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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 4, 1981)
Wednesday, november4, 198j page 4 daily nebraskan (2JJ Campaign interests may erode sound fiscal logic The Legislature may be listed in the almanacs as the only non-partisan legislature in the United States, but the special session is likely to indicate otherwise. Called by Gov. Charles Thone to rectify a shortage of some $25 million in anticipated revenues, the senators are now haggling over what to do about the problem. To cut or not to cut, that is the question. And hopefully some noble senators will fight off the desire to cut funds for agencies and programs just because it is politically popular. Thone has taken the Stockmanesque approach by urging the cutting of state programs by 3 per cent across the board as a way of avoiding a 1982 state tax increase. It doesn't matter what hardships this may impose on the agencies to Thone. The money simply isn't there and hence the cuts are neces sary. But some people have other ideas that merit consideration. Former state senator Harold Simp- Political comrades avoid investigation "60 Minutes," known for its hard-hitting exposes and interviews, last week offered a change of pace: a soft hitting interview with I.F. Stone, the journalistic establish ment's favorite radical. Ed Bradley practically fell to his knees as he asked the questions. When Izzy Stone recalled the McCarthy era, Bradley dutifully echoed that it was a "bad time for liberals." 5spCi sobran Two days later, Stone's niece was in the news. Kathy Boudin, 1 1 years a fugitive in the Weather Underground, was arrested following the bloody robbery of a Brink's truck in Rockland County, New York. Two policemen and a private guard died in the mayhem. At 38, Miss Boudin had passed the age where such antics could be written off to youthful idealism. When last seen in 1970, she was naked, running from a Greenwich Village townhouse where she and her co-idealists had been making bombs. Instead of destroying our rotten society, they managed only to blow up the house. Three others died. Miss Boudin fled. It now transpires that the Weather Underground has merged with the cop-killing Black Liberation Army. It further transpires that Miss Boudin 's recent roommate has been an investigative reporter of some renown, Rita Jen sen. Miss Jensen has written extensively on the Black Liberation Army. She also swears up and down that she hadn't the foggiest idea that her roommate, "Lynn Adams," was really Kathy Boudin. Continued on Page 5 (MD nebraskan Editorials do not necessarily express the opinions of the Daily Nebraskan 's publishers, the NU Board of Regents, the University of Nebraska and its employees or the student body. USPS 144-080 Editor: Tom Prentiss; Managing editor: Kathy Stokebrand; News editor: Steve Miller; Associate News editors: Dan Epp, Kim Hachiya. Alice Hrnicek; Night news editor: Martha Murdock; Assistant night news editor: Kate Kopischke; Entertainment editor: Pat Clark; Sports editor: Larry Sparks; Art director: Dave Luebke; Photography chief: Mark Billingsley. Copy editors: Lienna Fredrickson, Patti Gallagher, Bob Gliss mann. Bill Graf, Melanie Gray. Deb Horton, D. Eric Kircher, Betsy Miller, Janice Pigaga. Reid Warren, Tricia Waters. Business manager: Anne Shank-Volk; Production manager: Kitty Policky; Advertising manager: Art K. Small; Assistant adver tising manager: Jerry Scott. Publications Board chairperson: Margy McCleery. 472-2454. Professional adviser: Don Walton, 473-7301. The Daily Nebraskan is published by the UNL Publications Board Monday through Friday during the fall and spring semest ers, except during vacation. Address: Daily Nebraskan, 34 Nebraska Union, 14th and R streets, Lincoln, Neb.. 68588. Telephone: 472-2588. AH material in the Daily Nebraskan is covered by copyright. Second class postage paid at Lincoln. Neb. 68510. Annual subscription: $20, semester subscription: $11. "POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Daily Nebraskan. 34 Nebraska Union. 14th and R streets. Lincoln, Neb.. 68588." son suggests that a slight tax rate increase might be the answer. Simpson, who now serves on the Public Service Commission, testified Monday that a 1 percent in crease in the individual income tax rate would only raise his withholding payment from $3.60 to $3.88 a month. Simpson, who makes $25,000 a year, said peo ple who make more than that would pay more and people earning less would pay accordingly. Asking citizens to make $25,000 a year to pay an additional 28 cents in taxes seems to be a small burden to bear. Citizens could handle the increase. But chances are it may be an unbearable political burden for politicians to choose, especially those running for re-election in November. And that is the biggest problem in getting the Legislature to formulate a sound plan to amend the state's fiscal predicament. The elections last fall proved it is both politically popular and politically advisable to cut . . t. Cl.. I l 1 i taxes. It is a quic iia unu wic peopie love it. However, the ramifications of such actions are not fully known. Sen. Jerome Warner of Waverly has hinted that he may propose an alternative to Thone's proposed budget cuts, but is still letting the idea gain support. Several groups testified Monday that further cuts from their budgets would make efficient operation difficult. It is natural for representa tives to defend their groups from budget cuts, and no one should automatically assume that the cuts could be made without limiting groups ability to operate. The special session was called to deal with the issue of the state's finances. The state is in an un usual financial pinch and a small tax rate increase may be the best solution. Let's hope the legislators don't try to balance the state budget and start their re-election camp aigns at the same time. Gone Fishin' Supply side theory hits Santa's shop (The scene: Santa's workshop. It is the day after Hal loween, and Santa has called the troops in for a little meeting.) After a roll call and short review of the minutes of the last meeting, Santa takes the stand. "As you know," he says, 'the Christmas Rush begins today. For most people, that means decorating trees, stumbling around shopping malls with hands full of slowly ripping bags, and digging out the Perry Como albums. But for us, it means work and sweat, beginning with the difficult determination of who has been good and who has been bad, and carryin right through to delivery in December." e o dark There wasn't much consternation among the elves They'd heard this little pep talk before. But this time Santa cleared his throat a little and continued. "Due to recent budgetary restraints, we will be under going a few changes this year," Santa says. "We call it supply-side Christmas shopping. The first thing we do is determine who needs Christmas presents the most." "Then we give them what they need and we're done right?" asks the foreman of one of the elvin crews a chunky, cigar-chomping individual named Frank "Nope," Santa says. "We decide who needs it 'the most and eliminate them from the list." ;Who do we give presents to then?" says Frank Anybody who doesn't need it," says Santa. "I know' you are confused by this system, and frankly I am too' but we have to mandate to do things this way this year. It's out of my hands." "Okay, so what are we going to give these people who don't need anything?" asks Frank. "We've got a backlog of toys and stuff like that already, but I suppose they won't be interested in anything like that. "They want weapons," says Santa. "Nuclear submar ines, AW ACS planes, MX missiles . . ." "What are they going to do with them?" says Frank. "What's it to us?" says Santa. "We just give it away, we don't tell them what to do with it." "But isn't construction of weapons contrary to our image?" says Frank. "I mean, IVe seen Rudolph the Red loosed Reindeer every year on television, and I don't think we can sing happy-go-lucky songs about MX missiles." "You don't understand," says Santa. 'These missiles and planes are to preserve world peace." "How are they going to do that?" says Frank. "It's obvious," says Santa. "See, we make AWACS planes for Saudi Aiabia. Then, to keep things balanced, we make weapons for Israel. And since Israel is a bigger threat now in the absence of Anwar Sadat, the rest of the Middle East will need arms, too. Then the United States will feel as though the Soviets have a dominating position in the Middle East, we then will base missiles in Europe, so we make those. "Then we make weapons for Cuba to give to nations in Central America, to counterbalance the growing American tactical weapon presence in Europe. So anyway, we build all of these weapons, and everybody gets some. I haven't got the vaguest idea how that is going to make the world more peaceful, but that's what everybody tells me is going to happen. If I understood it, I wouldn't have set up shop on the North Pole."