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Friday, February 23, 1990 / University Daily Kansan
Opinion
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Self-centered Irish
KU Athletic Director Frederick takes heroic stance against actions of greedy Notre Dame
KU Athletic Director Bob Frederick became a symbolic David in the face of a mighty Goliath last week when he acted against the University of Notre Dame's decision to strike its own television deal with NBC, despite a College Football Association deal with ABC and ESPN.
Kansas became the first school to act against Notre Dame's decision to wiggle out of the CFA deal and sign a $40 million agreement with NBC. Notre Dame's move came two weeks after the CFA reached a five-year, $210 million TV agreement with ABC. The move caused a $50 million cut in the ABC television package and will cost each school in the CFA about $150,000.
Notre Dame's decision left the other 63 members of the CFA with little to do except protest by canceling future games or sit idy by and do nothing. Kansas took the lead.
With the support of Chancellor Gene A. Budig and KU basketball coach Roy Williams, Frederick canceled a two-game basketball series with Notre Dame scheduled for 1992 and
Frederick said he didn't make the decision with the intent of creating a snowball effect among other universities, but other schools should follow his lead and cancel future games with the Irish.
1993.
The effects of Notre Dame's decision run deep. Not only will Notre Dame's deal generate massive amounts of wealth for one school, it also will hurt the fans and the sport by leading to consistent dominance on TV and potentially on the field by Notre Dame. In addition, as Indiana basketball coach Bobby Knight alluded, the deal would give Notre Dame an incredible recruiting edge by being seen on TV every weekend. Notre Dame, as long as it is a member of the CFA, should respect the rules of the association.
Frederick's move may not make that much of a difference to Goliath Notre Dame, but it serves notice that Kansas is one school that won't tolerate the Irish's greedy disregard for fellow CFA members.
Christopher Ralston for the editorial board
Presidential access
Fewer news conferences will keep citizens in dark
P resident Bush's ego is now impinged the flow of information about international and domestic events to the people in the United States.
During the middle of his flight last week to the drug war conference in Cartagena, Colombia, Bush told reporters that from now on he would be conducting fewer news conferences.
It seems that Bush is upset because of news reports focusing on misleading or inaccurate information that he and his top aides offered to the press. The reports involved secret trips to China.
After China's crackdown on demonstrations for democracy, the United States conducted two secret missions. The White House revealed plans for the second trip well after it began. It never mentioned the first one. At one point, Secretary of State James A. Baker III even denied that more than one trip had occurred.
Bush's evasive habits are clouding his reputation. New Republic magazine reported that
deception was becoming the hallmark of the Bush presidency.
If the president keeps his promise of conducting fewer news conferences, this reputation only will worsen.
More important than a president's reputation, however, are rights of United States citizens to be informed about what their government is doing.
Bush obviously aimed his mid-flight statement at reporters with whom he was angry. But if he keeps his promise of conducting fewer news conferences, the media will not be the only ones to suffer.
The United States cannot afford to have another evasive president. One needs only to look at the Iran-contra affair to see the effects of a misleading, unavailable president.
Bush must put his presidential ego aside. He does not have to practice the habits of his predecessor.
Camille Krehbiel for the editorial board
Members of the editorial board are Richard Brack, Daniel Niemi, Christopher R. Ralston, John P. Milburn, Liz Hueben, Cory S. Anderson, Angela Baughman, Andres Caveller, Chris Evans, Stephen Kline, Camille Krehbiel, Melanie Matthes, Jennifer Hartz and Scott Patty.
It's time to watch money closely
Politically, Social Security is not an easy thing to cut, although it could
Now that the federal budget is before Congress, it is important that all of us keep an eye on where, and for what purpose, our money is being spent. Many programs are jockeying for our tax dollars — Social Security, national defense, the deficit, Medicare and Medicaid, education, the environment, science, and law and order. Perhaps some of these programs are more worthy than others, but in the end all of them are important and deserve some level of support.
What can be done to ease the burden on the middle class? We need to look at the options and try to find a viable solution.
It should be safe to assume that most college students are or will be middle class. Middle class citizens can expect to pay about 29 percent income tax. The founding fathers supposedly considered a constitutionally-mandated 2 percent cap on federal income tax, Granted, 2 percent is pretty low, but 29 percent is definitely too high. While our Congressmen debate, they had better remember one very important thing: No taxpayer has unlimited resources.
CNN reported that a family that made $45,000 last year would pay $13,000 in taxes. Each tax dollar breaks down like this; 33 cents for Social Security, 24 cents for national defense, 13 cents for payments toward the deficit, 13 cents for Medicare and Medicaid and 17 cents for education, the environment, transportation, science and law and order.
Brandt
Pasco
Staff columnist
be, considering that Social Security taxes went up remarkably in the past decade. It would be wise to take a close look at Sen. Daniel P. Moynihan's, D-N.Y., proposal to take the Social Security Trust Fund out of the budget. This would prevent the federal government from arbitrarily using our old age money, which they force us to give them. It should be criminal for the government to tax the money in our accounts and the use the money to pay for other projects. I know that when I am 65 years old, I will want my contribution to Social Security. I'll be angry if it has all been spent.
Payments toward the deficit, Medicare and Medicaid, education, the environment, transportation, science, and law and order are items that cannot be cut by any substantial amount. Most of these programs could use more than they are getting. This is especially true of education and transportation. If another nation tries to reduce this deficit, what we have done out of gross neglect, it would be considered an act of war.
This leaves us with cutting the military budget. It is hard to understand why Congress has such a hard time realizing that drastic military cuts are needed. Proposed cuts in the military are to be applauded, but
much more fat remains to be cut. This is especially true about NATO.
We are watching NATO become obsolete. The European members of the Warsaw Pact have begun to agitate for the removal of Soviet troops from the region. Formerly communist Czechoslovakia was granted most-favored-national status in the States. It would be fair to expect that now our neighboring nations will be given similar trade privileges in the near future. In short, the Warsaw Pact is well on its way to becoming an empoly shell.
When East and West Germany reunite, the United States should grab the opportunity to slash its military. The Soviet Union wants Germany to be neutral. That sounds fair. Without Soviet troops in East Germany, what in the world do we need with troops in West Germany? It is a good trade that will save the United States billions of dollars.
Budget cuts always make somebody angry. Someone's pet project gets dropped. Unfortunately, that can't be avoided, but the cuts must be made. If nothing of real consequence is done, we, the middle class, can look forward to a lifetime of having an enormous chunk of our hard-earned paycheck maintaining policies that the general population does not see. It'll dictate how our collective voices be heard. We allow right to demand responsible use of government funds. We, after all, supplied that money. It is supposed to be used in our best interest. Let's make sure it is.
► Brandt Pasce is a Lawrence sophomore majoring in political science.
LETTERS to the EDITOR Referees foul out
Enough is enough. After being witness to the state of Big Eight officiating for the last seven years, my voice can no longer be contained. Why is such a strong basketball conference forced to be plagued by slow, old men trying to run around pretending to be officials? Why is the supervisor of the court, David Orr for speaking out in protest? Dadgummit, Johnny should receive a medal of honor. And how, in such a big game as the Kansas-Missouri contest, on national TV no less, can the supervisor allow a "freshman" referee
call the game? The man made three calls during the game. How can he be called a supervisor, be paid for his job and still be able to sleep at night with some form of conscience?
Randall, Pritchard, Calloway,
nor anyone else on the team should
be disappointed, for the referees,
and I use the term grudgingly, lost
the game for us. A blatant back-
court violation, a 10-second call
 and a supposed tipped ball by the
phantom Jayhawk just seemed to
lie dormant, waiting for a referee
to blow his whistle. But alas, we
are talking about the Big Eight
officials. Other conferences can
often boast of their officials, but
we . . . we can only laugh.
Mark S. Hershman St. Louis senior
News staff
Richard Breck ... Editor
Daniel Nieml ... Managing editor
Christopher R. Relaton ... News editor
Liam Planning ... Planning editor
John Milburn ... Editorial editor
Candy Niemann ... Campus editor
Mike Coordone ... Sports editor
E. Joseph Zuma ... Photo editor
Stephen Kline ... Graphics editor
Kris Bergutel ... Art/Features editor
Tim Eldridge ... General manager
Margaret Townsend...Business manager
Tami Rank...Retail sales manager
Mikey Miller...Campus sales manager
Kathy Shotten...National sales manager
Mike Lehman...National sales manager
Mindy Morris...Co-op sales manager
Nate Stamos...Production manager
Mindy Lauten...Assistant product manager
Carlie Staninak...Marketing director
James Glennapp...Creative director
Jamie Rorholm...Classified manager
Walter Towson...Travel manager
Jeanne Hines...Sales and marketing adviser
Business staff
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International drug war enters new era
It was pleasant, remarkable and comforting to hear positive news coming from Colombia for the first time in months.
It seems that after several years of unsuccessfully fighting the drug cartels, the Colombian, Peruvian and Venezuelan governments control the drug war in the long run.
For once, the news was not completely negative or infested with violence, crime and terrorism. A new chapter of the story began last Friday with George Bush's trip to Cartagena.
Although Pable Escobar and his peers are still in hiding from the law and though there is a long road ahead for the newly formed multi-lateral "anti-drug cartel," the drug war has taken a new, different shape.
And indeed, as the four entered the rugged, old stone Fort Manzanillo to begin talks, I thought that maybe the Colombians and the Americans had not lost the war after all, and was pleased that somebody out there still had the courage to fight the drug traffickers.
To date, there are signs of progress in the drug war because of President
Andres Cavelier
Staff columnist
Virgilio Barco's policies, which few thought would succeed. And we have to accept the improvements. Cocaine exports have decreased by 30 percent; 14 drug traffickers have been extradited to this country since August 1989 to face trial. More importantly, according to Colombian intelligence reports, the cartels are now moving some of their activities to surrounding countries because of the crackdown in Colombia.
It is important not to forget the drug traffickers' intentions to surrender to the Colombian government before the Cartagena summit. Are they giving up? Probably not, but at least it is a sign of victory. For obvious reasons, the Colombian government did not buy their proposal.
what does this mean?
It means a new and hope-filled era
in the drug war is beginning. There are signs that the cartels are getting tired of the security measures in Colombia. Now, because the Colombian government has responded so angrily against the drug dealers, the cartels are thinking of new alternatives.
But as long as the demand for cocaine in the United States is there, the supply will be there. There is nothing Presidents Barco, Garcia and Paz Zamora can do if the United States does not act immediately against consumption. This is easy and repetitive to say, but true.
Was Bush's trip worthwhile? It seems like it. What then was accomplished in Cartagena? After the talks, in addition to repeating a pledge of $2.2 billion in economic and military aid, Bush committed to seek more economic aid during the next four years and to train the Andean farmers to switch from coca to alternative crops.
This is fine, but the United States needs to assist the Andean countries in specific areas. For instance, Bush needs to reconsider opening U.S. markets to exports of Colombian
For now, the Peruvians and the Bolivians recognize that most of the cocaine is grown in their jungles; the Colombians recognize that much of the world's cocaine - ultimately is refined in their country, but they are fighting to end that. So, the United States needs to recognize the threat that it poses on its side and that it needs to be tackled soon. The Colombian economy is going down the drain because of it, and a great percentage of people in the United States have ruined their lives because of this calamity.
► Andrea Caveller is a Bogota, Colombia, senior majoring in Journalism and French.
Let's not have a war of words in this country among politicians, but real action as the Colombian government has accomplished with little money during the past months.
coffee and fresh-cut flowers. In the summer of 1898, the collapse of the International Coffee Agreement cost Colombia nearly $500 million. Colombia needs $10 million to fight the landless molluscs to money spent $1 billion fighting them.)
CAMP UHNEELY
I'm BOB DAVIS
I'm BOB DAVIS
AND I'M MAX
AND I'M MAX
FALKENSTIEN
WELCOME TO ANOTHER
INSTALLMENT OF
JAYHAWK BACKETBALL
HERE AT ALLEN FIELD HOUSE.
OK, GUYS.
LET'S. SEE YOUR.
PRESS PASSES.
HERE OFFICER.
Are YOU MAX
FUNKENSTERN?
No. I'm BOB DANES.
Your PASS SAVE
FUNKENSTERN...
I'm FALKENSTERN!
I'm FALKENSTIEN!
YOUR PASS SAYS
DAVIS DIDN'T
YOU READ IN THE
KANSAN ABOUT
THE PENALTY FOR
USING SOMEONE
ELSE'S ID
Officer I THINK
OUR PASSES JUST
GOT SWITCHED.
I'S IM SOPY. I'VE
GOT TO THROW
YOU OUT. THAT'S
THE RULES.
BUT WERE COVERING THE BALLGAME.
BY SCOTT PATTY
W
Well...ak
DON'T WORRY. I'LL
TO THE GAME FOR
YOU
THAT ONE GUV IN PURPLE BOUNCES THE BALL DOWN COURT... AND IT'S STOLEN AND DUNKED BY THAT TALL GUV FOR K.U. BOY, THAT COACH WITH THE ONE EYEBROW LOOKS
PRETTY UPSET.
SPARTY
2/22/10
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