Editorial
(Daily
Nebraskan
Editorial Board
Univeraity of Nabraaka-Uncoln
Amy Edwards, Editor, 472-1766
Lee Rood, Editorial Page Editor
Jane Hirt, Managing Editor
Brandon Loomis, Associate News Editor
Brian Svoboda, Columnist
Bob Nelson, Columnist
Jerry Guenther, Senior Reporter
What others think
Export, expansion policies discussed
•
Now that Americans are finally beginning to kick the
smoking habit, our tobacco industry is trying to
convince Asia to light up with American cigarettes.
C. Everett Koop, surgeon general of the United States,
testified last week before a committee of the U.S. Trade
Representative’s office, blasting the tobacco industry s
call for the government to pressure Thailand to lift import
restrictions on American cigarettes.
Since 1986, cigarette manufacturers, with the help of
U.S. trade negotiators, have broken down import barriers
in Japan, Taiwan and South Korea.
At a time when consumption of cigarettes in the United
States has decreased by about 2 percent a year, America s
worldwide cigarette exports reached $2.6 billion in 1988
f — double thd sales of 1986.
Although many public health agencies in Asian coun
: tries are beginning anti-smoking campaigns, it will be a
• long uphill battle if they are pitted against the full might
of the American tobacco industry.
It has taken billions of dollars and years of effort to
I educate the American public about the dangers of smok
mg.
If American cigarette manufacturers are allowed free
reign in Asian markets, those countries also will have to
spend large amounts of money and effort to educate their
citizens about the risks involved in smoking.
It is the responsibility of the U.S. government to see
that American corporations do not run rampant in foreign
countries, committing actions of such concern in this
country. The same concern for the public health of Ameri
cans should extend to the citizens of other countries.
In Taiwan, U.S. cigarette manufacturers hire street ped
dlers to distribute free samples at discos to entice the
female and teenage market. Until public outcry forced its
cancellation, marketers for R.J. Reynolds last year
planned to let people into a free rock concert if they
brought five empty packets of Winston cigarettes.
“Our trade policy sends a message to our partners that
Asian lungs are more expendable than American lungs,”
said U.S. Rep. Chester Aikins.
The American public and federal government have
fought a long hard battle to make American corporations
more responsible for what they sell, that battle should not
have to be fought again in other nations.
. - Kansas State Collegian
As the University of Arizona flexes its muscles forcing
the closure of small shops around the campus to make
room for continued expansion, it needs a policy explain
ing how it will help the businesses it displaces.
The New Loft Theatre just weeks ago was going to
have to close its doors and vacate die building by Oct. 1.
After a discussion with U A Vice President for Planning
and Budgeting Sarah G. Blake, the New Loft can stay at
least a year longer in its old home.
But the New Loft isn’t the only business being forced
out. Bargain Basement Bikes is another, and the owner is
trying to compromise with the UA to allow him to stay
the rest of the year.
It seems to be a case of the squeaking wheel getting the
grease.
As Blake said, it is unfortunate that some of the shops
may get no UA grease because their space is needed for
classrooms.
But undoubtedly the UA will expand even more and
other businesses will be displaced. The UA needs to to
adopt a relocating policy ~ and stick to it — explaining
how it will assist in relocating the businesses.
•• Arizona Daily Wildcat
! Kinder, GehHer
P ATTEMPT?!?!,
i pm am a I
r+esy Bosh_JB
Orr tries to side-step problem
Nebraskans should assume responsibility for their own wastes
Gov. Kay Orr has decided to
take the A, B, C approach to
nuclear waste.
Orr is trying to convince the fed
eral government to limit waste stored
in Nebraska to the least radioactive
type -- type A.
Her logic is that residents in one of
Nebraska’s many counties then will
agree to having a nuclear waste site
built there.
Orr may be right, but the odds are,
she is wrong.
A majority of Nebraskans voted
against an initiative to pull out of the
low-level nuclear waste site pact last
November. This indicated their will
ingness to have a waste site built in
Nebraska.
What the vote did not show, how
ever, was the real message - build it,
but “Not In My Backyard.”
Nebraska ETV’s documentary
about the nuclear waste site was aptly
named.
The politicians, activists and rep
resentatives of U.S. Ecology, who
I tried to sway the public to their way
of thinking, failed to realize that this
was the mind-set of most Nebras
kans.
U.S. Ecology thought an exten
sive public campaign on the safety of
the facility would alleviate public
opposition.
Nebraskans for the Right to Vote
thought citizens would pull out of the
five-state nuclear waste compact, or
at least give themselves the opportu
nity to vote on where a waste site was
built
Some of the state’s senators
thought counties would jump at a
chance to have the site built in their
county because it would create more
jobs.
Other senators and out-of-state
utility companies said Nebraska
would be in big trouble if it didn’t
remain in the compact. Utility prices
would soar and the state would have
to finance its own waste site.
And after voters were inundated
with all this sophisticated manipula
tion, they decided to stay in the com
pact. But did they really want to stay,
or were they afraid they had to?
The latter appears true, as resi
dents in each county targeted for the
waste site begin waging campaigns to
prevent the site from ending up in
their backyards.
And now it is real easy, and hypo
critical, to think stales like Nevada
want to relieve Nebraska of its politi
cal time bomb by letting us dump
highly radioactive B- and C-lype
garbage into their backyards.
U.S. Energy Secretary James
Watkins is more than a little reluctant
to consider selling up a national site
in some desert to receive waste from
this state and the 49 others.
Watkins knows that people living
in Nevada, one of the “ideal’’ areas
to build a national disposal site, also
are saying “Not In My Backyard.”
The Yucca Mountain in Nevada
currently is the only site being con
sidered by the federal government for
long-term nuclear waste disposal.
Four billion dollars already has been
set aside to determine if a cavem
could be built 1,000 feet below the
mountain’s surface to store waste for
10,000 years.
But only 52 billion worth of test
ing has been conducted, because
Nevada passed a law saying no nu
1 clear waste can ever be dumped
there.
And even though Congress passed
! a law ordering the test at Yucca
Mountain, tests are not being con
ducted right now.
So far, Nevada successfully has
stood up to the federal govemmen'
and all the other states that want t*
dump there.
Too bad Nebraska didn i make,
similar move last November.
Last November is when citizens
should have said, “No, we don’t
think nuclear waste is safe.
Then, Nebraskans should have
looked at what “no” means.
“No” means we’re not lomfort
able with the waste we’re creating to
heat our homes. “No” means we
want to use less electricity or pay
higher electric bills. “No” means we
want to dismantle the two nuclear
power plants in the state.
At least, that is what a rcs|H>nsiblc
“no” means.
Right now citizens of tins state are
saying “no” in a very irresponsible
way.
“No" we don’t want to lake the
risks that come with having nuclear
energy. We want people living in
some other state to take that nsk.
U.S. Ecology representatives have
said it matters little to them, from a
financial or safety standpoint, i>
Nebraska stores A-, B- or l -level
nuclear waste. They can build a facil
ity that adequately handles all three
levels of waste. . ,
The goal of Orr s current ponuw
rumblings is to convince Nebraskans
that they aren’t going to have to store
too much radioactive waste in tncir
backyards. .
It may work from a political stand
point. But forcing another state to
lake our nuclear waste isn’t the re
sponsible thing to do. ,
Nebraskans should let U.S. Ecol
ogy build a nuclear waste site in tnei
backyard, or stop using the products
that produce such wastes.
Carroll is a senior news-editorial maj‘»r
a Dally Nebraskan columnist and supp* *
ments editor.
---—
Editorial columns represent the
opinion of the author.
J The Daily Nebraskan’s publishers
are the regents, who established the
UNL Publications Board to supervise
the daily production of the paper.
According to policy set by the re
gents, responsibility for the editorial j
content of the newspaper lies solely >n
the hands of its student editors.
Drivers shouldfind their own solutions
Enough whining about parking!
You are reasonably intelligent people
~ find a solution. I offer the following
suggestions: walk, ride a bike, take a
bus, car-pool, ride a motorcycle, park
under the 1-80 bridge, park along the
shuttle route, schedule your classes at
times lots arc empty, transfer to a
university with lots of parking.
Arnold Grinvalds
English
graduate student
lettefiw,, ~ -:
. i»Mfe.ra.3J " ■ --"
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