The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 70, No. 12, Ed. 1 Friday, November 5, 1982 Page: 2 of 24
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Democratic sweep
may stop weeping
Richard Dees declared in this space two years ago that
"Liberalism is dead." In an elegantly despairing editorial
entitled "A liberal requiem", he argued that it would be a long,
cold wait until the oppressed peoples of America achieved
justice.
While Tuesday's election results will not stop Republican
inroads on needed social programs, it will blunt their efforts to
take milk and vegetables away from schoolchildren and force
poor women into prostitution to pay their light bills. The public
clearly does not like Reaganomics nor New Federalism.
The Democratic victory is not total, but it gives the consumer
and the poor more power in Congress. This power, however,
will not be enough to reverse Reagan's policies, but it will
control defense spending and imperialist diplomacy.
It is significant that the only issue in this election was jobs.
The Democrats have not changed their tune; their economic
program remains the same. This election only really shows the
people's dissatisfaction with Republican economics.
The unfortunate result of a one-party sweep is that many
unworthy candidates gain office only on the basis of their party
affiliation. Conservative Democrats such as Jim "Supersnake"
Nugent, who are more right-wing than many Republicans,
sneaked into victory unfairly. Over half of the ballots cast in
Harris County were straight-party votes. While this is an easy
answer to a complicated ballot, it leaves loopholes for
Republicans-in-Democratic-clothing.
Democrats should celebrate their victory, but they need to
develop a coherent and decisive plan to change attack Reagan's
policies. That would lead to a complete and satisfying victory in
1984.
— Tom Morgan
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NUKING THE HEDGES/by David Curcio
The Rice Thresher, November 5, 1982, page 2
In the first of what will hopefully
be a long series of defeats for
President Reagan, the House of
Representatives refused to
approve a constitutional
amendment to mandate a balanced
federal budget. Despite the heavy
support of the President, the
measure fell forty-six votes short
of the two-thirds required to throw
it to the States. Enough members
of Congress had the wisdom not to
suport this unworkable and
unnecessary scheme.
The actual proposed amend-
ments contain many serious
problems. As representative
Barber Conable (R-NY) has
stated, "nobody can accurately
define a balanced budget." Under
an amendment, incentives for
misleading bookeeping would
increase as would "off budget"
expenditures which totalled $10
billion in 1980. A budget is, after
all, only an estimate and already
revenue and expenditure figures
are distorted to cast a favorable
light on the President's programs.
Furthermore, as was recently
demonstrated by Reagan himself,
one of the easiest ways to balance
the budget is to raise taxes.
Opposition to tax increases is
diffuse whereas spending cuts
always have a vocal and influential
interest group ready to fight them.
Exposing our Constitution to such
tinkering only to have the
restriction avoided through
creative administration and
distorted bookeeping would lessen
respect for the Article.
The issue, however, runs deeper
than mere semantics, the value of a
balanced budget itself is
questionable. Big government is as
inevitable a consequence of the
free enterprise system as big
business. The early state existed
primarily to provide an
atmosphere in which business
could flourish. A stable and safe
society was achieved by providing
an army and a legal system; a
minimum of regulation and
taxation gave the business
community vast control over the
allocation of society's resources.
Government spending, even with
deficits, was manipulated to
counteract changes in the business
cycle. Businesses today make
similar demands on governments;
Inquiry magazine in its April 12,
1982 issue identified $47 billion in
"business subsidies" in the 1983
budget.
Big government is, of course,
not wi-fliout faults. The
maintenance of artificially low
fossil fuel prices contributed
significantly to the current
resource depletion problem.
Johnson's failure to pay for
Vietnam forced excessive
government borrowing and fueled
inflation. Some regulations have
grown beyond their needed level
and now excessively stifle
investment while infringing on our
civil liberties. Nevertheless, big
government is the only advocate of
human welfare in an economic
system designed to maximize
profits; if we want big business, we
need big government.
In this role, we should not
expect government to make a
profit or even have a balanced
budget. The functions it performs
are the very ones the private sector
avoids since there is no money to
be made there. Nevertheless,
deficits of late have been too large
and are getting larger thanks to
Reagan's militarism and handouts
to the rich. Once he is gone, a more
rational approach must be used in
providing the necessary
government services more
efficiently. The days of massive
economic growth are ending with
cheap energy and with the
realization of the negative impact
of growth including environmental
damage, resource depletion and
the growth of vast impersonal
bureaucracies in both business and
government. In the long run, the
system needs to be reformed again;
this time towards a more
decentralized steady state which
will better meet the needs of all its
citizens.
TRESHER
Tom Morgan
Editor
Sandra Wasson
Business Manager
Jeanne Cooper News Editor
David Koralek Advertising Manager
Dave Potash Managing Editor
Conrad Reining Photography Editor
Mark Mitchell Sports Editor
Deborah Knaff Fine Arts Editor
John Krueger Back Page Editor
Jay Grob Senior Editor
Matt Petersen Copy Editor
Ruth Hillhouse Typesetter
News Staff
Assistant Editors Pat,y Clear* (News).
Gwcn Richard (Fine Arts), Alan Mathiowetz (Sports)
Ray Isle (Photography) Lorraine, Farrell (Production)
Associate Editon Chris Ekren (News)
Harry Wade (Fine Arts), Matt Petersen (Sports)
Contributing Editors - •: • • Michele Gillespie,
Lynn Lytton, David Curcio, John Lemr
Debbie Toletovich
News Staff Paul Havlak, Bob Terry, Larry Lesser
Sumit Nanda, Chris Dieckmann, Ian Davidson,
Anne Bauser, Joseph Halcyon
Fine Arts Staff Chris Boyer, Barry Watkins, Rick Hunt
Fine Arts Stan S(eve Bailey_ Lisa Huettner, Geoff Spradley
John Svatek, Andrew Tullis. Geoffrev Westercaard.
Allison Kennamer, John Krueger
<!nr>rt< Staff Carolyn Butt, Heather Gillespie
p Ed Brittingham, Ed Swartz, Genie Lutz
Kay Abrahams, Joseph Halcyon
Steve Bailey, Mike Friedman
Production Staff Ann Bauser, James Kearley, John Krueger
production sian Bm McManus, Brad Sevetson, Julie Wilkinson
Spike Dishart
Photography Staff Tom Cassidy, JohnGUwon
Business Staff
Assistant Business Manager Susan; Brown
Assistant Advertising Manager Todd Comett
Circulation '
Subscriptions Stcffcns
Staff Michelle Grant, Becky Kearly, Kay Gratke
The Rice Thresher, the official student newspaper at Rice University since 1916, is published
each Friday during the school year, except during examination periods and holidays, by the
students of Rice University. Editorial and business offices are located on the Kcond1 floor-of,tne
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• 1982. The Rice Thresher. All rights reserved. _ .
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Morgan, Tom. The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 70, No. 12, Ed. 1 Friday, November 5, 1982, newspaper, November 5, 1982; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth245514/m1/2/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.