PHILLIPS
The country wants spending for social programs cut, but draws back in horror if that spending is over or if the security or Medicare, for example.
hammers. It applauds the invasion of Grenada, but worries about war in the Middle East and Central America.
United Press International
In an era of expansion, such as the Great Society days of Lyndon Johnson, it was easy to keep constituents happy Congressmen simply spent more money, began solving the bills of the world.
Now that the guns-and-butter philosophy has come home to roost, and no more money is available to keep the people back home hapy. House members joyfully face the pain of cutch and denial.
The country has turned more conservative in political philosophy. Even liberal Democrats don't suggest too many new programs; they want to save as many of the current ones as possible, and they have been doing a good job.
It is easy to see why.
A couple of years ago, House members began saying that they were no longer having fun. Many have retired in frustration.
As they nervously watch massive budget deficits and continuing high interest rates, they wonder whether even more painful days lie ahead.
Their constituents will tell them soon.
Basically, there are two kinds of homeowners. Those who are fanatics about cutting and trimming their lawns, and those who don't care.
Suburb finds wildflowers subversive
lawns, and those who had a lawn. I fell into the second category. It was cut if a neighborhood kid with a mower wanted to earn a few bucks. If not, it grew.
It wasn't that I was lazy, though I am. I've never thought that a closely cropped lawn looked any better than a shaggy one. In fact, I've always thought that weeds looked just as good as grass.
One of my neighbors used to complain bitterly that my free-spirit lawn was destroying real estate values on the block. She shut up, however, after 1 threaten'd decorate her yard with a couple of spire tires, an old Cadillac and some empty Muscatel bottles.
This is why I become a distant admirer of Stephen Kenney, who lives in Kenmore, N.Y., a suburb of Buffalo.
Kenney recently stood trial and was found guilty of failing to cut his weedy and wildflower-filled lawn. There may be other people who have been taken into court for failing to cut a lawn, but Kenny is the first I've heard about.
Kenney, 30, is not lazy. He is a nature lover and an admirer of
MIKE
ROYKO
Syndicated
Columnist
Henry David Thoreau, the 19th century naturalist. Kenney says, "I refuse to mow my lawn because it is an environmentally unsound practice and against my most basic principles."
Unfortunately, not all of Kenney's neighbors share these principles.
One of his neighbors responded with a letter that said Kenney was dangerous and a subversive. He s歌aled to village officials.
To explain to them why he didn't cut his lawn, Kenney put a sign up that said:
"Notice to all concerned. This lawn is not an example of sloth. It is a natural yard growing the way God intended. It does not attract mosquitoes or other pests. The plants planted here do not emit noxious fumes and natural resources like water or gas are wasted on this environment."
Somebody looked in the local law book and decided that Kenney was violating an ordinance that required people to maintain their property so as to "assure the desirable residential character of the property."
The ordinances also require that lawns be "clean and free of physical hazards" and that "undergrowth and accumulation of plant life be controlled."
other. So Kenney was hauled into court.
Several of his neighbors said they didn't mind the mini-forest.
Others, however, said they found it offensive. They feared that it would provide a hiding place for dreaded creature in the wild, such as insects (and mice).
The judge wound up agreeing with the complainers.
He found Kenney guilty and told him that he would have to pay a fine of $50 a day as long as the lawn was unmowed.
unmowed.
Kenney says he is going to appeal
the lawn-cutting ruling.
Incidentally, curiosity prompted me to call the village's housing inspector and ask:
Certainly, patriotic citizens should be actively concerned over issues in the public forum. Undoubtedly, the nation faces great challenges in the future.
"Under your lawn ordinance, could a person get rid of his grass and replace it with one of those plastic, artificial lawns? You know, the kind that they have in some baseball stadiums."
The second event was the presidential debate Sunday night. One can argue day and night and day again over whether the candidates ducked the questions and whether debates are useful at all, but the candidates contrasted sharply with each other, as I saw it.
Without hesitation, he said, "Oh, sure. It wouldn't have any heavy undergrowth. That would be legal."
Liberals are taking things too seriously.
Liberals in sad condition over Reagan
as I saw it.
Reagan stressed optimism and the need to review the priorities of the nation in regard to the role of government in our lives; Mondale focused on unfairness in the national life and on impending doom in everything from deficits to agriculture to separation of church and state.
The world gets nuttier and nuttier
Two events that occurred over the weekend showed me clearly the sad state of liberalism nowadays.
The first event occurred at a party Friday night. I noticed that a bystander was wearing an anti-Reagan button. We and some other people began a discussion of Ronald Reagan as president.
But just for once.
Maybe the years have taken their toll, all the dire predictions about what would happen under a national leadership that showed the slightest tinge of conservatism, all the years of fantasizing about nuclear Armageddon and people starving in the streets.
As the discussion became heated, I ventured to add a bit of levity with an onhand remark; the wearer of the anti-Reagan button had continued to regret the condition of the nation, and I said something along the line of, "Oh, come on, now – you mean you don't believe in 'America', love it or leave it?"
But just for once, smile.
It was meant as a joke — who takes that old slogan seriously? It was not taken as a joke.
A good example of the sad state of liberalism is found in Mondale's usual remarks on the campaign trail. For example, a frequent statement of
his — repeated in the debate — is that re-election of Reagan means the Rev. Jerry Falwell will pick justices for the Supreme Court.
Another theme of Mondale is that huge deficits — all Reagan's fault, of
course — threaten the future of the children.
Then there are the comments by the Democratic side about how Reagan is bringing the world to the brink of nuclear destruction As Geraldine Ferraro put it, "The question is, what will Reagan do in
Vines! Shudder Eek! Gag.
1985?" The election is "a referendum on arms control and the fate of the earth."
Yipes: Snuder! Lee: Gag.
A theory of the parties in U.S. politics says that Democrats run against the specter of Herbert Hoover. That certainly seems to be the case this year, except to a greater degree than normal. The Hoover ghost encompasses not only economic issues but also foreign affairs and social issues.
Everywhere, in the fantasy world of Walter Mondale, is tragedy and pain and foreboding. Yea, verily, demons prowl all about, and the people wail and gnash their teeth, and the skies open and the thunderful fury of the heavens lies low upon the Earth, and — you get the idea.
A free country needs open discussion of the matters that affect the public. Reagan is stressing his
accomplishments and trying to avoid controversy over what he would do if re-elected, and that's his prerogative as incumbent. However, Mondale. Ferraro and their buddies are trapped in a vision of doom.
The world simply is not on the brink of nuclear war. Instead of lamenting deficits and welfare cuts, Mondale, a wealthy lawyer, should announce how much more in taxes he will pay under his proposed tax reform. He can thereby help stimulate public debate.
He should even poke fun at himself. The world has survived crises greater than listening to Jerry Falwell. People are not starving in the streets.
I should know. After the party Friday, I explored the gutters in town to find material for the editorial page.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Kansan lacks fair coverage of petition issue
To the editor:
To the editor:
In a paid advertisement in the Oct.
4 Kansas, Tom Crisp accused the Kansan of "yellow journalism" as a prelude to his defense of the "Fug-busters." T-shirts and the ill-fated petition. Regardless of anyone's position on the homosexuality issue, Crisp is correct in his assessment of the Kansan.
The Kansan has shown a definite bias in favor of Gay and Lesbian Services of Kansas. This past week not a single day has gone by without some mention of GLSOK. The Oct. 2 Kansan came close, but managed to include a photo of GLSOK president Ruth Lichtward with a story regarding a proposal to erect a new communications tower. How that relates to GLSOK is anybody's guess
Unless the Kansan makes a visible effort to promote fairness and present both sides of controversial issues in an impartial manner, it might as well change its name to the Enquirer.
The press in general has come under fire in recent years for presenting one sized, burned tissue samples to other observers that were meant to be.
Terry Brown Valley Center freshman
To the editor:
Reporting biased
The U.S. Constitution gives news papers the freedom of press, with the
expectation that they do not abuse the privilege. Unfortunately, I see the Kansan as a biased, left-wing report supporting minority efforts
Throughout the past week, the Kansas has scorned Steve Imber. The Kansas may as well scorn 90 percent of the student body that supports the discontinuance of funds to the self-supporting Gay and Lesbian Services of Kansas
Why doesn't the Kansas take a survey of this proposal? The results would not be hard to predict.
The editorial carton in the Kansan on Oct. 1 was totally uncalled for. Ronald Reagan should receive an apology for that biased view.
The button on the man's coat could more easily have read "Mondale-Ferraro" because their proposed tax increases threaten to destroy the recovery our great president has created.
Carter Patterson
Carter Patterson Lee's Summit, Mo., freshman
To the editor:
'Rocky' response
To the color.
On Saturday I received a phone call from a man identifying himself as "Rocky."
as honey
He purported to know me from a class we had together in the spring, and I wasn't even here then. He
invited me out "for a drink" because he wanted to have sex with me.
So, to Rocky I wish to address several comments: I am not scared by acts of cowardice, and a great deal of courage is not needed to make puerile and indecent phone calls. I hope that you will take to heart the ideal of free and open debate on controversial issues, and never again resort to this type of tactic. I am a law student I am in Green Hall every day of the week. If you wish to discuss this issue in a responsible way, I will make my time available to you or any other person.
I am not gay I have been outspoken in my support of Gay and Lesbian Services of Kansas because I do not believe in hatred and bigotry. My name has appeared in the Kansan several times because of this position. Rocky mentioner told me read my mail. Thus, the Rocky could only be characterized as an obvious attempt to scare me into silence on this issue.
As for me, I want you to know that I forgive you, that I pray you will find Christian love and make it the
Finally, let me say to Rocky that although I am not religious, most religions believe that God is the ultimate judge of people's lives. Christians believe that forgiving those who have treated you cruelly is the essence of Christian love. Rocky, leave the judgment of the gay community to God; I think that God can handle it.
To the editor:
centerpiece of your life, and that you will lead your friends to this same understanding.
Chris Bunker
Lawrence
first-year law student
Ptacek not in ring
After much consideration, I have decided that I will not be a candidate for student body president. Although I share the concerns of many students who say Student Senate must change, I do not think that now is the time for me to take on the role of president.
I still have a lot to do just to fulfill last year's campaign promises. I have attempted to introduce some of these programs, but much work is still to be done. Besides my duties to the Student Senate, I have other responsibilities.
I would like to thank the candidates who made a commitment to our coalition, our campaign staff, my fraternity brothers and all those who supported our ideals and platform issues. I urge everyone to vote in this year's elections, and assure you that I am not leaving Senate and will continue to push the programs that brought about my election last year.
Russ Ptacek
Washington, D.C., junior
Nunemaker senator