Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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VIEW U.S. Aid America has hec - ?/ -4- 1st s* /i J* /m 4- /i /-v /* in irie ucuuit: uj From the Truman Doctrine oi Doctrine of the 1980s, America' Union has been reactive and 1 rather than understanding. The by the Pentagon) was to surrou force them to "behave themsclvc Now, at the dawn of the 21st the Commonwealth of Indepcnc progressive, if economic aid to Administration. There arc voices in the politic brand of nco-isolationism, that tl domestic problems that we need concerning America. America's power dictates that we lake the "evil empire." Those people that ly^us and a "locus on aomesu< but they are selfish. The United States, whether w with global interests. The Unitet ing the former Soviet bloc in I economy, or we will lose influci alone compels us to commit the to maintain stability overseas. Furthermore, any aid to the fc rian gesture that will not only in sian, but would also be a linchp policy ? an economically stabl world economic community wh preserving the peace we fought s MR. PRESIDE/* you DO CA aarvrr TUP ri < i * ' t?' ehvlroa/m r*'* WHV. VOW p.hk right up there.. M WITH EM ~r POINT [ 'ome embroiled \ aiding Russia i " the laic 1940s lo the the Reagan < s foreign policy toward ihe Soviet 1 lighly militarized, based on fear ( most effective policy (as decided nd the Soviets with weapons and * S." century, American policy towards lent States can be pro-active and ~~ Russia is approved by the Bush ;al debate today that cry for some tc United States is so burdened by to turn our attention to the issues responsibility as the lone superleading role in rehabilitating the moan and wail for a return lo the ; issues are not only short-sighted, e like it or not, is a global power 1 States must take the lead in aidLheir transition to a western-style ice in the global community. This ^ ^ resources and energies necessary )rmer Soviet Union is a humanitanprovc the lot of the average Rusin of America's European security e Russia, fully intergratcd into the lich will be an important asset in ;o hard for. RE ifilPt Ques gag | .. | 3 Ware Fogarty Erica T Retail History "Yes. I think the country "No. I < leeds a change. The candi- teres fates of the two traditional minorit political party candidates fon't have the qualities that )an bring Americans out of heir troubles." rcros! Earth Summit had The recent "Earth Summit" in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil was to the environmental elitists what Woodstock was to the "tunc in, turn on, drop out" crowd of the late '60s: a lot of noise and not much substance. It seems the only activity more popular than moaning about resource allocation to the Third World (which, by the way is now called "the South" in the spirit of geopolitical correctness) is attacking the record of the United States on such scientifically shaky issues as global warming. The record of the United States on environmental issues is unmatched in the world, with the possible exception of some Pacific island nation comprised of two huts and a fishing boat. But, that just isn't enough for the environmentalists and their "amen corner" in the mass media. When Ted Turner and Jane Fonda arrived in Rio to sign the "get well" card for "our poor sick planet," the Earth Summit degenerated into a media circus of world finger-pointing and celebrity cameos. MTV covering the Earth Summit? I have a feeling that groups like Poison and MotEnvironmental wot When we talk about Earth, we have to set our priorities. We have to figure out what's most important. Is an extra $1,000 more important or is the air we breath more important? I'll take the latter. Just a little common sense and courtesy, that's what this world needs. We don't need these near-Facist right-wingers calling us environmentalists "a pack of cry babies" because we want to keep this planet safe for future generations. This world was around for more than 1,800 years before we decided to sell our future short for a few, lousy dollars. Take our great president George Bush for example. Two weeks after he says screw the spotted owl, he says he'll propose some great package to save the environment. Yea, George Bush is to the environment like Adolf Hitler is to the Jewish community. Wc need a sound environmental policy. More than 50 percent of Americans see the environment as the top future priority. Wc know it wiirbc a problem. tion: Would you vote for H. R Bly.JI hrash Rasheed Muhar '-French History don't think he's that in- "I don't think ted in protecting because he ha ies." ney and every mean he would well. I think otl tied to be presi< ited States, bi running." s Fircr* bark, but no bite ley Crue contribute more to that gaping ozone hole over Antarctica (where I hear there has been a run on suntan oil) with hair spray than any other two nations on Earth. The media then turned on their favorite whipping boy, the good ol' U. S. of A. Rather than discussing the merits of the United States' position on such Earth Summit issues as transfer payments, which is a global welfare system where the industrialized nations export money to the Third World (oops, I mean the "South"), where our friends, the ecologists, use ancctdoial evidence and pseudo-science to create apocalyptic scenarios of global desolation. I can personally guarantee when housing developments are halted in mid-sawstrokc for a group of wayward turtles the world will be safe for a long lime, as long as you don't use electricity or believe in making the world more comfortable for humans. - Michael Barton Michael Barton was graduated from USC in May with a bachelor's degree in International Studies. is must be cured But, what we don't realize is that it should be our top priority. Right now, at this very minute. We can't wait any longer. The Earth Summit did little except hit the consciousness of everybody. Bush wanted to look good. Japan wanted to look good. And they tried to by providing all of these multi-million dollar plans to save the environment. Money is not necessarily the solution. We need laws. We need tough laws that work. We need to ban Styrofoam and aerosol products. We need to stop making this planet into the great dumping ground. We also need to stop pointing fingers at everyone else. We need to become responsible and handle the problem. Solve it first, then figure out who is to blame. The true "cry babies" are the ones who don't want to admit there's a problem. Once we put a passifier in their mouth, then maybe we can solve the problem. - Tige Watts Tigc Watts is the Managing/News Editor for-The Gamecock. ... ; Are you better off now than you Were a year ago f ( oss Perot? nmah Chris Workman Math I would. Just "No, for the simple fact that s a lot of mo- he hasn't shown us what he's thing doesn't supporting. Like superstars handle power in society are fed up and lers are quali- want to make a stand. It's like dent of the Un- he's leading people to the jt they're not trough not knowing what's there." Polls reveal little about real views As a journalism major I feel obligated to read newspapers and magazines, and watch the evening news to keep abreast of what's going on in this country and world of ours. Lately, I noticed whenever there's some sort of debate, no matter what the topic, real and mythical polls and surveys start popping up in the media like groundhogs in Februarv. And the reallv interesting thing is the often varied results of said polls and surveys, some say the groundhog saw his shadow and others say it didn't. A case in point, just recently while reading a newspaper, a pro-life advocate quoted a survey that said some 70-plus percent of the American public was against abortion. In the same paper a day later, a prochoice advocate quoted a survey w that said some 60-plus percent 1 ** ^ of the American public was in | ** jr favor of legalized abortion. Who's right, who's wrong, or to qgf quote a survey myself, a whopping 94 percent of the American .r people say who cares? The same sort of dubious poll/survey results are just running rampant in this election year. One newspaper poll says non-candidate Ross Perot is favored by 38 percent of the American public. The nighdy news says Perot is favored by a little over 50 percent. And of course the same sort of shifting results go for President Bush and Bill Clinton. I realize this subject might seem trivial, and quite possibly down right silly, but shouldn't results of these polls be a little closer? Sure, the pro-lifers and the pro-choicers are going to quote the polls that reflect their point of view, as will any interest group. The results of polls and surveys are going to be off to some extent because of whatever methods were used to gather and formulate the numbers. But can't somebody do a real honest to goodness poll that give us the real story? Maybe the research staff from the Family Feud show would be willing to donate their time and ask everybody about everything. Then once they get everything tabulated the host of the show could come out announce the results. This wav Ted Koppel and friends could confidently look into the homes of millions of viewers and say yes or no that the majority of American people are for abortion, the environment, women's rights, gay rights, minority rights, sex education, foriegn aid, foriegn cars, and at what percent a presidential candidate or non-candidate is favored by the public. Enough with the silliness. The real point is topics like these become debated issues because there are no clear cut yes and no answers. Issues like abortion can't be distilled down into a colorful USA Today pie graph showing pro and con, and no one can be versed on the issues by reading just one newspaper or watching one evening news broadcast. Taking the time to read more than one paper or watch more than one broadcast might not be easy, and as in my case, might leave a person more confused than before, but that's the point. Who says any one paper is going to give the complete story or that their polls are an accurate reflection of anything? Whatever the issue, the public needs enough information to think it out, so that they know what they are getting and what they are giving up when they vote, buy American or foreign, and answer yes or no to some shady pollster. "(BaHcock use smct ism Editor in Chief Shelley Magee Managing/News Editor Tige Watts Copy Desk Chief., Jay King Viewpoint Editor Aaron Sheinin Carolina Life Editor Octavia Wright Graphics Artist Sean McGuinness Photography Editor Jeff Mabon Sports Editor Jack Dunn Production Manager Laura Day Production Assistant Ray Burgos Faculty Adviser , Erik Collins Advertising Manager Renee Gibson Asst. Classified Manager Neha Samagond The Gamejo '< will try to print all letters received. Letters should be 200-250 words. Full name and professional title, or year and major 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.