communique’
Tuition taxcreditbill proves
Reagan hasn’t left ‘Majority9
By Thomas A. Rhodes
Of The Print
Come on Ron, I was only
joking! When I wrote in the se
cond issue of the year that
Reagan believed tax incentives
could solve the nation’s 'pro
blems, and that he should use
tax incentives as opposed to
financial aid for students, I was
only joking. You know, jesting,
joshing, being satirical?
Unfortuantely, the joke
Reagan has played on public
education is the biggest joke of
them all. Its punch-line is the
“tuition tax credit” bill, a bill
that u/ould, if passed, give tax
credits to parents who send
their kids to private schools and
colleges.
On the exterior, this may
seem like a good bill, designed
to help people get the best
education possible. Unfor
tunately, this bill (the first part
of The Family Protection Act, a
“Moral Majority”-backed bill)
will only aid the rich in getting
richer, while the poor and
middle-class get poorer. The
bill, introduced by Oregon’s
own Senator Bob Packwood, is
also unconstitutional, and will
be destined for many court bat-
ties.
The main problem with the
bill is that it will help parents
send their kids off to private
schools. This isn’t necessarily
bad, except when you realize
that nearly 85 percent of the
private schools and colleges
around the country are sub
sidized by religious organiza
tions. This will give a hand to
the private .schools, where
none should be given.
Public schools are currently
required to serve everyone
while a private school serves
no one’s needs but its own.
They do not have to enroll
handicapped students, conser
vatives, liberals, hard-to-
educate people, or anyone
they wish not to enroll. If they
so desire, private schools could
legally enroll only white Protes
tant males who believe in the
destruction of Israel, or
anything else they desire. Their
defense? “We’re not subsidized
by the government, so we only
have to meet fire and health
codes.”
So, while programs such as
CETA and Legal Services Cor
poration get cut on a daily
basis, the U.S. government is
preparing to bestow capital in
the form of tax credits to those
who desire a private education,
where an equal education for
all is not guaranteed.
No one is sure how many
students will switch from public
to private schools, but some
opponents of the bill project an
incredible 5 percent will aban
don public schools for private
schools (which can give a better
education, ho question about
it). Unfortunately, enrollment
at public schools is declining
and the National Education
Association feels teachers can
not support a bill that might
shrink the student population
even more. With federal fun
ding for public schools con
tinually decreasing, federal
support for private schools
(which is against its own prin
ciples), public schools, as we
know them, could flounder.
This will put teachers out of
work.
Proponents of the bill predict
almost no switchovers, on the
grounds that the credits aren’t
large enough to encourage the
actual change. Then why is this
bill going through Congress? If
the credits aren’t large enough
ASG wastes money on speaker
By R.W. Greene
joke, and has little to do with
stress reduction.
Kerry L. Johnson, Ph.D.,
If the issue was merely the
was introduced before one of mediocrity of a speaker at the
his presentations on campus College, it wouldn’t be so bad.
last Wednesday as a consultant But Johnson laced his talk with,
to, among other corporations, half-truths and simplistic ex
Honeywell, IBM and the Ford planations so blatant as to
Motor Company. One hopes make one wonder just where
that when he speaks to these he got that Ph.D. Sugar, for in
august bodies he addresses stance, does not “cause”
them with less condescension diabetes, as Johnson would
than he did CCC students.
have you believe. To label a
As a speaker, Johnson person an insomniac because it
definitely left something to be takes him more than a half-
desired. He continually il hour to fall asleep is not only an
lustrated his talk on stress with extreme generalization, but
anecdotes which came close to medically incorrect. To
irrelevant. One particularly categorize the entire population
stressful day, Johnson recalled, into “Type A” and “Type B” is
he went into a restaurant and probably beyond the ken of
ordered “eggs over easy and even the most dedicated
some kind words.” The. sociologist.
waitress brought his eggs and
It was hard, however, to
Johnson asked again about the disagree with Johnson’s solu
kind words. “Don’t eat them tions to the problem of excess
eggs,” said the waitress and stress.
walked away. It is a very old
Sources in the ASG said that
Of The Print
THE PRINT, a member of the C
___ _____ Publishers
/ _ _
Oregon Newspaper
Association, alms to be a fair and Impartial journalistic medium
covering the campus community as thoroughly as possible. Opi
nions expressed in THE PRINT do not necessarily reflect those of
the College administration, faculty, Associated Student Govern
ment or other staff members of THE PRINT.
offlce: Trailer B; telephone: 657-8400, ext. 309 or 310
editor: Thomae A. Rhodes
news editor: J. Dana Haynes; arts editor: Amy DeVour;
sports editor: Rick Obritschkewitsch
photo editor: Duffy Coffman
political affairs: David Hayden
staff writers: Linda Cabrera, R. W. Greene,
Tom Jeffries, Mike Rose, Susy Ryan,
Wanda Percival, Tracy Teigland
staff photographers: Ramona Isackson, Sue Hanneman, Karen
Marshall
typesetter: Kathy Walmsley; graphics: Lynn Griffith
cartoonist: J. Dana Haynes
advertising and business: Dan Chample and Jeff Jessel
adviser: Suzie Boss
Page 2
Johnson was paid about $300
to cover traveling expenses
from California. However com
mendable ASG’s motives may
be in bringing such a speaker to
the College, there was nothing
Johnson said that couldn’t be
learned by spending a half-
hour in the library. Of course,
in the library you would have
missed his relaxation exer
cises—which a number of peo
ple in attendance said they
found useful—his humor, and
the opportunity to buy his
cassette tape series for $45.
mb
for the middle-class and poor
to change their educational
standards, then the only peo
ple it will serve are those who
already have the assets to at
tend private colleges. The rich
get richer and the poor get
poorer.
It seems that the “Moral Ma
jority” wants government to
stay out of the school
system—yet control the minds
of its pupils—by protecting the
family from governmental by
restricting the rights of anyone
who doesn’t agree. I was hop
ing that Reagan had realized
with the “Majority” was up to
and had split ties with them. I
thought that he did. I was
wrong. He hasn’t abandoned*
them, he just doesn’t associate
with them on a personal level.
The tuition tax credit coupl
ed with the soon-to-be
feedback
Free ice cream
wins skeptic
To The Editor:
After reading the articles in
“The Print” on the candidates
running for ASG positions, I
had a vague idea of their inten
tions and involvement. Being a
Clackamas Community Col
lege student, I felt I should use
my right and opportunity to
vote.
So, I entered the Communi
ty Center, having an idea of
whom might do a better job.
My feelings of skepticism were
overcome when someone in
formed me of “free” ice crehm
after voting. I chuckled, what a
gimmick, a good idea! Maybe
they could use it on the budget
levy. Also, a nice way to say
decapitated Legal Services
Corporation (LSC) convinces
me that Reagan supports the
“Majority’s” programs and
views whole-heartedly.- The
“Family Protection Act” also
suggests that the LSC be
restricted.
I know, he’s our president,
but I voted in the election, so
I’m going to bitch. These two
bills are perhaps the worst
things that the man has endors
ed in his first three months as
the top dog in the country.
The worst thing about this is
that the tuition tax credit bill
was proposed, in part, by Bob
Packwood. I am hoping that
this does not signal Packwood’s
joining of the Fundamentalist
political organization. I thought
that he was above that sort of
emotion-based, single-issue
organization. •-
»V
thank you for taking the time to
vote.
Thank you, ASG!
Margaret Bierma
CCC Student
Denny Smith
has got to go
To The Editor:
For the last three years I
have majored in Health Care
Administration at Oregon State
University and have become
painfully aware of the health
problems of our senior citizens.
In the April 16th “Oregon
Journal,” I saw two articles side
by side that made me very
upset. The first was “Smith
Pushes Reaganomics,” and
described newly elected Con
gressman Denny Smith as sup
porting the drastic spending
cuts proposed by Reagan.
The second article read,
“Wyden: Cuts Unfair to Aged,”
and described newly elected
Congressman Ron Wyden, an
expert in problems of our
seniors, as explaining , how
Reagan’s cuts could force
“thousands of Oregon’s senior
citizens...from their homes and
into nursing homes.”
What are people like Ronald
Reagan and Denny Smith try
ing to do to our country? I want
to see the federal budget
balanced as much as
anyone—but these cuts are not
being used to balance the
budget.
Denny Smith also said in the
article that Reagan is “not
simply worried about getting
re-elected.” Well, I hope Smith
isn’t worried about being re
elected because if he thinks
Oregon voters will support this
cruelty, he is sadly mistaken.
Sincerely,
Douglas Nielson
Clackamas Community College