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Viewpoint : Crumbling ( Bush's ignorance of deficit symbolic of country's demise \ Our beloved President George Bush has done it. He's managed to disappoint those who put him in office so much that he may be unemployed next year. For the first time since we started piling up huge deficits, a president has thrown his hands up in the air and given up hope balancing the budget. Wednesday, Bush's chief economic adviser said the president has all but abandoned serious deficit reduction tactics. Gee, what great blunders come from feeble minds. The White House is facing almost $400 billion in unpaid bills, a total that was originally estimated at $280 billion. And who will pay? Definitely not George Bush. Not Dan Quayle. Not Donald Trump. Not Sam Walton. It's gong to be up to the middle class once again. People are losing jobs left and right, and what's the White House doing? Begging Japan for mercy. We might as well face it, Bush doesn't care abot the United States. He only cares about himself. For him and his cronies to run up a huge deficit and abandon any attempts to lower it should send a clear message. We are on the economic path of the former Soviet Union. If everything continues, we will no longer be a country in the next 15 years. Granted, maintaining a small deficit can stimulate the economy. Rut mme on. Gmrap Dnn't vou think $400 billion is Dushinn it a little far? Japan and other Far East countries are killing us. A famous person once said a country needs a revolution every now and then. Now is the time for the U.S. We need to throw the idiots out of power. George Bush and Dan Quayle are idiots and they should not be in office. i v * How can a confry continue to exist if its domestic woes are not fixed? It can't, and this country is falling apart. Why? The mindset of our leaders. There needs to be a complete revamping. Kampus Komix w.j. Britt fJUST AS I SUSPECTED.'/ ^ I yoiJrea-egall-Y drunk. f/rTgrT-ti \ COME ON, BOY J YOU'RE? \UNDER. ARREST/ W' /BUT... BUT... ALU I HADTO \\ [y \ DRJNK TODAY WAS A SINGLE\^=, \ VDOSE OF COUCH SYRUP' ' ^ | !< B ?B I H t> i hirp nippp ues invo,vea inai u,cy mc ,iiKin X II C pICvC cessful, resulting in a decline 4-^^. J crime rate and an increse in the tOO derogatory ing of crime. Maybe it is not : bad idea after all! In fact maybe To the editor: works, since the crime rate in E Editors note: Some words in this let- Is proportionately lower than in t ter are spelled in the British form. 'le^ States. Not to be pendantic, but police Realising that we are only a "bunch ers carry truncheons, not "billy of paranoid limies," and obviously Mr. and the whole country does no Dunn has spent a considerable time liv- around "permanently looking ov< ing in England to feel justified in mak- others' shoulders." Sorry to : ing such widespread generalisations ab- your illusions, Mr. Dunn, out the country, we nonetheless would like to bring to his attention a couple of We are quite sure that Mr. points. would never refer to Afi Americans or Hispanics using ofl Whilst being so scathing about "bob- or derogatory terms, so why di bies," is he not aware that in California feel at liberty to do so wii and Michigan pilot schemes are in op- English? eration bases on the very "primitive" British system of community policing? Finally, Mr. Dunn states, Furthermore, it has been reported by don't speak of Britiain's inheri both the police officers and communi- cicial oppression as a result." V\ \ Question: Do you think ther states? Stacy Hind Lawrer 3INT major Compa gradua "Yes. The government should take further responsi- "Yes Dility for the elders." and we It's a ri ^Erost Bigotry should n Craig Dean has to go to the U.S. Supreme Court for the right to marry his partner of six years. He has to do this because his partner is a man, and same-sex marriages are not recognized in the United States. bven arier going mrougn me legal oauie, he still may not win. Why? Because some bigots would like to ignore the reality of same-sex relationships, much as they would once ignore interracial relationships. But bigotry doesn't keep people from falling in love, or making lifelong commitments to one another. What it does do is deny many couples the right that is taken for granted by legally married heterosexuals, and threaten the very bond that exists between the couple. Same-sex couples cannot file joint tax returns, which denies them many tax breaks .1 j hpi _r*? uicy uescrvc. i ncy uncn unuiui suaiu uic benefits given to married couples, like having one person's insurance cover the other. What this bigotry has accomplished is keeping couples apart. If legally married, the partners automatically become each others' next of kin and gain power of attorney. Sharon Kowalski and Karyn Thomson Same-sex marriaj Morally, I don't believe the legallysanctioned marriage of two homosexuals is right. How can we, as a society, give our blessing to the joining of two individuals whose relationship violates the laws of man and nature? These individuals can never fulfill the dream of most married couples: to have children. Biologically, two men or two women can never serve as reproductive unit. The only way they could have children would be to adopt. How can a child have a normal childhood when he or she doesn't have a "mommy" and a "daddy?" Children are cruel. If the child's friends find out his or her parents are "different" from everyone else, they will tease that child to the poini coming home from school in tears every day. At the same time, is society ready to accept a man playing the role of "wife" or a woman playing the role of "husband?" In a marriage, society expects a couple tc be sexually active. In fact, not consumatin^ If you have an I you would like to see addressed in drop it in a Suggestion Box or Call The A J I u .1 tJviTH ? I * la aM J PI I I VJ aS y sue- They? To what societal oppressioi in the he refering? Does he mean that wc report- not automatically have a right to I such a arms? Considering the number of ir it even cent people who die or are injurec ngland guns in this country each year, is he Un- control so bad? We think not. Sarah Norris, Alison Drury, Ju< J 0 1C~ Ellison, Jacqui Brown, Diana C; c u s' pillo, Tony Onwuegbuzie, Fern I V a.u Smith, Linda Deane, Claire Sou .r eac Nick Johnson, Joe Marchand i shauer Darren Measures American Studies exchange stud< Dunn fensive DailCill^ Clllb h the a lot of fun "They To the editor: ent so- Thanks, Gamecock! Your articl fho are out the Ballroom Dance Club ir e should be a socialized h r^l ice Diederich Tonia Byrd rative Literature English majoi te student "Yes. I've v >. I'm from Germany of homeless ( have free access to it. seen h o v ght, not a privilege." mistreated." 5 Fire^ ot stop marriage were together six years when Sharon was injured in a car accident. Her homophobic mother kept Karyn from even being able to see Sharon for more than three years. It has taken another three years for Sharon Kowalski to be legally allowed to return home to Karyn, which was her wish from the beginning. Same-sex couples can gel some legal rights in certain states by filing for Domestic Partnership, a type of legal partnership. But this denies the reality of very important emotional bonds. Homosexuals are not perverts who cannot love or be faithful" to one person for life. Our right to get married should be covered in our constitutional rights of privacy. In a lime when monogamy and family life are stressed, we should be able to share in the rights so many take for granted, which we deserve. If I were to denv a heterosexual couple a marriage because I wouldn't marry a man, would anyone lake me seriously? - Kyira Brooke Kyira Brooke is president of the Gay and Lesbian Student Association. *es pose problems a marriage is grounds for divorce in South Carolina. How can society condone a marriage ir which the couple's sexual activity is agains stale law? This is an obvious contradictior of what the state considers legally correct. Not only is this a contradiction of state law, it is a contradiction of the moral be liefs generally accepted by society. In the Bible, God destroyed the city of Sodom be cause its citizens practiced sodomy. How can a marriage be spiritually soun< when it betrays the very beliefs that maki up its foundation? Spiritually, a marriage is when a mai and a woman fall in love and consumat their relationship. A homosexual relation ship doesn't fit this mold. Society can't accept a homosexual mar riage on any level because it betrays all th< values our western civilization is based on. - Chad Bray , Chad Bray is assistant sports editor fo r The Gamecock. ssue or question Cross Fire or USC Voices, Please Gamecock Newsroom at 777-7726. I n is Jan. 29 issue was VERY welcome ii ^ do formation. However, you neglected I bear mention how much fun its divers ino- membership had. 1 by What an enjoyable way to exercis* gun socialize and learn an impressive soci; tool. You see, the meetings are actual! I'*'1 dances with plenty of atmospheri am" music and room. e"a Frankly, I was rather skeptical ; tar' first thinking all the guys there wou and be wooses and the girls would be wal flower left-overs. But I love to danc mts so 1 owed it to myself at least to chec it out. I couldn't have been moi wrong about the club's membershi Talk about a club with pizazz! 1 wi< I'd known about it sooner. I sincerely hope you find time to r port more often on the club's advei turcs so other dance lovers can join the fun! e ab1 the Theresa Brend ealth care program in the United Miki Yoshino International Studies major worked with a lot "Yes. The government people and I've should have that v they are responsibility." American press q hia mirQpIp | U Mlg 11111 MV1V - Ann Winchell Media bashing has become almost as popular as lawyer bashing, heaven forbid! But that's OK. The media need to be reminded that there is room for improvement. Not many of us are proud of "yellow journalism." Information from public opinion polls is quoted constantly in the media as though it is gospel. Little attempt is made to explain how questions were asked on a poll or how thorough of a sampling was taken. r? *u 1:~ ? ~r tu**. dui we uwc uie uieuia a ucui vji giauiuuc. mcy have played an integral part in the history and development of this country. Our forefathers had to struggle for freedom of the press so the citizens could be better informed. We all know about Watergate and the two reporters' inspiration. But did you know that it was a journalism student, Paul Perkins, who got things going in the Holderman business? As an invention, freedom of the press ranks along with the discovery that the earth revolves around the sun. The first people who dared to print the truth about the king of England were executed. Those kings had a lot to lose. We dared to establish a free press in this country to fight the kind of wrongs that happen when people go unchecked, and it has become one of the most successful experiments ever tried anywhere, in spite of its abuses. "The press speeded up the tempo of.civilization," journalism professor Ronald Farrar said. People seem to have a deep hunger for something authentic when everything else seems false, a desire ( to believe at least in the possibility of the naked truth. 1 People have an unquenchable thirst for informa1 tion and truth. "60 Minutes" has the highest ratings 1 on television. i Of course, information is only as good as the information giver. There's lots of controversy about ; the people of the media. Movies have been made about them. Books have been written about them. ] Theodore Roosevelt called some who exposed ? commercial, social and political evils in the 20th century's early years 'muckrakcrs.' Some who developed newspapers and other media into what they are today were geniuses, and some were eccentrics. Whatever there is to say about them, they have supplied us with lots of information. e Women like Ida Tarbell and Nellie Bly played a strong part in journalistic history. The founder of The New York Times, Henry J. Raymond, describes his philosophy for reporting as relying on "fair arguments. . . not misrepresentative ? or abusive language." Farrar said, "The experiment has not been a total B success. The miracle is that the attempt was ever made, and is being made, at all." I never used to believe in miracles, but I believe the free press is one. How Thomas Jefferson and others pulled it off with all the Royalists around I'll never know. Thank God, enough of the "wrong peo | pie" were asleep at the time. IGamecock 1Editor in Chief Eric Ward C Managing Editor Tige Watts Copy Desk Chief Kathy Heberger Asst. Copy Desk Chief Jennifer Jablonski Viewpoint Editor Shelley Magee I News Editors...Patrick Villegas/Gordon Mantler Asst. News Editor Kim Everitt Carolina! Editor Greg Rickabaugh Asst. Carolina! Editor.-. Lee Clontz . . GraDhics Editor Ryan Sims Photography Editor. Virginia Marshall Asst. Photography Editor Eric Glenn Sports Editor Ben Breazeale Asst. Sports Editor Chad Bray rc Faculty Adviser Erik Collins P' Asst. Advertising Manager Melissa Owenby Asst. Classified Manager .....Amy Taylor The Gamecock will try to print all letters received. Letters should be 200-250 words. Full name and professional title, or year and major in if a student, must be included along with address and phone number. The Gamecock reserves the right to edit letters for style, possible libel or space limitations. The Gamecock will not withhold names under any circumstances. a I