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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 22, 1990)
Editorial (Daily Nebraskan Editorial Board Univarsity of Nebraska-Lincoln Amy Edwards, Editor, 472-1766 Bob Nelson, Editorial Page Editor Ryan Steeves, Managing Editor Eric Pfanncr, Associate News Editor Lisa Donovan, Associate News Editor Brandon Loomis, Wire Editor Jana Pedersen, Night News Editor I Nebraska trails again College prepayment, saving plans needed W" t should come as no surprise that Nebraska trails most states in yet another facet of higher education. This time it’s in college prepayment and savings plans, programs now in 32 states that allow parents to finance their children’s education in advance. According to an article in the Los Angeles Times, 10 " states have passed legislation to allow payment of tuition I at a discounted price before a student goes to college. The article also says that 22 states have approved tax-free ' bonds to finance higher education. A bill that would have created a savings program in s Nebraska was introduced last year by Sens. Jerry Chizek 3 of Omaha and Gerald Conway of Wayne. The legislation J said that parents could establish a tax-exempt account to 1 be used to pay their children’s educational expenses upon enrollment in eligible Nebraska institutions. Once a child was enrolled in college, the reserved funds I would be tapped. Money not used for tuition automati j cally would revert to the owner and become taxable 1 income. untortunateiy, the Dill tailed to get Deyona secona round debate. Chuck Bisbee, Chizek’s legislative aide, said he wasn’t sure why the bill did not receive enough votes to advance. During the 1980s, tuition increases far exceeded in j creases in family income, making it more and more ) difficult for parents to afford a college education for their s children. State prepayment and savings plans help parents ensure that they can keep pace with these rising costs. With tuition paid for, students who might not otherwise ; have the means for school will go on to a better education in the state that helped them pay for it. Hopefully senators will realize that they must help i parents in the fight against the soaring price of higher education. By offering attractive and affordable methods v l to save, Chizek and Conway’s bill had done just that. j Their savings plan was both helpful to parents and finan j dally risk-free to the state. In the future, any similar bill should be supported. Bob Nelaon - for the Daily Ntbraskan UNL needed source of money 1 would like to address the follow ing to Belise Draper and everyone who read her letter to the editor (DN, Jan. 18). I, like many others who live in the residence halls, was a bit irri tated to learn that I now have to pay an extra dime for every wash and an extra quarter for every dry. But, rather than write an impetuous letter, 1 chose to find out more about it. The fact is, the university over spent on housing. There arc a lot of single and empty rooms in the resi dence halls and that cuts back on the income that the Office of University Housing had counted on receiving. Because of this shortage of funds, they were forced to find alternate sources of money. One of their proposed choices was to cut back custodial and mainte nance salaries, or staff, or both. Rather than lay off employees, they chose to put a further strain on the student budget, which isn’t fair to us, but it’s not going to be what breaks us. Also, Ms. Draper, I was very offended by ffiis quote of yours: “I have heard stories of employees not having any thing to do but sit around and do homework.” Do you always go by unsubstantiated rumors? I know I speak for my whole wing when I say that our cleaning lady is never idle. I’ve never seen her “do homework” on the job. She’s always busy. As an answer to your quesuon, “But why laundry rates?” it was something that wouldn’t have an overwhelming effect on a small number of people. It was a more immediate solution to the problem created by a little mismanagement on the part of the university, which shouldn’t be at all surprising. I also think your prophecies of student revolt arc a bit ludicrous. Matt Barnason freshman general studies edito[daln — Signed staff editorials represent the official policy of the spring 1990 Daily Nebraskan. Policy is set by the Daily Nebraskan Editorial Board. Its members are Amy Edwards, editor; Bob Nelson, editorial page editor; • Ryan Sleeves, managing editor; Eric Pfanner, associate news cdiior;Lisa Donovan, associate news editor; Brandon Loomis, wire editor; Jana Pedersen, night news editor. Editorials do not necessarily re flect the views of the university, its employees, the students or the Nl Board of Regents. Editorial columns represent the opinion of the author. The Daily Nebraskan’s publisher; arc 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 editoria content of the newspaper lies solely ir the hands of its student editors. Pornography serves purpose Humans have natural tendency to fulfill ‘prurient interests’ I had this really erotic dream last night. It went like this. The county attorneys of the world, striving to make a world safe for decency, united and shut down each and every porn shop. Filthy thoughts of any kind were declared, by U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rchnquist, to be in violation of the First Amendment. There was nothing but a wholesome atmosphere in our country, rural and urban alike, in which our children could flourish and become Baptist ministers. Lancaster County’s pride, Mike Heavican, led the crusade, confiscat ing videos appealing to the prurient interest, and went on to win the presi dency of the world. The Embassy Theatre, having corrupted mind after mind and been a general societal menace 10 Lincoln tor years, was transformed into a museum, show casing the barbaric nature of our ancestors for 50 cents a pop. Rape, homelessness, menial ill ness and the budget deficit no longer existed. Everyone was going to heaven. I perspired to the point of dehydra tion and awoke just as 1 was getting to the good part. Glancing up at my life-si/e Susan Anton poster, l realized my dream was just one of those Utopian things. Wishful thinking. Lunacy. It can never happen. The Embassy might become a museum, but Mike Heavican never will be president of the world — mark my words. He is working for Utopia, though. It seems 1 ike 1989 was the year of the porn raid in Lincoln Other Utopians (the masterminds behind the county attorney’s efforts) include people like Citizens Against Pornography of Lincoln, Inc., ‘‘a non profit organization for family and community.” The Daily Nebraskan recently received a press release from this group containing a glorious report of a Columbus video dealer, who saw the evil of his deeds and erased S 100,000 worth of pom tapes, rather I than continuing to rent them to the public with their unchaste contents. The video dealer said he came to the realization that his business “threat ened the innocence” of youngster* already living in a world plagued by “drugs, alcohol and sexual abuse, violence, divorce, theft, greed, sui cide, abortion, idolatry and fornica tion.” I don't know anything about that Brandon Loomis fornication stuff. But I can attest that pom-I mean really quality porn al ways makes me su ic idal. I also must admit that the plots in pornographic films always lead me to worship those little voodoo dealies. Other than that, I think pornography is pretty harm less, at least to people who aren’t likely to go out and rape people (re gardless of their entertainment hab its). Even for them, it probably would only expedite the inevitable. Exploitation? Yes. But give me a call at the Daily Nebraskan and I’ll list the ways that I’ve beep exploited myself. Sometimes people just want to see it happen to someone else, and I guess I can dig that. The Columbus video dealer goes on to say that God drew him to the discernment of what was truly good and what was not. The man sold the newly blank tapes with slickers indi cating that they should be gi ven ‘ ‘ new life by recording material that would please Jesus and be uplifting to those who use it.” No comment on those last six words. As for the religious stuff, perhaps God rather would have people rent and watch his handiwork than sci ence fiction or “Friday the 13th.” After all, sexual impulses were not created in a laboratory. I think they | came out on the sixth day or there- I a bouts. Bachelor parlies, at least for poor | college students, don’t really have girls jumping out of cakes. They have cheap beer, long speeches about grow- s ing up, words of advice and warning - and porno. The porno is usually the most boring part, but it serves a pur pose - male bonding or something. It’s an American tradition. Believe it. Switching gears, as they say, I’ll say that pornography is relatively bad. I will not argue against that point. Women are degraded so that men can make foolsof themselves. That would be my personal feeling about a form of expression that doesn’t turn me on. But I do believe that it is a form of expression and that other people have different ideas about it and draw dif ferent values from it than I do. There fore, there is a place for it in the U.S. Constitution, man. Maybe, probably, some people need pornography as a release from real ity, or an escape into reality -- which ever pornography would be for them. So it would be detrimental for me, or the Citizens Against Pornography of Lincoln, Inc., or even the right honor able Mr. Hcavican to tell them that they cannot have that release or es cape. The Columbus video dealer had to do what he thought was best and Lm happy to hear of his happiness. But, believe it or not, there is a tendency among humans -- and I dunk a natural tendency - to have something, any thing appealing to their “prurient interest.” If we could all just admit that in what they call “the scheme of things” we’re just animals with brains, everything would be groovy. What is natural should never be outlawed. Don’t you just wonder what uplift ing material people will record on those blank tapes/ Loomis is a senior news-editorial major, an editorial columnist and the Daily Nebras kan wire editor. iettfig—I The Daily Nebraskan welcomes brief letters to the editor from all readers and interested others. Letters will be selected for publi cation on the basis of clarity, original ity, timeliness and space available. The Daily Nebraskan retains the right to edit all material submitted. Readers also arc welcome lo sub mit material as guest opinions. Whether material should run as a let ter or guest opinion, or not to run, is left to the editor’s discretion. Letters and guest opinions sent to the newspaper become the property of the Daily Nebraskan and cannot be returned. Anonymous submissions will not be considered for publication. Letters should include the author’s name, year in school, major and groupaffili ation, if any. Requests to withhold names will not be granted. Submit material to the Daily Ne braskan, 34 Nebraska Union, 1400 R St., Lincoln, Neb. 68588-0448.