Opindn Tuesday, October 5, ISM
Nebraskan
Editorial Board
* University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Jeremy Fitzpatrick..Editor, 472-1766
Kathy Steinauer.Opinion Page Editor
Wendy Mott...Managing Editor
Todd Cooper... Sports Editor
Chris Hopfensperger.Dopy Desk ChieJ
Kim SpuHock. ......Sower Editor
Kiky Timperley.Senior Photographer
For the future
Children in poverty reflects on America
The Census Bureau reports that the number of poor Ameri
cans jumped to 36.9 million last year, more than at any time
since the early 1960s.
The poor are defined as those whose income is below the
national poverty line. For a family of four, the poverty line is
$14,335; for someone living alone, it is $7,143.
But it’s important to look at who these Americans are. Black
and Hispanic Americans were about three times more likely to be
poor than whites.
Households headed by women were also likely to be poor.
Demographers attribute this to the fact that women arc often paid
less than men, some can’t work full time because they need to
stay at home to care for their children, and these women must
depend on one income rather than two.
But most poor Americans are children. One child in five is
living in poverty. Two-thirds of preschool children in female
headed households are considered poor.
These statistics provide frightening proof of the problems of
poverty that surround Americans. They also prove that efforts to
fix this problem in the past have not worked.
The government needs to study these facts carefully and
recognize the patterns: Minorities, women and children need the
most financial help to survive. Aid services, such as welfare, need
to provide these disadvantaged groups with the financial help they
need.
Even those who do not approve of welfare and other aid
services cannot deny the need to support the children of America.
When 20 percent of America’s children live in poverty, something
needs to change.
Killing zone
Troops in Somalia unsafe, unnecessary
At least 12 U.S. soldiers were killed and 75 others were
wounded Monday in what has now become a small war in
Somalia. It is an undeclared war that is needlessly claiming
the lives of Americans.
The Somalis dragged the body of an American soldier through
the streets of Mogadishu and danced around the wreckage of U.S.
helicopters and armored personnel carriers destroyed in the
firefight.
President Clinton would be hard-pressed to explain to the
parents of the dead servicemen why their sons were killed. The
United States has no clear policy in Somalia. Every flag-draped
coffin that comes home from the country represents a life that
should not have been lost.
The United States has responded to the fighting by preparing to
send about 200 infantrymen, bolstered by tanks and armored
vehicles, to help U.S. forces battered in the fighting. As more
troops are killed, the Pentagon sends more into the killing zone.
More U.S. troops will only be exposed to danger and will not
be able to solve the problem. The Somalis do not want U.S. forces
in their country. The United States cannot help people who do not
want to be helped.
President Clinton should stop the bleeding and bring U.S.
troops home before more have to die. If Clinton had to explain the
reason 12 Americans died in Somalia on Monday, he wouldn’t be
able to answer the question.
Sl~i7 editorials represent the official policy of the Fall 1993 Daily Nebraskan. Policy is set by
the Daily Nebraskan Editorial Board. Editorials do not necessarily reflect the views of the
university, its employees, the students or tbe NU Board of Regents. Editorial columns represent
the opinion of the author. Tbe regents publish the Daily Nebraskan. They establish the UNL
Publics! to as Board to supervise the daily production of the paper. According to policy set by
the regents, responsibility for the editorial content of the newspaper lies solely in the hands of
iU students
- --
The Daily Nebraskan welcomes brief letters to tbe editor from all readers and interested others.
Letters will be selected for publication on the basis of clarity, originality, timeliness and space
available. The Daily Nebraskan retains the right to edit or reject all material submitted. Readers
also are welcome to submit material as guest opinions. Tbe editor decides whether material
should run as a guest opinion. Letters ami guest opinions sent to the newspaper become the
property of the Daily Nebraskan and cannot be returned. Anonymous submissions will not be
published. Letters should included the author's name, year in school, major and group
affiliation, if any. Requests to withhold names will not be granted. Submit material to the Daily
Nebraskan, 34 Nebraska Union, 1400 R St., Lincoln, Neb. 68388-0448.
AK&CMSMCGN Wm©93
c
«fc
Health
I am writing in response to the
DN’s recent article concerning the
University Health Center and the pos
sibility of it closing down after 11
p.m. (DN, Oct. 4). I was shocked, and
a little bit sickened, at the justifica
tions that the center’s director, Kunle
Ojikutu, made for closing early. His
assertion that in a four-month period,
only 161 students used the health
center between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m.,
and therefore apparently not worth
the “staggering” $236 for care per
student, is beyond my comprehen
sion. Does Mr. Ojikutu place a dollar
amount on a student’s health? Appar
ently so, or else he could not have
made such an idiotic and bureaucratic
statement.
And to say that only 57 needed
immediate care is just dumbfound
ing. Only? Since only 57 students
needed immediate care or were con
sidered urgent we should obviously
close the center to cut costs. To heck
with the students that do need care.
They can just staunch their bleeding
with some mud and a 1 ittle bit of grass
and peddle their broken bones all the
way to Bryan Memorial, assuming
they have a bike. Otherwise. I guess
they’ll just have to walk.
When this school, or this nation for .
that matter, starts to place budget
costs over a person’s health, I think it
is seriously time to step back and take
a long look at what is being proposed.
To eliminate the evening nealth-care
program on campus just because you
don’t feel that the high per-patient
costs were not an efficient way to run
a business is foolhardy, Mr. Ojikutu.
I hope with all my heart that you
reconsider this possible course of ac
tion. A student’shealthshouldn’t come
in second to the all-mighty dollar.
Blaze Skinner
freshman
technical theater
Addiction
I am certainly impressed by what 1
can leam when 1 read a newspaper.
Why, just this morning I learned that
meat is a drug. I got that bit from the
opinion page (DN, Oct. 4). Good thing
it wasn't on the science page. The
person who wrote in was claiming
that meat is addictive.
The town I come from is so small,
we never had any official that would
write to the local paper to tell us meat
was a horrible, addictive drug. We
thought we were eating meat for bodi
ly nourishment and because we en
joyed it.
But sometimes I think water is
addictive, just like meat. One time 1
figured that water was the root of all
my health problems; so I wouldn't
drink anything that had water in it.
After two days, 1 got so thirsty I just
had to have a cool glass of water. I
suppose I should have contacted a
therapy group or counselor but I could
never get myself to admit that I was
actually addicted to water. Maybe I'll
die someday from a water overdose.
1 may die from eating potatoes.
Why, everyone I know wbo’sdied has
been an eater of potatoes. Masted,
fried or in a potato salad — it didn't
matter. They’re all dead. Come to
think of it, they all drank water, too.
Lowell Gould
graduate student
animal science
David Baddsrs/DN
Discrimination
Dionne Searccy’s front-page story
on the NU presidential search (DN,
Sept. 28) stated that efforts are being
made to ensure “that candidates who .
break the age-old presidential mold
will be given a fair shot at the job.”
The question becomes: “Will those
applicants who happen to be white
males be given a fair shot at the job as
well?”
The endless pursuit of “diversity”
on this campus and in every other
segment of society has led to the death
of meritocracy. Whatever happened
to the notion of hiring the person best
qualified for the job without respect to
race, gender or disability?
The one-time goal ofthe civil rights
movement of creating a “color-bl ind”
society has given way to the new and
essentially realized goal of imposing
a system of reverse discrimination
more repulsive than the original dis
crimination it was designed to rectify.
iTpr'/*
Ross A. Buntrock
second-year law student
Environ mentalism
Wouldn’t it be nice if being an
“environmentalist” was as simple as
moving a few parking lots out of sight
or throwing some pesticides and ni
trates on some blucgrass? Unfortu
nately for us lazy humans, being an
environmentalist requires so much
more; it requires change and sacrifice
and a willingness to admit that our
parents made some mistakes. Basic
environmentalism starts at the indi
vidual level. Turning off light bulbs
behind us is a good start since most of
these “clean-burning” bulbs are ener
gized by coal-burning plants that pro-.
duce radiation, acid rain and global
warming.
Environmentalism also involves
recycling glass, plastics, tin, alumi
num ana paper. Eating lower on the
food chain is another effective sacri
fice since it takes six to 10 times as
much energy, land and water resourc
es to produce a pound of animal pro
tein than a pound of plant protein.
Walking or riding a bicycle instead of
driving a car is a great idea, too, and
like reducing or eliminating animal
products from our diets, results in a
healthier body.
Green space environmentalism?
It’s so easy, but unfortunately docs
nothing for the environment. Who arc
we trying to fpol, ourselves?
Paul Koestcr
senior
soil science
Comics
I do not read comic books
Not anymore, at least But I’ve
read enough in my time to become
affil iated with them; to become bored
and disgusted with their cotton-candy
rhetoric. More often than not, there is
little or no substance in these stories.
I suppose that it was in an attempt
to create a connection between
Batman and his readers that in Will
iam J. Harms’ article (DN, Sept. 22),
“Detective Comics” editor Scott
Peterson said that Batman—described
as “ruthless, unforgiving and extreme
ly brutal” — is “a reflection of our
times.” Also, “this whole MTV gen
eration has a very cynical view of the
world, and Batman is a reflection of
this.” Relate to “superheroes”? I can’t
even relate to this Peterson guy!
Cynicism is not necessarily synon
ymous with ruthlessness or extreme
brutality. In fact, I don’t believe that
it is totally out of character for a cynic
to forgive.
Comic books are generally mean
ingless, but at least they had hitherto
been harmless. It’s one thinp to insult
the reader with poor writing, quite
another to make such a pointless and
insulting claim as this.
dunn
more
ophy