opinion
I ken sands
even editors get the blues
ASUO presidents only get mentioned in the
paper when they make mistakes.
Unfortunately, out-going president Dave Ea
ton has done a good job. So he wants his name in
the paper one more time.
Eaton is one of those ‘‘nice guys’’ who finish
last when they play baseball. We were boxboys
together at Pay Less four years ago, and we've
been friends ever since.
Paul Olum is another one of those nice guys,
even though he finished first. He’s good at his job,
and he doesn’t seem to take things too personally.
More importantly, he always tries to be honest
with students. So even when we disagree, we
respect his opinion.
Today he wrote us a letter congratulating us
for some recent awards. “I don’t deny that I get
mad at you sometimes,” he wrote, ‘‘but I also
recognize real quality, and it is clear that the
Emerald is tops among college newspapers on the
West Coast.”
Good timing Paul. It’s nice to know I’m not the
only one who’s in a good mood today.
Emeritus journalism Prof. Charles Duncan has
been an Emerald supporter for 31 years, and we
appreciate it. He’s our only reader who lets us
know when we do things right.
Duncan taught the first class I ever attended
at the University, and I’ve sought his help many
times since.
Housing director Dan Williams is a pretty nice
guy too, and he even has a sense of humor. That’s
quite an accomplishment for someone who eats
dorm food. Maybe it’s because he was ASUO
president back in medieval times.
ESCAPE director Jim Doty always seems to
be in a good mood. Like all student leaders, he’s
overworked and underpaid, but he likes his job
anyway. He works well with people.
Basketball coach Jim Haney is under a lot of
pressure to win, but he thinks the well-being of his
players is more important. That’s a refreshing —
and unusual — attitude. He’s a nice guy, too, and I
hope he doesn’t always finish last, because he
might lose his job.
From all indications, law school dean Derrick
Bell is a really nice guy. An Emerald photographer
took photos of him, and Bell wrote a note saying
how nice the photos were.
There are many more nice people around
campus and around town, including Sally Hodg
kinson’s brand-new nephew. Apparently he’s the
cutest kid in the nursery.
Lastly, I really can’t mention Emerald photo
editor Steve Dykes, because this is a column
about nice guys.
vot rs
Denny’s ‘deaf ear’
If you are concerned about nuclear
power plant safety then you must be
concerned about the actions of Con
gressman Denny Smith
The Gannett News Service reported on
April 10 that Smith is pressing for im
mediate licensing of 12 nuclear plants
prior to adequate review by the Nuclear
Regulatoiy Commission of safety prob
lems brought to light by Pennsylvania's
Three Mile Island nuclear accident.
In 1978 Oregon voters expressed their
concern over dangerous wastes
produced by nuclear plants responding
to the many problems of the federal
nuclear program.
If citizens are going to be forced to live
close to nuclear plants and risk their
property and the financial integrity of
their local utilities by participating in the
federal nuclear program, then they are
entitled to adequate safety requirement.
It will be interesting to see Smith's
reponse to requests from the Nuclear
Regulatory Commission Chairman Jo
seph Hendrie to allow nuclear plant
operation licenses prior to public hear
ings. Government needs to hear more,
not less, from the people
Many voters supported Smith because
they felt he would listen to them. Now, we
see Mr. Smith took a “deaf-ear" to
Washington D C.
Rep. Bill Bradbury
Rep. Margie Hendriksen
Rep. Wally Priestley
Rhetoric unheeded
Bombarding people with political ab
stractions and Communist rhetoric does
not change their minds These things
only build barriers to basic communica
tion. It is time the R.C.Y.B. recognized
this simple fact and realized that only if
alternative ideologies are conveyed out
of concern (for ones fellow human be
ings) will they be duly received
Granted, anti-capitalist critique can
(and should) be applied to American
society It is a society where competition
supersedes cooperation A society
where our forests, air and oceans are
destroyed and polluted for the profit of a
few. A society where sex roles of ma
choism and femininity drive wedges
between man and woman Where money
is the Almighty and our relationship with
other human beings, with our natural
environment and with the earth itself lose
significance if we can attain more of it
Isn't it time someone formed an or
ganization that appeals to these basic
sentiments without confronting people
with negative incomprehensible dogma?
An organization designed to lead a broad
spectrum of people against their com
mon enemy (of multi-national capitalism)
and towards a common goal (of interna
tional socialism) And lastly, an organ
ization that recognized that fun, love and
music are also viable means of
communication? I think so
Christian Gunther
Sophomore, undeclared
Supports land tax
In the near future hearings on Joint
Senate Resoution 25 will be held in
Salem. JSR25 provides for the state
paying 100 percent of the cost of educa
tion for grades K-8 Costs of education at
this level amount to roughly 50 of the
total budget of sub-collegiate education
in Oregon
The legislation is being proposed by
Sen. Bill McCoy, D-Portland
Where will the money come from?
This is, of course, the heart of the
artichoke. The money is to come from a
new 2-percent tax on the assessed value
of land The funds needed, because of
the recent tremendous increase in land
value, can be provided while excluding
small and low value land ownerships. If
foreign and out-of-state millionaires are
going to enjoy the benefits of land ow
nership in Oregon they should pay — at
least a little bit.
The land tax does not apply to struc
tures, livestock, machinery, etc. It is a tax
only on the value of the land Therefore,
the tax on land encourages construction
and the harvesting of timber. Economists
agree on very little, but general
agreement does exist that if taxes are
going to be collected the tax on land is
the best of the lot.
Please write to Sens. McCoy and John
Powell, Chairperson of the Senate
Revenue Committee, at the State Capi
tol, and let them know you favor a
statewide land tax to finance 100 percent
of the costs of education for grades K-8.
They deserve our support in their effort
to stimulate the Oregon economy while
preserving the property tax relief now
available on residential property.
Richard W. Lindholm
Emeritus Professor and
Dean of Business
Elections needed?
Is it really necessary to hold ASUO
elections? After all, everyone knew who
the 1981-82 ASUO officers and IFC
members would be before the election
was held. But how have these certain
candidates won the “election”? It’s sim
ple: get in good with the Greek coalition
and victory is guaranteed. Even the
Emerald, in its April 15 editorial, stated
"with. . the Greeks endorsing Wilkins,
his victory seems likely.”
Endorsements are a part of every
election, but past Greek-endorsed of
ficials have left something to be desired.
Perhaps the best example is this year’s
“atrocious’’ IFC — according to the
Emerald — made up mostly of members
endorsed last year by this same Greek
coalition.
But what prevents this year’s Greek
endorsements from making the same
blunders? Nothing that I can see. This
seems almost certain in the case of the
IFC. This year’s ASUO Pres. Dave Eaton
said that “he, Halquist and Greek house
Presidents ‘recruited’ IFC candidates’
Pamela Jordan, Dave Gibson and Xavier
Romano, all Greeks, because we
thought these members would serve the
best interest of the University, AS WELL
AS the Greek system.’’ Perhaps more
appropriately the Greek system and then
the University.
It seems to me that if these candidates
really felt they could serve the Universi
ty’s best interests as IFC members, Eaton
and Halquist would find it unnecessary
to recruit them. The candidates would
have entered the race on their own
If I were Greek, I would be offended at
being told to vote for a candidate simply
because the candidate is Greek. True,
the candidate almost certainly will
represent the Greek system, but will he
or she represent the University? I think
the majority of students are more con
cerned with the latter.
Perhaps next year, each candidate s
“party” affiliation can be listed next to
his or her name, like it's done in the big
leagues. G for Greek party candidates, I
for the Independent party candidates.
This would save the Interfraternity
Council time and money by eliminating
the need to distribute endorsements of
their candidates to all Greek members.
But more importanlty, it would let the
voter more easily determine which “par
ty" he or she wants in power the follow
in9 year Dave Gressett
Junior, financemarketing
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