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4 • The Red and Black • Thursday, July 12, 1990
OPINIONS
The Red & Black
Established 1893—Incorporated 1980
An independent student neu spaper not affiliated with the Untuertity of Georgia
Jennifer Rampey/Editor-in-Chief
Trevor Padgett/Managing Editor
David Johnston/Opinions Editor
■ EDITORIALS
Make yourself count
The must precious and pow
erful right in the world, the
right to vote in a free Amer
ican election, must not be
denied to any citizen on
grounds of his race or color. I
I wish that all qualified Amer
icans permitted to vote were
i willing to vote, but surely . . .
\ all those that are willing to
I vote should always be per-
| mitted.
John F. Kennedy
State of the Union
January 14, 1963
Kennedy was addressing the need for a law to pro
tect African-American citizens from efforts to deny
them their right to vote. In 1964, after valient efforts
by the leadership of the American civil rights
movement and President Lyndon Johnson, the Voting
Rights Act was passed by Congress. But 27 years later,
Kennedy’s wish that all eligible American voters were
willing to vote remains unfulfilled.
In a year in which democracy has made unparal
leled strides all over the world, it is incredible that al
most one half of eligible American voters take this
valuable right for granted, and college students consis
tently rank as one of the worst demographic voting
groups.
In 1988, 17 years after passage of the constitutional
amendment which guarantees 18-year-olds the right to
vote, only 30.7 percent of eligible 18 to 24-year-olds
voted in the presidential election. The percentage for
all eligible voters was a miserable 50.1 percent.
Tuesday is primary day in Georgia, and once again
we have seen a campaign in which younger voters and
the issues they are concerned with have been ignored
by Democratic and Republican candidates alike.
By not exercising your right to vote you send a mes
sage to politicians that you don’t count. You have no
say in government policies on taxes, education, abor
tion, the environment or the drinking age.
But most importantly you have no reason to com
plain about your elected officials.
By not voting you choose not to make a difference,
and you shouldn’t bother those who do.
We Recommend
Although The Red and Black will not be endorsing can
didates in Tuesday’s party primaries, we recommend
the following candidates for your consideration. These
recommendations are based upon the thoughtful and
reasonable positions these candidates take on issues
important to the University community and upon the
positive and constructive tones of their campaigns.
The Red and Black’s runoff and general election en
dorsements will be based more upon a candidate’s
agreement with our general editorial stance.
In the Democratic primary:
For governor, Rep. Lauren “Bubba” McDonald, Lt.
Governor Zell Miller and former Atlanta Mayor
Andrew Young.
For lieutenant governor, former Commissioner of
industry, trade and tourism George Berry,
Spaulding County Commissioner Jim Goolsby,
Sen. Pierre Howard, Rep. Jim Pannell and Sen.
Bud Stumbaugh.
In the Republican primary:
For governor, Rep. Johnny Isakson.
For lieutenant governor, former Sen. Janice Horton.
EXERCISE
*YOUR RIGHT TO*
VOTE
STAFF
NEWS: 5*+3-1809
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Staff Writers: Gwinn Bruns. J. Leigh Burrell.
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■ QUOTABLE
"It appears that the only way to become governor Is either to
grovel for money or have rich parents ..."
— Bob Wood, Republican candidate for governor, In his cam-
paign disclosure report ...
JVWVlti
Because I'm
not capitalist?
rSorry, Goriachev,
Xjost can’t send you
$2,000,000,000 to
rescue your economy.
Kr- i
Workplace is key to global competitiveness
“Global competitiveness” - the ability of
United States industries to compete favorably
in domestic and international markets - has be
come an issue of national concern.
The changes taking place in Eastern Europe
and the swift spread of democracy throughout
the world has placed the United States in an
entirely new posture. There are no longer two
superpowers, the United States and the Soviet
Union, who earned such status through their
nuclear arsenals. Instead, there are a prolifera
tion of rising economic stars who will shape in
ternational relations in the years to come.
Japan is already a mighty economic and fi
nancial power, holding the title of “world’s
largest creditor.”
Europe, as well, is in the process of forming a
unified internal market by 1992 which would
be larger than the United States in population
and almost as large in Gross National Product.
The so-called four tigers of Korea, Taiwan,
Singapore, and Hong Kong are being joined by-
Thailand, Malasia, and maybe Indonesia and
India.
China, whose path toward economic and po
litical freedom ran into a violent storm in Tia
nanmen Square, will hopefully return to that
course soon.
If Latin America can shake free of the burden
of debt, the market-oriented reforms that many
Latin governments are now adopting may pro
vide the basis for solid economic growth in the
future.
As for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe,
the Iron Curtain has crumbled. They are exper
imenting with less state direction and more
market mechanisms.
As a result of all these changes, the United
States finds itself in the midst of a truly global
economy. We cannot survive merely by resting
on our laurels.
The potential for economic expansion is
mindboggling. Demand for goods and services
is bound to explode in certain parts of the world
as democratic ideals become pervasive. For ex
ample, it is estimated that 60 percent of the
growth of the global car market in the next
twenty years will be in Asia, where Pacific Rim
economies should be eryoying yearly gains of 6
percent in the 1990s.
Yet we must realize that as opportunities for
creating new wealth increase, so will the
number of contenders for that wealth. It’s going
to be a hard lesson for America to learn but, de
spite our past performances, we cannot assume
that we will come out on top.
As we face the challenges of the 1990s, we
must reshape our thinking. Competition de
pends upon productivity; productivity depends
upon an invigorated workplace. Before we can
enter the global marketplace with our products
and services, we must set our minds to be
coming the industrial world leader.
Once our productivity and competitiveness
develop, America will be able to prioritize its
other national issues: education, research and
development, continued technological devel
opment, better relations between management
and labor, and, of course, balancing the federal
budget.
We must attack these issues head-on in order
to survive the global competition around us.
The United States will need strength to com
pete. We can build that strength in our work
places and remain the envy of our emerging
rivals across the globe.
Doug Barnard, Jr. is the Democratic incum
bent congressman from Georgia’s tenth congres
sional district. The tenth congressional district
is composed of 14 counties including Elbert,
Clarke, Columbia, McDuffie, Madison, Morgan,
Oconee, Oglethorpe, Richmond and a portion of
Gwinnett. Primary day in Georgia is Tuesday,
July 17th.
Solicitor’s office needs to be more effective
For the first time in 12 years, the election of
the Clarke County State Court Solicitor is con
tested. As the prosecuting attorney in State
Court, the solicitor’s position is one of vital im
portance to all of us. By the end of this year,
11,000 criminal charges such as DUI, shop
lifting, bad checks, underage possession of al
cohol, possession of marijuana and domestic
violence related offenses like assault and bat
tery are expected to be handled through this
court. It is fair to say that if a citizen of this
county comes .n contact with the judicial
system, it will most likely be through the State
Court and the solicitor’s office - as jurors or vic
tims or witnesses or perhaps because they or
someone they know has been charged with a vi
olation.
It is imperative, therefore, that these cases
be prosecuted efficiently, effectively and appro
priately. To accomplish this end, there must be
a proper exercise of prosecutorial discretion
and evaluation of each case.
At the present time, there is a critical need
for this exercise of discretion in the solicitor’s
office. There is a need for proper screening and
preparation of the cases from their inception
and especially prior to trial. Just two years ago,
a review of the Clarke County State Court by
the Judicial Council of Georgia found that one
of the major deficiencies in the operation of that
court was “...the tardy and ineffective use of
prosecutorial discretion and evaluation” by the
solicitor’s office. Further, it found that the re
sult of this deficiency was that “jury trials
(were) being held at an unsustainable rate
(thereby) straining the resources of the (court).”
That deficiency and result still persist.
Two very telling facts demonstrate this crit
ical need for early screening and preparation of
cases.
Currently, there are more criminal jury
trials being held in our State Court than in the
State Court of Dekalb - a county with a popula
tion of five times that of Clarke. In 1989 alone,
there were 125 criminal jury trials held in
Clarke County State Court, while during the
same period of time there were only 103 held in
the State Court of Dekalb. This is a continuing
trend. As the Judicial Council review noted,
“(i)n 1987, (the Clarke County) court held 128
jury trials, a number which many state court
judges in Georgia would find incredible.”
Second, close to one-half of the cases being
tried in our State Court end in not guilty ver
dicts. Many of those are directed verdicts of ac
quittal, in which in the middle of the trial the
judge finds that there is not sufficient evidence
to have the jury decide the issue of guilt or inno
cence.
Both of these factors are indicative of the
critical need for proper screening and prepara
tion of the cases. In the words of the Judicial
Council, “the (Clarke County) solicitor’s office
must investigate cases earlier, exercise more
prosecutorial discretion, and win convictions in
a higher percentage of cases that go to trial."
Each of us as citizens are dedicated to the
jury system and each of us holds very dear our
right to a trial by jury. In this instance, how
ever, cases are currently getting to trial which
should not be there to begin with. There is a
need to properly review and screen these cases
from the outset. There is a need also for cases
which do go to trial to be properly prepared.
This present need is costly to each of us as
citizens. It is costly in time and in expense -
time in serving as jurors and witnesses unnec
essarily, and in expense, as the cost of each trial
to the taxpayer is approximately $650.00 in
juror and baliff fees alone.
On July 17, the citizens of Clarke County
have their first opportunity in more than a de
cade to make a choice in the leadership of their
solicitor’s office. I urge you to exercise your
right to vote and go make that choice.
Ken Mauldin is currently an attorney with
the Legal Aid Clinic of the VGA School of Law
and a Democratic candidate for the position of
Clarke County State Court Solicitor. Primary
day in Georgia is Tuesday, July 17th.
Young would make education a state priority
Next Tuesday, voters in Georgia will have
the chance to change the priorities of state gov
ernment.
State legislators, some of whom want to be
governor, continue to promise to make the Uni
versity of Georgia a “world-class institution.”
Their actions off the campaign trail speak
otherwise.
Last winter, their lack of commitment to
higher education almost ran President Knapp
out of town. They have hampered faculty re
cruitment by requiring teachers to take drug
tests, which will cost the University $600,000
annually to administer.
Now the University will have to endure steep
budget cuts because of the legistature’s mis
placed priorities.
Of the nine gubernatorial candidates, only
two have offered solutions to the problems
facing higher education in the state.
Lt. Governor Zell Miller believes a lottery
can cure all ills. Former Atlanta Mayor Andrew
Young wants “an honest, new approach” to
higher education. So which is better?
Miller, who opposed a lottery when it wasn’t
a popular issue, says the lottery can raise $200
million of new revenue for the education
budget. He wants this money to raise teacher’s
salaries, pay for additional drug and sex educa
tion programs, and support the state’s univer
sity system.
Even with Miller’s inflated estimates, $200
million is barely enough to finance one week of
primary education in this state. Also, any rev
enue from a lottery is at least four years away.
Miller is the candidate pushing the lottery
issue the most. However, he is the candidate
that is least likely to deliver a lottery refer
endum because of his much publicized feud
with House Speaker Tom Murphy
Murphy has made a pastime of blocking
Miller’s initiatives. Young has a better chance
of getting a lottery referendum through the leg
islature.
The foundation of Young’s plan guarantees
that at least 55 percent of tne overall ^state
budget will be devoted towards education.
Within the past five years, education’s per
centage of the budget has fallen under Millers
watch. Young's guaranteed minimum could
eliminate problems like budget short falls that
currently choke the University.
Young also wants to use his national and in
ternational business contacts to promote the re
search and technology produced by Georgia’s
colleges and universities.
By marketing agricultural research and re
search from the new Bioscience center, Young
could bring new revenue to the University, and
help make Georgia as well known for its aca
demics as it is for it athletics.
During his term ns mayor of Atlanta, Young
used his numerous international contacts to
market goods and services produced in Atlanta
around the world. Such salesmanship produced
over $80 billion of investment and created 400,-
000 new jobs.
Marty Smith is a senior with a double major
in public relations and political science.