The North Texas Daily (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 71, No. 31, Ed. 1 Thursday, October 22, 1987 Page: 2 of 6
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Commentary
Editorials
The North Texas Daily
Page 2
Thursday, October 22, 1987
Medicare check-up
could cure high costs
The Reagan administration has come up with an
idea to try and curb the high costs that are being
incurred from Medicare patients.
In recent years many doctors who treat Medicare
patients have come under attack for alleged abuses
of the government sponsored health care system.
Prescribing unneeded medications, scheduling excessive
tests and calling for frequent visits when an occasional
visit would suffice are among the accusations. Because
these doctors receive payment from the Medicare office,
they know they will be paid regardless of whether or
not the patient is able to cover their portion of the
bill or not.
What the proposal plans are expected to do is stop
the unnecessary and unqualified payments. A list of
doctors who practice in a conservative style is included
also. Medicare patients will be encouraged to visit
these doctors rather than those who prescribe a lot of
medicine and schedule a lot of visits. Preferred doctors
would have their names publicized by the government
and would also agree not to charge Medicare patients
more than the amounts approved by the government.
An incentive is include to prompt patients to visit
the preferred doctors. The proposal is set up such
that should they still insist on seeing doctors who are
not included on the preferred list, then the Medicare
patients wouild have to pay for a larger percentage
of the bills otherwise covered.
Because the Medicare benefit payments have sky-
rocketed in the past 10 years, the government has
been searching for ways to help slow down the
payments paid by the government.
Some doctors who have learned of the proposal
said they don’t feel it’s right for the government to
choose health care for the patients just because of the
economic value to the government. These same doctors
fail to recognize that these people are under partial
care by the government through their enrollment in
Medicare. Thereby, the government inherits the right
not to select doctors for personal health care, but the
right to suggest preferred physicians and certainly to
place limits on the payment schedules.
The purpose of Medicare is for the government to
help the elderly and those who cannot afford the high
cost of medical care by partially paying for the bills.
If doctors, who are supposed to be in the health care
professions for the sake of helping people, have a
problem with the government trying to save some
money and help those who can’t afford the high cost
of medical care, then their ethics and reasons for being
a doctor should be questioned. Many of these doctors
are not willing to help curb the cost of Medicare.
Physicians, like everyone else, have to pay their
bills. But the extent some of these doctors go to meet
their budgets, needs to be controlled. If the government
is the only body that can control the doctors, then
the government should control the doctors.
Medicare is a government sponsored fund and the
government is responsible for being able to pay the
bills. If there is a problem with abuse by the doctors
who collect tax dollars funded for the general health
of the elderly, then the government has every right
to suggest to the patients which doctors are suitable
for Medicare’s needs and which ones are not.
Elevator triggers rise
to drop building plans
A visitor’s center in the old Texas School Book
Depository has been approved by the Dallas City
Landmark Commission dedicated to President John
F. Kennedy. Construction should begin in February.
The opening is expected next fall, in time to mark
the 25th anniversary of his assassination.
At a cost of about $3.5 million, the center will be
presented on the sixth floor from where Lee Harvey
Oswald allegedly shot President John F. Kennedy.
Many people believe the concept behind the memorial
is noble, however controversy surrounds a portion of
the architectural design.
The heat of the issue is directed at an elevator
designed to carry tourists to the sixth floor where it
is supposed Oswald stood while pulling the trigger
of the weapon that took Kennedy’s life.
The design in question encloses the elevator within
a building outside the Dallas County Administration
Building. It will be connected to the center by a
sky walk.
The approval of the elevator was the last step in
the long march begun by the Dallas County Historical
Foundation which has been lobbying for the visitors'
center for several years.
Arguments raised concern the architectural structure
of the center. The developers involved with the
renovation of the historical West End Business District
complain the design will not be in synch with the
many other buildings of the rediscovered quarter.
Accommodating their concerns, the commission’s
approval included a stipulation requiring the foundation
to draw up more detailed landscaping plans. Several
commission members asked the architects to modify
the exterior design of the sky walk.
Regardless of the architectural design, the site will
serve as a reminder to all of the fateful day in
November when one of the most popular presidents
of the United States was assassinated—a monument
to one of the darkest days in history.
In no way will the center ruin the image of Dallas'
West End. In fact, it can do nothing but help.
The center would be a prime target for history field
trips and can add a lot to the historical aspect of
Dallas. What better perspective of the assassination
could a student get than a view from the room in
which Oswald was supposed to have stood, looking
from the same angle Oswald looked?
And the benefits of added tourist business could
bring into the West End can’t be overlooked. Merchants
can only benefit from the increased injection of dollars
sure to accompany visitors.
The visitors' center will ensure continued central-
ization of downtown Dallas. Almost every attraction
downtown Dallas has to offer is within walking distance
of each other. The center should be located in the
historic district to ensure convenience for those who
frequent Dallas.
There are so many benefits to having the Kennedy
center and no arguments strong enough to prevent
the building of it. This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance
to offer history relived, and although the outcome
carried the nation into a period of mourning, this
monument will only benefit the people and businesses
in Dallas.
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Weddings great! Receptions better!!
Weddings.
Beautiful, white weddings. Everyone
is smiling and seems happy. The future
looks so bright! It’s not really full
reality, but it sure is nice to escape to
once in a while.
It’s a wonderful time that friends and
family can share with the happy couple.
It can be imaginative or traditional. All
I ask is that it be a total fantasy. I’ve
got to have a good fantasy now and
then.
I’m not talking about anything past
the point where the bride throws the
bouquet and they get in the limo and
drive off into the sunset.
And I’m not talking about being a
participant in one. I'm just talking about
reaping the benefits of someone else’s
dream and hardwork.
I went to a really nice wedding this
past weekend. The ceremony itself was
at a medium-sized church in Irving with
an expensive reception at a beautiful
hotel in Las Colinas.
The bride was a true vision in her
formal white wedding dress. What a
lovely couple they made! It’s so natural
to strive to be extraordinarily beautiful
on that day, and with the exception of
a few terminal ugly cases, everyone
generally is.
Wedding gowns can be a total work
of art. I have seen some that were
absolutely magnificent. Ah, the details!
Sequins and pearls and lace and em-
broidery! It’s probably the most expen-
sive dress some will ever purchase.
What a shame to be worn for just a
few hours, then stored away in a closet
for a few decades.
Tuxedo’s have really come a long
way, too. It’s changed from the tradi-
tional black coat and trousers with white
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shirt, to just about any combination of
colors you can imagine. 1 saw one that
was purple with light blue highlights,
a pink shirt and black bow tie. It was
great!
Then you can always mix and match
the colors of the best man, bridegrooms
and bridesmaids, too. I’ve seen weddings
where everyone had on a different pastel
color. The effect was wonderful. Or
where their lower halves were in green
and the upper halves in blue because
the bride liked the outdoors and it
reminded her of the earth and sky.
Everything is really the bride’s
decision. Well, almost. I suppose she
must consult with her parents on a few
things, like how much money she can
spend. But the hard decisions to be
made, such as how many bridesmaids
and grooms and how many candles in
the ceremony and what brand of cham-
pagne are all her own.
Which brings us to the best part of a
wedding — the reception. Yes, 1 have
to admit it—that’s my favorite time. I
mean the ceremony is sweet, the bride
in all of her glory slowly advancing
down the aisle to join her true love in
a life of shared love (I know, I know,
how corny).Bui there's champagne at
the reception.
The reception—where you are allowed
to enter and share the happy couple’s
dream a little bit. Not enough to feel
the full intensity of emotions but enough
to put you in a good, romantic mood.
And there’s food, usually good food
at receptions. And 1 don’t mean just
cake. The wedding this weekend did it
right. A buffet with all the food groups
represented. Real china plates and real
silver silverware. Servers that just
pushed glasses of champagne into your
hand. A pianist who softly played love
songs.
Everyone is very gracious at a wed-
ding. I mean, even people who have
been through a pretty bloody divorce
can pull it together long enough to
present a genial face for their children's
wedding. Not too many events can
command such reverence.
Back to the reception. You get the
pleasure of mingling with people you
don’t really know, but at least you're
dressed well. Everyone makes a point
to look nice. I have one dress designated
“funeral” and two or three labelled
“wedding”. The funeral dress is dark
and conservative; the wedding dresses
are light colored and dainty. It’s true
that you seem more confident when you
know you look well.
At least being married myself saved
me from trying for the bouquet any
more. There’s nothing more akward or
embarrassing than to be wearing high-
heels and be expected to jump like Larry
Bird for a bunch of flowers. Now 1 can
just sit back and laugh at the single girls’
ungraceful lunges.
But it’s the splendor of the event as
a whole that makes a wedding so
enjoyable, ft’s an escape into a beautiful,
surrealistic world. Everyone is happy
(or their smiling at least). It’s a starting
point in a legal relationship that needs
and deserves a good launch.
Halloween haunts heap hideous horrors on helpless half-time harper
I was going to write my column this week
on Halloween and how much I love being
scared, but Lisa Rollins beat me to it. But never
fear, fright fans! There is another equally
horrifying and ghoulish event happening on this
campus even as you read this.
It’s coming for you ... it lurks around
comers to leap out at you when you least expect
it . . the Ghastly Horror of ELarly Registration!!!
One of my journalism teachers has repeatedly
said that a good journalist will use only three
exclamation marks in his entire career. I feel
that I’m being either exceptionally brave or
exceptionally stupid by using all of mine in
one shot! Oops, that’s four—Diane Sawyer has
nothing to fear. But I digress—back to the matter
at hand.
Nothing anyone can say will convince me
that we, the innocent students at NT, deserve
to suffer the indignities of early registration
during the two weeks before and during midterm
exams OK, maybe we’re not so innocent, but
it’s a nice, effective word and I’m going to
leave it in and chance the consequences.
The students are not the only ones suffering
from this insanity. I would like to offer my
condolences to the department secretaries and
faculty who have had to deal with an influx of
crazed students during the last two weeks.
You can tell who’s seen the most students
in an incredibly short time period by the glazed
and haunted look in their eyes. They wander
the halls saying things like, “Dad was right.
Teaching is a thankless profession. 1 should
have been an accountant!”
1 would really like to know who decided that
the most convenient time to do early registration
(and degree plans for those of us who need
them) is during midterm. To put it mildly, their
timing stinks.
Maybe there’s an unwritten commandment
that says “We, the Registration Committee,
will strive to place the students, faculty and
administration of NT under the highest level
of stress possible."
I don’t know if they’re really called the
Registration Committee, but I’m almost sure it
must be a committee of some sort. Most inane
decisions are made by committees. Sometimes
they call them councils, sometimes Student
Associations, but the gist is the same. Take
the National Security Council, for example. 1
rest my case.
Granted, early registration tends to go much
more smoothly than regular registration, and 1
suppose we have to have some sort of paper-
chase process for this until the computers get
smart enough to read our tiny minds. Then they
can just zap us into our necessary classes
instantaneously.
One of the reasons I get so testy when
registration rolls around is because it forces me
to think about my major. “What will Joy major
in this semester?" has become a familiar topic
of conversation around our household.
My parents and friends get a sort of resigned,
distraught look on their faces whenever 1 begin
a sentence with, "Listen, I’ve been think-
Joy
VI
Jones
ing. . . .” They have learned to recognize that
these simple words are code language for, “I
might change my major—yes, again."
1 started out at Brookhaven College in Dallas
in the fall of 1978, right after I graduated from
high school. Brookhaven had just opened and
we were the charter students. We thought that
was a really big deal, and somehow little details
like choice of major just didn’t seem that
important.
I had absolutely no idea what I wanted to be
when I grew up, but I love acting so I put
down “theater” in the space on my application
asking for my major.
After a couple of semesters, I realized that
until I could decide on my career goals and
“Plan For Life,” college probably wasn’t the
best place for me to be.
Venturing out into the "real world”, I found
that it wasn’t the best place for me to be, either.
I came up against the reality of what my school
counselors had told me all along—a college
degree really does matter. I made the big
decision to go back to school after working for
an independent television station in Dallas. I
loved being in the TV industry, but not as
executive assistant to the chief financial officer
for a tiny independent station. If I was going
to work in television, I wanted to be where the
action was (but I wasn't sure exactly where
that was.)
Brookhaven kindly consented to take me back,
and this time I told them I was a business major.
I figured that at least I would be learning
something in a field where I might earn a
more-than-decent living, Let’s just say that the
chief financial officer at that TV station didn't
worry about paying for his subscription to TV
Guide.
This was an unwise decision on my part.
Let me give anybody out there who is undecided
about his major some words of wisdom from
one who knows: if you hate math, accounting,
economics or finance classes, do not major in
business. It sounds simple, but it took me a
whole semester of agony before I realized the
error of my ways.
Finally I found my way to the journalism
department. I’ve always loved to write; it just
never occurred to me that somebody might pay
me for it. It doesn't pay very well, mind you,
but I have actually had two jobs where they
paid me to do what I love the most—research
and writing. Aha! Little bells went off in my
mind. I had finally found my career.
Alas, it was not that simple. When 1 arrived
at NT, I discovered the dreaded sequence
system. Once you’ve decided on a journalism
major, you have to decide on a sequence—news/
editorial, broadcast news, public relations, etc.
I started out in news/ed, switched to public
relations, and now I’m absolutely committed
to broadcast news. And all of that within a
single semester! I’ve probably set some sort of
record.
Oh well, at least I’ve now been a journalism
major for an entire year. There’s hope. Mom
and Dad. But listen, I’ve been thinking, . . .
The North Texas Daily
71 si Year
WrMiftr* of
EP
Denton, Texas
North Texas State University
Southwestern Journalism Congress
LAURA DOWLEARN, editor
RICHARD AIKEN, advertising manager
Letters from readers are welcome. They
should be concise, logical, and typed or
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editing for space and libel. Letters must
be signed, and should include an address
and telephone number.
Comments about advertisements in The
Daily should be directed to the advertising
manager at 565-2851. Questions about
news stories, sports stories or features
should be directed to the editor at 565-2353.
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Dowlearn, Laura. The North Texas Daily (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 71, No. 31, Ed. 1 Thursday, October 22, 1987, newspaper, October 22, 1987; Denton, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth561286/m1/2/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.