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daily nebrc:kcn
morxi-y, cctcbcr 10, 1073
I ; t?
; -v v;.; ; ' - opinion "
letters
B:j2
I'm very thankful to Pete Wcgman for his article on the'
Oct. 8 Deity Nebrcskm sports page. He carefully informed
us about the "less than mediocre programs' in such sports
as cross country, baseball, swimming and tennis, Pete
proposes . to drop these sports in two years if drastic
imprcveir.cn ts are not shown. -
I ask Pete to consider the consequences if everyone had
the same view of dropping all sports which aren't in the
top four of the Big 8. After two years the bottom four
wosild drop their mediocre football programs and the Big
8 would become the Dig 4. And an additional two years
would probably see Nebraska and Oklahoma battling it
out for the Dig 2 conference championship. I can just
imagine on Thanksgiving Day.
"This game is for the conference championship
between Nebraska and Oklahoma. In the previous six
conference games they've played this season it's Nebraska
winning three and Oklahoma winning three."
Now reallj Fete, I ask you to consider the possibilities
before you c ienxn the UNL sports which haven't had
the breaks oar football team has had and to remember
that "It's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play
the game."
John Harris
Fcns dQservQ better
Being a Husker football fan for years and realizing that
this subject has been brought up several times in the past
without results, I sti3 must voice my opinion in regards
to Nil's yell squad. They seem like such a letdown-something
Nebraska fans shouldn't have to put up with each
home game Saturday.
It seems like they do the same thing every year with
less enthusiasm each season. It's too bad the Athletic
Dept. can't open their eyes and realize what a mess the
squad has become. Trri sure part of the problem is the
unfair and biased tryouts they conduct, plus the fact that
their so-called coach is so defensive when confronted with
suggestions for change or improvement of the squad.
Fve seen other college, yell squads and they outdo
Nebraska's squad every time! It's really sad to think of
76,000 fans having to put up with this boring and
monotonous display of non-talent each Saturday. I think
it's high time they stop forcing a "Greek function" on the
loyal Nebraska fans. . .they certainly deserve better than
what Nlfs yell squad has to offer!
A fan who is not excited,
.Sara
Parfzing solution
One of the major problems on campus appears to be
the lack of parking space. Actually, this problem is not
as difficult to solve as it appears.
For the on-campus student, this is my solution:
1 . Number all of the spaces in the parking lots.
2. Assign each student who requests a permit a
numbered space.
3. Students park in their own places, which saves them
' a lot of looking, a lot of tickets, etc.
(Admittedly, there is a difference in the quality of
various location of the lots. This could be solved by higher
rates for more desirable locations, or a lottery of some
sort.)
For the off-campus students:
1. Number all of the spaces in the parking lot.
2. Assign the spaces by number. Realizing that most
off-campus students don't need to use their space all day,
the spaces would be assigned by hour and by day, depend
ing upon the student's schedule.
There still would be a shortage of parking places, I
fear, so:
1. Pave the grain fields, in front of the Coliseum.
2. Steal the athletic field behind the Women's Physical
Education Eldg. for parking, v
3. Bu2d a parking garage next to the union.
4. ASUN could establish and encourage a car pool
program. Cars in a pool could be given lower rates for
permits.
5. The university could buy some of the houses along
19th St, and could buSd more tots.
The solutions really are not so hard to work out if
someone in charge would worry more about getting the
students parked correctly than setting a record for giving
pcxkisg tickets.
If cry cf my ideas need further darifkatica, I will
te Izy to try to expLia them more clearly.
Sincerely,
- Arnold Gdnvalds
Nebraskans have gone overboard
assuring politics, money don't mix
Nobody wants to elect politicians who are in it
for the money. But in Nebraskans efforts to
assure that public service and monetary reward
don't mix, we are charging some politicians for
the honor of representing us.
State senators are paid $4800 annually. Ex-'
penses for one round-trip to Lincoln plus $200
for postage also is paid annually.-
Besides giving up or delaying career develop
ment and financial security to serve in the Leg
islature, many senators are forced to dip into per
sonal cash funds to finance their terms in office.
Any out-of-town senator with family andor
business demands pays for those extra trips
home during the session. That $4800 is expected
to cover food and housing costs for the out-of-town
Legislator while he is in Lincoln.
Nebraska is one of 1 0 states which require a
constitutional amendment to charge legislators'
salaries. A proposed amendment to Nebraska's
constitution would raise the monthly legislative
salary to $675, or $8,1 00 annually. The proposed
amendment, number eight, will be on the ballot
Nov. 2 for your approval or disapproval.
The job of Nebraska's state senators is becom
ing a full-time one. Since 1971, the state has had
annual legislative sessions.
The schedule of committee meetings, the need
for research, bill preparation and communication
with constiuents show that demands on the leg
islators' time are not limited to the 60-or 9 (Way
sessions.
Frequently at the university, when the subject
of personnel is raised, we are reminded that it
is important to remain financially competitive
in the labor market. This is true for our lawmak
ers, too. The salary should not prevent good
legislators from staying in office or discourage
qualified persons from nmning for office.
Of course, service in any Legislature should not
be a profit-making venture but it should be
remembered that these people make policies and
programs affecting our social and economic sys
tem. The salary proposed in amendment eight
is not high enough to reflect the responsibility
of that politician, but it is a step toward assuring
that we attract responsible candidates to the
business of making our state laws.
Except for those few who will be skeptical of
the worth of politicians, no matter what they are
paid, most of us should see the value of voting
for amendment eight.
Just as the state is not made up of the rich
andor retired, the Legislature shouldn't be,
either.
The only flaw in amendnnt eight may be
that the salary hike is too low. The 63 per cent
salary increase would boost the pay to $3,100
about $2,000 below the national state legisla
tor's salary of $10,027
flirt r Jf 1ST SPEMTi
Economic pressures eroding family
By Nicholas Von Hoffman
The Peanut may be the first presidential candidate to
make The Family a recurring campaign theme.
Until now touring politicians have paid The Family
occasional and ritual deference and then moved on to talk
about peace-through-strength. .
What St. Jimmy the Tempted has in mind when he
brings up the topic isn't very clear. Is family a code word
for more money for the police or for corporal punishment
in the schools or what? Perhaps these allusions to the
need to strengthen family life reflect nothing more than
Carter's pollsters picking up the concern as they trip
about asking the randomly select to speak what is on the
mind of the great collectivity. v
If that's the case it's too bad, because there is a long
deep and genuine concern about our family life and its
future.'
Ncdesr fzssSy
First, there is the question of the so-called nuclear
family (mother, father, 1.8 kiddHpoos, 038 puppy dog
and 02 putty tat). Can one member of that family earn
enough money so that the whole group can have a
half-way decent standard of living? What will be left of
even the dehydrated nuclear family if both adults must
work?
The answer to that question by Carter has been the
day-care center. It's hard to imagine a more efficient way
to destroy what's left of our little families than to arrange
the economic system so that it is impossible for even one
of the parents to take care of the infant children.
It hasn't been that many years that one of the saddest
and most painful parts of the Communist system in Russia
and China was forcing parents to hand over their babies
to the impersonal, institutional care of the state. Now we -have
a Democrat campaigning on the promise to facilitate
that very thing and Republican who says nothing about
the issue because for Ford to confront it he would have to
talk about what the current wage-prkt ; tiuaticn is doing
to family life.
Is it sex, dregs?
Is it sex, alcohol, drugs and mental Chess that is
putting such pressure on family life or is it that the system
cannot pay enough single wage earners enough money?
Neither candidate has ever told us what, if anything, he
thinks about this question, but from the best one can tell
both of them subscribe to the notion that marriage
counselors, half-way houses, juvenile-rehab programs and
psychiatry is the way to go.
Televisica watchers the last few weeks may have
noticed the arrival of the woman alcoholic. All of a
sudden we are being told that it is shocking and unforgive
able that almost all alcoholic programs - both research and
therapy - are aimed at men. Estimates of how many
women alcoholics there may be are flung about the air
waves." Social problems are medicaiized. 'As tradition,
structure,. internal disciplines and the social roles of the
past are rubbed out by the needs of a corporate economy
just as surely as urban renewal and the freeway flattened
some of our best old neighborhoods, medicine is ordered
into the breach to control, contain and suppress the
resultant behavior.
sidevise
Neither Ford nor Carter has indicated that objection
able behavior can arise out of social or economic causes.
The one exception that is sometimes made is low-income
blacks or other minorities whose criminal members are
excused on environmental grounds. The destructive,
degenerate or dangerous behavior cf everybody else is
either the product cf moral weakness or medical
disability.
Our two major presidential candidates are committed
to the standard programmatic approaches, that is to say
the medical explanation of socio-economic phenomena.
There will be no public discussion of the possibility that
it may be enough to drive someone to drink - revealing
phrase - if the someone is a member of a family in which
the man holds down two jobs and the woman holds one.
. D0cdt to fKoctica ..
The orthodoxies of the Ford-Carter approach assure
iue continued, untroubled and undiminished existence of
the Department of Health, Education and Welfare (HEW
As the economic arrangements of our society make it
more and more difficulty for the family to carry out its
historic functions, the government in its delicate and
sensitive way must move in and take ever the job. So long
live HEW. It's Red China with air-conditioahg, color TV
and frozen food for supper. Have a drink on it. Have a
lotta drinks on it
Carnsht. 1373 by Kfeg Fcsturts Sywfkst
