UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN editorials
Unsigned editors represent the opinion of the Kanast
only the writers. Signed columns represent the views of
the authors.
January 21,1980
Reagan still leads
While his competitors put themselves on public display, politely disagreed on most of the day's pest important issues. Ronald Woolf, president of the unrepresentable lead in the Republican presidential nomination race.
According to recently released results of a New York Times—CBS News Poll, Reagan commands an impressive 34 percent lead as the favorite candidate for his party's nomination. His reception received 45 percent in a nationwide poll among 426 Republicans surveyed from Jan. 9 to Jan. 13.
The poll was taken after the Republican presidential candidate forum held in Iowa on Jan. 5. The Democrat wins the Des Moines Register and Tribune.
Sen. Howard Baker Jr. of Tennessee, in a distant second place, received 11 percent in the poll. John B. Connally, former governor of Texas, 10 percent; George Bush, 6 percent; Bob Soleb of Kansas, 5 percent; Rep. John B. Anderson of Illinois, 2 percent, and all others, 1 percent or less.
The percentage Connally received showed a decline of 5 percent in his support, down from the 15 percent he received in a similar poll two months ago. Bush, however, bolstered his support, doubling his poll percentage.
During the Iowa forum, candidates took oocular jabs at Reagan, who did not participate. Connally expressed regret that he could not "compare the two." He said he former California governor refused to take part in the forum because he had
nothing different to say to Americans now than he did during his previous presidential nomination campaigns in 1964 and 1968.
Rolling with the ribbings, Reagan said he refused to participate in the Iowa forum because it “pits Republicans against Republican.” And, in fact, the discourse among the candidates during the forum probably did more to point out the lack of party unity than anything else.
On all issues discussed, including Iran and Afghanistan, there were almost as many stands taken as candidates participating, which certainly did nothing to improve the party's public image.
Although Reagan's lead in the Republican race is comfortably large, the poll did confirm that his most vulnerable point is his age. Fifteen percent, or about 69, of the 462 Republicans surveyed said they were somewhat concerned about the fact that Reagan is 68 years old.
However, in a broader poll, 40 percent of all people surveyed, regardless of their party affiliation, thought he was too young to vote. But per cent had no idea how old he was.
Admittedly, no poll, regardless of how representative it may be, should be used indiscriminately to make careless and firm predictions about things to come. People are fickle and fluctuating polls attest to that foible.
But, if Reagan's support nationwide is as consistently strong as his ratings in the polls, the GOP's "old man" might have a good chance of making his cackling competitors look like a coop of spring chickens.
UNIVERSITY DAILY letters KANSAN
Imperialism threatens Pakistan, Afghanistan
To the editor:
The recent invasion of Afghanistan by the Russian warlords is the most brutal and shameful act of aggression since World War II. The resulting future expansion intentions of the Soviets.
For a long time the Soviets have been trying to change Afghanistan into one of their satellite states. Under the pretense of developing Afghanistan, the Soviets have been strengthening their hold on that country, enjoying Afghan natural gas and mineral resources virtually free. What a nice way to free Afghanistan from western imperialism!
Once Afghanistan is under the total control of the Soviets, the next step would be to reorganize and move secessionist movements in Pakistan Baluchistan. If dominated by the Soviets, so-called independent Baluchistan would lend warm-water ports in the Oceans.
It is beyond any doubt that the Soviets have been providing arms and handsome amounts of money to some of the tribal leaders of Baluchistan, and the new Soviet-installed President of Afghanistan once again has promised to provide military provisions in Pakistan. That is rather strange, because at this moment his own countrymen are facing to Pakistan.
Today Pakistan is facing once again a great threat of Soviet aggression, which which was initiated by the Soviet Pakistan was being dismembered. Soviets stood behind India in the United Nations and also in the battleships. Even today India has the Russian invasion of Afghanistan.
Pakistan's third neighbor, Iran, is in bad shape it is hard to predict what Iranian allies can do. It might be easier for Iranian communist factions would certainly have some gains in the future but a large number of countries are no help to them.
Pakistan militarily, Pakistan itself is
a powerful nation with a strong indignation
intensity caused by murderous acts of the Pakistani junta rulers. What better opportunity could Russia look for to incite Pakistan into war?
Certainly the present crisis in Afghanistan has provided an excellent opportunity for the U.S. to regain control in South Asia and the Persian Gulf states by taking decisive steps. The few months ago the U.S. was very much against Pakistan, but suddenly it has become chums with the Pakistani junt. Of course, now that Iran is no longer in the U.S. palm, Pakistan will be the best place for Iran to deal with its soils. Soolets so their oil unwould be hindered.
How is Pakistan going to benefit from all this? Not at all, except that the present military dictator would become stronger and more assertive against those on the D. Pakistanis and Afghans would be killed and crushed between the superpowers and their economies would be ruined, the U.S. and Soviet arms would not be on the ground, and happens to Afghanistan, Iran or Pakistan
It's high time the Third World people realize that these superpowers, which are almost gods on earth, are to do them. The world needs leaders who have a united purpose, i.e., to kick imperialists out of their lives. None ought to be lord over an entire human has the power to kill.
Aftab Ahmed Senior, Pakistan
It was junior high basketball at its finest. It close gameaining in a pair of tight jets, while the other crowd the crowd of parents and classmates supported the teams enthusiastically, affectionately and proudly.
The University Daily Kansan welcomes letters to the editor. Letters should be typewritten, double-spaced and include the writer's name, address and telephone number. If the writer is affirmed, please include the writer's class and should include the writer's class and home town or faculty or staff position. The Kansan reserves the right to edit letters delivered personally or mailed to the Kansan newsroom 112 Flint Hall. Because of space limitations, the right to edit letters for publication.
The competition was intense. To the players and their fans, the game was more important than any NBA championship. Local rivals, friendly feeds and comedic pranks were at stake. The teams represented only their schools, but their towns.
Letters Policy
MORE SCHOOLS are expected to close and student population will continue to drop as the 1950s baby boom bottom out. An average of eight elementary schools have closed yearly for the last five years. And the schools are expected to continue for at least four more years.
The declines and consolidations have forced the closing most of the state's one- teacher or one-room schools. Only seven public one- teacher schools remain open, and they are allowed to exist only as long as they are credited and have more than 10 students.
Rural towns face declining schools
But accreditation is difficult for small schools to maintain. It is hard for rural schools to attract well-trained teachers. Teachers in rural schools must be the advantages of larger towns to teach in rural communities. Small budgets and limited resources must be qualified in several subjects if a school is to be accredited. But teachers in rural schools must be paid more than other teachers.
In tiny communities across the state, where games like this happen all the time, schools are more than daytime holding centers for children. They are community activity centers, providing space for basketball and volleyball games, amateur sports, and clubs. These schools and parties. The schools help weave widely spread farm families into communities.
their schools, like their towns, have long fought the battle of declining rural school districts. The schools have closed because of declining student populations. Most have consolidated into centrally facilities more convenient to reach and move away. Despite the closing of so many schools, Kansas still has more than 180 private schools that have fewer than 141 students.
SMALL SCHOOLS have (in financial problems not faced by urban schools.) the ability to be an independent school, where that more is spent per capita to teach. And despite declines in
kate COLUMNIST pound
operate school buildings than it did a few years ago.
Not all small schools, however, are having financial problems. Some school districts in western Kansas have high property tax rates, and they require funding, because of oil and gas wells or profitable ranch lands. Schools such as Chapparal High School are modern and well equipped, much better facilities than the other schools, some a larger southeast Kansas districts.
can provide educational and social advantages that larger schools cannot. Smaller schools teach students what mean to receive a curriculum. Teachers know their pupils well and often are able to spot academic and personal differences by teachers in more crowded schools.
WELL FUNDED or not,smaller schools
Students also know one another in the smaller schools. There are no strangers in a school with only 120 students. And the students must be part of the take part in several activities. The state champion debater at a small school may challenge the captain of the state champion football team.
work to improve schools or help pay for
extres such as a senior trip. Parents take
PARENTS BECOME involved in the activities of small schools. Booster clubs
pride in their children's schools, often because they once attended those same schools. Families feel the importance of being a part of the ancestors who build the state's first school.
The brick buildings in the center of Thayer or Hope or Mankato are more than just schools. They are symbols of the region's history, its plains. They are cultural, academic and social centers. They are memories of successes and failures, of prons, of Christmas pageants and of basketball on two free throws in the last 15 seconds.
Soviets to reel from U.S. embargo
In 1979, for the first time since World War II, output of many industrial products sank below the levels achieved in the previous year.
BY ELLSWORTH RATMOND
N.Y. Times Special Features
By ELLSWORTH RAYMOND
NEW YORK—President Carter's onerous on sales of high technology and grain to the Soviet Union hits hard at an already low point. The U.S. Overseas missions in standard published statistics, is trying to mute the strange fact that the nation has fallen into a real production crisis.
Key industrial products like coal, steel,
timber, cement, plastics and synthetic
fibers went into decline. Also among the
stragglers were essential supplies for
collective farms such as pesticides,
chemical fertilizer and tractors. Transport
and logistical services came from the
manufacture of automobiles, railway
freight cars and diesel locomotives.
ALTHOUGH THE production declines were not large, ranging from 2 percent to 7 percent, they represented an unprecedented
The long-suffering consumer was hardly cheered by production decreases in radios, refrigerators, washing machines, motorcycles, paper and shoes.
There is no employment recession because the country is entering a labor shortage.
failure for an industrial country that had achieved slow, steady growth for more than 30 postwar years.
After the industrial slump became obvious in mid-1979 from reports by the Central Statistical Administration, the Kremlin tried to halt the recession by the usual method—stern decrees. These laws mistakenly put the blame on bad industrial practices that led to more scientific methods, avoid waste, and conserve metals, electricity, coal and oil.
Communist Party headquarters jumped into the fray by ordering local party officers to watch factory and mine managers more vigorously.
ACTUALLY. THE chief culprit for 1979's industrial ills was not industry itself but rather the railway system.
For all his insanity, Stalin understood that good railways were vital, so in his five-year plans he carefully allotted one-fifth of all capital investments to improve transport
In a country with only a dozen long-distance highways, the railroads haul 70 percent of freight and all world rail freight, moving in great congestion one-tenth of world rail traffic.
Nikita S. Khrushevsky and Leodin I. Breznev's five-year plans recklessly reduced this transport outlay to one-tenth. a quarter-century of post-Stalin poor railroad
MANY FACTORIES then had to decrease output, because their supplies were not arriving on time. Other enterprise curriculums would also have had to arrive at rail stations, unshipped. At least the 1980 Soviet economic budget raise transport funds about $ 5 percent, but this is not likely.
maintenance finally produced the inevitable result. In 1979, the railways could no longer cope with their heavy burden, and freight nibbles fell below 1798 performance.
Meanwhile, a snowy spring, summer drought and fall rains disrupt harvesting created a 1798 grain crop about one-fourth lower than 1798's.
Before Carter's embargo, the Soviet Union had already ordered over 24 million metric tons of foreign grain, with the lion's share—21.2 million metric tons of wheat and corn—expected to come from America. Now the emirates cubs American grain shipments to other countries aremetric tons, and most Western farm nations are unwilling to replace the canceled sales.
TRUE. THE United States grain would have fed livestock rather than the Soviet people, but Brezhenny says that shops are already short of meat, butter and cheese. Additional decreases of livestock products did not do the down the public to a very dreary diet.
Poor transport planning and cruel nature have thrown the Soviet Union into a real party struggle. The party always loaded could never be defeated. The country. National income in 1979 rise by a more $ percent—less than half of the previous year's national income; taking each of the years beginnings in 1974.
1980's weather is kind, the crop glean will recover, but the lost livestock may take two years to replace. Meanwhile, the five-year-old crop was downeamed before the Carter embarked.
Let's compare the new, lowered 1980 production plans for some key industries with the old plan (electricity (new), 1.295 trillion kwatt hours (old, 4.33 trillion; cran, 748 million metric tons) or 620 million metric tons (620 million). Even this lowered goal for oil may not be met without an increase in electricity.
The Kremlin has always enjoyed hitting a man when he is down. Now the Soviet leaders will learn how such a victim suffers.
Ellsworth Raymond, who retired recently as professor of politics at New York University, specializes in Soviet economics.
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