The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, August 30, 1991, Page 2, Image 2
Health
Surprise, surprise, hospitals
out for money, not patients
Feeling sick? Better hope you can live long enough to get treatment.
A report airing on CNN said that in-patients at big-city hospitals
had to wait three to six hours before receiving assistance.
tven at L.oiumDia nospuais, me wan can oe irusiraung ana
painful.
Only this past weekend, a person who had crushed her finger in
a car door had to wait more than an hour for treatment at a downtown
Columbia hospital. This hour was spent filling out forms,
showing proof of insurance, etc. The message to Columbians, be
sure to schedule your injuries ahead of time.
Hospitals aren't charities, to be sure. On the other hand, they
should give priority treatment to the sickest patient, not the richest
patient. There is not doubt that a sick poor person with no insur
ance would have a very long wait before getting help.
Medical care is the most important business in the country. It is
a shame that hospital emergency rooms bury themselves in so
much paper-work that they cannot treat patients quickly. The reasons
for the paper-work are greed on the part of the hospitals (they
only want to treat paying customers) and lawsuit-happy patients
looking for malpractice.
Part of the health profession's red-tape can be blamed on
litigation-happy Americans. Hospitals have to protect themselves
with a shield of paper-work to avoid charges of negligence. Thus,
the forms to verify that Patient X is not allergic to penicillin, etcr
There are no easy answers to the health care problem, but it is a
problem that must be addressed immediately. People are dying to
get this problem resolved.
r uiui c
Suggestions made about what
to do with new Soviet Union
The apparent collapse of the USSR is still unresolved, but the
United States can take steps now to ensure an acceptable conclusion.
The U.S. must give aid now to democratic forces to 1. make
sure they stay democratic and 2. prevent the "revolution" from i
getting too radical. i
As stated Monday, the Bush administration has done a good job 1
handling the crisis. However, events are now moving too fast to
risk further neutrality. If Gorbachev loses any more support, President
Bush will have to consider recognizing the Russian Republic
as a separate entity.
Boris Yeltsin has already disowned the Soviet Union as it now
stands and is trying to develop a confederation with the other republics.
Gorbachev may still be President of the USSR, but the
USSR is rapidly becoming an anachronism. If Yeltsin's plan for a
new confederation appears to be succeeding, we must be ready to
support the new organization. Bush must not let his personal
friendship with Gorbachev interfere with the march of democracy.
Besides strengthening democratic reformers (possibly with
emergency food assistance as well as diplomatic recognition), the
U.S. has an obligation to keep the anti-Communist sentiment
sweeping Russia from becoming a witch hunt. The Second Russian
Revolution must not devolve into a pogrom against the establishment
like the French Revolution did. The bloodshed could be
extreme if America doesn't throw its weight behind the good guys ,
now.
I GAMECOCK
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a r% i > ?-? i.
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Wayne Williams Eric Glenn
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Erik Collins Carolyn Griffin
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Lara Chapman
Asst. Classified Manager
Letters PoMcy: The Gamecock will try to print all letters received. Letters should be, at
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a USC employee or South Carolina resident, or year and major if a student. An address
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to edit letters for style, possible libel or in case of space limitations. The newspaper will
not withhold names under any circumstance.
Ridiculous al
As you have probably inferred from past col- (
umns in this space, I am not a huge proponent
of the Alcohol and Beverage Commission.
In retrospect, however, I suppose I should at
least offer this: it isn't exactly their fault for the
job they have been hired to do. I just wish they
wouldn't enjoy it quite so much.
Well, at least one local bar owner believes
underage students who want to drink should be
a little more responsible for their actions, in order
to avoid such unwanted attention.
Bill Hecklau, owner of The Cock Pit, believes
students in this position should realize a
few things.
"Incoming freshman and other younger students
have to realize ABC is not just people
who bust kids at football games. They police
restaurants, bars, concerts, festivals ? like St
Patrick's Day. Anyone who is under 21 and is
going to try to drink has to be careful. If you
are under 21 and are drinking you are breaking
the law. And you might get caught.
"Very little happens to you, though. You get
a fine and maybe lose your driver's license for
three months, but you probably just call home
and say you need more money for books. You
have to realize if you get caught drinking in a
bar, the bar can lose their license and can't operate.
They are jeopardizing the bar's
livelihood."
"I've seen some really pathetic fake ID's, but
I've seen some that are perfect I think if you
have the guts to show it to get into a bar, you
should have the guts to show it to anyone."
But is this really the point? I'm sure people
have been hashing and rehashing these points
ever since the drinking age was moved to 21 to
begin with. But it is more than just not letting
Obscure infoi
There is no fact, no matter how seemingly
small or insignificant, that you cannot find.
This was probably the most significant lesson
I learned over the summer while interning for
Campus Voice (you know, those posters in the
dorms that you stare at while waiting for the
clpuatnr hut np.vp.r rpallv rp.nr1Y
I thought this might be a valuable piece of
information for both the incoming freshmen as
well as the seniors who will be graduated this
fall or spring. It's important to this year's freshmen
because they are at the beginning of four
years of essays, term papers and projects that
they will have to research. It will also be especially
helpful to those seniors beginning to feel
the pressure of the real world, especially that
first REAL job.
Over the course of the summer I had to find
such obscure bits of information as the current
cost of the average bag of groceries in San
Francisco to the number of butt hairs in Boris
Yeltin's crack (somewhere around 37, if I recall
correctly). I used to groan every time an editor
would stick their head in my cubicle and say,
"This is going to take a little digging, but do
LET1
We can't trust
Commie scum
who want t
To the editor: Russia, but
After reading the commentary Umon as tr
by Tige Watts in this past week's l^e v^or '
: _r t*i /-* t _ trusted nor r
ibsuc ui i nc uaA?cn/i-/v, * tome uj
realize there are plenty of people '
out there who still do not under- Bai
stand what communism is all ab- Polil
out. One of the basic doctrines of
communism is the elimination of
capitalism. Lenin himself stated
the two cannot "coexist."
For 74 years, communism held mild*
the world in a state of fear. It is
responsible for millions of deaths
in the Soviet Union, China, An- To the editoi
gola, Nicaragua, Vietnam, Korea, I am writi
Hungary, Rhodesia and other Watt's edito
nations. issue of The
Despite all that, now some "ex- "presidentia
tremely smart" people argue that sense."
getting rid of the Party is undemo- While I <
cratic. Since communism is, by na- government,
ture, totally opposed to democracy, 0ur ever-inci
that idea is absolutely ridiculous, am opposed
The only reason Gorbachev and tion will ev<
Yeltsin want to wash their hands blame for I
clean of communism is to break which these
any and all links to the Party's born should
murderous past. to the heinc
It was the only logical thing for their parent*
Gorbachev to do, following the not the chil
coup. Yeltsin docs everything to the beginnin
get the people behind him, but problem,
there may be other reasons, not In light ol
just his natural "love of demo- far as steril
cracy." He was, do not forget, a babies who
member of the Party for a long world unde
time, eventually thrown out for be- shouldn't b<
ing too ambitious! parents refu:
Keep in mind that the Soviet before jumpi
Union is and will be a superpower Now, in i
of great magnitude, with or with- name-calling
out the communists. The disband- (nincompoo
ing of the Party could, in fact, be larly word):
an attempt to hide the hard-liners that those in
under a different name. All board in thi
changes and reforms should, there- thought the
cohol laws:
AARON SHEINI
|jj|. -W
someone into a bar to socialize with
friends. What is really happening is a ?
tion is being divided.
If two people who are 21 want to go 01
two other people who are 20 years a
months old, they really can't. Not, at
without jeopardizing themselves and the
lishment which they choose to enter unde
means. What happens more and more ol
people are having keg bashes at thei
homes. Sure, great. It's a wonderful way
smashed with a lot of people, and no
done, right? Of course not.
"If 19 and 20 year olds can't go out a
forced to have keg bashes at houses, r
there is trained or responsible to handle
drinking and driving. We are trained prof<
als on dealing with that. At least we have
men who watch people leave and call thei
if they need one," Hecklau said.
"They should be allowed to go out wit
friends. Should be able to come and sc
and if they do drink they should take th
ishment, not us."
This brings up another point. I woul<
just once to have an ABC agent work th
at a bar and try to distinguish between
one's real ID and someone's fake. Sure I
trained to notice such things, huh, huh hi
*mation eas
Dennis Shealy
ii
you think you could find . . But the at
thing is there wasn't one thing I didn't fir
You might not believe it, but there is j
or a survey or an association for just aboi
thing you can think of, really.
Don't get me wrong, however, it's i
ways as simple as walking into the libn
looking up a subject in the card cat<
though sometimes it is. There are times >
might take days to find out something t
the Association of Gay Rudabega Farnu
tendo Champions doesn't have that pai
piece of information on hand, but they 1
suggest you try so-and-so, who probably
know, but will probably know someone y
try, too.
The point I'm trying to get at is that t
rERS TO THEE
taken for granted until King, Jr. When
WORLD peace disap- laws they belie
may be no more com- they have no ch
re may be 20 Yeltsins, break some le,
0 reform and rebuild all, every day pi
as long as the Soviet nothing, the lis
le strongest military in longer.
they should not be
irovided with any type Jot
rtholomeu Brodowski v^UDS (
ical science freshman # _ _
in poll
jfp fjohf To the editor:
Ut 11&111' I don't kno<
Ofl Oil nistration at thi
?3" UIl find it somewh<
replace the Si
1 campus dining 1
ng in response to Tige ecologically-sou
* _ 1 * .1 A /^O ?/>* **11 1
nai in me AUgUSl ZO Mil an, ai a eu
Gamecock headlined, where tuition in
1 veto doesn't make rate of inflatioi
year, this univei
support cost-effective afford to give
especially in light of away free,
easing national debt, I This matter
to the idea that abor- another import
;r be the answer. The pay 10 cents foi
the circumstances in it the paper I'r
government wards are for, or that pre
be directly attributed which holds th
)us irresponsibility of haven't figured
;. They, and certainly but I do know
Idren themselves, are buv one. it mu:
ig and the end of the official or cup
both) laughing
this, you might go so bank,
izing the parents, but Furthermore,
are brought into the school's dinin
r such circumstances simply be sellii
J killed because their in order to mak
>ed to use their brains enough to spen
ng into bed. the larger paper
csponse to Mr. Watts Don't get mc
; of pro-life advocates ledge that collef
p, definitely a scho- stantly being t>
I would like to say sages from Grc
Wichita may go over- sons telling u<
sir protests but many breathing the 1
same of Martin Luther and every studi
need change
i so scared. Or better yet, try and work behind
j the bar with 100 screaming people wanting
N drinks, and try to distinguish who has a wrist
band on, or who is stamped over 21. It's impossible.
I don't care what you say, try it. Just
once. Demonstrate that training in action.
Another local bar got busted hard a week or
so ago. About 15 underage students were carted
i their that njght I saw one getting hauled off in a
?enera- headlock. Ya, I'm sure that skinny 18 year old
was quite a difficult task for such specially
lit with trained individuals as these,
nd six But stm there's more. Now, these omnipo
r*' tent beings are trying to pressure bars into not
i " allowing 18 and over at all. This means those
r alse ^dents whose parents decided to wait a year
ten 1S' or two before bringing them into this paradise
r own can't enjoy some of the great things about this
to get Coiiege town. Yet, at Myrtle Beach, they encourage
it. Why? Don't ask me, why don't you
ask them? But I guarantee they won't tell you
ind are it's because at the beach, it's tourism and big
10 one business, and here it's because it's against the
people /aw. Oh, I see the difference.
;ssion- Things are going to happen. They have to. If
5 he ^ 311 ^ owners t0 together and
n cabs demand change and try to expose the corruption
that's been rumored to be running in these cirh
their cles, then so be it. I for one, can't wait.
icialize Enough's enough. If someone is subjugated to
e pun- hanging out at the bowling alley on a Friday
nisht because those men on high horses decreed
that 20 years and 6 months is not mature
1 love, enough an age to consume alcohol, why are
e door they old enough to die for their country? But
some- that, is a whole other column. Now, you still
they're don't know the rest of the story. But I hope you
ih. I'm find out.
;y to come by
no topic a professor can assign you that you re
ally need to stress over because the research
seems impossible. The books of statistics are
filled with incredibly insignificant topics. No
, matter what it is, somebody has written a book
on it
The Encyclopedia of Associations is my
Bible as far as research goes, if the only two
people in the world who are interested in
nazing Shakespeare's eating habits haven't written a
id. book about it then they've gotten together and
a book formed an association. The EOA has over
many- 20,000 associations listed in it and most of
them are more than willing to talk to you or
tot al- send you whatever information you request,
try and With resources like these I don't see how anyilogue,
one couldn't come up with a list of diverse job
vhen it opportunities (I make no claims that you will
>ecause get a job, but only that it is quite possible to
sr Nin- find careers in your field you might not have
rticular thought of on your own),
lappily If anyone has made it this far I hope I've
won't made an impression (a good one) on you about
ou can the resources available to students. I was personally
amazed at the things I could find, and I
here is just thought I'd share it with you.
iDITOR
people are fighting ders what he or she can do to save
.ve morally wrong, the planet I am not frying to add
loice but to bend or to this by making anyone feel guilgal
barriers. After tier than they already do for all the
ro-life advocates do little things they ve done to help
t of victims grows destroy the environment, but I'm
tired of having images of a planet
Brian Eshleman full of people turning blue float
irnalism freshman through my head every time I grab
one of those Styrofoam cups, and I
wouldn't have to feel this way if
LU.IJJI Ho the university would stop selling
lutiOM 111611110 ^ Richard Holmes
i* l avsi Philosophy sophomore
w why the admi- Garage should
s university cannot ?
:re in its budget to DeStUdeiltS
tyrofoam cups in
ocations with more Q editor
,?H nonnr Af- Parking, parking, Darkine . . .
ItlU ^Upvi VU|/"' w. . ^
liege such as USC are we ever not sick and tired of
creases at a quicker parking problems? I do not under1
practically every stand why the University of South
sity could probably Carolina is considering taking stuthese
paper cups dent parking stickers ($20) away
for a possible meter, card or realso
introduces served ($120) parking garage,
ant issue: when I This garage should be for stur
a cup of water, is dents ONLY (sorry faculty and
n paying so much staff, nothing personal) since we're
;cious wax-coating losing our present space and payie
cup together? I ing for the garage to be built Why
out which it is yet, are they not building the garage to
that every time I lhe maximum capacity (1,030
st send some USC spaces) the first time, instead of
manufacturer (or having more construction later.
I nm I .1 r rifl 117P ihnrn
aii me way to (jjg 1 am uianiwui mcj |VU"?av uivig
is a need for the garage and have
for all I know, this selected an excellent location,
g facilities could BUT $120 parking from a $20
ig Styrofoam cups sticker is making parking available
e us all feel guilty on,y to the elite (and funny thing,
d more money on they happen to be the people makeups.
ing all the decisions).
wr?ng, 1 acknow- Come on students we pay
,rc students arc con- enough already, please don't be so
ambarded by rncs- apathetic that they do this without
icnpcacc spokeper- lhc nceds of the students. There
s how we arc all ,us to be a better system with less
ast of the oxygen expense. Lynette Cheely
cnt naturally won- Graduate student
91