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The Collegiate \^T1
5WP0INTS
l»age 2 February 24, 1982 *
Focus on Reaganomics
By Betty Frazier
On special assignment for the
Collegiate I set out to interview
college students on several cam
puses in the area to learn their
thoughts on the current political
and economic issues. I was
especially interested in ascer
taining their views on Reagan
omics. I chose a random sample
of students from several areas of
study. Following are excerpts
from some of those enlightening
interviews.
My first interview was with a
forestry major who has her eye
on a slot in the Department of
the Interior. She was very
philosophical about our national
dilemma. “It's going to take us
a while to get out of the woods.
Those senators and congress
men lieep sawing bacit and forth
over the issues. They just can’t
seem to see the woods for the
trees."
An education student made
the following observation. “1
don’t believe the people know
what the president is trying to
accomplish. We need to educate
the people.”
Also interested in the people
was a student of political sci
ence. I asked him point blank if
he thought the “New Federal
ism” would work. “I’m all for
helping people myself. Young
people and old people and
middle-aged people need to pull
together for the common good in
this great society. We need a
man who can lead us out of the
morass of debt and despair.” At
this point, hinting at his political
aspirations for ’92, he handed
me his calling card.
I found one student clearing
tables in the school cafeteria.
Even as we spoke, her frustra
tion was apparent. “If they keep
cutting back on student aid. I’ll
have to get another job. I
haven’t had a real chance to
study since the second week of
September.”
Not everyone is feeling the
pinch of Reaganomics. A cam
pus jock cracked his knuckles
and confided that he was not all
that concerned about the econ
omy. “I just signed a contract to
play football next year for
$500,000. Me and Merrill-Lynch
have got it made.”
In our area agriculture plays a
significant role. I wondered how
serious students of agri-busi
ness felt about the threats to
commodity supports. “This is
sue has been milked to death for
political effect. Of course, I
personally know of a lot of
farmers who will be raising cain
if those Big Boys mess around
with their tobacco allotments.”
My respondent punctuated his
remark by spitting a healthy cud
of Red Man into a near-by bush.
I interrupted a young man
who had been studying for an
accounting quiz for five straight
hours. Adjusting his glasses, he
admitted he wasn't sure, but he
was inclined to go along with
Dave Stockman. “Figures don’t
really matter. It’s the bottom
line that counts.”
Helms and East an
Embarrassing Team
By Johnny Johnaon
Prior to the Voting Rights Act
of 1965. civil rights depended on
lawsuits and local officials to
enforce them. The Voting
Rights Act represented a drastic
change. Now it is the duty of
federal officials to register vot
ers, see to it they are allowed to
vote, and to make sure the votes
are fairly counted. Since 1965,
Congress has twice extended
and strengthened the Act. It is
due to expire this year unless
Congress extends it.
The total impact of the Voting
Rights Act is not clear. But as
far as blacks are concerned, the
law has been one of the most
effective laws ever passed.
However, the need of such a law
is now being studied in the
United States Senate.
, Led by North Carolina Sena
tors Jesse Helms and John East,
there is a movement to allow the
Act to die. Helms calls the Act
"no longer necessary." There is
not one piece of evidence to
support this preposterous claim.
On the contrary, for the first
time ever there is no legal
obstacle for blacks to register
and vote in every district in the
United Stated. And since the
Act's enactment more than four
million blacks have registered in
11 southern states.
John East, a former professor
of Political Science at East
Carolina University in Green
ville, thinks the Act is unconsti
tutional. Ironically, the text
book East used for American
National Government (Introduc
tory Political Science) clearly
points out in the chapter on civil
liberties that the Act has been
challenged in the federal courts
and found to be, in fact,
constitutional. The case was
South Carolina vs. Katzenbach
in 1966. Perhaps East would
have been better off simply
saying "Jesse is against it, so 1
am too.”
It is indeed sad to think that a
nation like ours has seen the
necessity of a Voting Rights Act
as it did in 1965. It is even more
deplorable that anyone would
think that it is not needed, or
that giving people the right to
vote could somehow be con
strued as unconstitutional.
Unfortunately this is not the
only archaic idea Helms and
East have. They do not want
busing for any reason. The mere
fact that the Supreme Court has
limited busing to school districts
that have intentionally discrimi
nated against minorities (de jure
segregation,) and where busing
is required to eliminate past
official acts of segregation is
obviously not important. Helms
and East think abortions for any
reasons should be illegal. They
must still believe that pregnan
cy from rape is impossible. And
finally, they do not think minors
should be allowed to obtain
information on birth control.
These North Carolina senators
must think that if you do not
know you can get pregnant, you
can't. Perhaps we should stop
researching cancer. After all,
following the ludicrous ideas of
Helms and East, if you don’t
know about cancer, you can't
get it.
The day of reckoning for
Jesse Helms is coming. He will
be up for reelection in 1984.
Already, Helm’s Congressional
Club has almost out-spent the
entire Democratic Party. Votes
cannot be bought, however.
North Carolina has the opportu
nity to remove these two “na
tional embarrassments” from
the Senate. Don’t let a chance
like this slip away!
Next I interviewed Billy Bob,
the son of a former KKK leader
who voiced his father’s opin
ions. “The white people of this
country ain’t being treated
right. Look at all them plants
laying off hard-working, God
fearing white folks. It’s enough
to make folks want to burn a
cross on the White House
Lawn.”
How do future members of
the medical profession feel a-
bout the measure that are being
taken? I encountered mixed
reactions. One young pre-med
student felt that the budget
needs more surgery to stop the
cancerous growth of deficits.
Another took an opposing view.
“There is no panacea. It seems
to me that all this rhetoric about
cutting taxes is merely a place
bo.”
One coed fingered her add-a-
bead necklace and appeared
very thoughtful when I asked
her about Reaganomics. “Actu
ally, 1 don’t know much about it.
But,” she enthused, “I love
Nancy Reagan’s great clothes.”
Approaching an intelligent
looking young man with a far-off
look in his eyes, 1 posed the
question “What does the con
cept of ‘trickle-down’ mean to
you?” “Aw, Man,” he replied,
"That reminds me I need to go
quench my thirst.”
How do members of the
Geritol generation feel about
Reagan policies? I encountered
several students between the
ages of 30 and 65. There were
more female than male students
among this group. I spoke to an
attractive lady beginning to
spread with middle-age. “h’sso
fascinating to be back in school
learning all about the exciting
world of business and profes
sions. I really don’t have too
much time to read about Rea
ganomics. Though I was glad to
see the president appoint a
woman to the Supreme Court. 1
definitely think it was a step in
the right direction.”
A distinguished gentleman,
graying at the temples and
carrying a copy of “Gourmet
Cooking” under one arm, spoke
of the needs of older Americans.
He was especially concerned
with the need to reform Social
Securiry. “As one grows older,
one needs to feel secure about
the future. A future in which
each individual can find his own
space.”
What did I learn from this
in-depth study? Does the prox
imity to Academe promote
greater insight and agreement?
my observation is that it all
depends on where you’re com
ing from.
rf'
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necessarily reflect the views of The Collegiate or Atlantic Christian
College.
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The next Issue of The Collegiate will be March 3. Stories will be
accepted through Sunday, Feb. 28.
^
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