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TUESDAY, MARCH 25, 2003
BOARD EDITORIALS
UNC - BY THE HOUR
A proposed campus-based car rental service offers a creative solution
for transportation woes, but the idea demands further consideration.
University officials should put the brakes on a
recent proposal unveiled by the Advisory
Committee on Transportation.
ACT announced plans Wednesday to look into
partnering with the Boston-based Zipcars to create
a campus-based rental car service for students, fac
ulty and staff.
Officials said the program, which could be up and
running as soon as this fall, could help to ease ongo
ing transportation woes faced by members of the
University community.
If the plan is approved, UNC would join several
other campuses, including the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology, in using the Zipcars service.
ACT Chairman Derek Poarch, director of the
Department of Public Safety, said the rental car pro
gram would target students, faculty and staff who
use public transit services, including park and ride
lots.
Poarch said that many people who use the park
and ride lots often only need to be on campus for
short periods of time and that the rental cars would
be an easy and more time-efficient way to get to the
University than current transportation methods.
Poarch said the rental cars also could reduce the
amount of traffic on roads in and around campus.
ACT’s consideration of the proposal to create a
rental car service shows that the committee is will
ing to find creative ways to solve the ever-persistent
transportation challenges on campus.
However, although the plan is certainly a depar
ture from traditional solutions to remedy trans
portation problems, several questions about the plan
warrant consideration before the proposal proceeds
further.
Debbie Freed, transportation demand manager,
said four Volkswagen Beetles with Zipcars and UNC
logos would be used initially to get the program off
the ground. These cars would receive designated
POOR MATH
The state House should sign off on Gov. Mike Easleys plan to extend
tax increases and not force N.C, agencies to further cut their budgets.
It’s easy to tell when spring’s in the air. Trees are
turning green, flowers are blooming, and state
legislators are sharpening their budget-cutting ax.
N.C. House members are talking about eliminat
ing a tax increase in Gov. Mike Easley’s budget by
cutting additional money from already-strained
state agencies.
Easley’s budget calls for extending two temporary
tax increases originally slated to run out at the end
of this fiscal year until 2005.
By extending an increase to the state’s sales tax
and the state income tax for wealthiest residents in
the state, Easley’s plan would generate an addition
al $460 million for the 2003-04 fiscal year pre
serving financially strapped institutions.
If legislators shoot down Easley’s proposal, they
would have to make up the extra funding by cutting
the money from state agencies including $56 mil
lion from the UNC system.
Factoring in additional cuts made by Easley, the
system stands to lose $l3B million roughly 8 per
cent of its budget.
Such a proposal is completely unacceptable.
Although Easley’s budget is far from perfect, the
governor on the whole did a solid job striking a bal
ance between increasing available funding by
extending the tax increases and cutting state spend
ing.
Easley’s approach is the best overall way to han
dle a budget deficit responsibly by trying to preserve
state programs while not shifting too much of a bur
den to state residents and businesses.
But the House plan would throw that responsi
bility completely out of the window by forcing state
agencies to slash their spending to the bone.
By their very nature, budget cuts force state agen
cies to offer fewer services and harm the ability of the
state to help residents.
EDITORS NOTE: The above editorials are the opinions of solely The Daily Tar Heel Editorial Board, which were reached after open debate.
The board consists of eight board members, the assistant editorial page editor, the editorial page editor and the DTH editor. The 2002-03
DTH editor decided not to vote on the board and not to write board editorials.
readers* mmm
OASIS invites campus to
join in Africa Week events
TO THE EDITOR:
I would like to invite the
University community to join us in
celebrating Africa Week. The
Organization of African Students’
Interests and Solidarity has
planned a series of events to cele
brate and showcase African cul
ture.
On Tuesday, there will be a
screening of the film “Cry
Freedom” (featuring Denzel
Washington).
This event is co-sponsored by
CUAB and will be introduced by
history Professor Lisa Lindsay.
This will take place at 8:30 p.m. in
111 Carroll Hall.
On Wednesday, join us at 6 p.m.
in Carmichael Ballroom for the
African Dance Workshop. Two
instructors will lead the workshop,
and there will be live African
drums!
On Thursday, Dr. Bereket
Selassie will lead a discussion on
African self-determination in the
21st century. This will be held at 6
p.m. in 105 Gardner Hall.
On Friday, our keynote speaker
is Dr. Yosef Ben-Jochannan, world
renowned Egyptologist. Dr. Ben-
Jochannan is an expert on the
African origins of the ancient civi
lization of Egypt and is widely pub
lished. He will speak in 209
Manning Hall, starting at 7-30 p.m.
Our weeklong celebrations will
parking spaces on North and South campuses, and
people will be able to sign up to use them via a spe
cial Web site.
Freed said that although details of the plan are
still be ironed out, University officials are consider
ing charging an initial membership fee of $35 to join
the rental car program and could be charged an
hourly rate for the time that they use the service.
Insurance coverage for individuals while they are
driving the cars is included in the start up fee.
The service would be available only to people who
are 21 years of age and older because of Zipcars’
insurance carrier requirements.
The limited number of cars available and the
restrictions placed on who can rent the cars could
hamper the ability of the service to be taken advan
tage of by as many people as possible.
For example, the majority of underclassmen at the
University —most of whom do not have cars on
campus and would probably need the service the
most— would be prevented from renting cars
because they are not yet 21 years old.
The proposal also begs the question of who would
get first priority in using the service students, fac
ulty or staff?
These groups have often been pitted against each
other in past transportation discussions, especially
parking, and the rental car service could further
complicate the issue.
Other issues, including whether or not there will
be time or mileage limits on the rentals and who will
be in charge of running the program, raise important
questions that must be answered before plans to
bring the service to the campus proceed.
While it is certainly assuring to see University offi
cials use creativity in finding ways to solve campus
problems, the proposal to implement a campus car
rental services —as it stands now might be a lit
tle too “creative” for their own good.
Given job losses throughout North Carolina, rep
resentatives should be making a concerted effort to
provide state agencies with more funding because
dismal economic times increase the number of peo
ple who depend on the government for help.
State agencies perform the vital duties of assisting
with unemployment benefits, helping with job
searches and— most importantly providing edu
cation and job training.
N.C. leaders have long bragged about having a
well-trained work force to help lure high-paying jobs
in the technology sector to the state.
But that boast will fall short if leaders keep cut
ting education to make up for the state’s budget
deficit.
Jeff Davies, UNC-system vice president for
finance, told The Daily Tar Heel that the House plan
would be difficult for the system to handle given the
past three years of budget cuts.
“If this is approved, this places our budget in a
really compromised position,” Davies said.
Budget cuts already have forced UNC-system
schools, including UNC-Chapel Hill, to cut posi
tions, offer fewer classes and increase the size of
classes.
Legislators, operating under the assumption that
cuts can be made without drastically hurting the sys
tem’s instructional mission, must realize that addi
tional budget cuts would harm students systemwide.
Taxes are never a popular choice for politicians
thinking about the upcoming election.
But N.C. legislators were elected with the inher
ent responsibility of acting in the best interests of the
state instead of their political careers.
That means signing off on Easley’s proposal to
extend the tax increases so the people of North
Carolina won’t end up paying an even heftier bill in
the near future.
end with our annual cultural show
Africa Night on Saturday. The
theme this year is Generation
Next!
There will be African dances,
plays, poetry and a fashion show.
This cultural extravaganza will be
held in Hanes Art Center, with din
ner ($3) being served at 5.30 p.m.,
and the show ($5) starting at 7
p.m.
Tickets are on sale in the Union
Box Office and at our table in the
Pit.
We will be in the Pit all week, so
please look out for our table and
also stop by the Undergraduate
Library to see our art exhibit.
Please join us in experiencing the
diversity and vibrancy that is
African culture!
Tanya Rogo
Senior
Biology
Americans should support
troops and not protest war
TO THE EDITOR:
The anti-war movement on
campus breathed new life on
Thursday.
I am embarrassed for them.
While there is a time for public
protest, it ceases once we as a
nation commit our men and
women to fight and die for a cause.
Whether you personally agree
with the decision to attack Iraq or
Editorial Pago
not, the simple fact is that you, by
your vote or lack thereof, have
elected a group of men and women
to run this country and make these
vital decisions for you. They have
been made.
Unfortunately, we will now
begin to lose our brothers, sisters,
fathers, mothers, families and
friends to this pursuit of justice
and security.
These strident protests will not
stop the war.
In all reality, they will do noth
ing more than demoralize our
troops and their families.
We as a nation must stand and
support these men and women and
the country they are serving.
Tonight when you go home, alive,
free, educated and empowered,
enjoying all that this great nation
and the blood of those who have
died for it have provided you, be
proud and be thankful.
Always remember, being an
American is a privilege, not an
embarrassment.
If it ever becomes such, put your
money where your mouth is and
leave.
Sheila St. Pierre
Senior
Communication Studies
Shameful to celebrate war
when lives are on the line
TO THE EDITOR:
I had the unfortunate experi
ON THE DAY’S NEWS
“Any government big enough to give you everything you want
is big enough to take everything you’ve got”
GERALD R. FORD, 38TH U.S. PRESIDENT
amDIMCn} j / -wuwwsje^PoA r
SHOCK AND AWE
COMMENTARY
Activists should focus push
on rebuilding postwar Iraq
My roommate and I have a
set of free weights in our
room and often discuss
politics over toe raises or bicep
curls. She’s just as liberal as I am,
and three years of feeding off each
other’s leftist indignation has
made us both more extreme in
our views.
Last Wednesday, when the
bombs started to fall in Iraq, we
lifted weights out of sheer frustra
tion. My anger had to be directed
somewhere, so I picked up my 10-
pounders and curled until my
muscles shook.
The next day, we were just fin
ishing dinner on Franklin Street
when the raucous anti-war pro
testers marched by, so we leaped
out of our seats and joined them.
There’s a magical kind of energy in
protests, an infectious populism, a
concerted and focused passion, a
sense that your right to vocal and
united opposition really does rep
resent democracy at its best.
We broke off from the group to
go home and, having stopped to
chat with friends on the comer of
Franklin, were subjected to a
drive-by verbal attack from four or
five girls sticking themselves out
of a monstrously big SUV, scream
ing that we must bomb Saddam
Hussein before subjecting us to a
number of rather colorful insults.
Well, that was odd. But no
stranger than the guy in the huge
truck, blasting “Bombs Over
Baghdad” and flying the
American flag, delighting in the
prospect of dropping thousands
of missiles on an effectively
defenseless nation.
I came home and, while lifting
weights like a maniac, thought
about a lot of things, especially the
perversion of the symbolism of the
American flag, which has come to
represent only blanket approval of
ence of watching the start of the
current war in Iraq from the bar at
Ham’s restaurant on Franklin
Street on Wednesday night. I come
from a family of military veterans
and second-generation immigrants
who are about as peace-loving and
patriotic as they can be.
As I stood at the bar watching
President Bush speak and seeing
the updates of the action in Iraq
scroll across the bottom of the
screen, the reaction in the bar and
unfortunately, I’m sure, in many
places across our great country,
turned my stomach.
I watched and listened in dis
gust as the troglodytic bartender
and his equally vacant female com
panion across the bar sat and lis
tened in rapt joy to the announce
ment that a war was starting.
They actually cheered at the
prospect of sending the sons and
daughters of America to die in the
desert. That reaction is akin to
standing outside Mission Control
in Houston with pompoms and a
knit skirt and sweater, cheering as
the news that the shuttle had
exploded on reentry was
announced.
How exciting! Noble people
dying senseless deaths ain’t it
grand?
Celebration in response to the
start of a war is the lowest form of
human degradation. I urge every
one who cheered the start of the
war, assuming some of them can
read, to think about what they are
RACHEL GURVICH
INFORMED DISSENT
the administration’s actions.
If someone doesn’t agree with
raining 3,000 missiles on Iraq in
two days and decides to take to the
streets, that doesn’t make them
any less loyal to the ideals that the
United States was founded on.
The next morning, I had the
bad sense to turn on the televi
sion. The media coverage of the
war is perfectly atrocious.
Perhaps some sportscasters
bound for the NCAA Tournament
mistakenly ended up in Kuwait
and Qatar.
Moreover, allegations that the
media is somehow skewed to the
left are unfounded and absurd
protesters were regularly depicted
as delinquent, destructive anar
chists, and far more attention was
paid to the counter-demonstra
tions held across the nation.
These gatherings of war sup
porters were looked upon far
more favorably, with reporters
interviewing children whose par
ents were in the Gulf or veterans
of prior conflicts talking about
how much they support the presi
dent and the troops.
And most of those of us who
are against the war do support
our troops. We recognize the
incredible risk they are taking
and the immensity of their sacri
fice for their country. We want
them to be safe, and we hope they
come back soon.
But we do not support their rea
son for being in Iraq because we
actually cheering for. You are
cheering for citizens of this coun
try, much more brave and true to
the flag than you, marching to their
possible deaths.
Your cheers will ring in their
parents’ and children’s ears as their
insides melt from the mustard gas
and as their skin bubbles from the
heat of the oil field fires.
No matter how noble or igno
minious the reasons for a war
might be, to celebrate any thing
other than its end is to desecrate
humanity as a whole. Shame on
you.
Don’t cheer for war, pray for the
children of this country who are
sent to fight it, and thank your
God, whoever he or she may be,
that people better and braver than
you are willing to defend your right
to dishonor their memory.
Sam McDaniel
Chapel Hill
The length rule was waived.
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(Eljp Daily (Ear Hrrl
do not support the Bush adminis
tration’s disingenuous, unilateral,
self-interested foreign policy.
Every time a soldier is killed for
following orders, we are even more
upset than many Americans
because we’re not sure they had to
be there in the first place.
I’m sure you’ve all heard the
arguments against this war. My
purpose here is not to rehash
those —but if you’d like to know
my reasoning behind this, feel
free to contact me and I’ll refresh
your memory. The peace move
ment must now refocus its effort
on what will happen in the after
math of the war.
The only way our government
can now regain the world’s trust is
by taking the rebuilding of the
Iraqi nation and political regime
very seriously. Not like we did in
Afghanistan, where the adminis
tration’s budget for the next fiscal
year did not include one cent
toward the rebuilding of that
country. Not like we did in Latin
America throughout the Cold War,
when we were willing to install
and support any sort of totalitarian
regime at the expense of democra
cy as long as it wasn’t socialist.
We can’t just let Halliburton
make out like bandits with Iraqi
oil or install some puppet leader,
sympathetic to our interests. We
need to listen to the needs of
Iraqis and provide massive quan
tities of humanitarian assistance
to the families that have been
struggling with the effects both of
U.S. sanctions and air strikes.
I desperately hope the admin
istration proves me wrong on this
one. But something tells me I’m
going to be pretty damn buff
before this is all over.
Contact Rachel Gurvich
at gurvich@email.unc.edu.
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