opinion
Hatfield doesn't wash,
as a Republican
Oregon Sen. Mark Hatfield is a quirky sort of guy, at least for
a Republican. Sometimes he just doesn't wash as a Republican.
Not that lurking behind his moderate composure is a ranting
and raving Democrat. Hatfield doesn't wash as a Democrat
either.
Hatfield ended a ton of speculation by announcing on Friday
he'd r.un for a fourth term in the U.S. Senate. There really were
neither smoke-filled rooms, nor clandestine meetings — the in
trigue over whether Hatfield would run was largely media made.
He was silent — and if a politician is silent the media gets antsy
and speculative.
Hatfield is chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee,
arguably the most important committee in the Senate. Hatfield,
since the death of Henry Jackson, D-Wash., is probably the most
powerful U.S. Senator in the Northwest. Hatfield, after 33 years
in public office, has reached the pinnacle of his career.
So why is Hatfield quirky? Because he reacts issue to issue.
Where are the knee-jerk politicians of old?
In Silverton, where Hatfield traditionally stands to toss his
hat into the ring, he reaffirmed his intentions to combat
''chronic unemployment, rapidly depleting natural resources,
crumbling public facilities, uncertainty in the financial markets
and a cancerous arms race.''
That's good stuff. Who wrote that?
Hatfield's position on nuclear weapons has set him at odds
with the usual Republican ilk and the guy in the oval office who
acts on behalf of the country.
In Eugene on Saturday, Hatfield said he and Sen. Edward
Kennedy, D-Mass planned to introduce a nuclear freeze resolu
tion as an amendment to the national debt ceiling. The bill goes
before the Senate this week.
Kennedy and Hatfield, now there's a pair of strange
bedfellows.
Hatfield is obviously pro-peace, anti-war, and yet has been
staunchly anti-abortion. In fact, pro-choice groups have lumped
Hatfield among Jesse Helms, R-N.C., Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, Henry
Hyde, R-lll., and refer to them as the "4-H Club.''
Not only is Hatfield rather quirky, he's weirdly
anachronistic. While in Eugene Hatfield said Pres. Dwight "Ike”
Eisenhower was the only president to understand the concept of
national security in the nuciear age. Ike Eisenhower?
Hatfield went on to note that Ike, unlike most presidents,
didn't fall under the sway of the Pentagon and "what
Eisenhower so rightly labeled the military-industrial complex."
It's a little late to pay heed to Eisenhower's warning — even if it
may be true.
Ironically, Hatfield gets a better rating from the national
liberal journals than from the national conservative journals. In
the areas of economic, foreign and cultural issues, the liberal
journals rate Hatfield exceptionally higher than the conservative
journals.
Hatfield is quirky — admirably so. Oregon voters appreciate
that. But don't consider his re-election a sure thing. There's a
politician looming on the horizon who has made quite a name
for herself and just might win Hatfield's Senate seat.
Meetings may squash
parking plan bugs
The West University Neighborhood parking plan is beginn
ing to smell a little sweeter than before, if only because the city
staff has been meeting with the local groups they'd previously
overlooked.
All last week city staff held "advisory” meetings with Univer
sity students, Sacred Heart Hospital employees and Bureau of
Land Management employees. They were seeking solutions and
that's a step in the right direction. The City Council will be
reconsidering the parking plan Nov. 9.
We're still not wholly satisfied with the parking plan at pre
sent, but we'll reserve any endorsement or condemnation until
we see if there are any positive changes as a result of the ad
visory meetings.
Oregon daily . .
emerald
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letters
Hello hello hello
After reading about "Ol Ma
Bell's Divestiture" (Oct. 27) I was
left with the impression that
Pacific Northwest Bell has given
up on any opportunity to avoid
phone rate hikes. "We fought
hard against the divestiture," ac
cording to PNB Public Relations
Director Bruce Hall. But in the
same article Hall is frustrated that
Congress has recently delayed the
implementation of access
charges.
Though frustration on the part
of the phone company may be
justified, it is not reason enough
to hurry up with the divestiture
before the consequences are fully
considered.
The goal of universal telephone
service established by the Com
munications Act of 1934 is in great
danger. In Michigan, AT&T's own
figures indicate that a tripling of
phone rates as proposed there
would force 24 percent of Bell's
customers to give up their
phones. In the Telecommunica
tions Act of 1982 (a bill which
AT&T successfully lobbied
against), it was stated that "over
half of the elderly households
who are living on the knife edge
of poverty would be denied their
lifelink to the outside world if the
kind of cost increases we have
heard about from the experts
come true."
The U.S. telephone service in
the past was the envy of all the
world precisely because everyone
was connected to the system.
When one household loses a
phone, a ripple effect spreads to
everyone who might have needed
to contact that household. The
collective value of universal
phone service cannot be
measured. This is why another
solution to local phone rate hikes
must be found.
Fortunately, there are other op
tions. First of all, the "subsidy"
which AT&T has paid to local
operation companies in the past
must be continued. This subsidy
has been grossly mistitled. In ac
tuality, the payment was a
justified sharing of joint costs. Not
just AT&T, but the other long
distance companies should pay
their share of the joint costs. The
absence of this provision is not
only unfair, but it endangers a
half-century old commitment to
universal phone access.
Before we hurriedly accept all
proposed rate increases, the other
options must be explored. The
consequences of putting a large
part of the population out of
touch is too important to ignore.
Carol Benedick
Start explaining
The Oregon Daily Emerald owes
the student body, faculty and staff
of the University two
explanations.
First, the Emerald's Board of
Directors needs to explain why it
voted to remove me as a member
of the Board without citing cause.
The Board ignored the wishes of
the student body by voting to ex
pel the students' representative.
Next year, it could vote to remove
the student-at-large the day after
that person is elected, and the
Board appoints the replacement.
The Board admitted that my in
volvement with Oregon Commen
tator does not constitute a conflict
of interest or breach of ethics, by
failing to remove Richard Burr,
editor and president of the Com
mentator, and by not voting at all
on whether two other Board
members' appointments involved
conflicts of interest. The Board ad
mitted Burr and I were being
singled out.
By voting on whether to remove
Burr, an ASUO presidential ap
pointee, and me, the Board
callously ignored the wishes of
the student body. By removing me
only, it showed its motives were
purely personal and political, and
admitted that it can't accept alter
native viewpoints or criticism, all
charges Board members did not
contest. As for me, I had intended
to resign anyway.
Second, the newspaper staff
needs to explain why the Board
vote wasn't mentioned in the
paper until at least 4Vi days later.
Is it not newsworthy that a body
essentially impeached and remov
ed, without citing cause, an
elected public servant?
If the Emerald wants to be so in
dependent of students, it can
send back the Incidental Fee
Committee's huge check and not
ask for another one.
Dane Claussen
senior, journalism
Gets bothered
I would like to respond to Sterl
ing Coke's very pertinent ques
tion concerning the responsiblility
of elected officals to their
constituents.
Yes, Coke, it does bother me
when those "we” select to office
don't express "our" views.
However, I have a feeling that
your young Republican ideology
differs radically from the beliefs of
most students on campus. We
have at this University a student
government that is politically
motivated in a humanitarian and
concerned fashion. As a general
rule, the ASUO is doing a fine job
of expressing my views, and I
hope it continues on the political
course it has taken.
While on the subject of elected
officials, let us consider our man
behind the wheel in Washington.
Aside from drastically affecting
the lives of his own people (an ac
cepted and almost unavoidable
phenomena in all societies), Pres.
Ronald Reagan has taken it upon
himself to dictate morality to a ma
jor portion of the world. I am
speaking here of the recent U.S.
invasion of Grenada, as well as the
CIA's "covert funds” fueling a
reactionary war against a people
struggling for survival in
Nicaragua. I encourage you,
Coke, and anyone interested in a
first-hand account of the situation
in Nicaragua to attend a presenta
tion by the Oregon Women's
Delegation which recently visited
that war-torn nation.
I feel obliged also to mention
something about Reagan's intent
to place Pershing missiles in
Western Europe. More than a
million western Europeans par
ticipated in demonstrations this
past week in response to "our"
president's go ahead for the pro
ject. It is obvious that such a deci
sion can only increase world ten
sion and further escalate an
already out-of-control arms
race... and who gave Reagan the
right to so omnipotently control
the destiny of so many million
human beings throughout the
world? The American people did,
and it is~time that we as a collec
tive entity repeal that right. Those
directly affected by American
policies abroad have very little
choice in the matter. Politicians
are swayed by public outcry; it is
time that we cry out against the
violence perpetuated by our
elected officials against the peo
ple of Nicaragua, Grenada, and
Western Europe, as well as
elsewhere around the globe.
One last point. Coke: I do
respect the fact that you've taken
the time to express your views.
Randall Harbour