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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (March 8, 1990)
Editorial Politicians should avoid special-interest funding Thom has been a growing national concern over political campaign contributions from spec ial interest political ac tion c ommiltees During the* ‘80s the number of spec ial-mteresl groups small anil large, increased tremendously (iroups such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving. I'eo pie tor the Kthic .1$ Treatment of Animals, and National Abortion Rights Action League have gained member ship and greater clout We have seen the same trend here on campus There are now more than 100 student groups on cam pus. many with special interests, and quite a few of these groups arc1 active in c unipus elec tions This year the ASt C) is tr\ing to play more of .1 watchdog role in the election process Candidates run ning for elected positions in this veal s race w ill Ire re quired to report information on all campaign contribu lions now much they worn, where the Hinds came from and how they were spent Candidates also will have to report "in kind" con tributions. such as supplies, copying and donated re soon es This is an addition t<> the past rules, and will help ensure honest and open elections. It is good to see the ASUO making stringent efforts to keep an eve on the who. what where, when how and w in ot campus i ampaign contributions All candi dates' contribution information is open to the publit . so interested students c an lind out u ho and what the* candidates are affiliated with Student groups have long Ireen active in political iai.es here on i ainptis and in the community There are no limits on the amount of funds .1 student group can donate to a c andidate, but groups that receive IIC funding can only donate money from their own fund raising accounts thus ensuring that student fees are used within the group. There are many problems with special-interest groups donating money to political candidates, wheth er they are campus, local, state or national politicians. When a politician accepts money from a PAC, they are affiliating themselves with that group and its ideol ogy. That group will most likely expect the politician to support its causes through word and action. Hence the |Nililician is pressured into supporting, or intro ducing any legislation or actions that the group is tracking because if he or she doesn't, the group might slop contributing to the campaign fund. And what if a politician finds that he or she dis agrees with a particular piece of legislation that the group supports? Whul happens then? What about politicians that receive contributions front numerous different PAC Is? These elected officials could Ire selling themselves out and taking on the ideas and causes of their suouurters. Tin' power of those groups is growing. People are liniting that by joining a PAC they can have an impact on the people in power The media is giving more cov erage to PAl.’s. and in some cases ton ing politicians to become manipulated by the; groups and their causes There has been enough concern in Oregon alone to warrant a ballot initiative limiting the amount of cam paign contributions politicians can accept from spe i ial-inleres! groups. This is not the first time- this has < omeup Rep Mike Burton. D-Portlancf. introduced legisla tion in Oregon last year to In and get the- state govern ment to watchdog itself and limit PA( contributions His legislation was not well-received in Congress and never got close to passing. So he vowed to take it to the ballot this vear. Nonna Paulus. former sec rotary of state, believes that if the measure goes to the- voters it will pass Ilopefullv it will. PAC funds are making up an ever increasing por tion of campaign contributions, and because of this, the cost of running a campaign is increasing every year Oregon voters could sot a nationwide prec edent by approving the initiative. Politic ians should be support ed by their constituents at the ballot box. not by PAC dollars. Perhaps if the initiative passes, the ASIJO should consider limiting the amount of funds each student or ganization or special-interest group can contribute to an ASl’O candidate’s campaign It would help to en sure the intent and integrity of our student officers. f UDIES AND I REERETTO REPORT WE'VE U£>T CUR ENGINES. OUR mm b DEAD TUE LANDING GEAR IS GONE AND WE’RE OUT OF FUEL \ THffS rr! l Ynuanws Letters_ Rc\il issues Doesn't the* Oregon l)ttil\ I iiirr.iltl li.ivanything better to pul on tin' trout page than tin1 in ilrptli pit’i i‘ ol 1 i'li Jti u Im h uncovers surprise the Republican ports is liiinal mg money to Dave I rohnmay er's i atnpaign Im governor So vvliat it the national par ties and associated campaign hinds give money to i undidates they deem worthy That is the purpose ol organizations like the Repuhlii an National Com mittee and the Kepuhln an (an ernor's Assoi iation The Demo crats do the same thing with their parts organizations, just not as well If the F.mt'i.ihi sees the issue as campaign finance abuses, why doesn't it uncover the hundreds of thousands of did lars raised and spent by Neil (ioldsi hmidt who dei ideil not even to run after all Why doesn't it come down hard on David Ills (who lepresents the district the 1 niversity is lot at ed m) \\ hose t ommittees Vlolat ed campaign reporting rules and have been assessed record tines for tile abuses these lines lieu' levied In Set letari of Stall1 Barbara koberts now rais inn millions to take on Irohn niavi'i I \fr\tiling 1 ruhnmax in 's i ampaigti is doing is per Iih 11\ legal l ln- issue here is not i am paign film nr e but rather the /-.mera/i/s desire to slam I rohn maun and other Kepublu ans II the I nitT'ild wants to do that put it Oil the editor id I or make it an op-ed piei e Passing the stun oil as investigative report mg is dei eptive Pile i artoon at i ompanv mg the artii le is vvortln ot the tabloids and nothing better I lie editor tib\ i otisk ran t slam f'rotinmaxer s i bar.a ter or find a real issue to altat k him on Frit Stinernates Student Abolish l or Steven Weidman |()/)/ 1 eb 2 ?) to ,n i use the "i oriillitl mst dominated Afric an Nation al Congress'' ot not having re nouni ed m i klai mg' and murdering of thousands of "in nocent black Afrit .ms is ,1 statement conceived in igno ram e of the politit al realilv in South Alru a I'lte fai I is the AN(! has never endorsed net klacing " More importantly. the A\( lias pm sued a polit \ ol strii I none ioleni e lor almost '.(I years with the sole reward of escalated government brutality and more apartheid laws V\ hen in 1 m.O the ANl was simply outlawed. Nelson Man dela and others formed a guerilla organization to engage in anti government sabotage The AM never killed thou sands of "innocent black Afri i.ins, this statement of VVeid man springs of pure fantasy "Bloodshed" in South Africa has not been caused by the AM’. but by a white suprema tist government’s policy of apartheid vvhic h today still op presses and humiliates millions of l.lai ks w ith dozens of apart heid law s Moreover, to say that the AM is "communist dominat ed is not only factually wrong, but also completely misses the point The point is that the \\( is against apait hem so is inc Suulli Airn an ( ommunist Party. anil so arc main more organizations. lib erals i ommunisls ami capital ists Also true is lluit the ruling while i apitalist" National l‘art\ m power sini e 19411 is responsible and '\i< t onntalile" for apartheid and all ol its vio lent e. brutality and disgr.u e He holiest the issue is not i oinniunisiii. i apitalism or anything ism; the issue is that apartheid is not something to be reformed In South Atriia's ruling National I’artv It has to be abolished Thomas t imid (Graduate student Delinquents The Oregon l)ail\ Hnn'rald oik c printed an art it It' on it1 front page that lamented the Hush administration for its In put rttical rhetorit on edut a tion. saving that it is wrong tor "the Education I’resident" to not devote more and more las dollars to funds that, among other things, would provide lor more student loans But how unit h more money should he appropriated tor such loans w hen ‘I percent of them in Ore gon become delinquent each year7 (Rt>gister-(-uanl. Mai t| Bush, unlike the authors of the article, seems to realize that more money is not the end-all solution to better education We must get a certain commit ment from the Beneficiaries The grassroots answer to bet ter education doesn't start with more money It starts in the classroom with professors who know the value of teaching and involvement versus lecturing and passivitv It starts in the i lassroom w ith higher atten dance rates, even on sunny davs i mini woiHirr h <ti mr « mi versitv issut's sm li as animal rights and gav rights and even writing personals in thi* i'.mcnthi. overshadow a< udem it s !o sui h a degree that i lass rooms ,nid books are imarlv su perlluous It is correct and traditional and even desirable that univer sities are (orunis for progres sive. enlightened expression Hut after four. five, or even six years at a university, mam stu dents cannot svnthesi/.e infor mation and write < oherent par agraphs Mindlessness in those who are enlightened is still just that So let's start there Michael Jordan International studies --Letters Policy_ letters to the editor must he limited to no more than 251) words, legible, signed and the identification of the writer must be verified when the letter is submit ted. The Emerald reserves the right to edit any letter for length or style.
