I
The Battalion
Viewpoint
October 8 ? 1981
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Slouch
By Jim Earle
It’s your time to sweep out!’
It s your turn
Students mourn Sadat’s death
Editor:
Liddy’s illusions
With the assassination of President Sadat
the world and particularly Egypt has lost a
man who was a giant among statesmen.
Only the coming months will tell what is to
become of the peace treaty that President
Sadat worked so tirelessly on with Israel.
Hopefully, the new leaders of Egypt will
have the vision of Mr. Sadat worked so
tirelessly on with Israel. Hopefully the new
leaders of Egypt will have the vision of Mr.
Sadat and continue his efforts towards
peace. I think it is tragic that President
Khadafy of Libya would express elation at
this sad event. Sir, your hands are red with
the blood of a very noble man ... I know of
no soap that will wash it off.
Editor:
Monday night I went to hear G. Gordon
Liddy give a presentation called “A Retros
pect on American Politics.”
Throughout Mr. Liddy’s talk he con
tinually spoke about Americans and their
“illusions.”
illusion so carefully constructed andfeai
ly held together that even the creatd
started to believe in it. An illusion!
shrouded over a belief by the executii
branch that at least they knew whah
best for the country if their constituiei
didn’t and with this they justified allcrim
al activities that constituted Watergate I
“Illusions,” he said, “we must rid
ourselves of illusions” in our view of the
world and politics.
Tom Weirich ’77
Murray Moore ’80
Karen Sealy ’80
I thought about this for a minute but
something wasn’t making sense. This was
G. Gordon Liddy, right? A man who
spent four years in prison because of his
involvement in an effort to hold up a crumb
ling illusion of what the president was and
how his executive personnel operated. An
If we are to prevent self-deception
as Mr. Liddy repeatedly advocated,
must remember the fact that he wascauj
virtually red-handed in a criminal brealti
which he never denies. But judging by
applause last night, most of the audiei
was under the illusion that he was soi
kind of folk hero who was justified in
trampling over of the constitution for
and his colleagues personal beliefs.
Robert W. Jon
Luther St.
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Time growing short
for more budget cuts
By JERELYN EDDINGS
United Press International
WASHINGTON — President Reagan is
trying to slow down a moving train with his
-new effort to cut the budget for a fiscal year
-that’s now under way.
- Congressional Republicans realize the
-difficulty in that, and they know they could
‘simply run out of time to cut as much as the
^president would like.
I The new year started Oct. 1 with many
Reagan changes already in place after a
summer of rough-and-tumble politics re
sulted in $35 billion in spending reductions
and changes in law aimed at keeping spend
ing down.
But, only days before the year began,
Reagan asked Congress for another $16 bil
lion in budget cuts and revenue raising me
asures. And on Day One, he was just begin
ning to send details of his new plan to the
lawmakers.
The problem is this: The longer the clock
ticks on the new year, the more spending
has already taken place and the less there is
to cut.
House Republican leader Bob Michel
says it could be spring before Congress can
enact the $2.6 billion part of the package
that would reform some federal benefit
programs, such as welfare, food stamps, un
employment, Medicaid, Medicare and fed
eral pensions.
All of those programs have come under
the budget knife once already and further
cuts could require hearings and more care
fully performed surgery.
Reagan’s proposal also contains $3 billion
in tax code revisions, including imposing
user fees for boat and plane owners who use
federal facilities and closing some business
tax loopholes.
Those would require action by the Fi
nance Committee in the Senate and the
Ways and Means panel in the House. They
also will certainly take months to complete
— if Congress passes them at all. Such
proposals have usually been rejected in the
past.
Michel said Reagan would “do well” to
get $12 billion in cuts, and the Republican
leader doesn’t think the president would
turn down even $10 billion worth if Con
gress approves that amount.
It would be tough to push through a sing
le package of budget savings this time. In
fact, Michel still hopes to enact most of the
changes in Congress’ 13 regular appropria
tions bills. He says he would like to stick as
closely as possible to the Congress’ regular
processes, rather than circumventing them
again.
Rep. Thomas Foley, assistant Democra
tic leader, called the circumvention that
resulted in the first cuts “a cardinal sin
against the traditions of the House.”
Foley, D-Wash., said the unorthodox
“reconciliation” bill left a bad taste in the
mouth of most representatives. He said, “I
hope it serves as a kind of antibody to that
process.”
He speculated the administration would
try to package many of its latest round of
cuts — minus the benefit reforms and the
tax changes — into a another single bill. An
opportunity for such a bill would arise if
Congress doesn’t pass its regular appropria
tions by Nov. 20, when a stopgap funding
bill expires and another omnibus measure
is required to keep agencies funded.
House Speaker Thomas O’Neill, D-
Mass., says Republicans can’t hope to hold
their party together if they propose speci
fic, distasteful cuts in programs and agen
cies that many support. He said they have a
better chance with an up or down vote on a
package, which he will no doubt fight.
Next, Mother-in-law Goose rhymes
By DICK WEST
United Press International
WASHINGTON — Reps. Jonathan Bing
ham, D-N.Y., and Edward Derwinski, R-
111., are co-sponsoring a congressional re
solution to designate each fourth Sunday in
October as national Mother-in-Law’s Day.
This is a fine, bipartisan gesture on their
part, but one wonders if it does enough to
elevate the group it honors to first class
citizenship.
Artists likewise could play a big role in
the campaign. How about a major museum
paying several million dollars for a painting
called “Whistler’s Mother-in-law?”
in-law Earth.’ Religious backsliders K
turning to the “mother-in-law church.’ Si
sies being derided by schoolmates
“mother-in-law’s boys.”
And all those thousands of madonna
paintings could have their counterparts in
cavasses depicting adoring mothers-in-law
giving the spouses of their offspring dutiful
pecks on the cheek.
Any trend worthy of the name also nui!
have commercial tie-ins. This one abound
with possibilities.
The Republican strategy is still being for
mulated by leaders in the House and Sen
ate, in consultation with the administra
tion.
As Bingham noted in a recent letter to
his colleagues, “mothers-in-law have been
unfairly maligned” for years. The relentless
barrage of what Bingham called “unfair
stereotyping” will not be easily reversed —
if you can imagine a stereotyping barrage.
Another group that should be brought
into the campaign are the patriots. They
could speak fervently of “the mother-in-law
country” and call for defense of the
“mother-in-lawland. ”
the small society
by Brickman
Woo-Vo^! it4? FINALLY
TH&YV^ PUT
-vanity£>N TH£=-
U^T-
©1961 King Feature* Syndicate. Inc World rights reserved
9-2Z
In conjunction with whatever action
Congress might take, I would like to urge
voluntary efforts by individual citizens to
remove the stigma associated with mother-
in-lawship. Poets and songwriters in parti
cular are needed.
Other possibilties: Miners hitting the
“mother-in-law lode.” Immigrants speak
ing their “mother-in-law tongue.” Navy
vessels hovering around the “mother-in-
law ship.” Babies born “mother-in-law
naked.” Astronauts returning to “mother-
I can see a cake mix company advertisin
that its product guarantees pastry “likeyon
mother-in-law used to make. ” And I ca
hear a spaghetti sauce commercial inw
the actors roll their eyes, rub their
machs, smack their lips and exdaii
“Suocera mia! That’s Italian!
In the beginning, some pastalovei
might not be aware that “suocera” is
Italian word for mother-in-law. And in
beginning, “suocera mia!” might not sou#
as spicy as “mamma mia!”
But give it time.
Over the centuries, countless songs and
poems extolling the virtues of motherhood
have spread a reverential aura about female
parents. But mothers-in-lawhood has in
spired virtually no lyrical outpouring.
We need a few song titles like “Mother-
in-law McCree,” some sentimental lines
like “she is a wonderful mother-in-law, dear
old mother-in-law of mine.’
Warped
By Scott McCullar
GOOD GRIEF, WHAT A
DEPRESSING fAOVIE, I FEEL
TERRI RLE, AWFUL, REALLV
DOWN. WHV DO I LET YOU
DRAG HE TO THESE THINGS?
"THE CRITICS LOVED IT YOU
SAID, ANOTHER "COLD, BRUTAL
REALISES" PICTURE, THE
"UNTOLD STORY", THESE
THINGS ARE THE PITS, PAUL?
ARE YOU KIDDING? THAT MOVIE
had everything. SADNESS,
DEPRESS lot/, LONELINESS,
HEARTBREAK, SELF-PITY,
AGONY, CRUELTY, MISERY,
NOW THAT'S WHAT I
CALL entertainment!
Pi
rgg 6~TR
The Battalion
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