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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 20, 1982)
page 4 Daily Nebraskan Wednesday, January 20, 1982 Editorial Sunshine Act will keep politics clean Sen. Marge Schlitt of Lincoln has called the proposed move "going back to the old days." More like going back to the political dark ages. The proposal in question is a bill sponsored by the Ne braska Legislature's Miscellaneous Subjects Committee that would repeal Nebraska's sunshine laws. Enacted in 1976, the Sunshine Act established the Poli tical Accountability and Disclosure Commission. It re quires public officials and political candidates to disclose conflicts of interest and campaign expenditures, and lob byists to report money they spend courting legislators. In essence, the act is a set of open government laws. The bill for repeal would resurrect political reporting laws that were on the books before the Sunshine Act was adopted. As is too often the case, Nebraska seems ready to pull back from a relatively progressive stand to return to a more conservative position. In 1972, Nebraska ratified the Equal Rights Amend ment only to rescind that decision in 1973. Such a move earns Nebraska a reputation as a politically backward state. Stand-up comedians make Nebraska the butt of jokes about unsophisticated farmers and their daughters. When a television character says he's bound for a vacation in an uninspiring spot, he's usually headed for Nebraska. And so, the rest of the nation thinks of our state as the backwaters of culture and thought. Of course, those of us living in Nebraska know better. But we'll never beat the rap if we continue to waiver on issues as important as political disclosure. Perhaps central to this discussion is the fact that Ne braska was not a follower but a leader in open govern ment. As a result of its sunshine laws, "Nebraska has one of the best open government systems of any state in the na tion," a Jan. 16 story in The Lincoln Star quoted Sen. Peter Hoagland of Omaha as saying. Hoagland, one of the original supporters of the Sun shine Act, said in the article that the old political report ing laws were "clearly inadequate." They did not provide for the full disclosure needed to keep public officials hon est. If any lesson came out of the political troubles of the 1970s, out of the national anguish of Watergate, it was that political candidates and those in office must be made accountable. The days of backroom politicking and shady deals should be over. Maybe that's too much to ask of human nature, but strong open government laws can move us toward that goal. Those who support repeal of the Sunshine Act argue that the measure requires too much paperwork and red tape. Cost is one of their major considerations. But we've seen in the last year on the national level that cost-effectiveness is not always the best standard by which to judge government programs. A price cannot be put on the benefits of sunshine laws. Nebraska must not give away its leading position in the march toward clean and honest government. Hoagland and others who began the fight for enact ment of the sunshine laws have announced their contin ued support for the existing act. Gov. Charles Thone also has shown support for the sunshine laws. Their statements must be applauded. Perhaps their words can persuade legislators that a strong disclosure act is essential for good government, and that there's no good reason to repeal a progressive measure they already have approved. 7 Vp.C HOJSV I7X TEU6 .' MY TX QALWt Aep? i PAJiKli Hokmz tin, Aa hot EUT rot iW MAfcg MY Life ftfSeP CALL AAA mi A6AltiSCDh), HPfiBY- fZACtt CUT AMP TOUCtf WWB IT-7HATS WG?G weucne is 3 "4N M)E A Mice You, too, can now lead a normal life Are you a nonconformist who wants to reform? An oddball who desperately desires the comfort and security of a normal existence? Or are you a budding member of the rank and file who wants to put the finishing touches on a masterfully nondescript life? If you fit into all, none, or one of the above categories, then The Conformist 's Handbook : A Guide to Normal Living, written by J. Smith and J. Doe, is for you. The Conformist's Handbook can help even the most entrenched eccentrics obtain normal status, while gently fMary Louise Knapp guiding initiates through the torturous conforming pro cess. The first chapter, entitled "Take the Normal Chal lenge," addresses the question of what normal living really is and how young people should prepare for it. "Normal living," rhapsodizes Smith in an introductory paragraph, "ultimately means the happy realization of the American Dream. It means a station wagon, a suburban house, two Dalmatians and 2.5 children. It means Girl Scouts and Little League and the Republican Party, hot dogs on the stove, apple pie in the oven, and a baseball field in the back yard. And, above all, normal living means YOU!" College students can prepare for this happy destiny by faithfully following Smith and Doe's rigid edicts concern ing dress, careers, places of residence and even food. A normal student, according to the authors, can be identified almost on sight. "The male student will be wearing either a blue suit, blue jeans and a flannel shirt (or T-shirt, depending on the weather)." He carries a slick blue bookbag, usually bulging with accounting texts, at all times. During exercise peri ods, he wears a gray or blue sweatsuit and Nike athletic shoes. "Female students are usually to be seen in plaid, knee length skirts, accompanied by knee socks and sweaters of various hues. At times, they wear designer jeans, and their summer attire invariably consists of string bikinis and ter ry cloth shorts outfits," the book says. It is important for normal students to be seen in the li brary frequently, except on Friday and Saturday nights, when attendance at beer parties or formal dances is obli gatory. Normal students should always complain loudly about their studies and their hangovers, while maintaining the most discieet silence about their love affairs or finan cial status. Should either of those embarrassing subjects come up, the authors advise, normal students have several options. "Always claim to be broke," Doe says. "But always make sure you have enough money for the next round. Either claim to be engaged (showing positive proof) or say you are too busy studying for a social life. But NEVER be without a date on the weekend, either." Since alcohol plays so large a part in college social life, Smith and Doe have laid down strict rules for normal tip plers. "Students should drink heavily on the weekends and after exams," the authors say. "Morning drinking is only acceptable at certain stipulated times, such as during foot ball games. No self-respecting normal students will drink at any other time, since they are expected to be recover ing from hangovers or studying then." "Return to Normalcy", the second chapter, provides a detailed explanation of how a confirmed nonconformist can change his or her ways. "Nonconformists lead depraved, deprived, and sad existences," Smith says. "They are among the unfortunate souls who will never know the pleasure of a clean subur ban home, 2.5 lovely children, or a three-martini lunch. The excitement of the bridge club and the weekly golf tournament will always be denied them." In order to change their attitudes and raise their self esteem, the authors suggest that eccentrics endeavor to be seen in all the best normal places and cultivate the friend ship of firm conformists. The third and final chapter, "Normality as a Career," explains how the tradition of normality can be continued successfully after college. "Just because you have entered the 'real world' not mean you have to leave normalcy behind," the book says. Men should strive to enter a large corporate firm and cultivate a balding pate and a paunch as soon as possible. Women should devote themselves to the care and mainten ance of the home, watching soap operas and playing bridge. Reformed nonconformists can raise their children as normal people, and no one will ever know the difference, the authors say. The final words of The Conformist's Handbook are a piercing challenge to all: "Would YOU be normal?" Court abandoning justice for process Tom Lehrer, the troubadour from Har vard Square or thereabouts, used to sing about Wernher von Braun, the late German rocket expert who worked first for the Nazis sending V-2 rockets crashing into London and then for the American space Richard Cohen program sending rockets harmlessly into space. In his song, Lehrer sings, "Once the rockets are up, who cares where they come down? That's not my department says Wernher von Braun." Lehrer himself is undergoing a well deserved revival but so, for that matter, is the mentality he was salvaging in that song. Nowhere is this better illustrated than by the Supreme Court of the United States. It is so intent on limiting judicial activism that it fails to accommodate either justice or compassion. Those, it seems, are no longer its departments. Exhibit number one is a Virginia man named Roger Trenton Davis, now 35, who was convicted of selling nine ounces of marijuana and was sentenced to 40 years in jail. The Supreme Court upheld that sentence despite the fact that it is obvious ly, to quote the Constitution, cruel and un usual punishment, or, to quote almost any one else, an outrage. The Supreme Court thought otherwise - if it thought at all. It did not take into consideration that Davis is a black man married to a white woman - a state of affairs that did not please some local whites. A cross was burned on Davis' lawn, and while there is no doubt that he did in deed sell the afore mentioned marijuana, there is doubt aplenty that he would have been given a 40-year sentence if he had had the good sense to be born white. What concerned the Supreme Court, though, was not the justice of tbe sentence, but the jurisdiction process. Of course, every profession and disci pline has its rules what the Army calls "the book." Things seem to work best when they are done by the book. It avoids confusion and in the long run it is supposed to serve the common good. So what the Supreme Court is doing, others have done. But the court has taken "the process" and elevated.it to a fetish. It has put process before the very concept of justice. A man will serve a jail sentence out of all proportion to his. crime so that the process will be saved. Similarly, in a different case, the court barred groups from using the federal courts to contest such constitutional questions as separation of church and state because they cannot prove direct money damages. It seems not to trouble the Court that when the Constitution is abused, we all suffer damages. The Supreme Court is clearly intent on reversing decades of what is called "judicial activism." All the appointees of Presidents Nixon, Ford and now Reagan (President Carter had no nominees) were chosen to do that and they were performing as promis ed. Their thinking is that what went before was many things - sociology or politics but not law. Continued on Page 5 Nebraskan Editorials do not necessarily express the opinions of the Daily Nebraskan 's publishers, the Nil Board of Regents, the University of Nebraska and its employees or the student body. UPSP 144-080 Editor: Martha Murdock; Managing editor: Janice Pigaga; News editor: Dan Epp; Associate news editors: Patti Gallagher, Kathy Stokebrand; Editorial assistant: Pat Clark; Night news editor: Kate Kopischke; Assistant night news editor: Tom Hassing; Entertainment editor: Bob Crisler. Sports editor: Larry Sparks; Art director: Dave Luebke; Photography chief: D. Eric Kircher; Graphic designer: John G. Goecke. Business manager: Anne Shank-Volk; Pro duction manager: Kitty Policky; Advertising manager: Art K. Small; Assistant advertising 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 semesters, except during vacation. Address: Daily Nebraskan, 34 Nebraska Union, 1400 R St., Lincoln, Neb.. 68588. Telephone: 472-2588. "POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Daily Nebraskan, 34 Nebraska Union, 1400 R St., Lincoln. Neb.. 68588."
