Opinion
Closing open meetings
The Lawrence City Commission last night set in motion an attempt to legislate around problems it has with the state Open Meetings Law. The commission asked its staff to draft an ordinance that would change the number of commissioners needed for a quorum.
The state law forbids a majority of a quorum of a public body to conduct a prearranged private meeting to discuss public business. For the fivemember city commission, that means a private meeting of two commissioners or more may be in violation of the law.
The proposal would increase the quorum - or number of commissioners needed to conduct city business — from three to four, allowing two commissioners to meet and discuss city business without having to worry about violating the law.
Mayor Marci Francisco, one of four commissioners to vote to draw up a new ordinance, said the present quorum requirement made it difficult
for the commissioners to discuss scheduling of work sessions. Commissioner Barkley Clark, who also supported the change, said it would reflect what was really going on in the state, because members of public bodies continue to discuss public issues in private.
private.
The danger of making this change is that it could undermine the control that the taxpayers — people who pay for city government — have in making decisions. And it could exclude commissioners who dissent on a particular issue.
issue.
With the change, three commissioners, representing a majority vote, could conduct a series of private meetings and decide how the commission would vote.
The current commission may never do this, but the change would leave open the possibility for some future members.
members. The commission can and should find other ways to ease its scheduling problems.
Society's answers measure future respect for human life
Where life begins and whether quality of life should be a basis for medical decisions are interrelated questions that our society now faces.
The answers we arrive at today are likely to tell us a great deal about our society's respect for human life in the future.
The definitions of human life are varied, with each contributing to a broader understanding of the concept. Some may limit a definition of human life to physical characteristics, but surely there is a case for saying we are more than the sum of atoms and cells that make up our body.
While working in Washington, D.C., this summer, I got to know a young fellow who left an impression on me that I will long remember.
DOUG MARTIN
Guest Columnist
trad child, Jonathan Will, is a fifth-grader in the Maryland suburbs of Washington. Jonathan has Down's syndrome, but as his father, syndicated columnist Gareth Browne, "He does no suffer from Down's syndrome."
Jonathan was, as children generally are, more interested in living and enjoying his life than in considering whether his life was any more or less valuable than the lives of others. Jonathan has a mother and father who love him and cherish his life as a blessing sent to them by God. Living parents and a loving God can do much to compensate for some of life's inadequacies.
competent. I did not discuss matters such as euthanasia or alchemy with Jonathan. Young children may have some difficulties appreciating the philosophical complexities of these issues, but their hearts can sometimes see where the eyes and minds of adults are unable.
Neither did I have the opportunity, nor will I now, to meet an infant whose name became familiar this last spring as Baby Doe or the Bloomington Baby. Baby Doe also had Down's syndrome when born in a Bloomington, Ind., hospital. The baby needed corrective surgery to enable food to reach its stomach, surgery that was serious but not uncommon. The most significant things missing in Baby Doe's life were parents who were willing to keep and love it. The decision was made to withhold corrective surgery from the infant — surgery that would have substantially increased its chances for continued life.
When one fully comprehends the implications of the decision that Baby Doe's parents made, there is little room to point an accusing finger. Baby Doe's parents can hardly be characterized as heartless individuals, but who would withdraw admiration from those parents? If they give up the decision and take a little doubt that made the decision to starve their infant to death in good faith for what they must have thought was the good of thr baby, themselves and society in general.
I would not have been able to reach the same decision that Baby Doe's parents reached. This is not because of any greater standard of morality I live by. I would have made the other choice because I feel unqualified to deny life to an innocent person. I once spent seven days in the desert of California while undergoing survival training as a naval aviator. There was no food to eat, and after only seven days, I understood a little better what the word
understood a little better what the word "starve" really means.
Euthanasia, abortion and other similar issues involving human life are not given to simplistic moral or intellectual answers. There are extreme positions on both sides of these issues; with one side focusing on compassion for fetus, child or other living beings and the decision-makers; or as they are sometimes characterized, "the ones who will suffer the burden."
The greatest tragedy was not that an infant was starved to death in Bloomington. The greatest tragedy might be characterized better in that the world would permit human life to be treated in that fashion. A world capable of permitting infants to starve to death for some "good" is also capable of watching innocent individuals who do not have Down's syndrome contribute to the "good" of mankind by involuntarily sacrificing their lives.
Humanity has not been adept at drawing lines when it comes to distinguishing the quality of life for those who should be permitted residence on this planet. The "difficult" choices that are made today are likely to become popular future decisions because uninhabitable or endemic syndrome may be the criterion for euthanasia today — those with an IQ below 120 may be the criterion tomorrow.
Should a private benefactor have been permitted to intervene to spare the life of Baby Doe? Should government or private individuals be permitted to intervene with the decision of a mother to abort if the medical technology and financial wherewithal exists that could maintain the fetus outside of her womb? If premature babies who have developed only five or six months can be saved, what is to become of the Supreme Court's decision, in Roe v. Wade, to permit point二trimeter abortions? At what point does random termination of human life become too frequent for the survivors to live in good conscience?
The answers to the issues of abortion and euthanasia that would satisfy those earnestly looking for them come from the heart and not the intellect.
Our respect for human life can be measured only by observing how we treat its lowest and most helpless form. By focusing not on the burden of the盆胎, the afflicted child or the aging adult, but rather on the beauty of that person's soul, a more loving world is likely to result. It is also a world that Jonathan, Baby Doe and I can live in with no misgivings.
Dong Martin is a second-year law student from Clay Center. He will be writing several columns for the Kansan.
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Get ready for more musical Cabinet
Wip out the scorecards, boys and girls, Uncle Romie is gearing up for another session of musical Cabinet — a game perfected by those who have gone before him.
who have gone before. Rumblings within the Republican Party point to a sweeping administration shake-up after the November elections. When the smoke clearens, three top players in the administration are expected to be forced out: Budget Director David Stockman, Labor Secretary Raymond Donovan and Interior Secretary James Watt.
in the political world, and most recently evident in the Reagan administration, firing or accepting the resignations of persons who have fallen from public grace is the most essential test of a leader's integrity. It is logical, thus-pristine aides could hamper President Reagan's re-election chances.
Stockman's political future came into question last fall when he tried to second-guess the administration's economic recovery program and the fact that an apparently was never told of White House Rule No. 785
- never divulge personal opinions of administrative performance to the press. Stockman's grave doubts about Reagan's program tagged him "politically vulnerable," but he was also trusted by Jack Kline III, the same man who helped save Stockman the first time around, has decided that he should go.
Check off political liability one.
Check arrest points.
Ray Donovan's woes harken back to his pre-jurisdiction days as a New Jersey pre-trial attorney. Allegations have surfaced during the past months that Donovan once had underworld connections. President Reagan defended Donovan the first time such accusations surfaced. A special prosecutor in June found insufficient evidence to justify indicting Donovan for his activities as a contractor. But a recent disclosure that Donovan faces still another investigation on similar charges has undermined his job security.
As one senior administration official said,
"The longer it stretches out, the more Donovan is going to hurt the old man."
Public opinion polls show that Reagan has lost ground with blue-collar voters, thus giving credence to senior advisers' feelings that the state is a weak and ineffective labor secretary.
So long, political liability two.
so long, pointier again.
Interior Secretary James Watt has combined Stockman's poor track record with the press and Donovan's weak ratings in opinion surveys to become the most uncomfortable burr in Reagan's presidential saddle.
Reagan was a terrible habit of making politically damaging remarks. His most recent faux pas came at the expense of Israeli Ambassador
LISA GUTIERREZ
Moshe Arens. Watt warned Arens that U.S. support for Israel could be jeopardized if Jewish groups did not support Reagan's energy policies. The White House took exception; Watt soon may be taking his leave.
be taking over and the months following are shaping up to be a transitional period for the Reagan administration. Not only are the jobs of Stockman, Donovan and Watt in serious question, but several top administration officials are thought to be dusting off the old resumes.
Energy Secretary James Edwards already has announced intentions to step down this fall. Secretary of Health and Human Services
Richard Schweiker is said to be frustrated in his job and wants to leave it early next year. Reports also point to Education Secretary T.H. Bell's departure.
Although many of the officials are leaving for personal reasons, most have found that life in the Reagan administration is similar to playing basketball. There isn't a team player, you are not worth the effort.
Our last secretary of state, Alexander Haig,
didn't catch on to the team-effort way.
Secretary Samuel Pierce of the Department of Housing and Urban Development might be replaced also, because he is not considered a team player. Pierce, who has been criticized by Reagan's relations with black America, said that he would make another black can be named to the position.
named him to though much of this administrative shuffling is still speculation, odds are being taken on who will replace whom. Transportation Secretary Drew Lewis is rated as a strong possibility to replace Stockman, although Baker's side, Richard Darman, the position of chief trade representative for Brook is thought to be interested in the labor secretary slot.
labor secretary toic . . . it is a state and federal affairs when those in the highest positions in the country must constantly look over their shoulder to ensure their job security. The practice of eliminating political liabilities is time-honored and embraced heartily by the current administration.
But such frequent, large-scale shake-ups reflect badly on the administration and lead some of us to think that personal bickering and personality conflicts are at the heart of the matter. And college students in business and and other fields often tough time with their quizzes that ask them to name the present budget director, secretary of labor and secretary of the interior.
New scorecard, please.
Letters to the Editor
Graduate assistants need students' support
To the Editor:
I am writing to thank you for your fine editorial Sept. 1, "A change in good faith," concerning recent changes in contracts for graduate teaching and research at the University of Kansas (UK) at the University of Kansas.
No doubt the administration did make the changes in "good faith," that is, no one in the administration would want to be faced with the necessity of firing even a small percentage, say 5 percent to 10 percent (approximately 20% of the GTAs or RRs) fact of the fact of the budgetary restraints that made mass firings of some group of employees expedient, graduate student employees are the easiest group to fire because they are the least well-organized — and it was the contracts for graduate affairs changed. In good faith, the administration were made aware this when the changes were made during the summer without any consultation whatsoever with graduate students.
On the other hand, if graduate students were organized — if graduate students didn't been taken for granted and could have been expected to walk off their jobs in protest over the contract changes, the changes never would have occurred.
Where does that leave us? With a committee and not the threat of a job action, just as you say. But if the administration knows that some graduate students are talking seriously about a job action in the event that mass firing occurs and if the administration makes such a decision, they are ultimately responsible for this state of affairs — then perhaps this committee can be effective.
And if the administration knows that not only graduate students, but the entire body at UU — undergraduates and graduates — is willing to unite on this issue, then that surely enhances even more the chances that the committee will be taken seriously.
So you've done your part with Wednesday's editorial. Now its up to the committee and the administration — and other graduate students — to do theirs. I hope that you'll continue to speak strongly about these actions and have any success — or if more serious actions are indeed still necessary.
Jon Mark Mikkelsen Lawrence graduate student
Little Sisters or wives?
To the Editor:
really need the headline stated that the program was used to form "support groups." Support groups? For whom? It sounds a great deal more like wife-training to me. I mean, how many younger sisters actually clean their brothers' rooms, bake them cake, take care of the kids or offer opportunity? That's not the role of the a younger sister; that's the role of the stereotyped traditional wife.
Oh, my God! The Sept. 1 Kansan article on Little Sisters has done a terrific job of showing just exactly how neo-neanderthal the system really is.
stereotyped traditional wifi
I suggest that the name of the program be changed to "Little Women," or perhaps "Little Wives." It would be a more accurate description of the activities of the program, at least as it was depicted in the Kansas.
Adrienne Christiansen
My criticism is strong because the symbolism of the program is also strong. Dan Winger points out how a little Lister has only one Big Brother, but a big Brother can have infinitely more Little Sisters. This could be a portrait of a harem of a polygamist if one didn't know better.
Adrienne Christiansen Cheroike. Kan., graduate student
Lights should go next
The following is an open letter to William Hozan, associate executive vice chancellor.
Dear Bill.
In his recent memorandum, Executive Vice Chancellor Cobb outlined the current difficulty in meeting utility costs and invited suggestions for further reductions of service, to be directed to you.
to you.
With the removal of air conditioning except for priority areas, such as animal facilities and computers, and with the elimination of telephones from unnecessary locations, such as the offices of graduate teachers and many faculty, it is not easy to identify further reductions which will contribute to recovering the anticipated $1 million shortfall.
However, in my experience, there is an obvious solution which I calculate would go more than halfway toward meeting that goal. It is the removal of light bulbs from all classrooms, corridors and offices in the University. It has been my experience that these devices serve no useful purpose whatsoever, and in fact only aggravate the need for heat removal, which is bad enough without light bulbs pouring their excess energy into the thermal environment.
This may place some visually dependent members of the University community at a slight disadvantage until they have achieved some accommodation to the situation, but I can assure you that I and my curriculum, Douglas County State University, National Federation of Kansas will be ready and willing to conduct orientation and mobility seminars, provide cane-travel training, instruction in the reading and writing of Braille, and similar non-energy-dependent alternative techniques to the costly and wasteful ones now in general use. I am confident that we will agree on terms for training seminars and make it possible to our group as well as to the University and would still constitute a net gain for the University and take us all a step closer to true energy independence in the 1980s.
Professor of psychology
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