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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (June 6, 1983)
Ijoan nyland suitable for comment My current pessimism has something to do with knowing this nation is not coming up with solutions to our problems. To name but a few pro blems: We have the largest unemployment since the Depression — much of it due to a shift from manufacturing and professional jobs to ser vice jobs. We are in the fourth decade of avoiding ending nuclear warfare. We lack leaders. I could be bullish about the future if I thought these pro blems were being met with in novative solutions and carried out by caring public servants. But they are not. And it looks like the generation to come, my own, is even less in spiring. To the problems of manufacturing and unemploy ment in the major U.S. in dustries such as auto and steel, the solutions being of fered and implemented in clude increased protectionism and automation. The first means higher prices for good and more time for domestic manufacturers to revamp or procrastinate retooling their plants, witness last year's 20-percent decrease in auto imports from Japan Automation, with the parallel move to manufactur ing in Third World countries where labor is cheaper, means fewer fobs, more unemploy ment and more wealth for the few here. My favorite "non-solution” is the suggestion that we pro tect dying industries and let the private sector come up with all the creative solutions to the problems of change — sort of like letting the criminal reform himself. Many firms and the federal government are unwilling to risk investment in new ideas, hence they continue to pour money into outdated and unresponsive industries. What I consider non solutions for decreasing unemployment include such gems as more vacations, job sharing and shorter working hours. Free time is appealing, but it is an inadequate option when most families cannot make it on one budget and I question the quality of life in a leisure society that is anti intellectual if not uneducated (note the National Commis sion on Excellence's Report) and poor. The federal government could aid major industrial tran r sitions by retraining workers or even funding the art and leisure education. However, education costs money and government expenditure raises inflation. As anyone can see from a cursory look at the federal education and defense budgets, the current ad ministration would rather in crease defense spending than help workers. In 1983 Reagan asked for $238.6 billion for the Department of Defense (the real money grabber) and $13.5 billion for Education. The Jour nal of Commerce foresees, should the trends in both budgets continue, a $377-billion defense budget and a $13-billion education budget by 1988. The nuclear freeze move ment has not influenced Con gress as the passage of MX funding shows. We are im mersed in double talk when it comes to real solutions for en ding nuclear warfare — not a particularly novel thought, perhaps that's what makes us all so pessimistic about long range planning. I still would like to think some of the “best" minds in the country hold strong con victions and leaders will pre sent themselves. But the dire selection among the 1984 presidential hopefuls and popular support for Reagan makes me dubious. And as friends usually point out, “Do we blame them for not coming forward to get shot?" I have some basis for op timism. There are creative solutions being tried — in research here at the Universi ty, in the vegetable gardens of friends, In my own life. I just don't see them happening at a national level (New Federalism?) and I don’t see much hope for a change soon. Perhaps the most disheartening aspect of being in college in 1983 is the lack of idealism among my peers. They do not seem to care for politics or poetry or philosophy — which is sad in a society that needs change and will have more leisure. But they are "realistic" if shortsighted. They are either bent on getting out of here and making money before it isn’t possible (the next market crash) or they are, like myself, pessimistic about the future even if they are optimistic about choices they are making in their own lives. '’SuShOwMSEEN ME AT MUIANSBURG — URBANE,RELAXED,TOlSED,OBVIOUSLY W6U-FR SMVE,DEBONAIR, y#TTV,flE6ANT,.. WOW!' your turn MX watershed marked The passage of funds for the development and flight testing of the MX missile by the Congress marks a water shed and provides cause for reflection. With this vote, conser vatives, industrialists and the Pentagon have gotten virtually everything they’ve wanted. We certainly now should feel secure with the MX, Minuteman III, Pershing II, air-, sea-, and ground-launched cruise missiles, Nimitz-class supercarriers, Trident sub marines, B 1 and next the Stealth bombers, not to men tion the reconditioned and retrofitted B-52's and that Joy of Detroit, the Chrysler M-1 tank. Don't mention the cost. The liberal Democrats in the House of Representatives did their about-face in voting for the MX on the basis of a blanket promise by Pres. Reagan that he could now push for • meaningful” arms control negotiations and reductions. He gave no specifics. The Democrats have a craf tier reason for the vote; they’re sure now that Reagan will trip all over himself on the arms issue in the 1984 elections. Under the leadership of Tip O' Neill et al, the recent history of Congressional legislation shows exactly who has done the tripping. The credibility of the American peace movements, or rather fragmented movements, has been shat tered; they have neither teeth nor friends, least of all the Limousine Liberals of the Democratic Party All they and the Freezeniks were able to do was to get the Oregon daily emerald the Oregon Daily Em*,aw ■* published Monday through Friday *«c#pt during »«am mm* and .Beetroot by lb* Oregon Oally Emerald Publi*hrng {>> at the unireraity -,l Oregon Eugene. OH f?403 the Emerald operate* independently of tn* Om*er*ny w«h office* on me thrrd Moor of the ld> Memorial Onion and i* a member of tfie Aneoc rated httt WHil M*IM2 mi hm Me AMI MtMtl Editor Managing £ dll Of N#W* tdllo* A**i»t*n! New* Editor Editorial Pag* Editor PhOtO Editor Spout Editor AUOCMWa Sport* Edttor Entartainmani Editor N.ght Edttor Aaaaclata Editor* Migha* Education Da pan man!* and School* Studanl Govarnmant E nature* Pontic* Studanl SemcevCommuntt / Qawarat ft tatt Adearttamg Manager Ctekattied Adwerttttng Production Manager Control tar air* Marry Esleve John Mealy Manan Green Cort Far natd Joan Mytand Bob Baker Mike Rtpirnger Paul Danger Jonathan Sregte John Mealy Sandy John none Frank Shaw Richard Burr Swan Mayer* M.cheie Matasva Aiata Zak Gartene Gore Salty Ol(ar vctona Koch Jean OwnOey house to pass a watered down, non-binding resolution; a suggestion. Then the same Democrats capped Reagan’s $1.5 trillion military dream with the force of law. With $625 million now com mitted to the MX, basing and deployment are certain. What Congressman wants to face his or her constituents having spent those millions on a missile only to blow it by not allowing a place to put it? So now we have committed ourselves to the "new genera tion" of strategic weapons: multiple warhead missiles, cruise missiles, space plat forms and launch-on-warning (or even first-strike) systems. The American peopJe always have opted for the con cept of “peace through strength” ever since Pearl Har bor. And for many, the MX vote is a reaffirmation of that con cept, although using the Peart Harbor analogy to compare our military capabilities with the Russians is ridiculous. And the American people also have sided with the. military-industrial complex because they believe there will be more jobs. Witness organiz ed labor’s endorsement of the MX in particular and military spending in general. Just what kind of jobs are created for how many and what kind of people is not mentioned. What the Russians will do is not at all clear. They can say with ali logic that the current Administration has not offered one shred of evidence to con vince them of our peaceful in tentions. Two scenarios arise. One is that, the Soviets, convinced that an arms race is impossible, will now enter into serious negotations. The other more hideous prospect is that the Soviets will become alarm ed at a gigantic, and to them unjustified, American military buildup and so respond. After all, their land-based missiles are their Key strategic force. Should American land missiles become dominant, our naval and bomber triad "legs” would be intolerable. They would have no choice but to rearm. One thing is clear. Through our elected representatives, we Americans have paid our money and taken our choice. MAD must go on. We deserve everything we are going to get. Michael Peterson Peterson Is a Eugenean cur rently working as a cook. He hopes to attend the University next fall. letters Active issue The May 31 issue of the Emerald quoted Mary Hotch kiss in reference to the ROTC issue as saying, "if there’s ac tive discrimination, then it becomes a student body issue." I would like to remind our new activist student body president of two things: First, discrimination is, by defini tion, active. Second, discrimination is a student body issue, not only when it reaches a certain level of awareness. Debi Lance senior, psychology letters policy . The Emerald will attempt to print all letters containing fair comment on topics of interest to the University community. Letters to the editor must be limited to 250 words, signed and the identification of the writer must be verified when the letter is turned in to the Emerald office The Emerald reserves the right to edit any letter for length, style or content >our turn is an Emerald opinion feature submitted by members of the University community "Your turns" must be limited to 500 words and typed This editorial column will not be edited by the staff, but selection will be based on appro priateness Letters to the editor and "Your turns" should be turned into the Emerald office. 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