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Monday, January 19. 1987 / University Daily Kansan
Opinions
He had a dream.
The dream lives on
And even though Martin Luther King Jr.'s civil rights mission ended in a nightmare 19 years ago, the effects of his work live on.
King's civil rights movement helped erase the final barriers that remained from the slavery days. And the words he spoke until he was killed by an assassin in 1968 are just as true today.
Today though, people who once disagreed with King now admit he had a positive influence on American society. They agree so much that today is a national holiday commemorating King's birthday. He would have been 58 years old this year.
Each year the country seems to rally around King's cause near his birthday.
However, the enthusiasm that Americans show on King's birthday needs to last 365 days a year in order for the civil rights problem to disappear.
Civil rights have come a long way since the time of marches in Alabama, but the mission King started is not finished. Too often, events like the racially motivated attacks on blacks in the Howard Beach section of New York last month remind us that there is work to do.
In addition to the civil rights battles in this country, King's mission will not be truly finished until racial tension and civil rights problems are solved worldwide.
The United States and other countries can still learn from the words of King.
Let freedom ring.
Tax reform hits students
Scholarships used to be free. But those days are disappearing quickly.
Now college students who receive scholarships may have to turn over a portion of that money to the federal government in income tax in 1988.
Under the Reagan administration's overhaul tax system, scholarships will no longer be tax-exempt. Students who received scholarship money after Aug. 16, 1986, and used it after Dec. 31, 1986, must report their scholarships to the IRS. Only the cost of tuition remains free from the IRS. Money used for expenses such as fees, books and supplies, living and travel expenses will all be taxable.
Most universities and colleges are waiting for the IRS to develop guidelines. For example, the IRS must determine who is responsible for reporting the scholarship - the school or the student.
Meanwhile, the University of Kansas has begun preparing its students for the changes. All scholarship check stubs this semester included a notice that the scholarship amounts may be taxable.
Although the actual number of students affected and the amount of taxes may be minimal, receiving scholarship money could become a hassle. Students may need to keep track of where this money ends up. And the IRS will be flooded with even more paperwork.
The government should keeps its hands off scholarship checks. Education costs are high and students need every penny they can get to finance it. Receiving scholarship checks should be a blessing, not a burden.
A historic session ahead
State lawmakers convened in Topeka last week for the opening of what could prove to be a very important session for the Kansas Legislature.
Next, to help the state's economy get back on the road to recovery, state lawmakers should begin writing legislation for liquor-by-the-drink, the lottery and pari-mutuel betting. For several years, Kansas has been one of the few
The most pressing issue needing to be addressed is the budget. Some drastic changes are needed and have been taken to strengthen the state's weak economy. Already, Hayden imposed 3.8 percent, across-the-board budget cuts. The House of Representatives also have passed an emergency $600 million budget cutback. Time will tell whether the sacrifices that many institutions have had to endure, including the University of Kansas, will pay off.
states that did not have liquor-by-the-drink. Finally, after several attempts, the state will be joining modern world. The lottery and part-mutuel betting should help the state by boosting the economy.
Finally, the Legislature will focus on the reinstatement of the death penalty, which became a primary issue in Mike Hayden's campaign for governor. This issue is certain to be controversial, as it has in the past. Hayden said he hoped to have a final version of the bill on his desk by late March or early April.
Because of the number and importance of the issues before the Legislature this session, it is vitally important for the people of Kansas to make their feelings known to their legislators, for the decisions made by this session are certain to shape the way of life of all Kansans for many years to come.
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Jeanne Hines ... Sales and marketing adviser
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"And if America is to be a great nation this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania!
Martin Luther King
"Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado! Let freedom ring from the curvaceous peaks of California! But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia! Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee! Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside,let freedom ring.
"When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, 'Free at last! free at last! thank God almighty, we are free at last!' "
-Excerpt from "I Have a Dream" speech, delivered August 28, 1963, in Washington, D.C.
Distributed by King Features Syndicate
Don Regan seems safe in job again
r i
WASHINGTON — White House Chief of Staff Donald Regan appears to have weathered the storm and is the man in charge again.
Regan, 67, a take-charge man, has incurred the wrath of many who refer to him as "Mr. Prime Minister." He was up against strong
Helen Thomas
Republican leaders, close friends and political advisers of the president, including former deputy chief of staff Michael Deaver and a host of others, pleaded with Reagan to dump Regan, but Reagan stood fast.
UPI Commentary
Reagan is loyal to those who serve him. After firing Lt. Col. Oliver North as a deputy national security adviser in the Iran arms-contra aid scandal, Reagan called North a "national hero."
opposition, including first lady Nancy Reagan, who felt the president would be better served with a new team during the unfolding of the Iran arms scandal.
He has demonstrated the same loyal ties to others.
Deaver, who was like a son to him for 20 years, dating back to his California gubernatorial days, is under investigation for alleged conflict of interest since he left the White House and set up his own public relations firm. But the Reagans invited Deaver and his family to Christmas dinner at the White House.
Even when his chief advisers in his first administration were urging Reagan to fire budget director David Stockman, Reagan was reluctant and settled for a slap on the wrist.
Stockman then gave an interview ridiculing Reagan's supply-side economics as a "Trojan horse." He eventually left for a lucrative Wall Street job and wrote a book teaking into the Reagan administration.
Few presidents have the stomach to fire loyal aides, usually leaving it to others. President Nixon left it to his chief of staff, H.R. Haldenman, who was not known for his compassion.
Nixon left it up to Halademan to fire his whole first-term Cabinet the day after Nixon was re-elected in 1972. He told the Cabinet officials, who thought they had come to the White House to celebrate, that they were all a "burned out volcano."
Regan, who has amassed his own loyal team in the White House, was not about to be pushed out, particularly in the wake of the scandal. Last month, he showed the severe strain he was under.
He refused to see reporters to give them the weekly feeding he had always obliged them with. His aides became more and more irritable and the White House atmosphere was tense and pessimistic.
But Regan is now acting like a man who has the job he obviously enjoys for another two years, or at least until he thinks the president is over the hump and has survived the scandal.
And now Robert's Rules for Roommates
Bob Hart Guest Shot
I've often wondered how to go about finding a compatible roommate and remain on agreeable terms with that person. There don't seem to be any books on the subject, so I need to ask someone. I've analyzed my own experiences. The result — Robert's Rules for Roommates.
them were terrible people. But with the remaining 12, it was simply a matter of conflicting personalities.
According to my most recent tabulations, I have, as a college student, had 22 roommates. I still speak to three of them.
It's not that the other 19 were such terrible people. Well, okay, seven of
Second rule: Strong-willed people are out. Who wants a roommate with opinions of his own? It can only lead to conflict. Always remember that you are right in every situation, and find a roommate who agrees.
nive with one of your good friends.
God created friends so we would have best men at our weddings. He did not intend for us to live together. Unless you are a masochist, or living on borrowed time, why put yourself in this no-win situation?
That's not to say you can't occasionally take out the garbage or wash a few dishes. Just admit that neither of you cares about the hairy bathroom baseboard, and you'll be fine.
Third rule: Unless you are one of those odd folks who enjoys cleaning, don't do it. Some of us are incapable of real cleaning, and our foolish need to pretend otherwise has ruined many promising living arrangements.
Fourth rule: A roommate's reign
race, national origin or political
The first rule is simple. Don't ever
affiliation are of no importance. His taste in music, and the volume level and frequency of his listening pleasure, are. If your roommate listens to Motley Crue every morning, you will have no choice but to send him away for costly deprogramming.
Seventh rule: There is truth to the old saying "opposites attract." It applies to roommates in at least one area — food.
Find someone who eats only strange things. One of the best room-
r utt rule: If either of you should fall in love, terminate your roommate status at once.
Although it is possible for boyfriend, girlfriend and third wheel to coexist peacefully, it is far more likely that one or more of the three will become a murder victim.
Sixth rule: If at all possible, find a roommate one size larger than you are. That way, if necessary, you can comfortably wear his clothes. He, however, will have a difficult time squeezing into yours.
mates I ever had was a vegetarian,
Twinkies, and I
tight, I touch his pot
I saw an ad that read "Clean, responsible roommate wanted for lovely older home just four blocks from campus." Come on! How about, "Spineless yes man needed to shovel out stuy at bottom of icily hill?" Who cares if it's not a very nice thing to admit about yourself? At least the inquiries you get will be closer to what you had in mind.
Eighth rule: This is the most important one - be honest. I mean, be really truthful, even when it doesn't make you look so good.
Taking my own advice, I have decided to be honest about myself as roommate material. I am a pig. Clutter does not bother me. Neither, in most cases, does filth. I am not preoccupied with money or property matters. Due dates on utility bills are mere suggestions. My things are my things, and so are my roommate's. I am too busy to live with?
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