Editorial opinion
Did you ever hear the one
about the state budget?
All these state legislators
have been sitting around the
Capitol trying to . figure out
what the state should spend
this fiscal year. The budget
was due July 1; but it is still
not completed.
State police will not be
payed on time and there might
be layoffs of other state em
ployees because of the de
layed budget. Are our repre
sentatives studiously at work?
Are they burning the mid
night oil to get the thing fin
ished? Well, they have just re
turned from the holiday week
end, and before that, they
were shooting rubber bands at
each other during the budget
debates!
To top it all, the entire bud:
get hassle might have been
Facts
In reply to the editorial of July 6, entitled "Minority
Strike?", how long have you used those blinders?
I was under the impression that reporters, let alone editors,
were to become familiar with all the facts before formulating
and printing opinions. The hews media, as a powerful
resource, can sway public thought. For that reason, if for no
other, all sides should be stated, even when expressing
opinion. I should like, therefore, to submit a few more views,
and facts, to the "opinion poll."
In the first place, a large percentage of the union mem
bership was either on vacation (and miles away) or on lay-off
by the time of the vote. This automatically diminishes the
number of eligible voters. In this case, the 884 members which
did vote reflected a percentage slightly less than half the
remaining total a percentage, I might add, which compares
favorably with or, in many cases, exceeds the voter turn-out in
governmental elections. In fact, if one were to think about it,
the President of the United States is actually elected by a
Oh, what price journalism?
The controversy about "checkbook
journalism," at its height during the
Watergate years, has been aroused
again by the Richard Nixon-David Frost
interviews this spring.
Checkbook journalism, which is
paying money to news sources in return
for exclusive stories, was used when the
former President received money for
the famous interviews. It was reported
last month that Nixon was getting $1
million plus sso's worth of merchandise
from Weedeater for four interviews with
Frost.
Never mentioned when the subject of
checkbook journalism comes up are the
little known crooks in cells and
sanitariums across America writing
books and availing themselves of any
interviews or lecture opportunities that
might come their way. Admittedly, they
are not cabinet officers or former
members of the Yale debating team, but
they are good honest crooks and that
should be given some consideration,
instead of giving all the big money to the
big enchiladas. .
I am encouraged to note that these
lesser-knowns are beginning to stand up
for their rights, in the best American
tradition, and are demanding more
money for their stories.
One such person is Andrew Caine, who
until last Friday was an elevator
operator for a hotel in Louisville, Ky.
Apparently Caine grew weary of the ups
and downs of his job and took to robbing
banks.
He walked into the First National
Bank in Louisville with a hostage at gun
point, then went over to a teller and
demanded all the money in her drawer
or else he would kill the hostage. The
teller laughed uncontrollably, since the
hostage was a cow. Caine shot the cow,
was arrested shortly afterward and
committed to a sanitarium.
Tom Maxwell, a reporter for a
reputable New York newspaper, though
Dirty joke
avoided if a tax hike proposal,
which dragged through the
budget appropriation process
for months, had been seri
ously considered.
Gov. Shapp last fall said
that a tax hike is necessary to
continue providing public
services. Rumors now indi
cate that most legislators
realize the necessity for a tax
boost. They may have just
created a big fuss so that the
public will not be too shocked
when the inevitable higher tax
bill passes. It is not easy to win
re-election after taxing the
voters more.
University President John
W. Oswald obviously is not
elated with the budget battle.
He has been worrying and
sweating blood for months
about how much the state will
grant the University.
I ' i A►M NOT A CROOK ! il
that Caine's story would make great
reading for his paper's readership.
Maxwell approached the editors of the
paper and convinced them to run a story
about Caine. That same afternoon
Maxwell was on a plane to Kentucky to
negotiate for the rights to the story.
When Maxwell arrived at the
sanitarium he had to fight his way
through the crowd of reporters lined up
elbow to elbow near the entrance. After
presenting his credentials, Maxwell had
no trouble getting in, since he had made
an appointment with Caine's nurse, who
had also taken on the added respon
sibility of being his agent.
The following is the exclusive tran
script of the taped negotiations between
Maxwell and Caine:
Maxwell: Testing 1,2, 3. Testing 1, 2.
Caine: Let's get down to bucks, Mr.
Maxwell, shall we?
Maxwell: How does $lO,OOO grab you?
Caine: Forget it, there are others who
will go much higher than that.
Maxwell: Well, what do you consider a
fair price?
Caine: $25,000.
Maxwell: You're joking, right?
Caine: The way I see it, people will
love my story. It's an animal story the
whole family can enjoy; and what's
more, no one gets hurt. My story is as
interesting as Richard Nixon's, and I
should be given a piece of the pie.
Maxwell: Look, Nixon got the big
money because he was a national figure;
he was President at the time, you will
recall, and was implicated in a charge of
obstruction of justice.
Caine: Why should I be shortchanged
just because I wasn't President at the
time I committed my crime?
Letters t• the Editor
handful of the registered voters. Also, in governmental
elections, no fee is charged, either for registration or for
voting. This is not always the case where the union is con
cerned. For members to be eligible, their dues must be up to
date. Many times, Local 8 members have, while on lay-off
(with no income from PSU), dug into their own pockets to pay
the fees just so they could exercise their voting privilege. How
many people would do that in a national election?
Another unmentioned fact is that University President John
W. Oswald has already stated (in the Collegian itself) that the
possibility of a tuition hike is very real anyway (regardless of
whether or not Local 8 can get the additional 3.5 per cent wage
increase). It should further be kept in mind that the union
membership comprises a relatively small percentage of the
University's work force. Doesn't the 5 per cent wage increase
of the other two-thirds to three-fourths of the people on
campus affect tuition at all? It has to.
As a member of Local 8, I'm getting tired of being blamed
for the University's ills. I, for one, won't be the "tuition
increase-scape-goat" any more. I don't mind the editor
wearing blinders where the full story is concerned but I
Bill
DePaolo
And now that the state bud
get is late( the, University
might have to borrow money,
which would mean paying
interest, which could mean
another tuition hike, Winter
Term.
Oswald isn't even sure cur
rent cutbacks and the new tui
tion hike will pay the cost of
running the University be
cause no one knows for sure
how much the state will ap
propriate.
Here's the clincher: The
same thing . happens almost
every year and still legislation
has not been passed that
would get the budget out on
time. .
What's that? You don't think
it's very funny?
Maybe if you didn't live in
this state, you would.
Washington bits and pieces
By WALTER R. MEARS
AP Special Correspondent
WASHINGTON (AP) Richard M.
Nixon's paper legacy stands unrivaled,
but it turns out that Gerald R. Ford and
his aides were no slouches when it came
to cranking out official documents.
The government is preparing to sort
through some 20 million pages of papers
Ford donated before leaving the White
House. The documents cover Ford's 25
years in Congress, his tenure as vice
president, and his 2 1 / 2 -year presidency.
Ford's White House years account for
about 17.6 million pages of documents,
which ultimately will be housed in a
presidential library at the University of
Michigan.
It will take a staff of 14 to sort and
catalogue the Ford papers to prepare
them for public use. Only documents
that bear on national security or infringe
on personal privacy are to be sealed.
Nixon's presidential papers run to 42
million pages, in addition to the 880 reels
of tape that record some 5,000 hours of
White House conversation. Nixon claims
Maxwell: I'm afraid those are the
harsh realities of life.
Caine: I should at least get something
for originality, shouldn't I?
Maxwell: Creativity has nothing to do
with it. What makes a story interesting
is how grusome it is, how important the
characters involved are, or the
uniqueness of the crime.
Caine: Would more readers be in
terested in a story of a mass murder
rather than a single murder story?
Maxwell: Sure.
Caine: How much more interested?
Maxwell: Maybe $50,000 more, but it
would depend on the circumstances.
Caine: That much! Well, suppose I
murder another cow, would that help?
Maxwell: You don't expect me to
advocate that you kill a cow just for the
sake of making a bigger story out of this,
do you?
Caine: Well, I . . .
Maxwell: I'm appalled at your
behavior, Mr. Caine. You have con
ducted yourself in a highly unethical
manner that besmirches the journalism
profession. Our final offer is $15,000, take
it or leave it.
Caine: I'm afraid I'll have to pass on
that offer, Mr. Maxwell. I have several
others to talk to.
Maxwell: What others?
Caine: Well, let's see, there's CBS, the
Associated Press, UPI, NBC, Hustler,
Swifty Lazar . . .
Maxwell: Those blood-thirsty . . .
(unintelligible)
Caine: I'm sorry, Mr. Maxwell, but I
have another appointment now with the
National Enquirer. They're offering me
$20,000 to share the front page with a
double-jointed, two-headed, bassett
hound. Well, I hope to see you again.
Maxwell: Will you at least call me
when you've made up your mind?
Caine: I'll have my agent notify your
office when made my decision.
(Click.)
ownership, as have past presidents, but
the Supreme Court has ruled that the
government properly has custody and
control of his documents and tapes.
The official documents include a broad
assortment of papers, from various
executive agencies, that make up the
record of a presidency. Those records
seem to be growing longer with each
administration.
Nixon piled up presidential documents
at a rate equal to more than 20,000 pages
for each •of his 2,027 days in the White
House. And the Ford collection grow at
almost that rate.
The rent is a bargain: $4,085 a year for
the U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo
Bay, Cuba. And Fidel Castro hasn't even
been cashing the checks.
"At today's prices, this may well be
the first instance in which the United,
States is a recipient, rather than a donor
of foreign aid," said Rep. Charles W.
Whalen Jr., R-Ohio.
The matter came up in the House when
Whalen said that for the sake of con-
cringe when I see him trying to put blinders on the rest of us as
well.
Obviously
I cannot understand how the Teamsters Union can expect
the students to support their proposed strike. It is obvious that
the students will be the ones to bear the burden of the increase
in Teamster wages. ,
It makes little difference whether the Teamster demands
are justified. Justified demands cost as much as unjustified
ones when they are met. Students are not here to support the
Teamsters or any other union.
Letters policy
The Daily Collegian encourages comments on news
coverage, editorial policy and campus and off-campus
affairs. Letters should be typewritten, double spaced, /
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lines. Students' letters should include the name, term and
major of the writer.
Letters should be brought to the Collegian office, 126
Carnegie, in person so proper identification of the writer
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cannot be returned.
\ 01t.... YOUR 0 1 / 4 10R..1ke NIEw NovEgnsiroe RoLim
Pea I B ONLY 1 LAWYERS.tESIvEa. EVERYONE
KNOWD YafiE. TI-le.' 3uOGE. MoNEy air Boy
sistency, Congress should stop paying
the .rent and the salaries of 149 Cubans
who work on the base.
Whalen's sardonic reasoning was that
the House has twice voted to prohibit aid
or trade with Cuba, and should follow its
own strictures in the case of Guan
tanamo. His "antihypocrisy amendment
of 1977" got nowhere.
Ronald Reagan's political action
organization has urged conservatives.to
turn up the pressure against legislation
that would have the government finance
House and Senate election campaigns, a
major item on the administration's
election law agenda.
Citizens for the Republic called for "a
barrage of cards and letters" to
Congress in opposition to the campaign
finance bill.
At the same time, Reagan advised
Republicans to support "a cluster of
these volunteer organizations" like the
one he launched with leftover
presidential campaign funds. -
He said that is the way to work ef
William A. Burns
University employee
They are here to get the best possible education for ,I
-a
10, i
reasonable price. 11,11
As long as students let themselves be conned with thl§,
garbage about "just causes," they can expect to be the first to
be tapped . for funds whenever the University comes up short,
The realization had better 'sink in that, when it comes ~to
money, it's the students against everybody else.
After all, how many Teamsters have protested tuition . ,
hikes? am
dathae I
,c o li eg
M
n
JEFFREY HAWKES
EDITOR
BOARD OF EDITORS
NEWS EDITOR, Dave Skidmore; COPY EDITORS, Itg.„
Goldberg, David Colborn; SPORTS EDITOR, Joyce Tomantr:
ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR, Brian .Miller; PHO E.
EDITOR, Randy Woodbury; WIRE EDITOR, Laura '
Shemick; FEATURES EDITOR, Diana Younketg
f
GRAPHICS EDITOR, Mark Van Dine; OFFICE MANAGE*. ,
Anita McKelvey r.
Editorial policy is determined by the Editor.
Opinions expressed by the editors and staff of the Daily
Collegian are not necessarily those of the University ad
ministration,
faculty or students. ito,,, I.
fectively under the federal election 1.34,
which limit to $5,000 the contributipu,
such an organization can give t0 . ,.. 1
~..
congressional candidate. 1
If all the Republican volunteer grovs
merged, Reagan said, they would Xe
limited to a single $5,000 contribution;fo
each candidate, so they're better off b
divided.
Civilians have vacations, military'
men have furloughs, and senators have
nonlegislative periods. They took a week ,
off for the Independence Day:
nonlegislative period, which ends
Monday, the same day the House ends;
its latest district work period.
It certainly sounded like a vacation. .
Senate Democratic Leader Robert C.
Byrd went home to West Virginia. "I am
going to get reinvigorated, rejuvenated, !
get back to the iridescent sunsets and the
iridescent hills and 'enjoy the pure water '..
and clean air and the hospitality and :
good cooking for which West Virginia is :
known," he said.__
. _
SCOTT R. SESLIfit
BUSINESS MANAGETt
EDITORIAL EDITOR, Bob Fricir_74,.
w Ag y ou „,, o
vre,
Stephen C. Datit:;
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