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Friday, Jinuary a, ltoz
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Established 1893 — Incorporated 1980
V
GCPA
Charles II. Russell, General Manager
Mack Browning, Kdiior-in-chief Tim Bonner. Managing Editor
An independent student newspaper not affiliated with the Univertity of Georgia
No applause
It comes as no surprise that no applause was
heard Tuesday night when President Reagan, in
his first State of the Union speech, told Congress
that “in the near future the state of the union
and the economy will be better — much better —
if we summon the strength to continue in the
course we have charted.”
Reagan’s utterance that the economy will
begin to improve by mid year is hardly credible
to a country which has yet to realize any of the
economic benefits Reagan forecasted when he
announced his sweeping economic package last
year.
The president's economic program — despite
its magnitude — could hardly have been ex
pected to make more than a slight take-off in
less than a year’s time. And it’s laughable for
Reagan to contend that another six months will
make a substantial difference.
Six months from now we would do well to
assess the state of the economy in light of
Reagan’s present predictions.
Nonetheless, we feel that Reagan’s fun
damental economic policies are a step in the
right direction and that his proposal to swap
social welfare programs among the federal
government and the states is a commendable
notion.
But Reagan should be aware that the
proposed 10-year transition could make it
possible for a successor to alter his design.
And there are other problems as well — like
the gap that might have to be bridged by state
taxpayers in order to maintain the standard of
social services once kept by the federal
goverment.
In Georgia, for instance, officials have said
the initial phase of Reagan’s proposal would hit
Georgia with a $211 million burden in the fiscal
year starting Oct. 1,1983.
Speaker of the House Tom Murphy said such a
weight on the state budget would virtually
guarantee some cuts to food stamps and AFDC
from the General Assembly.
However, state officials predict that the
deficit would level off the end of the 10-year
period. Thus the benefits accrued by the swap
might outweigh the initial costs.
Keep trees; kill billboards
Okay, people, here's the 73 cent ques
tion for the day: What does Georgia
have more of, besides pretty women,
than perhaps any other territory in the
union -excluding the Cuban colony on
our immediate southern border?
If you said billboards,
congratulations—you win the no ex
penses paid trip on the Trailways or
Greyhound bus of your choice to
beautiful, exciting Rock City
Yes. Georgia has a lot of billboards,
particularly on the scenic stretches of
land called the interstate highways
They clutter up the land and sometimes
make it close to impossible to count the
cows in the pastures next to the roads
(certainly you've played that game
before, haven’t you?).
Well, woe of woes and the heartbreak
of psoriasis, it seems that some of these
billboards are being blocked by trees
that, in the best tradition of trees, are
growing bigger and bigger And as the
trees grow bigger and bigger, the
number of billboards the motorists can
clearly see diminishes Isn't that a
shame!?
Before you get all up in arms about
this, let me advise you that your elected
officials —namely the state
legislature—have caught wind of this
terrible injustice and are doing their
darndest to ensure that the responsible
trees are dealt with quickly and effec
lively They are simply going to allow
the billboard owners to cut down the
trees Geez, that's just wonderful - and
all along I didn't think the Georgia
legislature had my best interests at
heart
(Of course, it was somewhat amazing
that our lawmakers could act quickly
and effectively on anything There
wasn't even an argument about the
type of chainsaw to use, probably
because they don’t know whether to
pronounce it Poolan, Poland or what.
“It’s Pouhlan, Ed, Pouhlan," as the
commercial says It just goes to show
that when you start messing with the
General Assembly's favorite reading
material, there's hell to pay.)
But with all due respect to the outdoor
advertising industry, the General
Assembly and my friends in the adver
Using sequence at the H W Grady
School of Journalism and Mass Com
munication, billboards are a scourge
Billboards hype, billboards irritate the
mind; and billboards violate so many
basic rules of the English language that
Noah Webster must certainly be turn
ing over and over in his grave. If, as
Edwin Newman contends, the adver
tisements for Kantastik, E-Z-Off and
Kool are leading an assault of the
English language, then certainly
billboards promoting Kountry Kitchens
and Bar-B Q's are covering the flanks
Of course, it makes no difference to
the state's law makers that a similar
plan broached last fall by the Georgia
Department of Transportation was
quickly abandoned when a group of
radicals—housewives, businessmen
und some environmentalists raised an
awful stink Ah, but the legislators
don't care what we think If we elected
them in the first place, we can't be too
smart
It's an absurd idea to allow billboard
owners to cut down any trees on public
land that obstruct the view of the
billboards, but that’s precisely what the
Georgia senate has approved The idea
is akin to pulling up all the flowers in a
garden to get a better look at the
weeds—and it makes less sense.
There are more than 12,000 billboards
in this state. Of these, one-third con
form to the new state law that allows
billboards only on private land. The
rest, about 8,000 in all, do not conform
to the state law; i.e., they sit on the
state's right-of-way, but these existed
before passage of the new iaw in the
70s, so the state grandfathered these
signs when passing the new legislation
11 guess it’s nice to have such pater
nal lawmakers Maybe that explains
why they killed the ERA last week
also.)
Naturally, outdoor advertisers con
tend that billboards provide an impor
tant service to travelers, giving in
formation about lodging, gas stations
and eateries along the highways If
billboards are so important, then why
not cluster them around
interchanges—as is being done on 1-95—
instead of spreading them throughout
the countryside'’ One sign carrying all
the logos of each of the businesses at the
next interchange is an even better idea,
and this is proving successful on 1-16.
Either way, it saves the trees
When tourists and travellers enter
this state, they are told—in some cases
by a billboard—to "stay and see
Georgia." They are not told to stay and
see Georgia's billboards, and they did
not come to the state to see the
billboards The tourists come to enjoy
the state—in all its natural glory—
and it should remain this way Besides,
have no desire to "See Rock City "
Rock City is in Tennessee, and I'll take
a Georgia tree over a Tennessee rock
anytime
A FINAL NOTE: Anyone who thinks
Georgia is growing up and moving
ahead should take a look at the vote on
the ERA last week in the Georgia
House. Of the 56 representatives who
voted for the bill, only three were not
from major metropolitan areas in this
state, i.e., Atlanta, Savannah, Colum
bus. Augusta or Macon, while most of
the 116 w ho voted against it hail from
small towns. Welcome to the Bible
Belt, son The beat goes on
Well, we have Saturday classes again
tomorrow I confess I went last week,
sans bathrobe, and this campus was
like a ghost town, so I think I'll practice
my civil disobedience this week and
refuse to attend Besides the TV wasn’t
on in class, so I missed Bugs Bunny I
can't let that happen again And, oh
yes, I liked the bathrobes I saw being
worn around the journalism building
Saturday Keep up the non-violent pro
tests, guys.
Tim Bonner is managing editor of The
Red and Black.
UHOtC IXKS MC
6TT Tht CUtKtV
Advocates of watchfulness
The once-elegant grey house on
Barber Street isn't exactly a hotbed of
revolutionary activity. Nor is it an
asylum for disgruntled youths who
lounge about and complain about their
imperfect world
Instead, if you enter through the front
door, pass under the plastic banners
stretched across the foyer, brush by the
manikin who offers a welcoming cold
embrace and mount the staircase, you
will find at the top a few clear-eyed,
voluble young men who don't seem at
all dangerous
Or perhaps, by their own volition, a
little dangerous Armed with their
upstart magazine "Line of Sight," they
have infiltrated Athens and the
University, assaulting the bulwarks of
political ignorance and complaisance,
questioning cherished ideals of blind
patriotism, attacking bigotry and
closed minds and intellectual laziness
That’s a large order for one small,
locally-printed magazine. This one,
though, is backed by several self-
described “romantic, idealistic
realists,” a rather remarkable
collection of attitudes for what appears
to be a rather ordinary collection of
students. Ordinary, that is, until thev
begin to talk
“Art and ideas can have more power
to change things than a gun or shield,"
says Rodger Brown, 23, a recent
graduate in linguistics
"If we are going to keep talking about
freedom, justice and equality, then we
need to make them concrete realities.
We need to do something about them.
We need hope," says Joe Kuhl, 23, a
recent University graduate in
philosophy and religion
"For me, it’s pretty frustrating to
have inputs coming in — injustice,
disparity, decay — and having no
outputs, nowhere to say anything about
it,” says David Helmey, 21, a student in
philosophy and English at the
University.
All three are editors of “Line of
Sight." All three perceive a world that
is complex, interdependent and unjust,
threatened by economic crises,
ecological disasters, political control,
nuclear confrontation, social break
down, intolerance and alienation.
All three see a population, especially
among University students, that is
ignorant of the issues which govern
their lives, unknowing, uncaring,
uninvolved. "Their level of awareness
of things in the world is very super
ficial, no depth of analysis," observes
Brown.
Yet the editors also see an
awakening, a quickening of the in
tellectual pulse. They see a growing
tendency among students to watch the
news and to become interested in
events in the world around them And
they hope that "Line of Sight” will
become a sort of local Pied Piper of
political inquiry, leading students to
challenge their society and to question
the decisions of others.
When that first issue was released
onto an unsuspecting audience last
November, its editors didn't know what
to expect. But 400 copies, hand-typed,
hand-copied and hand-collated, were
quickly sold. The response was so
enthusiastic, Brown says, especially
among professors, that the editors plan
to print between 1,500 and 2,000 copies
of the second issue, due to hit the streets
next week.
"People have been waiting for a
magazine like this,” Kuhl says.
"People are getting tired of feeling that
they don’t have any say. They want to
get involved."
But, predictably, accusations of
"communists" and "radicals" were
hurled at "Line of Sight," spurred by
articles critical of Reagan's South
African policy and American in
volvement in the Phillipines
The editors deny any leftward, or
rightward, leanings, claiming that the
magazine is “as objective and unbiased
as possible” and attempts to show all
sides of the issues.
"It’s not communist Anything
political, anything not middle-of-the-
road, is often labeled communist,”
explains Kuhl.
Brown is more vehement in his
denials. "We're Americans," he says.
"We can only address our problems as
citizens of this country We are not
going to adopt someone else's plan,
because we are uniquely American ...
This country has great potential; we
can come up with something a lot better
than what we've got.”
The label "radical," though, they do
accept. “The word ‘radical’ comes
from the word for 'root,' ” says
Helmey "And change has to come
from the roots ”
The roots. That's the students, the
"future power,” flexible, energetic,
creative, who will soon “control the
system.” It is to the students that “Line
of Sight" is directed , they must educate
themselves politically before they
graduate, warns Brown, or they will
"fall into the same old trap of working
to maintain the bureaucracy and the
status quo."
"The preps are not attracted (to
“Line of Sight”). This whole thing
endangers their world view," he says.
“They don't want to question.
Economically, they are on top and they
don’t want to talk about it.”
Even if the magazine folds after its
second issue, the "radicals" say they
will not have failed. "We've gained
because we've expressed ourselves
honestly," Brown says.
Change is the essence of the world
portrayed in "Line of Sight,” change
stimulated by active and interested
citizens who see politics as a vital part
of their lives. It is a romantic notion,
somewhat tarnished by memories of
the violence of 1960’s activism and
blurred by the passiveness and nar
cissism of the 1970's.
But it is a notion that belongs on
college campuses, and one which we’ve
tragically lost. What will win it back is
the audacity of the Browns, the Kuhls.
the Helmeys who, whatever their
ideological biases, sting and prick us,
like the Socratic gadfly, out of our
complaisancy.
"This is just the first seed. Who
knows what could happen?" asks
Brown. True, but it’s surely nice to
dream again.
Scott H. Jacobs is a senior in the
College of A rts and Sciences.
‘ Wouldn 't exam days make 50? ’
TO THE EDITOR:
It is my contention that even without
the Saturday class make-ups, the
University would still be in compliance
with the 50 days of class required to
retain our accreditation
In the original winter quarter
schedule, before changes were made
for snow days, there were 49 class days
and four exam days, for a total of 53
days
Therefore, it is my assumption that
exam days are counted towards the 50-
day requirement
Otherwise, the University, with its 49
class days per »e, would have been in
violation of the requirement from the
outset Therefore, the three days we
lost to the snow do not have to be made
up to retain our accreditation It is
simple arithmetic: 53-3 = 50.
TOM SALYERS
Freshman, pre-journalism
‘Sounds like a
shady deal'
TO THE EDITOR:
I really don't see what all the fuss is
about over one cedar tree being cut
down on campus.
True, the 18 students should not have
cut a tree down on campus, and I do not
condone their actions but. after all, look
at the disturbing precedent the
University itself has set
There were no qualms expressed fall
quarter when the University decided to
cut down a rare tree on north campus
(worth more than $750) to clear the way
for the construction of a plaza for the
commemoration of wealthy alumni.
Furthermore, the University ap
parently decided that students no
longer needed the shade tree that
provided relief from the sun in front of
Memorial Hall, so they cut it down over
Christmas break when no students
were present to object.
Sounds like a shady deal to me
Therefore, why are they so bent out of
shape about one cedar tree? Seems to
me a clear-cut case of "the pot calling
the kettle black."
TOM L. MASSIE
Graduate student
Agricultural economics
Departments
Editorial: 543-1809
Chief cops editor Ale* Johnson
Copy editor*-Joanna Beckman Gary
Friend Brian Jaudon Scooter I
.Sews editor David Nelson
Associate news editor Bob Keyea
Sport* editor Jackie Crosby
Fmertainment editor Kevui Btcfcnell
Photography editor Larry Cutchall
Features editor Mart B Fleming
Assistant news editors
Jan Hulling! Jack
a
Art director Lom Preston
Traimnc coordinator JudtmCiUu
Assistant sports editor Steve Corrigan
Assistant photography editor Nanc> Shepherd
Editorial po«e editor Wendell Brock
UOA Today coordinator K Is me Dukakis
Librarian Aim Deacon
A dvertising: 543-1791
Advertising manager David Rame*
Sale* < Training manager Vickie O Bnen
Inside and National Sales Ja> Burdett
Classt/Wdad manager Justin Cillis
Advertising representatives Doug Bailey Jett
Hcmng. Timmie Davis Phyllis Pope. Frances
Wall. Jean Man* Wilson Olga Fennell Tim
KataOc
Production: 543-1791
Production manager Stephan A Beard
rrajuctwo nan K«rl«m Ch*tt«l\ Sofiya Boltin Joy
PtouiWoo. BUI Kmofor Dor* Sowyor Brando
Cloralond. Emily WtotbrooO
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filiated with the University of Georgia is published Tuesday
through Friday — with the exception of holidays and esaminatMjn
periods - by The Red and Black Publishing Co . Inc an mdrprn
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Red and Black 123 N Jackson St Athens Ga Jogoi Letter
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