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Tuesday, February 7,
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An anonymous reader of Daily Ne
braskan editorials noted, in a letter to
the editorial writer, that "politics aren't
logical."
Right now two political issues ex
emplary of that platitude arc defense
spending, and the federal deficit.
The two are related increasing
defense spending creates a money
vacuum, sucking away any possibility
of a surplus of funds to ease the deficit
Both of these political animals are
growing by leaps and bounds. How
ever, the Reagan administration dotes
on defense and chooses to leave the
deficit problem to Congress.
A copyrighted New York Times arti
cle Sunday said the increase in interest
payments on the federal debt exceeds
all the savings achieved by cutting
funds from health, education, welfare
and social services.
Federal officials said the increase in
interest payments was because of the
growth of the budget deficit, the article
stated. If federal revenue is less than
federal spending in a year, it creates a
budget deficit. The federal government
then must borrow from the public. The
total amount borrowed is the federal
debt.
The Congressional Budget Office esti
mated the total of all savings in social
welfare programs at $110 billion from
1982 through 1085. That is $14 billion
less than the estimated $125 billion
increase in spending on interest pay
ments required during the same four
year period, the article said.
The social welfare cuts so sacred
to Reagan's economic recovery plan
have been swallowed by the increase in
interest payments.
The growth of interest payments has
"even eclipsed the rate of growth of
Reagan's other sacred cow defense.
From 1931 to 1C31 defense costs
increased 49 percent, to $237.5 billion,
while interest payments increased 57
percent, to $103 billion, the article
stated. . ..
Reagan's new budget plan would
increase defense spending for fiscal
1935 by 9.8 percent, bringing it to
$264.4 billion, according to TheRcuter
News Report The deficit is projected,
in the budget, to be $180.4 billion. '
The record deficit will increase the
amount of interest the federal govcrn
' merit is pr.yir.j to the public. The record
defense outlay will prevent any reduc
tion in the deficit, and, as is par for the
course, social welfare programs take it
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in the shorts.
It's a vicious cycle. Government
spends more in case we need to blow
up the world, lets the deficit grow
because it is the easiest thing to ignore,
and Ists the peer starve because there
is no hunger, that the administration
can see, anyway. :
All is not lost, howe ver. I have a plan.
It has become an accepted fact that
by blowing up a limited amount of our
nuclear arsenal, say 10 percent, we
would create a nuclear winter that
would probably kill everything but
cockroaches on the face of the earth. If
anything besides cockroaches did sur
vive, the absence of an ozone layer
would leave them exposed to unfil
tered solar rays, a nasty prospect for
any mammal, or marsupial, for that
matter.
If we just set aside 10 percent of our
nuclear bombs in a remote area of
Alaska, we need never fear the Rus
sians, because we would have enough
power to destroy the whole world.
Heck, let's keep the other bombs, too,
just in case.
The Russians know about this nu
clear winter business, too. We really
don't need any more bombs. Even if the
Russians found a way of shooting them
down, they still would blow up, having
the same icy effect on the atmosphere.
They aren't going to att ack if we don't
make any new bombs this year. Then
all the government has to do i3 cut
military aid to oppressive regimes.
By not spending on new weapons,
there would be money to pay that
nasty deficit that threatens to nuke
the economy.
There it is. The plan to save the
economy and the world. It's all so sim
ple that it just cant be done.
Reader, urges Krisiiita
to become Ciiristian
In reply to Krishna Madan's column
"Humanist Counterattack . . (Daily
Nebraskan, Feb. 3), there is a need for
some clarification dealing with prob
lems in his argument. Let us start with
3
Opinion
Cain and Abel whose lives are mention
ed in Genesis 4. Abel was killed before
any mention of having children and
Cain was driven from the land where
Eve and Adam lived and then had a
child by "his wife" (Gen. 4:17).
Mr. Madan, you said that Noah got
"boozed up (and) went into his tent
and raped his daughters". Indeed Noah
did get drunk sometime after the ark
had stopped (Gen. 9:20-23) but it was
his sons who found him drunk and
they covered up Noah's nakedness (a
shameful state in that day) with a
"garment" no mention of Noah's
daughters is recorded after the flood.
The Old Testament does have many
examples of immoral lives (e.g. Gen.
19:4-13, Gen. 19:30-38, . . .) murder
ers, fornicators, adulterers, liars, thieves,
blasphemers, sodomites, etc . . . and all
of these problems are still here today
(yes, even at UNL) and were also a part
of our ancestors' lives. But none of
these actions are approved of in the
Bible but are intended to show the
diminished state of people and how far
from God people have run, even in the
first generation of mankind.
It was said that Jesus was a "...hip
pie. ..bum. ..pinko-subversive (who
went around) talking about peace and
justice for the poor." Christ was indeed
an outcast rejected by lib own peo
ple while He ministered to the needy,
healed the sick and dying and told the
pseudo-religious leaders to realize
their sinful sto.te and turn back to God.
Christ was an example to all people,
He "who committed no sin, nor was
any deceit found in lib mouth, and:
while being reviled, He did not revile in
return; while suffering, He uttered no
threats, but kept entrusting Himself to
Him (God) Who judges righteously;
and He Himself bore our sins in His
body on the cross, that we might die to
sin and live to righteousness; for by His
wouncb you were healed." (I Peter
2:22-24).
. You called God an "adulterous, de
flower (er) of helpless virgins." But even
Mary didn't understand how she could
have a child as a virgin (Luke 1:34-35).
God worked a miracle through Mary,
he did not sleep with her, and through
this miracle He brought into the world
His only Son who would be killed by the
rest of God's own creation, yet God
loved us so much that He was willing to
sacrifice His Son before sinful people
so that we might have the chance to
live with Him forever. (John 3:16)
I'm all for the advancement of the
truth in an unbiased manner. Darwin
was a historical figure of great impor
tance and he had a theory. But the
evidence supporting his theory and
the evidence against his theory must
be presented equally and so must the
evidence for and against creationism.
You can't deny the truth. Present all
the information and their basis in fact
(ugly or pleasant as it may be) and
allow our children to know the whole
truth, not just the pro-Darwinian case.
Whether I am hurt or bitter or im
moral, I know that God's love is un
changing and his heart longs for me to
return to Him. Christ has healed me
spiritually, I have repented and have
turned to God. It's a wonderful Ufa and
. I hope, Mr. Madan, that you will join
me. (Matt. 4:17, 1 John 5:11-12)
.Robert Jay Bass '
senior
Article inequitable
I was surprised at the incongruity of
the Jan. 31 issue cf the Daily Nebras
kan. On the front page, an article
appeared about Eliibcth Koontz, Chair
woman of the National Commission cf
Working Women. In that article the
writer discussss the inequities of pay
between men and women. The impres
sion that one is left with is that women
are t reated differently simply because
they are women and that perhaps this
i3 unfair.
On page three, the lead article beg
ins "The petite, curly-haired blonde's
eyes grow wider as she talks about
UNL freshmen . . ." This article intro
duces the reader to a new university
employee and her responsibilities in a
newly-created position. My question is:
would you have started the article
with "The petite, curly-haired blonde's
eyes grow wider ..." if the blonde was a
male? . -.. -
.The subtle, inequitable language used
in the beginning of the article was read
by many readers. This unconscious
and probably well-meaning error never
theless adds to the problem. ;
Julie Johnson
' instructor
education and family resources
Instructors insulted
We are writing this letter in response
to a statement made by Dr; Ralph
Ewert which appeared in a story en
titled "Student ailments can be re-
'. lleved," (Daily Nebraskan, Feb. 1).
' The statement that we are referring
to quoted Dr. -Ewert as saying "Most
muscle pain complaints result from
studsnts in P.E. closes who are re-
quired to do extensive exercises in a
short time. Many stu dents want to run.
, two- miles in tvo weeks with no pre
vious conditioning." As instructors in
. the physical education department we
are
ed by thb statement Dr.
Ewert muct think that we are trying to
push our students beyond what they
are physicallycapable of doing. This is
not true. Dr. Ewert must surely know,
you must overload the muscle beyond
its normal capacity to get any degree
of benefit and thi3 may be at a low
intensity for an individual who has led
a sedentary lifestyle for a period of
time. No matter what the intensity,
initial muscular soreness is virtually
unavoidable.
Dr. Ewert should evaluate the courses
offered in the physical education de
partment before making general state
ments which undermine the knowl
edge and responsibilities of the in
structors in that department.
Alex Antoniou
Graduate Student
- Wiiam Oliver"
. Graduate Ascictant
Health, Physical Education
and Recreation
Madan called JooV
As I read Krishna Madan's column
"Humanist counterattack begins with
Bible" (Daily Nebraskan, Feb. 3), I be
came increasingly atated, angry and,
finally, disgusted. But to quote Pro
verbs, the famous book of wisdom, I
decided to "answer not a fool accord
ing to his folly lest you be like him."
To dignify Madan's writing with an
in-depth rebuttal would only lower me
to his level that of a fool
I think Madan has perhaps over
stepped the boundaries of journalistic :
license and 'is now "stepping where;,
even angels fear to tread."
I find, it very tragic that Madan,. a
. profecsed. secular humanist, does, not
accord Jesus Christ and God the same
; dignity he would a fellow human being. -
senior
" Teachers College :