6B
Tuesday, December 10, 1996
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
New power soon to be tested
Ability to line-item veto may change spending practices
By Neal Shulenburger Kansan staff writer
Beginning Jan. 1, President Clinton will have more power than any president has enjoyed in the past, and he has the Republicans to thank for it.
The new power, called the line-item veto, allows Clinton to remove specific monetary items from large appropriations bills. On the tax side, it is designed to allow a president to reject tax breaks designed for a specific individual or company. The power was part of the Republican Party's 1994 Contract with America. A Republican-dominated Congress passed it in June with the intention of giving it to a Republican president.
Ryan Kauffman, Lawrence junior and
KU College Republicans chairman, said he supported the measure earlier this year.
"I thought that it was good because it would help eliminate some of the pork barreling in today's politics," Kauffman said. "I can't say I'm as enthusiastic about it now as I was when it was earlier, but I still hope that it can fulfill its function."
Clinton stated in an interview with David Brinkley that balancing the budget was his top priority in his second term. But some experts don't think it will help Clinton accomplish that goal.
"This has nothing to do with cutting spending or deficits. The line-item veto is all about power," said Norman Ornstein, a congressional expert at the American Enterprise Institute, in an interview with the Associated Press.
"Generally the pork barrelring programs are only a small part of the budget," said Jeffrey Cohen, associate professor of political science. "We could get carried away trying to cut pork barrel programs, but I don't think it will really help."
This has nothing to do with cutting spending or deficits.The line item veto is all about power"
Norman Ornstein Congressional expert
power."
Pork barreling is appropriating benefits to a specific locale in a legislator's district or state. The new veto allows Clinton to simply remove funding for a pork barreled project while leaving the old bill intact.
Cohen said the veto might not have as big of an impact on pork barreling as a lot
"We assume that presidents dislike all pork barreling," he said. "This probably isn't true. Presidents dislike some pork barreling. If programs help people that helped him get elected, he's not likely to veto it. But he might use it to veto a project that helps his opponents."
of people think.
The line-item veto does have its limits. In addition to being restricted only to budgetary matters, a two-thirds vote of Congress still can override the veto and pass the budgetary item that was struck down.
This means that the president just can't veto any part of a bill he doesn't like and expect it not to pass," Cohen said. "What this probably means is that there will be more opportunities for negotiation between the president and Congress. On the down side, it also means there will probably be more points of contention between the two branches."
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Holidays busy time for hopeful interns
By Megan Jordan
Kansan staff writer
School is the last thing most students want to think about during winter break. But the three-week period is an excellent time to start searching for a summer internship, said Jerl Lygrisse, internship coordinator for the University Placement Center.
She said that many businesses began looking for interns at this time of year. More important, the vacation gives students a chance to devote time to research job opportunities and develop a résumé
"It's difficult to do that while in school," Lvriser said.
In order to make the most of winter break, she suggested that students go home armed with a list of prospective internships. Then they can investigate the companies at their local library or on
the Internet and begin mailing applications.
Katie Kierman, Denver junior, said she hoped to find a summer internship in finance or accounting. She enrolled with the Business Placement Center in October and has received information about possible internships. She plans to send out several cover letters and résumés during winter break.
Kiernan said the internship would help her decide if she wanted a finance career.
"I'm looking for an opportunity to find out about a field I don't know enough about yet," she said.
Frederick Madaus, director of the Business School Placement Center, said that the Center usually found internships for about 120 students each summer. He said the break was a good time to begin the application process.
Questions to ask
What type of organization do you want to work for?
What area of country do you want to work in?
Do you need a paid internship?
Do you have any contacts in a company or business?
What opportunities are offered in your field?
Source: Jeri Lyrisse, internship coordinator for the University Placement Center
"It's wise to get started," he said. "Think about what you want to look for, where you want to be, and what you want to do so when you come back for the spring semester, you are ready to go."
Internships not only provide valuable experience in a student's field of interest, Madaus said, but they could also lead to a full-time job.
He said that more companies were hiring from their pools of interns.
"It gives them 10 to 12 weeks to look at you and see if the chemistry's right," Madaus said. "The student has a good chance to look at the firm also."
When applying for internships, Lygrisse said students may have to tailor their résumé and cover letter for the job they seek. For example, a résumé sent to Sprint should emphasize different skills than a résumé sent to a social service agency.
Although finding an internship can be time consuming, having this experience would be worth the effort, Kiernan said. It's almost necessary in today's world to have experience when looking for a job.
Local group pays heat bills for some homes
By Ashlee Roll
Kansan staff writer
When cold Kansas winter settles in, some local families cannot afford to heat their homes. But through the month of January, a Lawrence group is helping them to keep warm.
Warm Hearts of Douglas County is an all-volunteer group that raises money to pay the heating bills of low-income residents. Warm Hearts works directly with utility companies to provide electricity, gas, propane, and often wood, for families.
"If they live in Douglas County and have need and can demonstrate that they need help, we will help them pay their bills," said Jeff Weinberg, assistant to the chancellor and member of the board that coordinates Warm Hearts.
The group was formed in 1982, and last year aid was given to 472 households. Sixty-five percent of those who received help from Warm Hearts lived at least 50 percent below the poverty level.
"There is a mixture of families and individuals that receive help," Weinberg said. "The population centers in Lawrence, but we do help those in rural areas and in Baldwin and Eudora. They are a mixed group — some are elderly, some are young and some are single parents."
Last year the organization raised $60,000 for Douglas County residents, and this year group members hope to match that amount. Most donations are from individuals, but some money comes from local corporations and foundations.
How much money the organization needs depends on the weather. In the past couple of years, the mild winters required less money.
"If the winter is as bad as it has been in the past six to 10 weeks, the cold could put a strain on our resources," Weinberg said. "The colder it is, the more the heating bills are."
Warm Hearts coordinates its programs with local agencies that accept applications for assistance. Those agencies include The Ballard Center, Douglas County Senior Services, Lawrence Indian Center, Penn House, Salvation Army and the Help Connection of Eudora.
Last year, Penn House, 1035 Pennsylvania St., took the most applications for Warm Hearts —125 — of any of the agencies, said Linda Lassen, Penn House director.
To receive assistance, one must have received cut-off notices from a utility company and attempted to make payments on the bill.
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