Daily
Nebraskan
Editorial Board
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Jeff Zeleny.Editor, 472-1766
Jeff Robb.Managing Editor
Matt Woody.Opinion Page Editor
DeDra Janssen..Associate News Editor
Rainbow Rowell.Arts & Entertainment Editor
James Mehsling..Cartoonist
Chris Hain.Senior Reporter
Sea of red
Amendment’s defeat ensures more deficits
The Unites States Senate voted again on Thursday for fiscal irre
sponsibility.
A balanced-budget amendment to the U.S. Constitution, approved
by the House of Representatives, died with a 65-35 vote — two
votes short of the needed two-thirds majority — in the other legis
lative chamber.
The vote was sharply divided along party lines: 33 of the “no”
votes were cast by Democrats, and one of the two Republican votes
was Senate Majority Leader Robert Dole’s, in a maneuver that could
bring the measure up for another vote in 1996.
“Let ‘em try,” to bring it up again, Sen. Minority Leader Tom
Daschle said defiantly after the vote.
Are the Democrats living up to their tax-and-spend reputation in
standing against balancing the federal budget? Well, yes they say, if
it means balancing the budget at the expense of Social Security.
“All this talk about protecting Social Security is a cover for a tax
increase,” Dole said.
Whatever the reason, it certainly smacks of politics.
Since the amendment was a key part of the Contract With
America, it could be that the Democrats were looking for their first
victory since the election.
People have been sick and tired of gridlock for years. Each party
has always pointed the finger at the other. But in this case, unfortu
nately, it is the Democrats who are keeping anything from happen
ing.
The Republicans should be applauded for not setting Social Se
curity aside in the budget-balancing process. If Social Security is
first, then welfare or Medicaid or defense spending can’t be too far
behind.
If this country and its leaders are dedicated to and serious about
balancing the budget, we must look at every line. Balancing the
budget will not be an easy task, and that’s why a Constitutional
amendment is the only way it will ever occur.
Three months after the 1994 election, the Democrats and Repub
licans still are fighting, while the deficit keeps growing and grow
ing and growing.
Quotes of the week
“We did a pretty good job on the guy. He just hit shots. It
seems like everybody wants to have a career day against
Nebraska.”
— Nebraska guard Erick Strickland,
on Kansas State guard Belvis Noland
“For Nebraskans, it means we can begin to transform the
complex spider-web welfare system we now have into the
simplified safety net it was intended to be.”
— Gov. Ben Nelson,
on proposed Nebraska welfare reforms
“I think now we can put the jokes behind us. DIA does
include airplanes.”
— Denver Mayor Wellington Webb,
on the city’s new Denver International airport, which opened
Tuesday after many embarrassing delays
Editorial policy
Staff editorials represent the official
policy of the Spring 1995. Daily
Nebraskan. Policy is set by the Daily
Nebraskan Editorial Board. Editori
al s do notnecessarily reflect the views
of the university, its employees, the
students or the NU Board ofRegents.
Editorial columns represent the opin
ion of the author. The regents publish
the Daily Nebraskan. They establish
the UNL Publications Board to su
pervise the daily production of the
paper. According to policy set by the
regents, responsibility for the edito
rial content of the newspaper lies
solely in the hands of its students.
Letter policy
The Daily Nebraskan welcomes brief letters to the
editor from all readers and interested others. Letters
will be selected forpublication on the basis ofclarity,
originality, timeliness and space available. The Daily
Nebraskan retains therightto edit orrejectall material
submitted. Readers also are welcome to submit ma
terial as guest opinions. The editor decides whether
material should run as a guest opinion. Letters and
guest opinions sent to die newspaper become the
property of die Daily Nebraskan and cannot be
returned. Anonymous submissions will not be pub
lished. 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 materia] to the Daily Nebraskan, 34 Nebraska
Union, 1400 R St, Lincoln, Neb. 68588-0448.
I
Send your brief letters to:
Daily Nebraskan, 34
Nebraska Union, 1400 R St,
Lincoln, Neb. 68588. Or fax
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-:
Correction
A word was accidentally omitted
from a sentence in Denise M.
Whitaker’s letter “Racism” (March
2).
The letter read, “(L)et’s remem
ber that some African Americans
are not the participants of the wel
fare and affirmative action pro
grams.” Itshould have read,“(L)et’s
rememberthat some African Ameri
cans are not the only participants of
the welfare and affirmative action
programs.”
The Daily Nebraskan regrets the
error.
Lincoln radio
This letter is in response to Jeff
Hansen’s comment in “Mysterious
countdown puzzles 101.9 listeners”
(Feb. 21) that it “would be really cool
if they would start playing new music
that usually doesn’t get heard on radio
stations around here.”
Say what? May I direct his (and
everyone’s) attention to the
university’s own KRNU. A more di
versified, alternative-rock radio sta
tion does not exist within several hun
dred miles of 90.3 FM. I suggest that
you tune in to KRNU if you are sick of
the so-called “new rock alternative”
radio station here in Lincoln. You
know the one.
Its programmers think Ace of Base,
The Cars and The Pretenders are al
ternative. Alternative to what? The
other day I actually heard “Pop Mu
sic” by M, which came out about 16
years ago. Can anything that was re
leased in the ’70s really and truly be
called new rock alternative? Hmmm?
OK, there were the Sex Pistols. And
they sure get played in heavy rotation,
huh?
Uh, sorry, I’m digressing. Where
was I? Oh yeah. “We never had a good
station for serious alternative music,”
says Hansen. “Never” is a pretty strong
word. At one time, Lincoln listeners
could count on KZUM to regularly
come up with some interesting alter
native radio sounds. However, if you
are waiting for 101.9 (on the “Edge”
of what?) to “fill the void,” I’m afraid
you’ll be waiting a long, long time.
You see, commercial radio’s lifeblood
depends on advertising revenue.
It has to sell ads and appeal to a
broad audience, the lowest common
denominator, someone who’d freak if
they turned on the radio and heard
Swamp Zombies,'Poster Children or
the Mommy Heads.
KilNU is the only “serious alterna
tive” that plays “stuff you wouldn’t
hear” on commercial radio.
Spin the dial counter-clockwise to
90.3 FM, KRNU, Lincoln’s only
REAL alternative-rock radio.
K.R. Theesen
illustrator
College of Dentistry
i i ii——— —a ——r
Amy Schmidt/DN
UNL parking
. I would like to applaud ASUN for
its stand against the proposed motor
cycle parking fee. I would also like to
set a couple of things straight with the
Parking Advisory Committee.
The idea that charging motorcycle
riders a parking fee out of fairness is
absolutely ridiculous. The spaces pro
vided are tiny and poorly maintained;
usually they are leftover spots where
the lines for auto stalls would not fit.
Also, on good-weather days, motor
cyclists are just as hard-pressed to
find decent parking as anyone else on
campus.
How does parking services pro
pose to monitor these fees? One way it
suggested was to place a sticker on the
license plate (which is illegal in it
self), another was to issue permanent
tags to be placed on the motorcycle. I
would assume that those tags would
have to be highly visible. I hope that
parking services doesn’t run out of the
minuscule funds it will collect by re
placing all of the stolen or lost tags. At
65 mph on the interstate, they sure
wouldn’t last long.
The parking problems on this cam
pus are a huge and volatile issue.
Riding motorcycles to campus should
be encouraged in every way, shape
and form.
Maybe next year we will see bi
cycle permits required, and after that
little meters at students’ desks in the
classroom and tickets pasted on their
foreheads.
Rolin £. Lemon
sophomore
pre-education
Traditional values
Lara Duda makes a good point
about traditional values (March 2).
When financially feasible, many
women would love to stay home and
raise the children maintaining the
household. When couples share the
same “traditional” values, this works
out great.
Even as a professional, I dream of
the time when I can provide more for
my children than day care offers, main
tain a healthy, clean home, devote
time to community involvement, pre
pare balanced meals and support my
partner in his profession.
I enjoy making lunches every morn
ing. I put a little love into everything I
do. Careful, guys—traditional values
do not equal control. As soon as I am
expected to do something because it’s
“my job” as a woman, then I will no
longer love doing it. Now there’s a
greater probability that I ’ll stop doing
it.
Polly Ann Najarian
graduate student
agricultural meteorology
