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Thursday, September 6, 1984
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By J ohn Meissner
Dally Kzti'askan Sen'or Reporter
U.S. Sen. J. James Exon, as hii
placards testified, would have
people believe the first two let
ters of his last name stand for
"experience." Republican candi
date Nancy Hoch Wednesday used
hi3 name for some needed expo
sure, as challenger and incum
bent squared off in the first of a
series of planned debates.
The 60-minute contest, spon
sored by the League of Women
Voters and broadcast live over
public television channels, feat
ured alternating two-minute re
sponses to questions posed by a
panel of news media.
Hoch, the NU Board of Regents
member and long shot Senate
hopeful, aimed at Exon's record
and his suggested programs for
cutting the federal deficit, im
proving the status of agriculture
and maintaining the federal Social
Security and Medicaid programs.
With a visual aid, Exon pro
duced a computer print-out list
ing his accomplishments. The
print-out, when unfurled, started
at the top of the podium and
touched the floor.
"When you cpend eight years as
the governor and BVfc years m a
senator, you make a record for
other people to shoot at. I'm not
only proud of my record, I'd stand
on it" Exon said, earning applause
from the partisan crowd.
Koch chided Exon for men
tioning his previous career.
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Senatorial candidate Nancy Hoch and incumbent J. J ames
State Fair.
"I would remind my opponent
that he is not running for gover
nor, he is running for senator,"
she said. Hoch contended that
the bills Exon sponsored or co
sponsored were "not things of
substance." Labeling the high fed
eral deficit her No. 1 priority, Hoch
said she supported a constitu
tional amendment to balance the
budget. As far as specific cuts,
Hoch called for the "courage to
approach things individually,"
rather than cuts across the board.
Exon countered that "no one in
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University of Nebraska-Lincoln
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Nebraska has made more specific
proposals to cut spending than I
have," but said spending must be
frozen in all areas to reduce the
deficit.
Hoch spoke repeatedly of the
need for a strong voice in the U.S.
Senate representing agriculture.
Referring to a plan she unveiled
Tuesday, Hoch said creating a
position for a chief agricultural
negotiator in the U.S. Department
of Commerce would help get rid
of unfair trade practices.
Exon said Hoch was not going
By Kevin' Disgsa
Da Nebrukaii Staff Writer
During Gov. Bob Kerrey's weekly
press conference Wednesday, the
governor said he is not seriously
considering a second special leg
islative session.
However, Kerrey said that argu
ing objectively and achieving a
property tax reduction would be
difficult to do in the regular ses
sion. Property tax relief is politically
difficult to accomplish, he said,
and would be best dealt w$h in a
special session.
The governor said he still is
striving for a genuine decrease in
property taxes statewide and not
just an agricultural aid package.
Kerrey says amendment
will not bring tax -relief
Good harvest may cut
" By Gene Gentrap
A good harvest this fall may
create the potential for steady to
lower crop prices, an agricultural
economist said Wednesday.
Leslie Sheffield, NU professor
of agricultural economics, said
that even though prospects for a
good harvest remain high, crop
producers may net fare as well as
they had hoped.
"A better harvest only means
there are more bushels to sell and
at lower prices," he said.
While crop producers may
suffer, livestock feeders will benefit
from the lower prices and increase
( u ) i
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Joel SartoreDniiy Ntbraskan
Exon participate in a debate Wednesday at the Nebraska
to solve the problem with cri
ticism. "Ask the Nebraska Corn Grow
ers Association, ask the Nebraska
Wheat Growers Association if I've
been involved in agriculture,"
Exon said. "Cheap food policy is
the ruination of American far
mers." Both candidates avoided con
troversy by relying on platitudes
to explain stances on abortion,
school prayer and U.S. involve
ment in Central America Hoch
dropped the only bombshell of
The proposed agricultural land
valuation amendment will not
achieve property tax relief, Ker-
rey said. Relief would result from
economic development, education,
and water-agriculture develop-
ment, he said.
When asked why he wont cut
rural property taxes and prom
ise a future urban tax cut, Kerrey
said it is because democracy does
not work that way.
Kerrey said he thinks a 25 per-
cent property tax reduction is
needed, but people axe skeptical
about achieving a $220 million
reduction without increasing
sales tax and income tax.
The state should first decide
how the reduction will occur, he
their feed purchases, Sheffield
said.
' Sheffield said & good statewide
harvest looks imminent, but por
tions of southeastern Nebraska
havent been very lucky.
The dry weather in that area
has taken its toll on corn and
soybeans he said.
; John Furrer, agriculture ex
tension specialist, agreed. He said
areas west of York are in good
shape, but eastern Nebraska could
use some rain.
"Soybean pods are beginning to
fill out," Furrer said, "and a good
rain would give the plant a good,
piurnp, large seed."
Vol. 84 No. 9
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the afternoon in her closing
statement, alleging that Exon, as
the ranking minority member on
the Strategic and Theatre Nuclear
Forces subcommittee, had missed
75 percent of the meetings. Exon,
ruffled, said the statement was
inaccurate and told Hoch to call
the chairman of the committee,
Sen. John Warner of Virginia Exon
said she would find he was at the
meetings regularly.
Hoch later offered that she said
Exon didn't attend 75 percent of
the subcommittee hearings.
said, and then figure how to pay
for it.
Property taxes need to be cut
statewide, he said, but offsetting
this reduction solely with an in-
crease in general sales tax revenue
i3 highly unlikely.
Kerrey also said teachers sal-
aries are too low. Nebraska should
try to come up with a plan that
would inrease teacher salaries
without interfering too much with
local control, he said.
Ideally, this mechanism would
allow a 10 to 15 percent increase
in state aid to education and a 25
percent decrease in property
taxes, Kerrey said. He said these
problems should not be addressed
separately in 1085-86.
crop prices
Last week's rains could mean a
difference of three to four bushels
an acre, he said.
The Nebraska Crop and Live
stock Reporting Service said in its
weekly report that more than
two-thirds of the state's corn crop
is in good or excellent condition.
But only 3 to 4 percent of soy
beans and sorghum were reported
in excellent condition. Ninety
eight percent of irrigated corn
was reported in good or excellent
condition, while only 44 percent
of dryland corn was reported as
good or excellent Weekend rains
benefited dryland crops, the
report said.
