Editorial
(Daily
Nebraskan
Editorial Board
University of Nebraska-Uncoln
Amy Edwards, Editor, 472-1766
Bob Nelson, Editorial rage Editor
Ryan Steeves, Managing Editor
Eric Planner, Associate News Editor
Lisa Donovan, Associate News Editor
Brandon Loomis, Wire Editor
Jana Pedersen, Night News Editor
Quibbles4 n’ bits
Bush’s plan betrays higher education
George Bush once again has failed to match rhetoric
with action concerning higher education.
A Bush proposal that would eliminate Social
Security tax exemptions for students employed by state
colleges and universities would most likely cut student
jobs and increase tuition at universities across the nation.
The budget proposal would require universities nation
wide to withhold 7.65 percent of student employees’ pay
checks for the Social Security tax. Universities would be
required to match that amount.
Jim Knisely, comptroller at UNL, said last Tuesday thai
the proposal would cost UNL and its student employees
about 1.5 million a year in taxes. UNL could pay for the
tax by hiring fewer student employees or by raising
revenue, Knisely said. That could mean increased appro
priations or higher tuition and housing rates, he said.
College is already too expensive for many prospective
students. Those students who can barely afford college are
usually those students who must work their way through
college. This proposal hits struggling students the hardest
because it cuts the income of the working student and, at
the same time, raises his or her tuition and housing costs.
This is certainly not a program of an “Education Presi
dent.”
Military reduction a step forward
•In a heavily related issue, Bush has decided to triple
his original military budget cut.
In January, Bush proposed cutting 3.2 billion from the
Pentagon budget. After heavy pressure from in and
outside Congress, senior government officials quoted in
the New York Times now say the cut will now be be
tween 10 and 11 billion.
The reduction, although a minor one, is a positive step
toward a truly peace-time economy — an economy in
which heavy federal support of education will be neces
sary to maintain the prominence of the United States in
the world community.
- Bob Nelson
Bowman: I’ve fallen from grace
In life, but especially in politics,
never forget Nictzchc’s axiom, “battle
not with monsters, lest ye become a
monster.” 1 forgot it. Perhaps with a
better organized campaign, 1 wouldn’t
have.
According to the DN editorial by
Bob Nelson (March 19), at least, I
have become my enemy, an “au
thoritarian dictator.” Whereas last
week, I had shown - perhaps more
than any student on this campus —
that I truly care about the social issues
I talk about and that I am not afraid to
fight for them.
But I’ve fallen from grace in the
eyes of the multitude and the DN.
Well, 1 never got involved to boost
my popularity, just to do the right
thing. The DN editorial says I “lost
any credibility” 1 ever had by “tak
ing sides in a battle of equally unsub
stantiated rumors.”
First of all, I would never risk my
integrity on an “unsubstantiated
rumor." The Fiddelkc-Lindau deal is
fact. I can’t reveal my source because
she would be ostracized if she came
forward. Any journalist would under
stand my predicament.
I could never support or allow such
an administration to be put in office.
Fiddclkc said to me last Thursday,
“Joe, if I win, you’ll have an open
door.” Did she mean I can go talk to
her anytime, or something else? There
is no doubt of the wrongness of ac
tions such as this.
The DN suggested that STAND
force our platform on the remaining
parties — and now, there is only one —
VISION. I was harshly criticized by
STAND party members and the DN
for taking sides, but you must under
stand; when you pick up a sword, you
use it!
Circumstances conspired to put me
in a terrible position -- choosing be
tween questionable and worse. Re
gardless, 1 can’t slay clean and pure
and walk on water away from respon
sibility, no matter how much I’d like
to sit back and sneer, like so many
already do. Nothing in life is perfect,
and we can never pretend it is. We
must work with what’s available.
Gosch was willing lo follow through
on key STAND programs for an en
dorsement. He has, however, played
the role of the politician for too long.
Let’s see if he can fill the role of
statesman. No ASUN president has
been watched and pressured the way
Gosch will be. He will rise to the
challenge of the coming year and
perform, or perish.
Yolanda Scott now embodies the
hope of the STAND parly. In her
work and background and heart, she
shines with a goodness and freshness
that ASUN has sadly lacked for too
long. If you vole for no other reason,
vote for hope, vote for Yolanda.
One last thing. Another DN edito
rial by Nelson (March 15) said,
‘ ‘ Bowman can force his platform on ’ ’
the other parties. And in the end, that
I “lost my party.” But it never was
my party. It was ours. It wasn’t my
platform, it was ours, and STAND
was supposed to come before Bow
man. But as you can see, it was too
easy to forget that.
I don’t regret what I’ve done, only
how I have done it. I promised to
uphold the ideals of the STAND party,
but I also remained myself. I have
done the best 1 can. I will always do
what I believe to be right, and damn
the consequences.
Anyone can take a STAND; ev
eryone should.
Joe Bowman
cx-STAND parly mcmbei
IS -=
Josr h^v£a/ roo thought >r ^5 safe to
do om s?RiMQ Ift/lt:
r
4
$
t
$-■
" ,.VW° £KE- You
Verifier FSR
THIS WEEK?
To Langford or not to Langford?
Mature and immature voices respond to ridiculous statements
Sometimes, 1 talk to myself.
Sometimes, I have very long
conversations, most of which
are private.
I have two voices — one who is
mature and one who is not.
Yesterday, 1 said to myself, “Bob,
everybody and their dog has taken a
shot at State Sen. Lorraine Langford.
So what if she said students arc too
immature and apathetic to have a
student-regent vote. Let it go. If you
were mature, you would realize that a
person like her would never change
her opinion, especially if it’s a stu
dent trying to do the changing. You
arc flogging dead fish in a barrel. Let
sleeping fish lie. Write about some
thing new, interesting and important,
like taxes.
“Dead fish slink,” my other voice
said. “They shouldn’t slink. Langford
is a senator. She should know better.
Instead, she keeps saying stupid things.
She’s fair game.”
To Langford or noi lo Langford?
That was the question until the ma
ture me remembered that the senator
doesn’t think the mature me exists.
Mature people can’t handle being
called non-existent. It just rubs them
funny.
So, both the mature and immature
me wanted to respond lo:
SEN. LANGFORD RIDICULOUS
STATEMENT NUMBER ONE: “..
. they (18-to 20-year-olds) probably
make the worst decisions in the world.”
MATURE RESPONSE: Many 18
to 20-year-olds already are support
ing themselves and thus making the
decisions of adults.
Also, Langford constantly uses “18
to 20-year-olds” to mean “students.”
The majority of UNL students arc
more than 20 years old.
Students have been the backbone
of nearly every protest for construc
tive change on this planet. Students
don’t make the worst decisions; they
make the most altruistic and progres
sive decisions. College students arc
bright, motivated and socially con
scious. There isno group bctlcrquali
fied to vote.
IMMATURE RESPONSE: God,
would I hale lo be her kid. I can only
imagine being a 20-ycar-old in her
house:
MOM LANGFORD: “Now,
honey, I’m going to the store. You’re
going to be alone for a while because
all your baby sitters are playing bridge.
•
Now remember, don’t pul the cal in
the microwave. If you think you need
to move from that chair, call me first
at the store and tell the clerk to page
me over the loudspeaker by saying,
‘State Sen. Langford, you have a very
important phone call from the Gover
nor.”’
SEN. LANGFORD RIDICULOUS
STATEMENT NUMBER TWO: ‘‘I
hurt (students’) feelings. I didn’t mean
Bob
Nelson
to hurt their feelings, but what I’m
saying (about student maturity) is true.
They probably don’t even know that.’ ’
MATURE RESPONSE: Patroniz
ing part of one’s electorate is not
good politics. Also, an intelligent
argument doesn’t rely on the com
ment “what I’m saying is true.”
Politicians should know the subjec
tivity of truth and argue their position
(their truth) with logic. Our political
system is based on rational and intel
ligent debate. Imagine a senate cham
ber where one only hears ‘‘but what
I’m saying is true.” In such a case,
the democratic process is reduced to
playground bickering.
IMMATURE RESPONSE: “Hurt
their feelings?’ ’ Get serious. Students
don ’ t get their feel ings hurl by raging
imbeciles. Thai’s like saying some
one gels broken-hearted when their
black lab poops on the carpet. No,
what you have done, Sen. Langford,
is licked off your superiors. There is a
big difference.
SEN. LANGFORD RIDICULOUS
COMMENT NUMBER THREE:
“My experience comes from work
ing with young sorority girls for years. ”
MATURE RESPONSE: I don’t
think young sorority girls arc repre
sentative of the student body of a
university.
IMMATURE RESPONSE: Those
arc some mighty fine credentials, Sen.
Langford, if you’re applying to be
campus representative for Dep hair
products. I can only imagine how you
came to realize students arc idiots
‘‘from working with young sorority
girls for years”:
HOUSEMOM LANGFORD:
“You kissed him?!? You’re nolcvcn
engaged!”
Or:
HOUSEMOM LANGFORD:
“You’re not walking ouloflhis house
in lhai oulfil! For God’s sake, girl,
your ankles arc naked!”
SEN. LANGFORD RIDICULOUS
STATEMENT NUMBER FOUR:
“All they (students) have to do is
look around at their friends and sec
some of the messes their friends arc
in. And it’s because they’re not emo
tionally mature. It’s just a fact of
life.”
MATURE RESPONSE: “I don’t
see any messes.”
IMMATURE RESPONSE: Emo
tionally mature? You, Sen. Langford,
are the woman who, at an orientation
for new senators, suggested a dress
code that would prohibit women sena
tors from wearing pants.
Oh, yeah. Forget the issues. We
need a dress code so we can all look
like Laura Ingalls.
How about a dress code for you,
senator? Considering your emotional
maturity, I think a nice, hot pink
straightjackel might do. Or what about
something in a nice tar and feather9
“Worst decisions?” “Emotionally
immature?” Who «s the mental sink
hole from Kearney who wanted per
sonalized license plates at discount
rates for state senators? That’s right.
It was once again Sen. Langford.
I only can imagine what you would
put on your very special and inexpen
sive vanity plate, senator. Maybe 1
can offer a few suggestions? How
about “LOON” or “ANAL RETEN
TIVE?” Don’t worry about the last
message being too long, I’m sure you
would introduce a bill allowing re
ally, really big plates for state sena
tors.
OK, OK, this filth could go on
forever and nothing would be changed.
Sen. Langford has her opinion, and
you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.
1 should have let the whole issue die.
The mature me apologizes for being
mean. I didn’t mean to hurl anyone’s
feelings.
Oops, I almost forgot. The mature
me doesn’t exist.
Nelson is a senior news-editorial migor,
the Daily Nebraskan editorial page editor
and a columnist.