(jolty.
: V
A
Kim Adams, Sports Editor
Rachel Perry, Coj Editor
Kevin Kiu, Wjt Editor
Ecwina Ralston, Editor
John Dkeschex, Associate Editor
Lvcx Hood, News Editor
Keith Kjnc, Arts and Features Editor
Scott Shawe, Photography Editor
Staff: Clay Andrews, Ted Avery, Phoebe Azar, Clifton Barnes, Maria Baxter, Matt Cooper, Margaret
Desaussure, Jackie Fields, Terri Garrard, Stephanie Graham, Bob Haas, Speed Haljlman, Jeff I to ay,
John Hinton, Lou Ann Jones, Jeff Knight. Kenneth Mincis, Sonja Payton, Ann Peters, Carol Scales,
David Thompson, Lynne Thomson, Randy Walker, Susan Walters, Clinton Weaver. Business
Manager: Rajeanne Caron. Advertising: Nancy McKenzie, manager, and Paula Brewer, coordinator.
SecretaryReceptionist: Linda Cooper. Composition: UNC Printing Department, FPG Composition.
Printing: The Hinton Press, Mebane.
Good 'til the last drop
For years water has been taken for granted as one of our most abundant
natural resources. But an in-depth series by the Raleigh News and Observer
last week showed that the time has come when much of the state, including
Chapel Hill, can no longer assume that the supply will never end.
Chapel Hill has been listed by the N.C Department of Natural Resources
and Community Development as one of three cities and four small towns
that faces potential water supply problems within 20 years if it does not
take action. That comes as no surprise to anyone who was in the Village in
the mid-70s when severe water shortages forced residents to cut back on
water and threatened to cancel classes. '
The town relies on University Lake for most of its 5.5 million gallons of
water each day. University Lake was down about 50 million gallons during
the June drought but is back to normal level following recent rains.
The Orange Water and Sewer Authority also pumps in 1.5 million gallons
a day from Hillsborough, but the town's basic problem lies in its reliance on
University Lake and its subsequent reliance on adequate rainfall to keep the
level of the lake normal. It doesn't take an expert to realize that relying
solely on rainfall isn't the safest way to have a good water supply. Rainfall
across the state has been 20 percent to 25 percent below normal in the last
year, and last month was the driest June since the National Weather Service
began keeping records in 1885. -
The water authority is seeking approval to impound Cane Creek, 12 miles
west of Carrboro, but it would take at least three years to tap its' water sup
ply. In the meantime, Chapel Hill and surrounding areas" continue to crow
and the demand for water continues to increase.
While there is not much area citizens can do about increasing the water
supply, they can conserve water. The water authority has begun selling
water conservation devices and offering brochures that tell how to conserve.
The Chapel Hill Town Council should do what their counterparts in Apex
did: offer rebates to citizens who buy water-saving devices.
In the meantime, residents should do their bit to conserve and be con
scious of the water they use. In Chapel Hill, as in any town, water is only
good until the last drop.
More political battles'. "' Problems abroad
Now that the issue of next year's budget
cuts is almost settled, the battle over Presi
dent Reagan's proposals for reducing taxes is
beginning to heat up. The argument centers
around the choice betweeen the President's
plan or an alternate plan submitted by House
Democrats.
President Reagan's bill, approved by the
Senate. Finance Committee, would cut all
personal tax rates by 25 percent over the
next 33 months starting in October. The
House Ways and Means Committee, how
ever, proposes a, package that would place
greater emphasis on cuts to taxpayers whose
incomes are below' $50,000, Proponents of
the President's plan argue that added impor
tance must be given to those with higher in
comes who would be more likely to use the
relief as investments that would stimulate
the economy.
Congress has about five. weeks to deliber
ate on the issue before recessing in August
President Reagan has urged Congress to act
quickly. He says that a plan must be agreed
upon and on his desk for signing before the
recess if the cuts are to go into effect in Oc
tober. Buggy problem
As the Mediterranean fruit fly continues
to infest the crops of several California
, counties, the question of whether or not to
eliminate the insect with aerial chemical
spraying has produced quite a controversy.
Many residents in the 177 square mile
area designated for spraying are vigorously
against the action, Some have said they
would leave the area until the spraying was
completed. They are afraid spraying of resi
dential areas could produce serious health
hazards. Their protests have gone all the
way to the California Supreme Court, where
they hope to get an injunction on the spray
ing until the effects can be studied.
Meanwhile, the presence of the Medfly
has set back the California fruit industry."
Produce from several counties has been
quarantined by the state. And some South
ern states have begun using barricades to
stop trucks carrying California crops to pre
vent contamination of their own industries.
Violence and threats of violence plagued
many areas of the world during the past
week.
Riots continued in many English cities
throughout the week. The violence spread to
towns not previously involved and seemed
to follow the genera! pattern of youths
against the authorities. .Prime Minister
Margaret Thatcher visited Liverpool to
assess the situation. The British government
is considering instituting legal measures,
such as authorizing the use of tear gas, water
cannons, and rubber bullets, to aid the
police in controlling rioters.
Violence also erupted in Belfast, Ireland,
as Joe McDonnell and Martin Hurson be
came the fifth and sixth hunger strikers to
die. Fires were set and security forces were
the targets of attacks in the aggressive reac
tions to the deaths of the prisoners. Other
strikers weaken, while British officials refuse
to grant the demands of the captured IRA
guerrillas.
In the Middle East Israeli jets made
several raids into Lebanon, bombing several
Palestinian guerrilla strongholds south of
Beirut The air strikes were the first to occur
while U.S. envoy Phillip Habib has been in
the area. The attacks were taken as a sign
that Israel is becoming impatient with the
pace of Habib's progress toward resolving
the crisis surrounding the placement of
Soviet-supplied anti-aircraft missiles in
Lebanon.
And in Poland, the first Polish Communist
Party Congress gathered after a week of ten
sion between workers and the government
The Soviet Union will be monitoring the ac
tions of the congress very closely. Leaders of
the congress, in an attempt to please other
communist-bloc countries, have warned
workers not to expect any radical decisions
from the meetings.
v .-. found advice
"Make love often," is part of the advice in
two pages of Dos and Don'ts prepared for
the upcoming marriage of Lady Diana Spen
cer to Prince Charles. The article was written
to prepare the couple for the hassles of mar
ried life. And with suggestions like the
above, there is little doubt that they will
have no problem following the rules.
- , Kevin Kirk
0 m
m . m m m w m g m mm
nnoi nomination meets inworcant QuamiGauon
By EDWIN A RALSTON
President Ronald Reagan has done just as he said he would
do. With his recent court appointment of Judge Sandra Day
O'Connor he has honored his campaign commitment to fill
"one of the first Supreme Court vacancies" by "the most
qualified woman I can possibly find."
O'Connor seems to be eminently well qualified, and her
judicial records show a practical opervmindedness impera
tive to the position for which she has been nominated. She.
has been described as a "sometime conservative with a mod
erate, even progressive, streak." Most important the Arizona
jude has never allowed partisan political values to stand in
the way of the implementation of justice. The indication is
that O'Connor would provide a consistent voice toward the
center, relying on dedication to jurisprudence rather than a v
passionate political ideology. .
The O'Connor nomination seems to offer- something .for .
everyone. Most obvious, the choice satisfies tba call for a
woman on the Supreme Court C-y naming a woman, Reagan
has done something that our last four presidents both
Republican nd Democratic have declined LHe opportunity
to do. . .
Liberals should be' grateful for the nomhaik
O'Connor is conservative, she is sensibly conservative. Ob
viously, Reagan was not coing to arpoir.t a l.beral Democrat
O'Connor has been flexible enough in the past to adept an
almost radically loft atiituda toward issues that warranted
such as! ..ft
As a state Senator, she voted twice for the ratification of
; the Equal Rights Amendment and in 1974 was co-sponsor of
a bill to have the question of ratification put beforea popular
vote in Arizona. Her voting record concerning abortion has'
caused quite a stir among Right-to-Lifers. Newspaper accounts
indicate that several times she has voted for bills that would
make certain laws regarding abortion more-lenient and in
1974 voted against a resolution asking the U.S. Congress to
amend the Constitution to legally recognize the "right to life"
of a fetus. The judge has also voted in favor of making birth
control more widely available. .
For those on the right O'Connor is, after all. a conservative
Republican. In the past she has approached law making and
interpretation with prudence On social and economic issues,
she has-remaincd conservative, voting as a legislator to re
.s.tore'the death penalty and to ban compulsory busing of'
school children to achieve racial balance. -
Cut as could be expected, our own Sen. John East, Jerry
Falwdl and the rest of the Moral Majority crew have found
in the nomination only something else to rant about The
radical right has reacted with considerable vengeance a gainst
the nomlnatbn, harping cn O'Connor's record on abortion
and the proposed ERA. It is ircr.'e that Reason's most zealous
supporters have been the first to become alienated Ly a
major Rea::-n nomination and a carr.pa:gn cccmltmrnt
at that This reminds one of just how tentative tha radical
extremists' support is when it comes to realistic politics. The
issue-oriented tunnclvision with which politicians such as
East approach cavemlng completely undermines any ratkxv
ality of political ideology. East and his cohorts have consid
ered O'Connor's nomination solely on what is an exaggerated
idea of the judge as pro-abortion, anti-family. .
Throughout her six years on the bench, there has been no
record of O'Connor ever ruling on abortion. Further, even if
she were pro-choice, there is no reason to think that she would
diverge from her record of interpretation of the law without
regard for persona! politics.
Blinded by their obsessive anti-abortion stand, the radical
right seems to have forgotten the most fundamental demand
that a Supreme Court justice must above all, be dedicated
to only strict interpretation and application of the law. Ap
parently, many of the O'Connor opponents either do not
understand or do not believe in the distinction between inter
pretation and application of the law and the lawmaking
process. ' .
All predictions are that the nomination will be confirmed
and the Supreme Court will gain a slightly rfcht-of-ccntcr jus
tice who understands the constitutional job "of the Court
Reagan is to be commended for his ability to steer away from
the demands of his fanatical supporters while at tha $ama
f 7.2 v;:..J.SrzZ.ri i.Tparta.'.t c;ne.:-;n ; ?. East and Tz'y
v..ll c.-r-tualVr-t-rn f-l 5i;r;;.,rt cf b:cau'.e
tl.:y have r.e -.here il; a to tjrn, but p- :heps in rr.: ant.rr.e,
they Vf.lJ t.' e a c!c::r lock at tha principals on which cut
Ovemmcr,t was founded
tdwlis tfa'stoa a senior Journal;,-? tr4 poUicst sconce major
' from ir.br k' Ca. h editor of Its Jit IJ?tt
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