4
Thursday, August 25.1994
OPINION
UNIVERSITY DAILY KAN6AN
COLUMNIST
Health care reform is making America sick
MATT GOWEN
Individual responsibility and aid for those who can't afford insurance is the cure
for health-care woes.
Health-care reform debate.
Now hold on! That was not even a complete sentence, and you are ready to flip the page? I realize that people would rather read about the latest testimony from Nicole Simpson's tree pruner or Robert Shapiro's ice-cream expert than listen to another word about health care. So would I, in fact. Maybe it is because we have a bunch of stuffy legislators haggling about Bill Clinton's stuffy health-care plan. Maybe it is because many Americans are at once cynical about government and apathetic about spinach political issues.
When Clinton's original 1,300 page program was introduced last Septem-
ter
Do not panic. Let's try to cut this beast down to size.
ber, it was trumpeted by the White House as nothing short of "100% universal coverage," with Clinton claiming to veto anything that fell short of that. Getting down to the details, however, quickly became a confusing murk of hidden taxes, subsidies, "cost-shifting," and bureaucracy that the lawmakers couldn't even see through.
Scalpel.
The health-care reform debate is really nothing more than pizza and soda, pork and a waffle. PepsiCo and Pizza Hut, which is owned by PepsiCo, recently attempted to thwart a TV
ad campaign that claimed the corporations were not providing adequate health insurance for employees. The companies denied this, saying their employees were well covered. Should there be employer mandates requiring they provide health insurance for all employees? Probably not, since the resulting taxes may involuntarily drive smaller businesses out of the marketplace, which is not terribly fair in the spirit of free competition. And the larger corporations such as Pizza Hut and PepsiCo would suffer globally as well as nationally. Should the government provide universal coverage? Considering that health care吃 up 1/7 of the present national budget, the resulting bureaucracies needed to implement and maintain such a system would cause costs to rise even higher. Not good. The other option? Individual responsibility. Those who do not already have insurance from work could buy it, with government assistance. The Clinton camp never considered this seemingly obvious and simple path because it did not fit with the banter. This brings us to our next food group.
With certain members of Congress vying for re-election, and Clinton clinging to his image, the idea at first was this: stuff tons of pork under the cellophane to appease intense lobbying, label it "universal coverage" to
satisfy constituents and ship the sucker. It's quick, it's easy. Then Clinton proved Gary Trudeau's illustration of him correct. In short, the waffle began waffling when confronted with the plan's shortcomings. A bipartisan committee in the Senate may reach a compromise before the August recess, but a recent Newsweek poll indicates 65 percent of Americans believe Congress should wait until all this is sorted out.
It seems we are just not hungry enough to settle for junk food.
VIEWPOINT
Cuban immigrants merit right to American dream
The Statue of Liberty stands as a beacon of hope for the "poor huddled masses" of the world. Her torch, however, is fading. The
abrupt ending of the decades-long open door immigration policy towards Cuba provides one exam-
sent them off to Florida with the other refugees. Most immigrants to the United States are hardworking, law-abiding people who are happy to
IMMIGRANT POLICY
Matt Gowen is a Lawrence fifth-year senior majoring in Journalism.
Locking out refugees puts the American way of life in danger and breaks the promise of the "American
dream."
ple of the inconsistent U.S. policy towards immigrants. The movement against the traditional open door policy claims that new waves of immigrants equates to a deterioration of the American way of life. We must remind ourselves that America is a nation of immigrants, and with the exception of the Native American culture, every facet of the American way came from immigrants.
Many fear that a new influx of immigrants will increase the unemployment and crime rates. That simply is not the case. Many immigrants do menial labor that citizens choose not to do. Others would point with concern to the mass Cuban exodus in 1980 and the reciprocal increase in crime. One should remember that the 1980 wave of immigrants is an anomaly because Castro opened the prisons and mental institutions and
be in United States after a lifetime of living under a tyrannical government.
America has a moral duty to keep the
doors open to immigrants and has no reason to fear them. Immigration has been an essential part of the American experience for two centuries. The familiar story of people getting off the boat with nothing but a dream and becoming successful through hard work and sacrifice is deeply ingrained in the American culture. We call this story the "American Dream." It is when the government starts to suppress the American dream, that the American way of life is truly at stake.
In a more concrete way, the United States has a moral obligation to allow immigrants to enter the country. Through radio and television, the United States has set itself up as a haven for those who could escape the clutches of repressive governments. Now that the Cubans are answering our call, the United States is pulling back.
LOU MULLIGAN FOR THE EDITORIAL BOARD
KANSAN STAFF
STEPHEN MARTINO Editor
CHRISTOPH FUIRMANS Managing editor
JEN CARR Business manager
TOM EBLEN General manager, news adviser
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John Lennon and Barney birds of the same feather
"I Love you, you love me/We're best friends as friends should be." Whether or not we admit it, most of us are familiar with this tone or the off-color variants of it. To some ears it is a soothing little lullaby, to others it is the aurual equivalent of metal scraping a chalkboard. It's the Barney Song! To some he is the spawn of Satan; to others he is a kid's best friend. Whatever your opinion is of him, it is undeniable that Barney is an enormous cultural icon. And yet like many other sages who come preaching the message of love and peace — the dalal lama for instance — Barney is surrounded by an aura of mystery.
There are many unanswered questions about Barney. What kind of dinosaur is he? Why is he purple and green? Is he anatomically correct? Is he a carnivore, herbivore or omnivore? If you were reincarnated and came back as Barney, would that be good or bad karma? However, the most important question to ask is why this humpy dinosaur drives people to such Dionysian extremes of adulation and loathing? In short, why is Barney perhaps the most significant cleavage plaguing our society today?
COLUMNIST
NICOLAS SHUMP
You may scoff at such an analysis.
but Barney is a near-perfect indicator of the various segments of our society. Children under 5 LOVE Barney
Children between the ages of 5 and 12 are in that awkward stage when they begin to outgrow childhood heroes like Barney and the Easter Bunny. For teenagers, Barney is the perfect target on which to unleash their unbridled anger caused by adolescent angst and hormonal disturbances. By the time college approaches, most of us are able to restrain from physical violence. Instead, Barney is subjected to a stream of vituperative scorn normally reserved for enrollment officials and the parking patrols. When parenthood rolls around, Barney is grudgingly accepted as a part of the family.
Once he gains access to the inner sanctum of your family domicile, Barney's presence is pervasive and utterly complete. It begins with daily viewings of Barney and Friends, but soon there is the Barney in Concert video, Barney sheets and comforters, shoes, socks and stuffed animals.
But what is Barney? Is Barney really the Beast of the Apocalypse? Not likely. No, Barney's true origins are not to be found among the legions of Hell. In fact, Barney is a legacy of the Woodstock Generation. He's a warm fuzzy, a progeny from the Summer of Love. Compare these lyrics from Barney's song and a piece written by John Lennon: "With a great big hug and a kiss from me to you" and "All we are saying is give peace a chance." Face it, Barney would be right at home on the Yellow Submarine. Barney is the Apostle of Woodstock who spreads the "All we need is Love" gospel to the next generation. Is that so bad? Sure Barney is dorky and fat, but he is harmless and ever so friendly. Come on everybody now, "Won't you say you love me, too?"
Nicolas Shump is a Lawrence senior majoring in comparative literature.
INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVE
Cubans would not risk the shark-infested water if there were a life worthwhile at home.
Is it any wonder that ever increasing number of Cubans are prepared to risk their lives for the land of milk and honey to the north?
The situation, however, looks like (it) is becoming a stalemate.
Havana will not stop the exodus. President Clinton, on the other hand, cannot afford to be seen pushing anti-conunists into detention camps in America.
This is turning into a game of brinkmanship. The question is who cracks first, Clinton or Castro? Washington, mindful that it was the East German exodus in 1989 that brought down not just the country's communist regime but the whole communist edifice in East Europe is pinning its hopes on an imminent denise of the Castro regime. Certainly, that would be the best result for both the Cuban people and America.
However, despite the economic chaos, Castro shows no sign of planning an early departure. He has not yet lost the will to survive. The struggle between him and Washington looks, therefore, set to continue for some considerable time to come.
Arab News Jiddah, Saudi Arabia
It is very ill-boding that the military collusion between Japan and the United States is getting closer these days in different military spheres, from the "security" policy to the joint development and production of weapons and joint maneuvers.
The Japanese authorities on every occasion argue that the Japan-U.S. "security" system is a "key to the preservation of peace and security in the Asia-Pacific region," committing themselves to favor the continued U.S. military presence in this region and strengthen Japan's support to the U.S. troops present in Japan.
Japan has recently signed a series of agreements with the United States and is going to make joint military action with the United States. This crafty move is aimed at justifying its overseas aggression under the pretext of "implementing the agreements" with the United States.
The sharp edge of the Japan-U.S. military collusion is directed against (North Korea).
Japan must discard the bad habit of invading other countries with the backing of a big power and refrain from going against the trend toward detente and peace.
The first seven months of this year witnessed days of Japan-U.S. joint military exercises of 13 rounds designed to threaten (North Korea.) This clearly shows the aggressive, provocative nature of the military tie up between Japan and the United States.
Rodong Shinman
Pyongyang, North Korea
HUBIE
By Greg Hardin