FEBRUARY 1,1985 OPINION Editorial Opinion Deficit Must Be Cured For the past two decades, every United States president has talked at one time or another about reducing the na tional budget deficit. In the same period of time, the deficit has mushroomed in what appears to be a losina battle. Recently released figures concerning the problem have shocked the nation, and people are beginning to realize what the deficit is doing to our economy. Since the deficit is primarily money borrowed from American banks, it tends to escalate interest rates. This in turn makes it harder for the average American to mortgage homes, cars, trucks, and other items that keep a large population of people and industries employed. What it boils down to is a serious chain of events with the deficit as master link. President Reagan says he has a plan. He will seek to br ing huge deficits under control by achieving something unprecedented in recent decades - a halt in the overall growth of federal spending. This year he will trim 42 billion dollars from federal spending as part of a move toward slicing the 200-biHion-dollar annual deficits nearly in half by 1989. On January 21, during his inaugural celebration, the president made a comment that brought applause and speculation. He said that what we need is a constitutional amendment that would require the federal government to balance their budget every year. Of course a statement like this would bring a round of applause, but the presi dent himself knows that this would be a tough amend ment to get past congress. There are two reasons why congress would not be very receptive to this constitutional amendment. The first reason is that congress loves to spend money, and this amendment would put a firm limit on their expenses. The second reason is that congress does not like to tinker with the Constitution of the United States. They take something like this very seriously. A year or two ago, Peter Grace, Chairman of W.R. Grace & Co., was asked by government to examine federal spending item by item and determine whether or not there were any inefficiencies. Well, Grace didn’t let anything fall through the cracks. He came up with “The Grace Report”, a detailed packet that revealed thousands of things going wrong. So, not only are we annually spen ding $2OO billion more than we’re taking in, but we’re allowing a lot of this money to go to waste. If a government or business can’t break even or operate with a profit, it is doomed to failure. Sure, a government may have some tricks up its sleeve, but there is a point of reckoning. Although many of us have a high regard for our na tional leaders, it is time that they realized the inevitable decision - government spending must not continue to grow. It may be worth the time to take pen in hand and let our leaders know what we think; that the nation they’re leading today is the nation that we’ll be leading tomor row, and this is their legacy to us. It’s a pretty raw deal that our generation is getting sad dled with. We have an enormous liability, and we can’t let it go on. Rod Luery, Collegian Editor THE COLLEGIAN Security Clari Dear Editor, I am an officer with Police and Safety at Penn State-Behrend. I write to you with the hopes of making my job a little more en joyable and at the same time save the students of this campus some money and headaches. Contary to popular belief, I do not enjoy writing 50-60 tickets a day to students who are parked illegally. There are a few comments I’d like to make to clear up what ap pears to be some vagueness in the parking regulations on this cam pus. Students with parking per mits are NOT allowed to park in 1. the Reed lot (either upper or lower) except Monday through Thursday from 6:30 p.m. to 6 a.m. and Friday 6:30 p.m. to Monday 6 a.m., unless otherwise posted for snow removal, 2. anywhere behind Niagara and Perry Halls (including along the roadways), 3. along the roadways or on the grass areas behind Perry Hall, 4. in the lot immediately .. behind Lawrence Hall and 5. the lot next to Dobbins Hall. In regard to parking on the roadways behind Niagara and Perry Halls, due to the safety fac tor that with vehicles parked along the roadways it is next to impossible to get emergency vehicals (i.e. ambulances, fire trucks, snowplows) through in case of an emergency, departmen- Jill Bedford Judy Bush Robbie Colville Michael Coursey Kimberly Ford Kurt Freeman Dan Gaston Gregory Goldsmith Dana Gross Darlene Kasbee Paula Maus Mailing Address - Bahrand Collegian, Station Road, Erie, PA 16563 Office located in Reed Union Bulding Office Hours-9 a.m. -5 p.m.; Monday through Friday Phone: 898-6221 Opinions expressed by the editors and staff of the Pann Stata-Bahrand Collegian are not necessarily those of the University Administration, faculty, or the student body. Reader Opinion ies Parki tal policy is to issue state citations. That is instead of paying $5 for parking in a no parking zone, you pay a fine of $l5 PLUS $17.50 court costs, for a total of $32.50. This fine is payable to the Harbor; creek District Justice, and unlike other campus fines, the Student Government Activities Fund doesn’t receive a penny. Also, failure to pay this fine will result in a court summons and possibly an arrest warrant. Second, all regulations are in effect 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year. Last, if you are loading or unloading outside a residence hall area, leave your four-way flashers on. This will avoid unnecessary ticket costs and time spent runn ing around taking care of your tickets. The Behrend Collegian’s editorial opinion is determined by its Board of Opinion, with the Editors holding final responsibility. Opinions expressed on the editorial pages are not necessarily those of The Behrend Collegian or The Pennsylvania State University. Brown-Thompson Newspapers, the publishers of The Behrend Collegian and related publications, is a separate corporate institution from Penn State. letters Policy: The Behrend Collegian encourages comments on news coverage, editorial policy and University affairs. Letters should be typewritten, double-spaced, signed by no more than two people, and not longer than 400 words. Students’ letters should include the semester and major of the writer. Letters from alumni should include the major and year of graduation of the writer. All writers should provide their address and phone number for verification ofithe letter. The Collegian reserves the right to edit letters for length, and to reject letters if they are libelous or do not conform to standards of good taste. Postal Information: The Behrend Collegian (89S-6221) is published fourteen times an nually (seven times during each academic semester at The Behrend College) by the students of The Behrend College; The Reed Union Building, Station Road, Erie, PA 16563. Penn State Behrend Collegian Member of The Press Association Risa Glick Rod Luery Feature Editor Lisa Pavadore Business Manager Daniel King Photo Coordinator Napoleon Birch Advisor Robert DiNicola Staff Thomas Milley Kevin Moore Suzanne Nathans Barrett Parker Julie Potochny Greg Rathbun Julie Reynolds Steve Roney Michael Ross Rob Roth Doug Saltzman REPRESENTED FOR NATIONAL ADVERTISING BY CASS Student Advertising, Incorporated 1633 West Central St. Evanston, Illinois 60201 ng Regulat Editorial Policy Editors ions The construction of the new parking lot in front of the Nick Building should relieve some of the congestion in the lower lots. I’d also like to remind the staff and faculty to park in designated areas and that only AUTHORIZ ED vehicles are permitted past the Reed lot. In closing, I think that if we work together, it should be a ter rific spring and maybe you can save me from getting writer’s cramps. Also, I can save you some money, which I’m sure you can find something better to do with than spend it paying tickets. If anyone (students or staff) has any questions call me or anyone at Police and Safety, 898-6101. Thank You, Thomas “Chip” Sanders CSO Lisa Scherer Michael Shaffer Leo Shriver Lori Starcher Tammi Starcher Kelly Swisher Kim Veitch Anne Waskowitz Roger Whelan Michael Wimms Mark Yeager' PAGE 3
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