4 Thursday, February 26, 1987 / University Daily Kansan --- THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN A budgetary comedy $1.2 million or $2.7 million. What's the big deal? Oh, it's nothing important. Somebody has just lost track of more than $1 million. The University of Kansas generated a total of $2.7 million in excess fee revenues from this year's summer session and fall semester enrollments. The Board of Regents recommended that the Kansas Legislature return $1.2 million to the University. Gov. Mike Hayden recommened that the Legislature reinstate 75 percent of the recommended fee release amount. Somewhere in the shuffle, more than $1 million disappeared from consideration. The House Appropriations Committee voted to reinstate 50 percent of the $1.2 million, which the committee thought was the total amount. A discovery that $2.7 million was the total amount threw everything into shambles, leaving the University no closer to receiving its fee release money If the Legislature approves the committee's proposal, KU would receive $635,612 and about $2 million would end up in state coffers. The University administration has made decisions, such as making additional spring semester courses available, with the anticipation that a significant portion of the release recommended by the Regents would come through. The University has put that extra money to good use, without actually receiving it from the Legislature. The Regents and the Legislature had a "slight" communication problem, which must be resolved before they can accomplish their goals. The scene now is one of confusion. Let's just hope that after this confusion clears up, the University receives enough money to cover its bets. Getting in the fast lane If the state of Kansas wants to improve its economic conditions, the first thing it needs to do is build a four-lane highway in southeastern Kansas. There is a proposal in the state Legislature that would finance the construction of 740 miles of highways at a cost of about $772 million. To attract new businesses to the state, the infrastructure needs to be updated. Industries are not going to develop along the two-lane highways that now connect the cities the southeastern part of the state. Cities in this part of the state all would have more bargaining power for potential businesses if they were more accessible by four-lane highways. Foresight is needed among the legislators, and tomorrow's needs must be addressed when considering this project. When Interstate 35 was on the drawing board, some people argued that it should be a sixlane highway. Instead, a fourlane highway was settled on, and today the Overland Park, Shawnee and Lenexa areas in Johnson County have grown so much that four lanes are not enough to handle the traffic. Gov. Mike Hayden has set up a highway commission to study the situation and although the state is in a hurry to turn around its economic status, a project of this magnitude deserves a careful look However, with the low-interest rates and favorable bond rates now, it would be in the state's best interest to make the needed commitment to this project. Before the state can make money from new businesses, it first must spend some money to make Kansas a more attractive and viable choice. Another kind of terrorism Last week, another plunge by the Reagan administration into the depths of paranoia and dementia came to light when a second plan to kill Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi was revealed. After the April 1986 bombing raid on Libya failed to forever rid the United States of Gadhafi, plans for a bigger, more precise raid were drawn up. The plan included the use of larger planes and a more exact study of probable sites. Apparently, it remained shelved because of the lull in blatant terroristic activity by Libya after the first raid. Even if the death of Gadhadi would have helped lessen the threat of terrorism in the world, it also would set a sad precedent for the U.S. government. It is a tragedy that an administration sworn to uphold such basic ideals as liberty and justice sees fit to apply this promise domestically. As the number one advocate, and example, of the virtues of a democratic system, the United States should be careful to practice what it preaches. How can we complain about human rights violations in the Soviet Union and elsewhere when we attempt to mete out vigilante justice of our own? The government has a responsibility to protect its citizens from terrorism. Part of that responsibility is to identify the source of the problem and deal with it. But that does not give the government reason to resort to its own brand of state-sponsored terrorism. News staff News staff Frank Hansel Editor Jennifer Benjamin Managing editor Juli Warren News editor Brian Kabeline Editorial editor Sandra Engelland Campus editor Mark Siebert Sports editor Diane Dutton Heier Photo editor Bill Skeet Graphics editor Tom Eblen General manager, news adviser Business staff Lisa Weems Business manager Bonnie Hardy Advertiser Dennis Stephens Retail sales manager Kelly Scherer Campus sales manager Duncan Calhoun Marketing manager Lori Cople Classified manager Marianne Manaki Production manager National sales manager David Nixon National sales manager Jeanne Hines Sales and marketing adviser **Letters** should be typeed, double-spaced and fewer than 200 words and should include the writer's name, address and telephone number. If the writer is affiliated with the University, include class and hometown, or faculty or staff position. **Guest shots** should be typeed, double-spaced and fewer than 700 words. The The Kansan reserves the right reject or edit letters and guest shots. They can be mailed or brought to the Kansan newsroom, 111 Staffer-Flint Hall. The University Daily Kansan (USP5 650-640) is published at the University of Kansas, 118 Stlufter-Fint Hall, Lawrence, Kan. 60045, daily during the regular school year, excluding Saturday, Sunday, holidays and finals periods, and on Wednesday during the summer session. Second-class postage paid in Lawrence, Kan 60044. Subscriptions by mail are $40 per year in Douglas County and $50 per year outside the county. Student subscriptions are $3 and are paid POSTMASTER. Send address changes to the University Daily Kansan, 118 Stauffer-Fint Hall, Lawrence, KA 66045 Opinions Doughnuts-for-dollars gets dunked WASHINGTON - The very thought that Sen. Lloyd Bentsen, D-Texas, will have to eat breakfast alone tears at the heart. contributors were not being offered special treatment because his door always is open to anyone. The door may swing open, most Senate office doors do, to anyone. Getting to see Byrd, however, is not nearly as easy as he makes out. No scrambled eggs and lobbyists, no pancakes and PAC directors, no orange juice and $10,000 checks. Steve Gerstel After a week of embarrassing notoriety, the wealthy Texas senator abandoned his doughnuts-for-dollars scheme under which about 200 Washington lobbyists and PAC directors were given the opportunity to break bread with him once a month for a five-figure campaign contribution. UPI Commentary Whatever his intent — and there is Retreating as gracefully as possible, Bentsen canceled the breakfasts and called the idea a "doozy of a mistake." It certainly was. Nor did Byrd find any incongruity in his raising campaign money from lobbyists and PAC directors while ardently supporting and giving high priority to a bill limiting spending and PAC contributions and setting up taxpayer financing of congressional campaigns. no reason to believe that Bentsen is no greeder than other senators in pursuit of campaign money — the trappings of a colossal rip-off. Here was Bentsen, the new chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, telling lobbyists and the PAC directors their views would get special note at these not-so-intimate breakfasts for a $10,000 campaign contribution. How could any lobbyist — certainly any with clients who have interest in trade or tax legislation — say no? It was, in effect, close to a holdout. And why didn't Bentsen realize that these same people, all politically aware, would make contributions to the campaign, doughnuts or no doughnuts. To his credit, Bentsen called of the breakfaasts, leaving only questions of judgment on his part and that of his political advisers. Perhaps he was bulled by the precedent of his predecessor as chairman, Sen. Bob Packwood, R-Ore., who held the same kind of breakfasts, which were probably not as filling at only $5.000. But where does that leave Senate Democratic leader Robert Byrd, who gathered about 200 of the lobbyists and PAC directors who were offered, through an aide, a chance to sit down and chat with Byrd on a regular, informal basis? That, too, costs $10,000. Unlike Bentens, Byrd showed no inclination to disband this exclusive club that promises access to the most expensive parts in the Senate for the next two years. Defending the practice, Byrd said he cannot raise the money needed to run a campaign in his home state of West Virginia, which is believable. At the same time, probably no senator more secure politically than Byrd. He even insisted that, in effect, the Byrd said that he has to play by the rules as they exist, and that to fight for campaign financing reforms, he must be re-elected. Well, Sens. David Boren, D-Dokla, and William Proxmire, D-Wis., take no PAC money and seem to do very well. The Byrd-Bentsen creations seem to be the new rage in campaign financing. Perhaps, they will, at the very least, lend impetus to reform. Uncertainty still exists for Haitians Haiti made front-page news in the United States a year ago with the ouster of then president Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier. The hopes of a total democracy in Haiti were very high last year. Nowadays, Haitians feel anger, displeasure and a sense of uncertainty. Carlos Chuquin Columnist The Junta, a group that ousted Duvalier, is under the leadership of General Henri Namphy. The group has maintained power in the government, despite strikes, disturbances and demands for radical reforms. The opposition says Namphy brought stability to the island, but he lacks the imagination and leadership qualities needed to solve the country's main problems. Among the most chaotic problems Namphy's government faces is the infant mortality rate, which is 120 per 1,000 live births. This means that one in every five children will not live to adulthood. Life expectancy is 56 years in Haiti compared with 70 years in the United States. Another crucial problem is the economy. The Haitian economy has been ruined by nearly 30 years of mismanagement. The average per worker in Haiti earned $285 in unemployment and underemployment are estimated at 50 percent. Another problem facing Haitians is education. A little more than half of school-age children attend school, and only a small percentage complete their primary educations. Despite these problems, the Haitians have experienced more freedom than before Francis "Papa Jacques" Trudeau and Jean Claude, became president in 1957. The feared "Toutons Macoute." Duvalier's militia, who were used to silence the opposition, were disbanded completely. Practically no human rights have been reported since Duvalier was ousted. It is said that corruption permitted the Duvaliers to become a wealthy family. Today, legal actions are being taken to recuperate $400 million believed to have been taken by the Duvalier family from Haiti. Haiti, a country that never has experienced democracy, will be having its presidential elections in November. The new president will take office in February 1988. But the new president will have many obstacles and problems to face. Whether Haitians are in power four years remains to be seen. Right now, the Haitians are still dreaming of a democracy. Compared with Iran or Nicaragua, Haiti has little value to the United States. It has few mineral or other resources and no large U.S. investments at stake. So take a tip from Edwin Meese to Keep th federal employees off of the drugs and at their best, we make them take a urine test to cheat the test they cannot a because we use the blue water! Distributed by King Features Syndicate The Miami Herald What I have to say concerns Stanton's arrogant and condescending attitude so well revealed in Monday's Kansan. Mailbox Arrogant attitude Asking questions Writing as a faculty member at the University of Kansas for more than 15 years and not in my capacity as Executive Director of the Center for Black Leadership Development and Research, I would like to comment on an article which appeared in the *Kent* issue of Feb. 19th entitled "KU grand recalls campus racism" appeared on the front page with a photograph of Kermit Phelps. Jacob U. Gordon Research associate professor The article documented Phelps' experiences while he was a student at the University of Kansas before he received a doctorate degree in psychology in 1952. I appreciate very much to learn firsthand about KU's human rights record in the past. What bothers me now is where we are and what lies ahead for us in the future. For example, are there still traces of racism against peoples of color at KU? What is the future direction in human relations at KU? Is racism a thing of the past at KU? If these questions would have been addressed, the readers might have gotten a better perspective on the subject of racism at the University of Kansas. Brady Stanton's veto of the KU Crew bill did not surprise me. I do not like it, but the purpose of my letter is not to debate financing for the crew. To repeat what he said: "I feel like a dad who's just taken away a good little kid's allowance. It's kind of like being a parent. You're not always the most popular person, but you have to be responsible." I must say I'm disagusted by this blatant display of arrogance. In reply, I, personally, would like to say that Stanton is not any sort of a father-figure for the crew and the crew is not his "kid." Lastly, I would like to say his attitude has revealed his obvious ignorance concerning KU Crew, the sport in general and what it means to the University of Kansas. Douglas Johnston Wichita sophomore Defending exhibit I was surprised and disappointed to learn in the Kansan that there have been objections in the name of feminism to a recent, fine print exhibition, "The Power of Women," at the Spencer Museum of Art. From the title, some visitors of the show expected the imagery to address the positive ways in which one would prefer to see women's strengths depicted and commemorated. Such expectations and objections underestimate and minimize the complex issues raised by the exhibited prints. "The Power of Women" and "Women-on-top" are well-known phrases understood by art historians and social historians as references to a particular aspect of a satiated "topsy-turvy world" in which the long-dominant power of men becomes subservient to women. As Stephen Goddard, curator of the exhibition, made very clear, such images "should not be construed as one face of a larger and more consuming interest in human folly." How and to what extent such traditional and popular views of women's power reflected their true status or worth in a given society is a difficult question. I have encountered such challenging, interpretive problems in my research on the experiences of women" in depictions of 16th- and 17th-century Dutch spinning rooms. There is much to be learned, artistically and historically, from such complex images whether we agree or not with the social principles that, on one level, seem to be espoused. As one of the most thematic I value the assumption that we can learn from history. Linda Stone-Ferrier Associate professor of art history Saying goodbye Many eyes were moist in Allen Field House and elsewhere in Jayhawk homes last Thursday as Cedric Hunter and Mark Turgeon left the game to a standing ovation. It was their last home game in their collegiate career. As I applaud and praise Cedric and Mark, I also hope that Pritchard and company will rise to the occasion next year and carry on the winning tradition. Raqu Srinivasan Coibatore, India, graduate student BLOOM COUNTY by Berke Breathed