The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current, April 18, 1977, Page page 4, Image 4
mondsy, cpril 10, 1077 dally nbr:,kn E ' . . ' K5e3SESK opinion Lone, u ei f f-. fy if m 1 ' "4 1 Perhaps you could have called Ronald Roskens' term as interim NU president a probationary period for the permanent position. Roskens passed with flying colors. In a society in which connections and politics play such an important part, it is nice to see someone rewarded for a job well done. When Roskens was appointed interim NU presi dent, Omaha regent James Moylan said Roskens was "not to act as a caretaker president." Roskens followed the regent's command. He has drawn up plans to study the systems structure of the university. He has suggested reviewing the funding formula for the Lincoln and Omsha campuses. ' This is a step away from the direction some speculated he raisht drift toward when he took the office. Roskens, former University of NebrV ask a at Omaha chancellor, had steered UNO through the rough winds it faced when it merged into the NU system. It was reasonable to assume that his loyalties would lie with this arm of the university. How ever, while not forgetting UNO, he has demon- rn Ff jF$h a m KM mm st in strated his ability to serve the university as a whole. For some reason the bickering between UNL and UNO over funding and parity has died down somewhat. Perhaps it is because UNL faculty members saw they were beaten when a UNO man was appointed to lead the university. However; probably this quiet can be credited to Roskens availability and ability to listen. Henry Baumgarten, UNL Faculty Seriate presi dent, led the tide of dissension against UNL-UNO parity formulas. But it seems that Roskens has tamed Baumgarten 's crusade against UNO's usurping of UNL funds. At the NU Board of Regents meeting Saturday Baumgarten said he thinks Roskens "may bend over backwards" to be fair to UNL. The regents probably could not have selected anyone else who was so familiar with Nebraska and the individual NU campuses. He has already demonstrated the aggressive attitude he will take in the job in the four months since he took the ' interim post. NU may be in for some dynamic steps forward. , SB-. 5 Bureau or D ams readying for floods Ceremonies dedicating the $843-nHion Herman J. Swopes III Memorial Dam were yesterday in the Burning Sands Desert. Congressman Bagley Boodle, who had fought long and hard for the controversial project, was the principal speaker. He described the S90-foot4ifgh, hdf-rnlle-wide dam as "a triumph of modem asgineering" and said its construction hid "revitalized the economy of the entire Fourth Cccgreisimsl District. : Boodle noted fcs &n hd provided jobs for more than 20,000 construction workers during the five years it required to be built In addition, he said, the project had . "pumped new blood into our nation's . vital concrete, steel and environmental impact reporting industries." Boodle said the engineers who designed the mammoth monolith had to overcome numerous technological problems the primary one being how to cope with flash no measurable rain has fallen on the area for 43 years, this eventuality could not be ignored. To meet the threat, the ingenious engineers developed a new "arched dam coacept" with the entire dam resting on a series of arches their purposes being to allow any accumulated water to pass swiftly through the dam and not back up behind it and thereby create dangerous pressures on the structure itself. "What will our wonderful U.S. Bureau of Dams," asked Boodle rhetorically, "think of next?" As originally conceived by the bureau, the dam would have spanned Purple Canyon on the Wilde River in the other end of Boodle's district flooding Meadowlark Valley and the farms of 68 Indian families who had never bothered to vote anyway. , Environmentalists (or "those damned daisy pluckers," as Boodle referred to them when addressing labor unions) immediately swarmed in protest. ' - They said the future Lake Irma T. Boodle, as it was named on maps of the project, would inundate two Indian .mounds, 16 rare specimens of the Frobish Lousewort and the haunts of the Mourning Grebe. This kind of carping infuriated labor leaders (or "hard-headed hard hats," as Boodle called them when speaking to environmentalists). They said "those damn daisy pluckers" were "taking the bread out of the mouths" of their wives and children and jobs were "a helluva lot more important than any lousy Louseworts." With passions mounting and Boodle in hiding, the only conceivable solution was conceived by a junior clerk in the Bureau, Herman J. Swopes. After studying the proposals, protests and projections, he said only two words: "Move it!" As no environmentalist was against providing jobs for workers and as no labor leader was against preserving any Wilde River and as the VS. Bureau of Dams just liked building dams, Burning Sands Desert proved an ideal site. As Boodle put it in his dedication speech yesterday, "this is the first dam in history to be environmentally sound, technologically safe and economically stimulat ing." . Work will begin tomorrow on demolition of the Herman J. Swopes III Memorial Dam in order to make room for the Herman J. Swopes IV Memorial Dam, (Copyright Chronica Publishing Co. 1S77) letters Ail-American boy It was quite a shock to pick up the Monday Daily Nebraskan and find out that a nice, middle class, Republican, All -American boy like me had been a member of a "politically subversive" organization for over two years. And to think, I was always under the impression I joined MECA to enjoy the company of some of my friends on a regular basis. During the period that I was more or less an active member of MECA (1973-75), student political futures and objectives of AS UN were often discussed since most of us became friends through work in student govern ment. It is also true that many, but not all, of the members had simar political bents. But for Jim Say to call MECA a "subversive" organization with "potential for abuse" is absolutely ludicrous. Much more time was spent drinking beer, eating popcorn, playing "In the Mood" on the jukebox, and just eneray soaking up the unique atmosphere of Harry's Wonderbar. It seems to me that the staff of the Dsly Nebrs&sn has developed a severe "Woodstsin" complex; and that Ji-n Say has some how gotten a bad case of "Deep inroat". Both serve to tike investigatory reporting to a preposterous extreme. v . BobONesl be noted that her name was originally in context for a talk to be given for Nebraskans for Peace, an off-campus political organization. Two or three days before she was to arrive in Lincoln for her engagement for Nebraskans for Peace, she suddenly became a UNL-sponsored lecturer. When was it decided that Letelier would be listed with the Union Pro gram Council, and more importantly what member of the Convocation Committee actually authorized that she would receive tax money in addition to student fee money? The disbursement to her is listed in the latest Faculty Senate report. After Letelier's talk she gave a fund-raising coffee for Nebraskans for Peace. She did this for free for the organ ization (no doubt because she was paid well by the univer sity to come to Nebraska). UNL is supporting Nebraskans for Peace with state tax money, and this is clearly an infraction of Nebraskans rights and a bad business move. The names of the people involved should be made public as soon as possible. Donald Orton C f if )!!! to j&n 5 l: The Urirersity cf Nebraska hai some serious exrliia- irg to do in regard to Isabel Izizlkfs "rpcsldr.g er;s mcnt" zr.l its rybsify. She was net criu!y listed as a v. v . - i t - (( J ISA i n amit iwf Who doesn't admire the Lone Ranger? One of Amcr-' ica's favorite folk heroes, the Lone Rsr.gsr divoted his life to defending good and decent people against the big boys in the black hats. This legendary figure has also been recognized in real life. Such legends in their own time as Ralph Water, Henry Kissinger -and John Finnjgan have been described as men not unlike the Lone Ranger, John Finnigan? Who is John Finnigan? Finnjgan is not a flamboyant, oft-quoted sage who you've somehow never heard of before. Finnigan is merely one of the many public servants who make-up our 'gov ernment bureaucracy'. Finnigan is an Attorney for the Nebraska Public Service Commission (PSC) and, in some respects, the Lone Ranger. . The PSC is probably the most important regulatory agency in Nebraska, The PSC regulates rates and services and has general control of common carriers in Nebraska such as airlines, railroads, and telephone and telegraph companies. The PSC rules on service and rate cases brought to the commission by citizens or by the companies regulated by the PSC. When a regulated industry brings before the PSC a request for a rate increase, the staff of the PSC examines the request and makes a recommendation to the com mission. Hearings are held and then the commission rules on the request. Robert Taylor, a research intern for the Nebraska Legislative council, wrote that "... a com pany desiring a multimiilion dollar rate increase might possibly spend several hundred thousand dollars in prepar ing its case," paved paradise Which brings us back to Mr. Finnjgan who said, "I feel like the Lone Ranger when I go against a team of railroad accountants and lawyers and their beautiful pre sentations of data." In other words, a lonely advocate for the public must stand up to the power of a regulated monopoly industry. In fiction, the Lone Ranger always won. However, in reality, Lone Rangers often lose. The PSC has long been regulated industries "good ol boys". Few see in the PSC the advocate for the public interest that they are supposed to be. It may be time to pull together a posse to lend a hand to those PSC Lone Rangers doing battle for the public but losing. There are many problems with the PSC. One of the most glaring is its staff. The PSC staff do not have the expertise that industry experts possess. The PSC handles too many cases for the number of staff people employed. And, PSC Commissioners have applied internal pressure on staff members who too effectively opposed rate increases for industries. Another PSC problem is defining what role they will adopt in hearing cases. Should they serve as a public ad vocate challenging requests for rate increases or should they simply judge between the regulated industry's request and the recommendations of PSC staff? In the past the PSC has most often chosen the latter role. That being the case, someone needs to more effective ly speak out for the interests of the general public. People who pay higher and higher monthly telephone bills but must make do on a 4, or 8, or even a 12 party line, need an advocate for better service and lower rates. One possibility is to form a Residential Utility Consumer Action Group (RUCAG). A RUCAG would hire lawyers, accountants and other experts to represent residential utility consumers in rate hearings before the PSC. RUCAG would be financed by voluntary contribu tions added to utility payments by the utility consumers themselves. RUCAG is an idea worth implementing. Some Lone Rangers could use some company. Tne Doily Nebraskan welcomes letters to the editor and guest opinions. Chokes cf nntsrisl paUisbed wi be baed on tirn&liness and crigisillty. Letters must be accompanied by writer's name, but may be publlied tinder a pen name if requested. Guest pinions should be typed, triple-spaced a non erasable papers. They should be Kxompsried by the . author's name, class standing md mtjcr r ocaip-tion. All material submitted to these pages is subject to editing and condensation, and cannot be returned to the writer. mm , 1KA). J c