Newspapers / Daily Tar Heel (Chapel … / Oct. 30, 1970, edition 1 / Page 8
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Page Eight Opinions of The Daily Tar Heel unsigned editorials are the opinions columns represent only the opinions Tom Goocfrg, Editor "Disadvaeta A Scholarship Feed. Many people who possess the intellectual ability to attain academic success in major colleges and universities are never given the chance they deserve because of II n a n c i a I d e II c i e n c i es. "There are many people who have the ability and talent to make significant contributions to our 2Tln? Saihj 5Far fyel 7-V ) cars of Editorial I'rccdom Tom Gooding, Editor Rod Waldorf Managing Ed. MikeParneil News Editor Rick Gray Associate Ed. t Harry Bryan Associate Ed. Chris Cobbs Sports Editor Frank Parrish Feature Editor Ken Ripley National News Ed. Terry Cheek Night Editor Doug Jewell Business Mgr. Frank Stewart Adv. Mgr. Mike Parnell it : r I f ft--j.-M DeiBoesltraltioinisFanl Where Money Will Smcceed A rally is set for noon today in the pit to show the support of UNC students for the legal processes in this country. The rally is being held to collect money for the Kent State Legal Defense Fund. The money collected wdl be used .to help pay the defense of 25 Kent State students indicted two weeks ago on not charges, resulting from the disturbances on the Kent State campus last May in which four students died and six others were wounded. The students were protesting the decision of President Nixon to send U.h. are expressed on its editorial page. All of the editor and the staff. Letters and of the individual contributors. Need state and nation who are unable to do so because they don't have the money to go to college," Carolina Opportunity Fund coordinator Joe Stallings said. Consequently, Stallings and approximately 35 students have been meeting this year to lay the groundwork to establish a permanent scholarship fund for disadvantaged students. The organization is attempting to raise more than $100,000 this year through a series of programs and fund raising efforts. We agree with Stallings that "there are real values to the effort. The group is raising money in an area .where there is an unquestionable need. In the past many students have been turned away from the University simply because there hasn't been enough money." The need for a scholarship fund for disadvantaged students became more acute this year because of the cutbacks in federal spending causing a severe shortage of federal aid to students. It is grossly unfair to deny an. academic education to an individual because he can not pay the high costs of higher education. Thus, we feel the Carolina Opportunity Fund is an excellent program to help remedy this problem, and we encourage full support for the fund throughout .'the entire University community. ged FOOT 5 ALL combat tnbops into Cambodia. After two nights of protests, which resulted in extensive damage to downtown businesses and the campus ROTC building, the National Guard was called in. On Monday, May 4, the four students died from bullet wounds inflicted when the National Guard felt compelled to fire on protesting students. The President's Commission on Campus Unrest did not exonerate the students in the indicent, but neither did they failto lay blame for the deaths on the poor tactics and faulty training of the National Guard. THE DAILY Dane Hartgrove Am Allegory The music had been going on now for about an hour and a half. Within the confines of his dormitory room, a young man sat with a textbook before him. But his mind was on other things. He had enrolled at the university with the sole purpose of acquiring the knowledge that would be necessary to him in his future career. To further this end, he had taken a room in a dormitory in order to be close to the library and the classrooms. But now the money he had put down for the dormitory room seemed to have been wasted. The people in the other rooms of the dormitory were less studious than he; they spent a large part of their time in merry-making, which was annoying to someone with his serious outlook on life. Certainly, a little harmless amusement never hurt anyone. But amusements too must be subordinated to the study schedule. He himself relaxed occasionally; from 4 to 5 p.m. on alternate Wednesdays he either played solitaire Monopoly or listened to his collection of Ricky Nelson records. But the constant merry-making in the dormitory was both unnecessary and annoying, and lie had decided that it must come to an end. He had decided to destroy all the records in his tormentors' rooms. In that way the constant din of music would be ended. However, if it proved impossible to destroy the music-making apparatus directly, he could always destroy his tormentors instead. Carefully he had planned his course of action. On this evening, the first of the Homecoming weekend, he had reasoned that the vast majority of his enemies would be engaged in either fornication or heavy drinking. Consequently, they would probably overlook his presence in their rooms during the early hours of the morning, the time he had chosen to execute his plan. He had bought an axe in one of the local hard ward stores, and planned to use it to smash records, radios, and stereos throughout the dormitory. Should anyone object to his actions well, axes can be used for smashing other things besides records. It was now fifteen minutes after midnight on the first night of Homecoming weekend. The young man glanced at his watch, then closed his book and picked up the axe. There was little opposition from the drink-sodden, fornicating residents of the dormitory. He smashed records and radios right and left, even getting a guitar or two in the process. The Ohio grand jury, however, said the Guard was not to blame as they were "threatened for their very lives." The 25 students were indicted for provoking the Guard and causing the disturbance Among them is the student body president of Kent State. Student strikes throughout the land followed the Nixon decision and the deaths at Kent State. Many institutions were shut down entirely and many were uiunie to go about the "day-to-day" louune mat is the backbone university. Such was the case here. of a More than 8,000 students participated TAR HEEL But there was some opposition. In one room four students were sitting on the floor playing bridge. The stereo was playin Simon and Garfunkel; the son was ''America." " The young man lunged into the room, split the record and the stereo turntable' in two with the axe, and had turned to go when one of the girls let out a scream. Unknowingly, he had stepped on her hand. But the scream frightened him; he raised the axe and struck without thinking. In a few seconds, the four people lay bloodily silent on the floor of the room. A similar incident occurred in a room on one of the lower stories. Two other students were playing soul music; this time he deliberately struck to kill. On the whole, it was a successful evening. The last strikes of song died in the speakers of the last stereo around 3 in the morning. The young man was at last able to study in peace. In the days that followed, other David Adcock Case For Volunteer Army (Editor's Note: The following is the second in a three part series on the case for an all-volunteer army. Tlie writer, DTH columnist David Adcock, is state chairman of the Young Americans For Freedom.) What are the criteria for judging military manpower procurement policies? The following are usually considered: 1) Equity the system must be fair; 2) Feasibility the policies must work; 3) National tradition the system should be consistent with our history of democracy, individual freedom, and representative government; 4) Social balance and democratic ideals there should not be racial or ethnic discrimination and safeguards are needed to secure civilian control and to prevent military belligerence. On the basis of these criteria, critics of an all-volunteer military have raised many questions. One objection is that a volunteer army would cost too much. Defense Department calculations have gone as high as $ 1 7 billion. However, the Gates Commission Report concludes that the actual cost to the nation will be lower for an all-volunteer force as opposed to the present force. The Defense Department admits their high figure is pure speculation. The President's Commission estimates the added cost at $3-4 billion in the beginning. If the Commission's recommendations are put into effect for fiscal 1971, they will produce a budget increase of an estimated $3.3 billion for the following expenditures: Basic pay increase (Billions) $2.68 Proficiency pay Reserve pay increase Additional medical corps expense Recruiting, ROTC and miscellaneous .21 .15 .12 .08 $3.24 While the financial incentives required to attract enough volunteers would increase the budgetary costs of a volunteer force, not all costs appear in the federal budget; some do, but some are borne by the entire nation, and some by the individuals drafted. Including all costs, voluntarism would produce four sorts of substantial saving over the conscript force. First, there would be some budgetary Letters To Lana To the Editor: In this unfortunate Age of Agnew and its subsequent art of polemics, I feel an urge to attempt the newest form of political banter. Though it saddens my heart that the fable is no longer considered a viable alternative, I must confess that bad poetry seems a likely second choice. Then, too, we must keep up with the times-all in the name of progress of course. So I hereby offer the following: To Lana And Others of Her Ilk In retrospect, I suppose, that Lana would be worse, Should she persist in creating (?) in demonstrations, rallies and marches for the cause. Almost 50 percent took no final exams at all, and many more than that took less than their normal load. The University was unable to function in its normal manner because students were so moved by national events that they felt compelled to speak their minds. ThH nnestion to be answered is hether students have given up on solving w the problems which wrack our nation. Apathy has run rampant on campus this r.n Thpre has been little support for candidates in the November elections and For Mr records were brought into the dormitory and the strains of music were along the corridors. But only for a short time. The young man would not listen to the music, and smashed both records and their players with his now-bloody axe. Things stayed quiet in the dormitory. Those who had any real desire for music moved off campus to escape from the axe. The rest gave up music for fear of reprisals. They lived in the dormitory only because only through their studies could they later earn money. The only music in the dormitory was the sound of worn Ricky Nelson records, and the only recreation was Monopoly. Even those students who only studied for money began to move off campus. Then a strange thing happened. The young man found himself unable to study. He couldn't seem to concentrate on anything; even Ricky Nelson and Monopoly began to lose their appeal for him. But worst of all was the loneliness. savings. A volunteer force would have a lower turnover rate than a conscript one and there would be fewer people to train. The Pentagon estimates that the current turnover rate for draftees is 92-95 percent. In a volunteer force, the overall turnover rate can be reduced to 17 percent, resulting in a 26 percent decline in the number of recruits. At the cost to taxpayers of $6,000 per man, annual savings would be between $1 and $1.3 billion. Maintenance costs of a volunteer army would be reduced because of better trained men and higher morale. Second, the draft imposes costs on the entire nations the difference between the value of the potential civilian productivity by those now in the conscript army and the value of the civilian productivity by those who would be in an all-volunteer force. By leaving people free to follow the careers in which they are most productive, the whole nation is the gainer. Third, much of the cost of a conscript army is borne by the draftees in the form of an implicit tax the difference between their military pay and their earning power as civilians. The President's Commission estimates that for draftees and draft-induced volunteers the total tax amounts to $2 billion, an average of . $3,600 per man. Fourthly, conscription induces the military services to use manpower inefficiently. The President's Commission estimates that for a force of 2.5 million men, 1 17,000 civilians could be substituted for servicemen at a savings of perhaps $100 million a year. Thus under a volunteer military all the real costs would be open and paid by the general population, which afterall berefits from national defense, through money taxes, whereas conscription imposes a disproportionate burden of defense costs on a select minority of the population in the form of forced labor. Critics, claim the all-volunteer force will lack the flexibility to expand rapidly in times of sudden crises. A volunteer military would be more flexible than the draft: modern warfare is swift and uses highly complex weaponry, factors making professional soldiers more responsive than millions of young men rushed into boot camps for a few months training. The President's Commission concluded that Others political verse, I can't help but think that her lines might be sweeter, If only the venom were dropped from her meter. But quite like Miss Lizzie, Miss Lana takes whacks, Yielding a cudgel in place of an axe. And the chips (as they say) will fall where they may, And to Hell with Fair Play and the Facts. Michael L. Pleasants Aberdeen, N.C. when the indictments were announced for the 25 students, the news caused nothing more than a restless stir among students here. But several students in Morrison decided they should do something about the situation which they so abhorred. Protests seemed worthless, particularly close to the eletion time when the only possible effect would be to turn off the voters to liberal candidates. So the decision was made to solicit money. Money which will be used to support the defense of those indicted in And October 30, 1970 Agnew He walked into the silent corridors of the dormitory js if in a daze, entered his room, and wj repelled by the vast amount of work he had before him. And of course there was alwavs the loneliness. One day the young man could" stand the loneliness no longer. In a fit of depression, he killed himself by failing on his own axe. And then there was just the jxe. and silence. I would like to say thank you to those of you who have taken the time to read this article. To those of you who don't understand it. and even to some of those that do. let me point out that there are many things in this world that are incomprehensible. Most of them are much more worthy of understanding than anything 1 or anybody else writes in this newspaper. There is nothing more I have to say. except that 1 know that 1 am neither omniscient nor always right. Please, Mr. Agnew, try and understand. "military preparedness depends on forces in being, not on the ability to draft untrained men." Thus the flexibility is dependent upon the reserves and the Commission has recommended that a standby draft be put into effect with Congressional approval if circumstances require mobilization of large numbers of men. To make the forces more flexible, Milton Friedman has suggested: "The way to do so would be to make pay and conditions of service more attractive than is required to recruit the number of men that is anticipated will be needed. There will then be excess of volunteers-queues. If the number of men required increased, the queues could be shortened, and conversely." A volunteer army is consistent with American tradition. At no time in our history has the call for volunteers, when accompanied by quite modest economic rewards, failed to produce adequate forces. This nation, which has tried to improve the lot of the poor, can not continue to impoverish the young men and the families which defend it. Since World War II entering pay for recruits has increased only 20 percent, while the value of the dollar has declined 60 percent. The principle of allowing people to choose voluntarily the occupation they wish to pursue is most compatible with our heritage. An attitude exactly opposite from our tradition is expressed in the words of the ex-Director of the Selective Service, Gen. Hershey: "I do not want to go along with a volunteer basis. I think a fellow should be compelled to become better and not let him use his discretion whether he wants to get smarter, more healthy, or more honest." Note the similarity between that remark and the words of another person who became too zealous in support of the military: The army trained men for unconditional responsibility at a time when this quality had grown rare and evasion of it was becoming more and more the order of the day...The army trained men in idealism and devotion to the fatherland and its greatness while everywhere else greed and materialism had spread abroad. The words are those of Adolf Hitler! Critics also argue that a volunteer military would be an army of mercenaries. Yet the term 'mercenary' implies that men would enlist for pay alone and precludes all other reasons for serving. "Men do not join the services solely for financial reasons, rather they join because of patriotism, family tradition, the military's image of manliness, and the chance to travel. These attractions are now nullified by low salaries." Britain and Canada have volunteer systems and it is unlikely that they consider them to be mercenary. Moreover, the armed forces are predominantly volunteer at the present time, especially at the higher levels. Can we regard as mercenaries the career commissioned and noncommissioned officers now serving beyond their first term? Why should an all-volunteer force be called a mercenary force when our local police, F.B.I, agents, and federal marshalls, all entirely voluntary, are not? the courts. In the courts. Thmnoh th legal processes of this country. Not on the streets in worthless protest. Not by carrying signs and singing songs. Not by breaking windows or hurling rocks. Not by bombing buildings. Through the courts. Mike Crawford, David Arndt, Woody Edwards, Kathy Morris, Chip Moore and Wright Clarkson should be thanked for their efforts in coordinating the rally. Students should be at the pit at noon today. To give money. v V I r
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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Oct. 30, 1970, edition 1
8
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