Daily Emerald
Editorial
Program suffers as
budget cuts roll on
We’ve been waiting for the ‘'peace; dividend " You
all know what that is; the government's big plan to re
route funding away from the defense industry After
all. the (’old War is over, isn't it?
Watch the Pentagon and you realize some tilings
never change.
burlier this week, several states announced there
would be severe cuts in aid for the Special Supplemen
tal Food Program for Women, Infants and Children,
otherwise known as tin; WIC program. The reason giv
en is surging food prices; the federal government's
$2.1 billion allocation won't cover the additional costs
WIC affects more than 4.5 million people per year
It is one of the few federal programs that really works,
and was mercifully spared during the Reagan era of
welfare-slashing. WIC differs from other programs be
cause it focuses on preventative measures by giving
food, juice and infant formula to expectant mothers
and families who cannot afford to feed their children
adequately
It is a much needed program, and should be a
prime concern for all politicians. Unfortunately, it
isn't.
States that can’t afford to continue WIC at its cur
rent level are faced with a touch choice — cut down on
the food packages or kick ’‘borderline" participants
out of the program altogether. There is no telling just
how far. just how many people are going to be effect
ed. There is no way of knowing what a smaller WIC
budget will do to infant mortality rates or the overall
health of our nation’s newborns.
While $2.1 billion is an unthinkable amount to
most of us. in terms of trillion dollar budgets and defi
cits, it is a pittance The defense budget runs over $.100
billion annually So far, the ’’peace dividend" has
amounted to nothing.
The WIC program works — even the federal gov
ernment’s endless studies have proven that. Rep Tony
Hall (D-Ohio) wants to inject another $150 million into
the program. But even that might not be enough.
Why does something like WIC suffer while big de
fense contractors continue to receive billions for weap
ons? It is ironic, almost eerie, the announcement about
WIC came just before the start of the Bush-Gorbachev
summit meeting. One of the big summit topics will be
reduction of conventional and nuclear arms.
If Bush and Gorbachev can somehow come to mu
tual understanding on weapons reduction, can we dare
hope some of the unneeded defense dollars will funnel
back to social, environmental or welfare programs?
Given past record, don’t hold your breath.
___ Oregon l)uil\ _ _
Emerald
1*0 K..\ »!<** t ufriMt OrrRon *?40'
If-..’ O mu Jim i >.•* I y Eme'a'd is published Mi.wu1.iy through f ^ • l a V o»< ept
e»am wee* and vacations by the Oregon Daily Emerald Publishing Co
University of Oregon Eugene Oregon
I he Ernerakf is operated independently of the University *dh offw.es
third ti, f the E.rti Mem, mat Un. and is a mem tier of the Asso sited P
The l meraid is ; ".ate , roperly The unlawful remo* ti ■ use <•( papers •
• *v utahh* by la*
at the
Editor f n. i Pr a«s
Managing Editor
Editorial Editor
Graphics Editor
Encore Editor
.WheHe
Don Peter
M.i»K Yle
Kelvin We
Nows Editor
Sports Editor
Supplements Editoi
Night Editor
Christopher ni.-ti'
Tracy Sumner
Darla Jdv kson
Thomas Prowell
Associate Editors
Community ** {•--■■ Student Government* Activities ath»■■ ■■■»• m.ia •
Higher Education/Administration H. . "heatuies ()•• i M
Reporters *• A iMiir Peter i • >gs*e A-,hv> » i Dar t -or SttH ’ i •.
M .r-r Joe Kuld Layer i akefish Pat Maiach. Stephanie Mi.-s imc ■ an
S .es 1 1 Ain't* Thornton
Photogiaphers Stir.* ,im1 Made- I fuel
Advertising M.iuircr He'.- .nit? Mark B.'u Mage Vm ■ *' H i ;.- v. t! M A. ,
Ait'i Mitteist.nnlt V.. N.-'\, Kathy Smith. host- Strothe' F dw a* :1 Wem *•
Apprentice Kathy End . oft Becky H *m Jennife* K s?a Krc McBr-de N •
l.rahy Susan Miguel Acosta Stephen Mosley Maria Neuman In. i Mu timan
Production Jennifer An her Kathryn Barton Mm Bede■sen Ter Bv'f-'UJ Jed
Clark Alice Cannon Lotus Child Jim Finch. Corine Fner Yvette Gill. Susan
Head Jennifer Huey Juln? Keeton Linda Klaastad Ensatichtman Sheila Loien
jo Scott Mahon. Jim Mason Wendy M. Angela Mu"-; An.-- . R«*r- t'»* m ja*
et Schoher Jean Senechai Jennifer Smith Anne Stephenson Martin Thiel Jen
niter Thomas Ingrid White Kelly Williams Todd Williams
General Staff
Advertising Director Susan Theien Assistant to the Publisher Jea Oa ;
Production Manager Mu hen* Ross Advertising Coordinator Sand*a Dao-r
Classified Manager: Tom Bos* -th
Accounts Receivable. Circulation Newsroom 346 S5t 1
Classified Advertising 346 4343
Display Advertising 346 3712
Production, Graphic Services 346 4381
I
5Ml c v.ljxuj
POLWdslI
iGwujftjsjicI
\TimBi#*£r
OUt
^SAMPioti
1 JIM | J
TSATSi
k'iO)*-'Ki.yaJ^
"This is an emergency! Is there a decent role model in the house?!”
The wall
I have seen the Vietnam
Wall I (in not toilet its tom h I
<<imiut remove the vision of its
ltl.it k lists from mv eves' nieni
orv small squares which est.a
late to monolithi* him ks ol
( old flesh; the Inn tablets rise
over im head, or rather. I de
scend Step-bv Step helleath
them Hut it is not the wall
u he h holds m\ gaze
Three men stand guard at the
entrain e to the v\ all Kallier
then stationary pose connotes a
desire to I lee hut tliev are tin
able to flee .1 threat which thev
do not know nor i annot see.
tit a tom h. nor hear not taste
Their eves, however, leave lit
tie doubt thev smell fear
I smell w ith them and I am
taken hut k to the jungle 1 have
nevei seen Mv feet, like theirs,
turn to stone How should I.
mere mortal, not share the teat
ot these three colossal men of
stone, whose obvious manhood
belies their youthful visages
It is obvious thev are larger
than I am or inav ever hope to
he but that helps me to share
then emotion 1 cannot forget
that men who belong on a ped
estal stand in fear
Hi ih <' Hunter
Eugene
Thank you
I would like to th.ink the fol
low ing people for sharing their
experieni es with m\ ( lasses in
ethnic studies over the past
vear Their willingness to make
presentations and to pose and
respond to questions on eultui
al and politic al topic.s helped to
c larih tor students the perspei
fives of people of color in Ku
gene
l-'rom the Universitv stall and
student body. 1 appreciate the
contributions of llrieg Bustos.
Andy CMark. Edwin Coleman
Allison Davis. Dale Montoy.
\imando Morales |an Oliver
( Harem e Spigner and Sandy
Tsuneyoshi
ITotn the Eugeni1 community
I thank Kuelien Cotta of the
Chicano Affairs Council.
Charles Dalton of the NAACI’.
Hubby (been of the Kugene l lits
( jium 11. Al Smith of the Native
American Church, and Flor
ence I late Smith
1 particularly want to thank
Coraid Seals, i 11\ manager of
Corvallis, lor driving down to
explain his work and to do
si nlro his career for us
I am most apprei iattve of the
enthusiasm and cooperation 1
have re< eived from people, and
I know my i lasses have learned
nun h from them
William loll
Assistant professor
I'.thnii and tolk studies
Old dude
In response to Timothy Web
Iter's letter to the editor |f )/!/•.'.
Mat 2‘1): Now let me see it I've
got this art history stutf right
Hmmm let's see now Leo
nardo da Vinci sculpted the
'Venus do .Milo'" (Am lent
Oreeoe. Hellenistic period)
jeepers' I'hat would have made
him almost 2.(Hill years old
when he painted the "Mona
l isa Cowabunga! That dude
really was incredible
(lorry Parson
Student
No recall
This letter is in support of
KWKH commissioner Rob Wil
lis The firing of KWKH general
manager lean Reeder generated
more controversy than it war
ranted Former hoard member
J.if k (iraig called Reeder's tir
ing the "Monday Night Massa
i re "
It really turned out to be the
"Media Massui re Quite a few
people who didn't know what
was going on at KWKH un
dertook the unassigned task of
being the public conscience
The truth is. even with the
know ledge there might be seri
ous political repercussions,
commissioners Timing. Solin
and Willis took the only action
available to them because of
declining morale among KWKH
employees and clear evidence
Reeder was leading KWKH into
serious financial jeopardy, her
Letters
employ men! was ended
While some may question the
manner in which this was un
dertaken, 1 would ask you to
stop and consider this: KWKIt
( oinndssioners are not paid for
their services.
Thev are hard working citi
zens who have chosen to serve
the public It is unfortunate
some persons within the com
munitv jump at the chance to
turn a routine affair into a poll
tic al c irons.
Willis deserves to retain his
position because' he has duh
represented the people who
elected him. It is not a popular
itv contest Sometimes diffic ult
decisions need to be made, and
I applaud him for taking a
stand even though he knew
it might not be a "popular'
move t'pon receiving your
mail in ballot, please mark it to
retain Willis Vote no on rec all
Michael l.indlev
Student
Stop killing
I saw ,i bumper sticker the
other ilav that said "Meat is
Murdei " I guess I ought to ap
plaud that kind of awareness
but something bothers me
Poultry and livestock are not
the only victims lying motion
less on the kite hen table Kverv
year, literally millions of voge
tables are cruelly slaughtered
for food
Carrots and radishes .ire up
rooted; potatos are peeled, fried
and served as chips on cheap
hors d'oeuvrt trays It's sicken
big.
When you think about it. it's
easy to understand why plants
have been victimized for so
long. They have neither the
ahilitv to effect a defense nor a
recognizable voice to plead
with their killers.
But life is life, wherever it's
found So please, stop the kill
ing.
Michael Matthews
Kugene