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Help Federal government can help public through regulation There is a fine line between government assistance and government interference. American government is based on the premise that it is granted power by the people in order to serve the people. However, especially in recent years, the United States has turned into a self-serving entity, concentrating more on acquiring power for itself rather than its appointed task. Impeding the rights of the individual, modem government tries to control the way the population acts and thinks. On the other hand, government control does not have to be a dirty phrase. There are ways the government can immediately help the public in practical ways, if only it is willing to make the political effort. This past week, several U.S. congressmen have proposed limiting the interest rate credit card companies can charge customers. The Bush administration is opposed to this intiative, saying it will cut too much into corporate profits. Bush is favoring Big Business over the American consumer. A modest limit on ridiculously nign credit cara interest rates is benenciai to most Amencans. Regulation of cable companies is another idea proposed in Congress but fought by the president. Monopolistic cable companies can get away with outrageous rate increases. Cable should be regulated like any other utility, with price controls to protect consumers. Safety measures, shirked by Reagan and Bush, have to be enforced .for the public's sake. Cutting back safety and environmental standards to save companies money is immoral and exactly opposite from what American government should be doing. American government often has a choice between business and the public at large. We know which choice recent presidents have made. America should have free trade, but within limits. Corporations' profit motive can be at odds with public interests. In the ideal capitalist society, the government is the mediator between the people and business. Of course, no one ever accused America > of being an ideal society. /> J* 0 J? em Aids IS EVFttyovfs mum/OF AIOU.'!'. IGAMECOCKl fc News: 777-7726 Advertising: 777-4249 Chris Silvestri Editor in Chief David Bowden Brant Long Managing Editor/Viewpoint Editor Copy Desk Chief Tige Watts Tracey Davis News Editor Carolina Life Editor Aaron Sheinin Teddy Lepp Sports Editor Photography Editor Patrick villegas Gordon Mantler Asst. News Editor Asst. News Editor Amy Barcomb Rich Taylor Asst. Carolina Life Editor Asst. Sports Editor Virginia Marshall Greg Rickabaugh Asst. Copy Desk Chief Asst. Photography Editor Wayne Williams Eric Glenn Comics Editor Wj BRITT Darkroom Technician Staff Cartoonist * Renee A. Gibson Laura S. Day Asst. Media Coor.IAdvertising. Manager Production Manager Stacie Lewis Ray Burgos Asst. Advertising Manager Asst. Production Manager Erik Collins Carolyn Griffin Faculty Adviser LARA CHAPMAN Business Manager Asst. Classified Manager Otters Policy: The Gamecock will try to print all letters received. letters should be, at roaxiimm, 250 to 300 words long. The writer must include full name, professional title if a use employee or South Carolina resident, or year and major if a student. An address ar>d phone nurber are required with all letters sent. The Gamecock reserves the right to edit letters for style, passible libel or in case of space limitations. The newspaper will n?t withhold names under any circumstance. mm V album \ (TV ZMk FEATURIN( "KEJCHUPM/^ ' 4.25 AN HO "GIT yOUROWt Senate interfe Last Wednesday, Senator Kelli Lister introduced a bill in senate, which became a resolution to hold a referendum, which became an opinion poll on the Homecoming queen. Actually, the resolution only "suggests" to the Elections Commission that an opinion poll be held during the February elections. That is fine with Homecoming. Regardless of what the poll says, we are not sponsoring a queen next year. If another organization wants to, and I pity anyone who does, more power to them. However, we do question the true validity of such a poll. The Homecoming queen issue has become such a complex one that no one knows the whole story. People will vote on impulse, so look for a yes vote in February. , The worst part is that the Senate failed a motion to allow one of our representatives come and tell our story. How dare the senate pass a resolution saying that "a senator's primary responsibility is to his or her constituents" and then not allow one of them to speak. We feel "gypped" because we didn't get our fair day in court. The overall issue with this resolution is not Newspaper re The Gamecock is comparable to the National 1 Enquirer, the spelling and grammar are poor, we are too concerned with racism (in fact the writers are racists) and we do not have very accurate reporting. Those are some of the complaints given The ? Gamecock during the past month. That wasn't I all of them, but many of them were too offen sive to print. The suggestions included covering such issues as tuition, the parking problem, Greek Life, Third World students at USC, the demise of the Writing Center, literacy issues and more on African-American sororities. Talking with our news editor, Tige Watts, I found out that he is working on an investigative piece on the parking problems that plague the campus everyday. In fact, he has filed a FOI (Freedom of Information) request which gives the university 15 days to respond on budgets that affect student parking and ticket revenues. That is just one step in bringing change to the newspaper and telling students what they want to know. But to understand what it will take to improve it overall, there are certain things stuLET! Greeks don't because I v other girl's h receive credit compare lips sorority to 1 To the editor: 1 could I am writing in regard to W.W. . sure McElveen's comments he made in in as. mu^ the article about the diversities of ^ a fraternities and sororities published S . in The Gamecock on Nov. 11. Mr. ^ ^ kf1 McElveen, it is obvious to me that . r' c you do not know the first thing ab- 10 Ju ge a ** out what a fraternity or sorority ca^ eam a consists of. other Yes, why wouldn't you think ^ acdvdl rush gatherings look like "Hare aSree Krishnas on a field trip." Try get- or soro" ting close to 1,000 women all *n together in the same Ineale and see berore y if there will not be similarities of s ow on a c appearance as with any other and S3*" a b groups. what it is rea As for the Greeks being "sheltered from reality because 'they pull their members together and exclude themselves into their own ?j little worlds."' You have no idea about all the community (not to rftPPrl^ mention time consuming) activities HCClIc that we are involved in. We sponsor blood drives, donate money to To the editor: Epworth's Children Home and I am writi Children's Hospital in Virginia, Oct. 30 edit raise money for diabetes, adopt-a- tion rules stil highway program and Carolina I agree with Cares program. That does not even supposedly, z include the dozens of on-campus dents to mz programs. ments, moral Each fraternity and sorority is a being coache distinctly diversified group. Whep and should m ?nr^vV" v ^ THF HITS: ! ^IW/AI urpowefciMU BURBERlll ires with orgi " I LAN A MYERSON Guest Editorial whether there should be a Homecoming queen, but rather whether the senate can tell independent student organizations like Homecoming what it can and can't do with its programming. Many of you are involved with student organizations. What would you think >'f ? senator got up and said your group had to i something? Every organization is sovereign from each other and no one except that group's membership should be allowed to make those kinds of decisions. If Senator Lister would like to be a member of the Homecoming Commission, she is more than welcome to join. We must, however, question Senator Lister's motivation for sponsoring such a bill, just as one of her fellow senators did. It is no new thing to use Homecoming for political gain, but isponsive to r Greg Rickabaugh | dents should understand: The Gamecock is NOT an exclusive club. Besides letters to the editor, anyone can join the staff as a staff writer, submit guest editorials, draw editorial cartoons, take pictures or apply to become a paid staff member. The Gamecock needs everyone to be our eyes and ears. When something happens that sounds newsworthy or that needs immediate attention (like a fire), students should call the office at 777-7726 and tell us. Without these tips or sug gestions, there will only be the eyes and ears of the 16 staff members here, which leads to a one-sided view of the campus. The Gamecock is a student newspaper, not a professional daily newspaper. We will make mistakes, but we will learn from them. rERS TO THE EDI irority, I did not do it We're all grown up 1 vanted to check out most of us, and shoulc lair-bow collections or make our own indepe tick colors. I joined a sions about who our De around other girls and when they come to value as friends, and get me wrong, I don't lat I could participate should be roaming arc as I could. Being a residence halls at thei sorority is one of the feel as long as they t that has happened to and quiet hours are ng in college. guests should be welcoi yeen, don't be so fast Of course, roomm; X)k by its cover. You need to discuss hours lot from being around them, but basically ii like yourself and join- each individual's pre ies other than school. think we should give that being in a frater- tions a trial run and sc ty is not for everyone. our fellow students use the future I suggest Visitation can be a j ou let your ignorance long as it is not abusec ertain subject you try bors are not pestered v etter understanding of ous behavior late at Uy all about make visiting frien Bridgette Jenkins hassle? Students deser Kappa Delta sister use own judgnu FF Elizab visitation .. . T""' ; change s b??, hates edit To the editor: ng in response to the Isn't it about time y< orial entitled "Visita- damn commie Sheinin"! 11 at USC, still stink." managed to stomach the writer. College is ramblings for the past in opportunity for stu- but his vicious attack i ike their own judg- was the last straw! I and ethical, without I thought when he g d on what they should the lowly sports page Dt do. an improvement over ./mm live at various s on cm is ^VV<xrr'i 0+ ^^ecords inizations the difference between this and other times is that those people attempted to work with Homecoming, and not tear it to shreds as she did on the senate floor. Moreover, she pressured the other senators into voting for the resolution by telling them that any senator who didn't vote for the resolution would be on a black list Not only that, but Senator Lister herself said that in 1990, she was not one of the 900 students to vote in the queen's election. To say the least, Homecoming is emotionally hurt. Not only were we attacked by the media (the Associated Press had the story in every major paper in the state), but now people won't let a dead horse rest in peace. We do our hardest to try and make Homecoming as enjoyable as pos sible for everyone in the USC family. In a nutshell, that is why we voted not to continue the queen: some people weren't enjoying it. Right or wrong as that may be, we have to stick by our mission, and we will, no matter what any senator says or does. liana Myerson is the president of the Homecoming Commission for 1992. eader input We are here, not only to inform the student body, but to give journalism students, artists and English majors a chance to gain some experience. There are not enough journalism students taking advantage of the newspaper and the opportunity to grow in the field. Art majors can draw editorial cartoons. English majors could write reviews of movies and concerts, or even contribute feature stories of general interest. And photojournalism majors could simply submit photographs or join the staff as a photographer. Or if you have an interest in any of these areas, you can offer your services. This year is almost over, but already we have started to take suggestions and use them to better the newspaper. For example, we took the smrcrp.eHnn nf nnp ?tnrlpnt an/1 ho/1 a pnlrtrfnl mOO MVMV?VIlk UUU UUU U VWIU11U1 feature last week on the "Bible Beaters" who hang around the front of the Russell House. Next year could be the best year ever for The Gamecock and for USC. But students have to get involved, and bring some change to both the newspaper and this university. TOR iere, at least attempts at sensationalism during 1 be able to his reign as Assistant News Editor, ndent deci- I was, however, sadly mistaken, visitors are As Sports Editor, he has taken a visit Don't paper that I thought had hit rock think guys bottom, and proved that it hadn't. >und female One of Sheinin's major addiir leisure. I tions to the sports page has been ire escorted "Pick 'ems." Sheinin vowed early observed, in the season that he would never me. pick against USC, Georgia or the ates would Falcons. This week he picked that suited against all three. Sure he gained t would be ground in the standings, but in doirogative. I ing so he lost the last bit of crediless restric- bility he had left from the column 5e how well where he suggested we tear down their heads, the Koger Center and leave the irivilfcrf* as Dieces on Holderman's lawn I and neigh- Another of Sheinin's "brilliant" vith obnoxi- innovations was the "Braves night. Why Watch." It pains me to even write ds such a about this, but I feel I must. If Mr. vc the right Sheinin hasn't noticed, we're in ent South Carolina, not Georgia. I ieth Horton know South Carolina doesn't offer n freshman much to write about for a journalist with Sheinin's obvious genius, but how about a "Cock Watch" or something? :or I could go on forever about the incompetence of Aaron Sheinin, ou fired that but then I'd be leaving out the ' I've barely other two clowns Tige and Bowi his inane den. My suggestion to The Gamethree years, cock, to coin a cliche, fire Sheinin on the Mets and can Tige and Bowden with him. I hear Amy Loomis needs a ;ot buried in job anyway, it would be Joe Asaro his pathetic ^ International studies junior