Opinion
Put a cork
1 • • j
in it
Hagel is right for trying to
limit soft money contributions
Today Congress begins negotiations on campaign finance
reform that we see as a step in the right direction.
And a Nebraska senator, Republican Chuck Hagel, is
leading the way. Hagel is behind a bill that would limit soft
money contributions to less than $60,000. There is no real
limit now, as one government worker union contributed $1.38
million to the Democratic Party.
Soft-money contributions can buy governmental officials.
Hagel, of course, is following the lead of former presidential
candidate Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who has been on the
campaign finance bandwagon for some years.
Not all of us believe limiting soft-money contributions is a
Soft-money good thing. The majority of us
. see it differently. But either way,
Contributions discussions need to begin in
rnn earnest, or our government
curl uuy eventually could be at stake.
governmental While we understand that
special interest groups exist to
OjjlCiaiS. mobilize citizen support into
real action, a line has to be drawn
somewnere to regulate rampant pluralism.
When a board of directors on a special interest group starts
to hold each and every card for change, it has become too far
removed from the general public our nation is supposed to be
supporting.
At one time in our history, perhaps not even long ago, we
may have held the naive belief that our politicians held the
common interest of citizens as their highest priority. We better
understand the full extent of governmental compromise, espe
cially at the sacrifice of the voters’ opinions.
It takes money to get elected and money to get re-elected.
There is no way to control what the money goes for and how
it is used. So the only other option may be to control the
money itself.
As for whether or not a soft-money cap limits freedom of
expression: We don’t think so. For one, contributions toward a
party might go for anything within it, some of which may or
may not have anything to do with re-election or even the
party’s self-worth.
A contribution might be put into petty cash or even given
away as charity when recycled through the bank system. Are
these acts considered an extension of free expression? Very
doubtful.
But, in reality^, the free expression argument is a ruse of
sorts. Really, special interest groups fear losing their power.
Considering the opposition to capping soft money, the cap
itself should be even more appealing.
Editorial Board
Josh Funk (editor) • J.J. Harder • Cliff Hicks • Samuel
McKewon • Dane Stickney • Kimberly Sweet • Lindsay
Young
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Editorial Policy
Unsigned editorials are the opinions of the spring 2000
Daily Nebraskan. They do not necessarily reflect the views
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student body or the University of Nebraska Board of
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three.
Obermeyer’s
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Letters to the
EDITOR
Lincoln or Kmart
I am from a small, western
Nebraska community, and I think
these wonderful, small communities
to which Tony Cacioppo refers (DN,
Tuesday) only do “exist in corny
movies.” I’m sure there are excep
tions, but I have yet to experience
them.
The small community I am from
consists primarily of people who are
afraid to go out in the real world and
believe in themselves. They stay in
one place their entire lives and never
dare to venture elsewhere.
My small town prevented me from
doing many things. I didn’t play
sports because I didn’t have the right
last name or older siblings who
played. My high school didn’t even
offer swimming, softball or gymnas
tics. I drove an hour just for dance
lessons. I was never free to be my own
person or to meet different people.
When my parents got divorced,
the town gossiped about it for two
years. My grandma has a scanner she
listens to 24 hours a day so she can
keep track of whose kids are getting
minors in possession. Every weekend
there are at least three or four because
the town has absolutely nothing else
to offer.
Almost all of the star basketball
and football players I went to high
school with have flunked out of col
lege, moved back to work on the rail
road and have gotten married to then
high school sweethearts. Their sweet
hearts also quit college and now work
part-time at Kmart.
Forgive me for believing my life is
more fulfilling now and that I’ve
become a much more cultured, open
minded and intelligent person since
I’ve come to this “big city.”
Mandy Guernsey
junior
biochemistry
Philanthropic Props
Delta Tau Delta and Chi Omega
should be praised for their giving of
time and work to the teachers and stu
dents of Clinton school. Most of these
people are very busy with work and
school, so to take the time out of their
schedules to help some children is
I-—
great.
Many other schools in Lincoln
would more than welcome the oppor
tunity for some extra help. I have
worked as a paraeducator, and there
are a lot of children who sometimes
need an adult figure who is not a par
ent or teacher to look up to.
Great job, Chi Omega and Delta
Tau Delta! Keep up the wonderful
work you are doing.
Heather Nye
Nebraska Union employee
Unpopular Rights
Mike Donley, you have presented
no evidence that the National Rifle
Association engages in bribery or
other corrupt activities. The NRA
simply plays by the same rules as
every other group, including People
for the Ethical Treatment of Animals,
the National Organization for Women
and the National Association for the
Advancement of ColoredJNwple. The
only difference is they don't argue for
that which is politically correct.
The NRA sees, as many others
see, the government as a body not to
be trusted. To put too much trust in
government removes personal
responsibility from our lives. Taking
guns away from law-abiding people
simply ensures that any outlaw can
have his way with America.
Are you naive enough to think if
guns were taken away from everyone,
shootings would just stop? Do you
think criminals would not find a way
to purchase or manufacture firearms?
People never notice that guns have
been fairly technologically advanced
for many years, but only now is gun
violence becoming a problem. Could
it be the slipping of Ajmerican morals
that contributes to the gun violence
we see today? Surely not. You point to
the tool, not the user.
When a person is killed with a
knife, a rope, a chain or a bat, no one
cries to outlaw these weapons. But
involve a firearm, and it is the gun’s
fault. Not the person who pulled the
trigger, not the parents who raised the
child who became the monstrosity
who kills. It is always the gun’s fault.
Why must everyone blame the gun?
Teach responsibility.
Teach how to use and respect
" ' w II
firearms. Don’t just blindly say “guns
are bad, get rid of all guns.”
And keep this in mind, Mr.
Donley: Today they take my rights
because they are not popular. When
will your rights not be popular?
R. Peter McClellan
senior
mechanical engineering
Wheelin’ & dealin’
Vickie Zulkoski and Stacey
Weaver claim that NU on Wheels is
not being delivered as promised. That
claim simply is not true.
The program was designed to run
each weekend while school is in ses
sion. The program does not run during
vacations or during summer.
University of Nebraska-Lincoln stu
dents were informed of this at the
beginning of the program. Ads
reminding students are placed in the
Daily Nebraskan before each vaca
tion.
While we would like to make the
program available every weekend
during the year, the current funding
makes this impossible.
More importantly though, NU on
Wheels never was intended to encour
age drunkenness or irresponsibility. It
was founded, after losing a dear friend
to a drunken driver, to protect other
innocent people from drunken driving
tragedies.
The absence of NU on Wheels last
weekend should not be used as an
excuse for drunken driving. There are
always other alternatives available
that people may choose to use such as:
1. finding a designated driver
2. paying for a cab ride
3. calling a sober friend
We welcome any feedback at
nuonwheels@unl.edu and hope this
service does not replace common
sense or good citizenship.
Molly Schmitz
coordinator of NU on Wheels
senior
elementary deaf and art
education
Brett Stohs
co- founder of NU on Wheels
junior
math and political science
P 5 Vv/f/f’c 23ac
20 Nebraska Union, 1400 “R” St., Lincoln,
, or e-mail letters@unl.edu.
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