Nebraskan
Editorial Board
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Chris Hopfensperger.Editor, 472-1766
Dionne Searcey.Opinion Page Editor
Kris Karnopp. .. Managing Editor
Alan Phelps.Wire Editor
Wendy Navratil. Writing Coach
Stacey McKenzie . . . .....Senior Reporter
Jeremy Fitzpatrick.....Columnist
Term limits
Measure 407 will hurt state— vote ‘no’
Every election offers voters the opportunity to limit an
incumbent’s term by voting the official out of office. That
should be enough.
But Nebraskans are faced Tuesday with Measure 407, which
would set a cap on the number of terms a person could hold in
state and federal offices.
Limiting terms would be especially harmful to Nebraska —
one of only a handful of states considering the option — at the
federal level. Senators and representatives acquire influential
committee positions in Washington through tenure. Limiting
terms would limit that and reduce the chances for our elected
officials to best serve our interests. With only five representa
tives in Congress, Nebraska needs the best representation it can ,
get.
Term limits also would increase the influence of lobbyists
and congressional staff members — the people who arc not
responsible to voters yet sway votes in Congress.
But the most important argument against term limits should
come from the voters. The U.S. government was set up so that
voters were allowed to choose who would best represent them.
Ross Perot’s candidacy for presidency, the large number of
incumbents already turned out of Washington and the dramatic
increases in the number of registered voters show that Ameri
cans arc interested in and willing to accept their responsibility
for the future of the United States. Nebraskans should be
willing to accept the same responsibility for their state.
Give yourself a little bit of credit and vote against Measure
407.
Help education
Lottery surplus could mend budget cuts
If Nebraskans approve a lottery for the state, the big
winner will be the state’s education system.
Next Tuesday voters will be asked whether they
support a state-run lottery under Amendment 1 A.
Randy Moody, director of the pro-lottery group, Friends of
Education and the Environment, predicted that the lottery could
raise $65 million. Half the profits — about $10 million —
would be spent on education. Environmental projects would
gel $10 million.
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln has already come
under the Legislature’s budget-cutting knife. Other colleges
and public schools have experienced similar cuts in their
budgets. And the state surely has not seen the end of tough
economic times.
A raise in taxes would be the simple answer to compensat
ing for budget cuts to education systems. But “tax hike” seem
to be dirty words to Nebraskans.
The majority of the state doesn’t want to pay more taxes, no
matter what the cause.
Opponents to the lottery say it would only tempt poverty
stricken Nebraskans, hurling them even further into the dark
realms of indebtedness.
Those folks deserve a little credit. Most poor people have
sense enough not to buy something they can’t afford. And
those who don’t already have pickle cards, keno and horse
racing to tempt them — a statewide lottery won’t ruin their
lives. But the lottery will help students get a belter education.
The bottom line is that Nebraska’s education system is
desperately in need of financial help. The lottery can provide
some aid. Nebraskans must vole in support of the lottery.
Every little bit counts.
-1 i-r
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Nebraskan, 34 Nebraska Union, MOOR St., Lincoln, Neb 68588-0448
KfcH he*, -QUIP. ^
I
t
Sleepouts don’t help homeless
Ihatc liver — always have and
always will. *
When I was little, I did ev
erything possible to get out of eating
liver whenever it showed up on my
dinner plate.
My mom would always insist that
I cat it. No matter how I pleaded my
case, she usually won the debate.
Moms arc good at that.
Unfortunately, there
were many good reasons
for a six-y car-old boy to
catliver. Butonelineof
reasoning always
seemed questionable to
me. I’m sure many of us
have heard it.
_i It goes something like
this: “How can you leave food on your
plate when there arc people starving
in the world?”
The point of this argument is that
we should feel lucky to have food on
the table. But the effect is to create a
feeling of guilt that we could actually
eat while others around the world arc
going hungry.
I never fell for this argument. After
all, no one in Ethiopia would have
been better or worse off as a result of
me eating my liver. No one around the
world would even know whether I had
eaten it.
The only guilt I ever fell was when
I deceived my mom by slipping my
liver out the back door to Heidi, the
family dog.
I don’t think my mom ever be
lieved that anyone around the world
would benefit from my consumption
ol a piece of liver. She only wanted
me to cat it because it was good for
me.
Thinking back, 1 now realize the
underlying lesson to be learned from
the liver debates.
Economics, like liver, is not a zero
sum game.
• Unfortunately, in every economy
there are winners and losers. But the
I ac t that one person succeeds docs not
automatically mean that somconcclse
must fail.
For every winner there is not a
corresponding loser.
Some people in this country choose
to ignore this reality and make people
feel guilty for achieving any level of
success.
Recently, UNL students were vic
tims of such guilt tactics.
Following the Great Plains Winter
Slccpout benefit for the homeless on
October 16, students were condemned
by slccpout supporters for failing to
take part in the event.
Like many other students, I am
tired of being blamed for problems
that I did notcrcate. I am tired of being
attacked for choosing not to lake part
in such IccI-good events as a home
less .slccpout.
Homeless slcepouts, which take
place nationwide, are perfcctcxamplcs
of how misguided the homeless advo
cacy has become. *
I will not deny that homelessness is
a serious problem. And I think that
some organizations arc truly commit
ted to solving the homeless problem.
Such groups help people clean up,
find work and gel back on their feet.
These organizations, while few and
far between, should be commended.
Many homeless advocates have
lost sight of bringing the problem to
an end. They promote class envy,
spread feelings of guilt, and exploit
the homeless for their own gains. If
you .think that such groups do not
exist, look into it. You would be sur
prised.
There arc many examples of ri
diculous efforts made by homeless
advocates, such as “dumpster dining
etiquette” booklets and shopping carl
ownership rights. Butoncofthedumb
cst ideas yet is the annual slccpout.
These slcepouts arc nothing more
than a pitiful attempt for some people
to pretend that they care about ending
homelessness. It is hard to believe
that spending one night on the street
could make anyone feel much closer
to the problem.
The homeless must certainly ap
preciate the compassion shown by
this one-night slumber parly. This
night on the street, equipped with
party refreshments, must have really
opened everyone’s eyes to the real
world.
1 realize that roughly S25.000 was
raisod for various organizations. But
surely these groups could think of a
more productive way to promote
awareness.
Why should we drag society out
onto the street for a superficial night
of homelessness? The whole direc
tion of this event, and many other
homeless programs, is backwards.
I don’tclairnto have the answers to
the homeless problem. But I do know
that I am working three jobs and
investing thousands of borrowed dol
lars in myself, __.doing ev
erything I
to secure
a com
fortable
lifestyle
and be
responsible for my own level of
achievement in life.
We must all be held accountable
for our own actions. This is the first
step in correcting the homeless prob
lem and most of the other ills in
American society.
If we shy away from chaHengcs
and fail to overcome obstacles, then
maybe we deserve to be out on the
street. And if being on the streets is
terrible enough, we would certainly
be motivated to achieve something
better.
The homeless advocacy groups
should exist for the sole purpose of
helping the homeless to get back into
productive Societal roles. They should
help those who are ready and willing
to help themselves.
Instead, many homeless groups
shift their attention to those people
who have homes, jobs and steady
incomes. Solving the homeless prob
lem has taken a back scat to spreading
feelings of guilt and class envy.
Homelessness, iikc liver, is not a
zero sum game. Ealing my liver and
sleeping in a warm bed has nothing to
do with the number of people living
on the street. I don’t feel guilty for
living my particular lifestyleand I
shouldn’t.
Liver is good for us, and we should
cal it.
Homelessness is a serious prob
lem, and we should confront it. But
spreading feelings of guilt docs noth
ing to solve the issue at hand.
If participating in slcepouts makes
you feel better about the homeless
problem, that’s fine. But don’t as
sume that I don’t care simply because
I choose not to take part in such
ridiculous, feel-good events.
"inkins is a senior
isiness student
major- ng in finance,
man- agement and eco
nom- ics and is a Daily
Nebraskan col
umnist.
David Badders'DN
OH N JON