p2g3 4 Da,y Ncbraskan frl6 October 19, 134 o A 777,71 OiTOT TO 6Tl TH rTl TPHi v1 7Tn Inlll Tl rthCS, H tirin? tho virp-nrslrfent.lal dphatp. Genn'e Bush M 1 - A 1 J 11 A 1 A 1 m spoKe &DOUI Knowing, iuny me American aream. "I started a small business ..." he said. That's a pretty sad commentary on the spirit of this nation when a high office holder speaks of the American dream on those terms. What's worse i3 that Bush doesn't stand alone. Recent polls of high school and college Americans have shown that Bush's view of the American dream is a common one among the nation's youth. It seems we are not concerned with what we can do tor our country or our world. Rather, we concern ourselves mainly with what kind of job we can get and what kind of financial future we can secure for ourselves. Those ere not evil things in themselves, and there are probably good reasons behind such thinking hard economic times, increased competition for jobs, among others. But when personal money matters carry more weight than all other considerations, then good becomes a liability. The pecuniary tunnel vision of our generation raises some serious questions about our national direc tion. We are on the brink of a self-serving age which could make the Me Generation look like an altruists convention. When our president asks, "are you better off today Iri F6RRW v J Bush I zr. v than you were four years ago?" most of us can honestly answer yes. Four years ago a lot of us were on an allowance, we didn't own cars, we didnt have our own living quarters, we couldn't drink in a bar. Sure, we're better off. You mi?,ht say we're living the American dream. Many of us may continue to live George Bush's version of that dream when we finish college. Well be making money, driving new cars, buying new televisions and, well, making money. By then, we may not even be aware that people lie in streets starving, that the downtrodden are becoming the undertrodden. If we can ignore it here, in a university, how much easier it will be to ignore it in the plush environs of our suburban homes and Oldsmobile 88s? We will be safe in our dream from the nightmares some of our nation's policies are causing those less fortunate than us. In the dawn of a new generation nearly two decades ago, Bob Dylan sang "The times they are a-changin'." In this, the dawn of another new generation, we can sing the same line, followed by a new verse, The first shall be first, and the last shall be last." If that's all this brave new wor ld has come to, we ought to be ashamed. And if that's all the American dream has come to, weVe already been put to sleep. Gbrfstopbsr Buxbach Daily Ne&rasfcui Stt'or Editor Social Security issue h, how quickly we age. In political terms, the Yuppies of springtime have become the Social Security recipients of fall. With the leaves falling, both Walter F. Mondale and Ronald Rea gan have forgotten the quiche-eaters of America with their BMWs, hot tubs and personal computers, and turned their attention to those prosaic voters with an obsessive interest in retirement benefits. Neither candidate can promise them enough. Suddenly, the issue of Social Security is dominating the presidential campaign. Should Mondale even hint that Reagan is even thinking of cutting the program, presidential spokesman Larry Speakes leaps to his lectern and promises nay .ii - for 0 V ! f-M S?JL k Sri I i Yl J' ftp vows there will be no such thing. Ronald Reagan, for whom Social Security long exemplified a government descend ing into the muck of socialism, has been born again as a New Deal Democrat. The non-debate on Social Security teaches us some things about this coun try. Like Dwight Eisenhower before him, Reagan has learned that the New Deal is not to be trifled with. The president is a slow learner, but it's finally dawned on him that what makes the New Deal pro grams so everlastingly popular is that they were, by and large, directed toward the vast middle class. You cannot, on pain of political death, mess with those benefits. The other lesson, though, is that you can mess with the benefit programs of AREVOUBSHSR OFFm BSEPm NO H5W T7WES.. N0NEWTAX5i. BSEPCLICKm TUB? 0011 GO A0A1N...WIM EER CLICIC THE NUMBER WO have mcmp IS no mm w 5RVICS,S.BBEP campaign spotlight the Great Society. Those were by and large directed at the poor. These pro grams can be reduced, abolished, deni grated and mocked. Indeed, Reagan has managed to cut back on food stamps, welfare, legal services and a host of other programs. All it has earned him is the undying enmity of blacks and other mino rities and a lead in the polls that would be the envy of any politician. To be sure, there are some differences between the New Deal programs, particu larly Social Security, and most Great Society programs. Social Security is con sidered an insurance program. You pay into it and you get something out. It is widely viewed as a contractual arrange ment certainly moral, probably legal. BE22J2 6 r V ichard Cohen 9 Great Society programs, on the other hand, smack of government largesse, wel fare. They might be deserved, but they're certainly not earned. Nevertheless, there are other programs directed toward the middle class that are in no way insurance programs. Take government student loans. No one directly contributes to this program. Yet, of all the programs Reagan has trifled with, this one may have cost him the most politi cally. That's because the middle class in this country is like the proverbial 8-foot-tall gorilla. Dont take away its toys. Now Mondale is remembering the les son all Democrats learn virtually at birth. For a while too long, his critics say he talked of fairness, listing theGreat Society programs Reagan cut. The result was a resounding yawn heard the width and breadth of the nation. As a sleep-inducer, the fairness issue was second only to the deficit. Put the two together and they comprised a soporific overdose of Rip Van Winkle proportions. But once Mondale brought up Social Security the entire nation raised itself from its stupor. This was not fairness, this was not the deficit, this was something that really mattered the continued pampering of the middle class. And Mon dale was clever enough not to limit his dire warnings to those already retired or nearly so. He warned about Reagan's alleged long-term intentions and the President was quick to extend assur ances to virtually, as they say in pro-life circles, the unborn. That's not surprising. The voting habits of the middle-aged and middle-classed are not hypothetical. People aged 55 to 74 are nearly twice as likely to vote as those aged 18-29. Buzz off, Yuppies. The upshot is that between Social Se curity ($260 billion), which is inviolable, and the defense budget ($270 billion), which is nearly so, about half the pro posed total federal budget for 1985 ($925.4 billion) is beyond debate. Neither candidate will seriously discuss cutting either one nor what that mean3 to the poor and the disadvantaged, not to men tion the young. Spring has turned to fall and the candidates have turned to Social Security. It is what it is and has always . been an evergreen. WasSsBRsHosi Pest Vi:-ir Group t : I yzs' USA Letters Student says officials folkm) misleading policy An important question that often is ignored by American officials when they react to any military operation against U.S. or Israeli targets is, "Why do such attacks take place?" Instead of focusing on the reasons that lead to these att acks and trying or helping to find solutions, those officials follow a policy of mislaad ing the public by directing the attention to issues such as Soviet involvement or inadequate security precautions. A good example is the "Palestinian Why." The Palestinians often have been accused by U.S. officials of being terrorists. Strong words are used to condemn them and to distort their image as a group of killers paying no attention to human values and respecting r.p international laws. A right approach to this case would be to exam ine it as a whole from the beginning. After they had been forced to leave their homeland in 1948 and 1057 by Israelthe Palestinian people turned to the United Nations hoping that it would do something for their just cause. Unfor tunately, this organization completely has .failed to deal politically with any interna tional problem including the Palestine issue. Its only contribution, besides issue ing dead resolutions, has been to supply refugees with some flour and blankets. Feeling desperate and helpless, the Palestinians started a guerrilla war against the Israelis. I believe that this is the normal course to be taken by any nation .that loses its homeland, being . deprived cf its legitimate rights and being discriminated against Why should we blame the Palestinian people for fighting the invaders of their land? Why should we blame the blacks for killing the racist whites in South Africa? In fact, those people are performing heroic deeds that deserve appreciation and honor. Again, when addressing the human rights, those officials totally ignore Pales tinian rights and try to convince the pub lic that human rights are violated only in Russia and the Eastern Block. Does the United States want the Palestinian peo ple to give up m& to keep living in refugee camps after they had tried all peaceful means? Before we label the Palestinians as terrorists," we should remember that they are refugees driven from their home land, and before v. e ask them to recognize the aggressor, the capturer of their land, we should turn our attention to them and grant them full recognition as a nation. Abdullah Hamad graduate student linguistics Health Center thanks The UNL Health Center would like to take this opportunity to thank Mike Sophir (Sigma Alpha Epsilon) and Stacy c - -. rfru ! . .r i v. i i , J. t c in planning Do It Sober II. The result of their effort was evident as 1 200 students filled the Centennial Room at the Nebraska Union to enjoy a non alcoholic bar and listen to Dr. Tom Goodale. We at the Health Center ap preciate the efforts cf these two students in making Do It Sober II a success and the contribution it mada to Wellness Week: 84. Steve Bloni; Health Center Administrator; T-f rvwford Health Educator,