10 The Daily Tar Heel Thursday, November
Lou Biuonis, Editor
' '
Chuck Alston, Managing Editor
Don Woodard, Associate Editor
David McKinnon, Associate Editor
Bernie Ransbottom. University Editor
Mary Anne Rhyne, City Editor
David Stacks, Stats and National Editor
Richard Barron. News Editor
Betsy Flagler, Features Editor
Mark Scandung, Arts Editor
Lee Pace, Sports Editor
Allen Jernigan, Photography Editor
Labor goes AWOL
Big Labor, that recalcitrant foot soldier in the Carter anti-inflation
army, is bucking orders from headquarters once again.
AFL-CIO President George Meany, after meeting Tuesday with his
federation's executive council, blasted the second phase of the
president's anti-inflation plan as unfair and unequitable to the nation's
workers, and charged that the voluntary program, in reality, calls for a
holding down of wages but not prices, interest rates, dividends and
profit margins inflation spurs on the boots of business. .
The only way to ensure that everyone marches in the war against
inflation, the AFL-CIO argues, is to institute mandatory controls on all
factors that contribute to inflation an idea loathsome to Jimmy
Carter, who campaigned on a plank emphasizing his aversion to ceilings
like those used during the Nixon administration.
The opposition from Meany and the AFL-CIO, which represents 106
unions and some 14 million workers, was, of course, politically
predictable; Washington's consistent pressuring of unions -to cut
payraise requests, coupled with its sore lack of influence on the ranks of
management, has been wearing on labor leaders for some time. And
Meany, cornered by angry membership on the one side and 10 percent
inflation on the other, could certainly benefit from a mandatory anti
inflation program that takes him out of the hot seat at the negotiating
tables.
Still, the federation's attack on the program is worth consideration,
for if phase two even remotely resembles the tragically haphazard phase
one (as it appears it may), then labor will indeed be called upon to lead
the fight and suffer the greatest number of casualties. The unions
don't even need to add that the workingman is least able to sacrifice.
A successful battle against inflation, as Meany suggests, must be one
waged on all fronts. Mandatory controls certainly provide that coverage
and are preferable to Meany; they also impose, however, certain
unsavory and drastic costs on an open economy. But a voluntary
program that exacts equal sacrifice can also be successful in all the.
theaters of war without those costs.
Carter and his Council on Wage and Price Stability have received
their warning. They need not jump for mandatory controls, but must
strive to build an effective army of business and labor that treats its
soldiers sternly but equally.
Model students
Some kids took it on Tuesday. Some will take it today. A few won't
take it at all, as their parents are keeping them home in protest.
After months of spirited debate, North Carolina is finally
administering its first competency test. Across the state, public high
school juniors are sharpening their pencils and prepping their psyches
for a standardized exam in basic verbal and mathematical skills. It's
been a long time coming, but it's been well worth the wait.
In an effort to make the State's public schools accountable to the
education they are supposed.to provide, and to ensure that each North
Carolina child is given a sound education at all costs, Gov. Jim Hunt
proposed and then fought for the approval of minimum-competency
tests. Under Hunt's plan, any student who fails to pass the exam cannot
be awarded a high school diploma; instead, the school will have to
provide some form of remedial help or simply grant the student, if he or
she chooses, a certificat acknowledging time spent at school
Several groups still oppose the test, claiming that it will discriminate
agains minority students who do not have access to the better schools or
whose cultural backgrounds are not conducive to a standard test. But a
state government panel of six blacks, two whites and one Indian have
found the exam culturally neutral, and we suspect that any lingering
fears will be erased once the first results are in.
When the last heat of controversy subsides, the state might then
realize that, while the students are taking the exams, the schools are also
being tested. We hope they prove to be model students. For the good
students, as many a teacher or professor will attest, are those who can
learn and improve from even the simplest test.
The Bottom Line
Entertaining City Hall
All work and no play makes City
Hall a dull place. That's what city
employee Russell xLUes thought,
anyway. So Liles got the urge to
stimulate a little excitement into an
otherwise normal day at Raleigh's
City Hall.
On Feb. 5, 1977 (you can look it
up), Liles, an emergency radio
dispatcher, arranged to show a five
minute silent skin flick to his fellow
workers in the City Hall
communications room. Needless to
say, the word got out, the projector
was unplugged and the City of
Raleigh had an opening for an
emergency radio dispatcher.
The story might have ended right
here if Liles hadn't appealed his
dismissal. After a recommendation
from Superior Court Judge Marsh
McLelland, the Raleigh Civil Service
Commission overturned its decision
to fire the dispatcher, and now it's
only a matter of figuring out how
much back pay Liles should receive
before he's reinstated.
It could be surmised that the CSC
had to retrace its steps on their action
toward Liles because of a
technicality. The commission, it
seemed, released Liles due to a
violation of city rules of personal
conduct. But those rules merely
prohibit "participation in any action
that would in any way seriously
disrupt or disturb the normal
operation" of the office.
Apparently, Liles co-workers
were neither disrupted'nor disturbed
by the film. And Commission
Chairperson Michael Boyd agreed
that while personally he looks
disfavorably upon skin flicks, "the
2, 1978
latin
afar 11
86th year of editorial freedom
action of showing a- pornographic
film does not create a disruption or a
disturbance."
So Liles will soon presumably be
back at Cuy Hall, thinking twice the
next time he comes up with an idea to
put a little life into local government.
Iff you box, don't drive...
Former world heavyweight boxing
champion 'Leon Spinks, try as he
might, just can't seem to stay clear of
trouble.
You all remember his difficulties
after he won the title from
Muhammad jli last February
various traffic violations, drug
charges, marital problems. Well, now
his new playtoys expensive cars
are his bane.
A few weeks ago Spinks drove his
brand new $13,000 silver Corvette
through a fence two days after he
bought the car. He told police he lost
control of the auto because he wasn't
used to driving it. Spinks was
charged with failure to control a
motor vehicle and freed on $50 bond.
Then his 1978 Cadillac was stolen.
And last Saturday Spinks went
cruising again in the 'Vette only to
crash into a car while trying to avoid
another one which had pulled in
front of him. No charges here,
though.
Spinks did get some good news
about his cars, however. On Sunday,
police in East Cleveland, (Ohio),
reported they found the stolen
Caddy.
We suspect that the boxing gloves
inhibited Spinks' gear shifting, so the
recovery of the automatic
transmissioned Cadillac can be only
a blessing.
And that's the bottom line.
Ingram myth can't hold up under
By BRYAN WIRIVICZ
As the U.S. Senate race between
Sen. Jesse Helms, R-N.C, and state
Insurance Commissioner John !
Ingram draws to a close, Ingram and
his backers urge voters to examine
the commissioner's record to see how
much he has accomplished for the
people of North Carolina in the five
and a half years since he bacame
insurance commissioner. An
examination of the Ingram record,
the insurance cbmmissionerand his
supporters argue, will show Ingram
effectively saved North Carolinians
millions of dollars in insurance rate
increase requests the commissioner
opposed.
As a conscientious voter, I did
examine the Ingram record .as
insurance commissioner. What I
found appalled me.
Ingram and his supporters argue
that Sen. Helms is more interested in
pursuing ideological battles than in
representing the people of North
Carolina. Ingram and his followers
say that he is an effective leader who
has fought and beaten insurance
companies, and who can battle and
defeat special interests in
Washington, D.C. Let's look at the
record.
The News and Observer reported
on Sept. 2, 1976, that the state Court
of Appeals voted unanimously to
allow a 16 percent increase in home
owners insurance rates sought by
several N.C. insurance companies.
The court ruled the rate increase was
justified because of Ingram's
"persistent procrastination,
unfairness and partisan procedures'
and decisions." The court criticized
Ingram, for not fulfilling his
"statutory duties" of fixing fair and
reasonable rates for insurance
companies and ruled the increase
would remain in effect until Ingram
accepted his responsibilities.
The aforementioned -court
decision is not unique, however. The
Feb. 19, 1978. Charlotte Observer
reported that from 1973 to 1977, the
insurance commissioner lost 10 of 1 1
major insurance battles in the state
Court of Appeals. Ingram's sole
letters to the editor
No. violation naeaiit in
To the editor:
On behalf of the ONC College
Republicans, 1 would like to present bur
side of the controversy surrounding our
use of campus mail for a political mailing.
On Monday, Oct. 30, Richard Smyth's
wife took a box of letters to the campus
mail office. The letters were in support of
Smyth, were sent to UNC faculty and
were signed by me.
, Mrs. Smyth checked with the clerk on
duty about sending the letter. He opened
one, read it himself, and checked with her
to make sure I was a student and College
Republicans was a campus organization.
He then OK'd the mailing. .
There was no intent either on the part
of College Republicans or Smyth to
violate any laws. If we had had any idea of
any law prohibiting this action, we
certainly would not have done it.
We apologize, to the UNC
administration for any trouble this may
have caused.
Jody Boyce, chairperson
UNC College Republicans
Editorial blast
To the editor:
How dare you presume to judge who
needs peace and who does not? I refer to
your editorial ("Sharing the prize," DTH,
Oct. 30). It is very easy for safe and secure
Americans to spout words like
"intransigence and "concessions' while
people halfway around the globe are the
ones who have to cope with the practical
business of a working peace agreement.
Both Sadat and Begin have done things
I do not like and do not understand. Yet
while Sadat's major "concession seems
to have been his awakening to the fact
that Israel. does exist, which the world
noticed in 1948. his action is courageous,
given the political climate of the other
Arab states. The fact that there are
negotiations at all is promising. Begin
and Sadat are extremely intelligent
individuals who. t assume, grasp the
political situation in the Middle East far
better than you or I, and will act
ultimately in the interest of peace for all.
But for you to decide the value of
peace if such a sacred thing can be
measured is outrageous. When you say
"peace is worth considerably more to
Egypt than to Israel, are you also saying
that some lives are wort h less than others?
A peace treaty may be a political
objective, but peace itself is a profound
human goal that is the common aim of
Israel and Egypt and their citizens. Who
are you to say who needs it more than
others? Not only is your attitude devoid
of human understanding, it lacks
intelligence. Your editorial bespeaks an
ignorant arrogance that is as dangerous
as it is ill-founded.
Jane S. Gabin
Department of English
And again
To the editor:
1 would like to take objection to the
views stated in your editorial ("Sharing
the prize," DTH, Oct. 30) concerning the
illegitimacy of Begin and Sadat's joint
recipientship of the Nobel Peace Prize.
As an informed follower of their peace
process, the arguments you printed, that
victory involved a personnel matter.
not a rate increase request. During
the same time, eight insurance
matters were decided by the state
Supereme Court; Ingram lost in
seven of the eight cases. In his only
victory. Ingram allied himself with .'
the insurance industry in attacking
one individual company's policies.
"Repeatedly, the courts said Ingram
exceeded his authority, failed to
follow state statutes or didn't have
facts to support his decisions. Ingram
generally ignores specific questions
about those court upsets," the
Observer reported.
Obviously, there can be no exact
dollar figure attached to Ingram's
futile, ill-conceived and arbitrary
court battles with the insurance
industry. However, knowing that
judges, insurance company
attorneys, insurance department
personnel and justice department
attorneys must all be paid, one
wonders whether or not Ingram has
saved North Carolinians even one
thin dime during his five and a half
years as insurance commissioner.
Part of the explanation for
Ingram's unenviable record of failure
in the courts might be attributed to
the quality of his key staff aides, his
top deputies in the insurance
department. The Observer reports
those top aides include a former
Asheboro newspaper reporter, a
former Raleigh television reporter,
Ingram's former minister and an
Ingram campaign aide formerly
employed at the legislature.
Indeed, the 1977 North Carolina
General Assembly was so distressed
at the Ingram record that it stripped
him of most of his rate-setting
powers. According to the Sept. 14,
1977, News and Observer, the
legislature acted with the tacit
approval of Gov. Jim Hunt who,
although he could have altered the
outcome through his network of
friendships in the legislature, did
nothing to support the
commissioner. Apparently Jim
Hunt, too, grew tired of Ingram
shouting "special interests" whenever
his own shortcomings were exposed.
In recent days we have read with
"Sadat has been doing most of the
peacemaking this year" appears to me to
be absurd at best. Before you again repeat
views that slander either Mr. Begin or
Israel, please consider but a few of the
fallacies upon which these erroneous
opinions are based.
Initially you mistakenly imply that
Sadat's visit to Jerusalem was some sort
of magnanimous stride toward peace. I
hardly believe acceptance of an invitation
to talk to one who has requested such a
dialogue for 30 years to be generous or
unprecedented. Israel's constitution
deservedly received no fanfares in 1948.
when it called for direct negotiations with
Arab neighbors, as an inherent principle
of the country. The trip to Jerusalem was
but a sign that Sadat had finally reached
Israel's level of maturity in dealing with
the Middle East. conflict. Sadat didn't
"stride forward. he simply joined Begin,
"got off his butt" and stood up.
The DTtfs inferences that Sadat's
concessions are much greater than
Israel's seems equally ridiculous. Israel is
returning the entire Sinai to Egypt, will
concede half her geographic area and
most valuable natural resources. Begin
returned a land which has been used by
modern Egypt almost exclusively for the
purpose of liquidating Israel. Once
already, in 1956. Israel made this
concession, and received the near
suffocation of Egypt's 67 aggression.
Beyond this, to whom is Israel returning
Sinai' Peace champion Sadat has
other achievements in life; among them a
career as a World War II Nazi
collaborator, and 1973 advocate and
architect of Israel's annihilation. Thus I
would perceive Begin's concessions to be
courageous if not foolhardy, and unlike
1f UH...rVE0NLY)
s l Got J
( -nxjGH Y -.,
l is- An l l II
oucw; - 'i
,4 '
- i
1
a
x -r
it
i 4
Hunt end Ingram-.
"...Apparently Jim Hunt, too, grew tired of Ingram shouting 'special
interests' whenever his own shortcomings were exposed."
interest that when, in 1976. Ingram
sold his Asheboro home and
purchased a home in Raleigh, he
arranged a complex property
transfer transaction that allowed him
to avoid paying potentially
substantial capital gains taxes.
Ingram is quick to point out the deal
was legal; indeed, the deal was leagal
in the strictest interpretation of the
legal code. But, as one deputy state
attorney general said, it "smells."
One recent Ingram campaign
advertisement stated Ingram believes
"the super-rich must pay their share
(of taxes) to shift the burden off the
working middle class." I submit that
if Ingram had paid the taxes in 1976
that the spirit of the capital gains tax
Smyth campus mailiii
the observers you cite, would categorize
him a "serious peace seeker." . .
I also object to the praise you cite of
Sadat's purported sacrifices. It appears
that Egypt has duped not only the Tar
Heel but many Americans on this subject.
When 1 look at Egypt after the accords I
see that they will not have lost any Saudi
Arabian or American monetary aid.
Sadat will not . have lost his people's
support or any of his dictatorial powers,
and he certainly will not have lost any
land. I see nothing significant about a few
radical Arab leaders renewed hate for
him, in comparison to Begins loss of
support from lifelong friends and Likud
party members.
The American media has somehow
bought Mr. Sadat's self-proclaimed
image as a peacemaker. It is my
conjecture, however, that on the basis of
tangible concessions, Sadat has much less
right to such a reputation than Begin. 1 do
not infer that Sadat is undeserving of the
Peace Prize (it takes two to treat), but 4 o
say that to suggest that Begin has not as
seriously pursued peace is simply
irresponsible nonsense. Menachem Begin
does not deserve the abuse our press has
given him. for when the actual
concessions made at Camp David are
measured, he emerges as the truer catalyst
for peace in the Middle East.
Al Rosenthal
Tau Epsilon Phi
GOP actually going down
To the editor:
I have enjoyed reading Kathy Curry's
series of articles and columns about
Orange County politics. Sheomits one of
OFFICIAL
INCUSING- TAX
JUEYZE
ABSOLUTE
TUP ADVNi
7ms YErm!1.
Y S- biii) c-k
scrutiny
41
r
4
y
DTWASen Jomtgan
law required him to pay, the middle
class' tax burden would have been
reduced.
The insurance commissioner says
he wants voters to examine his record
before deciding for whom to vote on
Nov. 7. I, too, hope voters examine
the Ingram record. If they do, they
will see a record of failure. They will
see a record of much talk and no
action. And they will see a record of a
double standard or morality. They
will see why John Ingram does not
merit their support on Nov. 7.
Bryan Wirwicz is a senior
journalism and political science
major from Raleigh.
the most crucial pieces of data available,
however namely, party registration of
new voters Despite her assertions that
the local GOP has nowhere to go but up,
the hard facts indicate it is actually going
down.
Data from the Orange County Board
of Elections show that, of the several
thousand new voters who have signed up
in Orange County in the last six months,
GOP registration is lower than it has ever
been. Seventy-nine percent of the new.
voters are Democrats. 1 1 percent are
Republican and 10 percent are
unaffiliated. Even during Watergate, new
GOP registration in Orange was higher,
and it was about 20 percent during the
1972 fall elections, when Helms got
beaten by a 5-to-I margin in Chapel H ill.
Gerry Cohen
Embarrassing boom
To the editor:
In response to the celebration of the
T&A boom ("One man's celebration of
theT&A boom," DTH. Oct. 26), I would
just like to say again that we're still
here, all those people who would rather
not read about a tits and ass boom. Tits
and ass has been celebrated ever since
there was any. and that's fine; but TV is
cartooning, not celebrating, them. I have
enough trouble dealing with this steak
and car nation without hearing that now
it's undergoing a tits and ass boom. Let's
not make America any more
embarrassing than it already is.
Lynette lezzoni
West Rosemary Street.
UNCVnHUETXC
UVS1 THE
-A:
v