The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, April 23, 1993, Page 3, Image 3
Ethics
Abolishing internal
a good way to redu
l
Corruption. South Carolina I
years.
In 1990, Operation Lost
shocked the state's voters as th<
sentatives hauled off to jail.
But now, three years later.
have returned to "business as
accountability tor lawmakers;
of the two legislative bodies ha
suing violations on their own o
One would think the event
more than enough reason to ft
violations by legislators.
A bill proposing shifting the
tions to the independent Ethics
Senate two years ago, a sign tl
are not truly interested in hones
A separate ethics commissic
probe into lawmakers' possible
mi t tee.
This type of dilemma was I
year when a Florence doctor c
against Sen. Hugh Leathermai
oihics rommiiiee
It's great to see our repress
pies.
However, this incident stud
Constitutional Laws Subcomn
abolishing the legislature's int
the Ethics Commission the po\
lems.
The House and Senate woul
ing and expelling their membe
the complaints.
It's about time they did th
fn fioti no in t h o Canoto thp Kill
iwiomit; in iiiv- oLiicuc, inv^ 1/111
However, shifting the powt
would be appointed by the go^
that pervade the process.
Instead of allowing the gove
members, they should be chos
ment including the legislature,
il service investigators would t
Even if they decide to ket
members the governor's duty,
be an improvement to the cum
The internal ethics commit!
the job. And we've had about <
n/^A ^
:>u/\ senaie
on issues of <
This semester, the SGA sera
has been working to approve t
structure of student governme
and formulate goals for tl
1993-94 year. Each of the sev
committees has submitted a 1
oi goais uiey nope 10 accui
plish.
Previously unfilled seats
pharmacy, education, social wo
and nursing now have re prose
tatives. A new positio
Senate/City Council Liaison, li
been created to report on ci
issues that may affect USC.
Most ot (lie executive cabii
and the judicial board has be
interviewed and approved by t
senate. The structure of SC
will be complete within the ni
week.
The accountability of senate
to their constituents has al
increased this semester.
A Vice President's Panel v\
held last week to discuss imp<
mm camnus issues such as visi
tion, academic integrity a
minority status based on scxi
orientation. Representatives trt
organizations outside S(
expressed their views and qu<
lioned administrators.
Constituency reports, questic
naires that determine studt
interests, have also been given
each senator to survey their c(
stituencies. These surveys v\
put SCiA in direct contact w
the students.
The senate has consider
pieces of legislation this semes
pertaining to pressing camp
issues.
This legislation included
unanimously passed resoluti
endorsing RllA's visitation p
posal. Dr. Palms, Dennis Prt
and other administrators recei\
this resolution, which will
part of a packet sent to the bo:
of trustees as they consider ca
pus visitation.
i
ethics panels
\ce corruption
i'ic c?=?r?n 1M11M111I1 <\f it lhw> rvivl li?\v
v.. .1
Trust rocked the legislature and
:y watched a number of their repreoperations
down at the Statehouse
: usual." There seems to be little
and the internal ethics committees
ive not been very aggressive in purDlleagues.
s of the past few years would be
>rce changes in who handles ethics
responsibilities for ethics investigaCommission
was killed by the state
hat many of South Carolina's finest
>t government.
>n would be much more willing to
; wrongdoing than an internal com
brought to the forefront earlier this
iecided not to file an ethics charge
ri because he was chairman of the
mtatives serve as such good examc
in legislators' minds as the House
aittee unanimously approved a bill
ernal ethics committees and giving
ver to handle legislative ethics probd
still have the final say in suspendrs,
but the agency would investigate
is, and with a little luck and armshould
pass.
;rs to this agency, whose members
pernor, will not eliminate the politics
:rnor to appoint all the commission's
;en by different branches of governthe
governor and SLED. Using civ'urther
depoliticize the process.
2p the appointment of commission
the shift of investigatory duties will
ent system.
ees in the legislature just don't do
enough of their corruption.
keeping busy
:ampus concern
^mm
he W^MM
i n
! I JLl
:n- BRIAN
C O M b k
ias
ity legislation to amend die definition
of a campus minority is
iet being researched by the Minority
en Affairs Committee. Once prohe
posed, this definition will outline
'A the criteria for the formation of a
:xt minority council next semester.
! lection code revisions are
also being drafted. One of the
so revisions establishes Swearingen
??I' _ i .
as a permanent pwimig location.
'as Other senators tire exploring
ar" the possibilities for revising the
ta~ dining services contract with
Marriott as well as the extension
jal of the library and computer lab
>m hours.
1A We me also meeting with the
-s~ Law Lnforcement Division ol the
university to revise the patrol
>n* routes. By coordinating these
snt routes with campus risk areas,
to we hope to increase campus
>n- safety.
'ill Priorities for this summer are
ith to provide a homecoming incentive
package and to work on a
ed system tor campus recycling,
ter Phis year's SGA senate dis
jJliiyS tiv.nn.uunu.1 1'V'IV.IIIKII.
Much has hccn accomplished,
' a but much more remains to be
on done. II anyone has questions or
ro~ concerns, do not hesitate to come
jitt by the Student Government
C(I office in Room 112 of the
Russell House.
*rd
in- Brian Comer
is SGA vice president
View]
A. i
V
pro^bEEH]
It seems Senate Republicans have as
rather than help average Americans co
wettk economy.
In a blatant attempt to embarrass Pres
stuck to party lines Thursday in killing
nomic stimulus bill by continuing their 1
The bill included additional unemplo
ate 700,000 summer jobs for teens ant
and construction. In other words, this pr
ployed Americans with a paycheck tl
would have seen in a long time.
But the Republicans would rather w
which was the same fatal mistake fo
failed "do-nothing" policy cost him the
And now it seems congressional Repi
thing; but this time, they want to ruin a
It's April, and the economy has ren
signs of improvement in the near futui
job out there knows the employment ma
Retail sales, housing starts and constr
March in declinations not seen since 19'
Even though corporations are finally :
in profits, nobody is hiring. Clinton's pi
unemployed Americans, including y<
uiMV.au ui iiLijnuj; uic cuiu uiv.11
jobs would mainly be in public service ;
The summer youth program, for ex;
with jobs renovating housing, repairin
work and providing nursing assistance
kids off the streets and from causing tro
Clinton's economic stimulus progra
thanks to the Republicans, the Amerifrom
the its own government. That's re;
We have waited long enough for tin
my. Doing nothing failed.
Republican critics say the jobs pack;
that is a possibility in the short run; 1
only clear way to lower the deficit and
debt will unfortunately continue to rise.
In the long term, the deficit would b<
short-term sacrifices sometimes have to
It is obvious Senate Republicans don
term investment. The most further ahc
presidential election.
Don't be fooled. The Republicans' t
to make America a better place or sup
CIllUiUULV* 111111 clliu Will LWtN U1C JJICM
else should we expect?
Gordon Marnier is V
MM |M| I JH
Writer's justifications *
for smoking pathetic u
To the editor:
Regarding Tige Watts' column 11
on smoking in the April 19 issue of
The Gamecock: This can only he Y
his self-masturhatory justification ^
to himself as to why he has decided
... . w
to Kin nimseii, siowiy anu mcmouiii
NV
tally.
First of all, I'm sorry for his
friends, whom he equated with cof- ^
fee and cigarettes. I'd hate to he his
friend knowing his other top priorities
were things to he bought at a 11
convenience store. I'm also sorry
that he can't begin a day without a
cigarette. Break the cycle, Tigc.
Second, smoking is not a "charai
NEWSROOM
777-7726
P.O. BOX 85131 U
l'ditor in Chief
Associate Editors
Viewpoint Editor
Copy Desk Chief
News Editors
Asst. News Editors Lei
Carolina! Editor
Asst. Carolina! Editor
Sports Editors N;
Asst. Sports Editor
Photo Editor
Asst. Photo Editor
Graphics Editor
Asst. Graphics Editor
Cartoonist
Copy Editors
Student Media Coordinator
Production Manager
Asst. Production Manager
Advertising Manager
Asst. Advertising Manager
Eaculty Adviser
Graduate Assistant
Darkroom Technicians I
Doint
La
DB0S5
Should Congress I
'resident Clinton's econ
gmomi [c
tain decided to play party polities Bi
pe with die country's pathetically Dem
more
>ident Clinton, Senate Republicans any i
the president's $16.3 billion eco- M
ilibuster. goal:
yinent benefits, a program to ere- dele;
I more spending on infrastructure plan
ogram would provide many unem- Tl
lis summer. The first" one many econ
late ;
'ait for the economy to fix itself, T1
nner President Bush made. This for r
White House. es. 1
jblicans want to do die same exact wou
Democratic administration. T1
mined terribly sluggish with little bill,
e. Anybody who is looking lor a filibi
trket is rotten. bill,
uclion all plunged in February and the 1
)0. " Tl
starting to see slight improvements year
ogram was designed to give many rule,
nuih, the chance to work. And, Kepi
boards make more money, these B
md infrastructure. tied
unple, would have provided teens addc
g public buildings, doing clerical billii
. The jobs would also keep many and
uhlc. thei
m should have been passed, but. A
can people will get no sympathy iy vv
d democracy. I
; government to revive the econo- ;ue i
up c
ige would increase the deficit, and The
lowever. a strong economy is the ed. ;
I, until the economy improves, die the i
die i
i reduced as Clinton promised, but H
be made for long-term benefits. die <
i't understand the concept of long- hard
;ad they'll look is 1996, die next dose
diffi
;oal between now and 1996 is not In
iport the president's vision, but to bent
dency. Pure selfishness. But what ing.
wee
'tewpoint Editor for The Gamecock
cteristic of who you are," it's a M
abit ? a nasty, disgusting, repel- ing.
:nt habit. ing <
Mr. Watts points out tliat smok- its u
tg, much like overeating, drinking ers j
)o much and perfectionism, is rude
othing more than a personal flaw, a se
es. overeating can he a flaw cms
ecause WE HAVE TO EAT, and puhl
e sometimes eat too much. But polit
'e don't have to smoke. It's some- M
ting we decide to do. You are a sym
erfectionist because THAT'S THE insic
/AY YOU WERE BORN. puff.
We have no innate desire to N
lhale tar and nicotine. To justify stan
noking and drinking as a trait is dept
Imost as ridiculous as The heca
iamecock printing Mr. Watts' edi- on s
irial when it constantly sponsors my 1
nti-smoking ads. St
ISanti
iMi\/rr>eiT\/ /^r c a 11 t u
i w i v c k i i wr owuin
Patrick Villegas
.... I.cc Clontz. J. l . Wagcnheim
Gordon Mantler
Brian Garland South
Jack Dunn. Melissa Tennen Wed IK
1 Clayton. Rochelle Killingheck VVCCkh
lenniler Fuller
mi i w i i vcrsitv
Melinda vvaklrop .
mcy Saloinonsky. Tim Thorsen 'P111
Roh Rodusky author
Stephanie Newlin The
Kelly Johnson nublisl
Gregory Perez. .. ?
Chris Muklrow ^ Pdl
Paul Jon ClltU
Chris Davis. Thorn llarman rCSpon
Jim McKellar TllC U
I.aura Day SUb
Jim Green r^ ,
? Colum
Renee Gibson
Michael Van Bergen
Erik Collins dent a<
Brian McGuire
'.rin Galloway. Rika Hashimoto
>
5FMFSE
have passed
omic stimulus bill?
ill Clinton ran on a platform of change, claiming to be a "new"
ocrat. As America has quickly learned, "Slick Willie" is nothing
: than a tax-and-spend liberal who can smooth talk his way around
issue.
r. Slick's proposed "stimulus" package is a fine example of his real
s. He learned a harsh lesson in Beltway politics when his package was
ued by Congress. The Republican-led opposition defeated Clinton's
for two reasons.
ic first reason is that the plan would have had no real impact on the
omy as a whole. It is hard to believe that $16.3 billion could stimua
$6.5 uillion economy.
le first part of the plan was a proposal to grant businesses a tax credit
lew investments, out was seen as more 01 a tax loopnoie ror ousmessrhis
part of the plan was quickly killed by both parties, because it
Id have added more than $21 billion to the deficit over five years,
le remaining part of die "stimulus" package was a $16.3 billion jobs
The Senate Republicans were able to defeat this through the use of a
lister. The Republicans had two main reasons for using it to defeat the
The first reason is that they were opposed to the very substance of
nil.
tie Republicans tried to get all spending beyond die $6 billion in fiscal
1093 to be subject to the 1900 budget agreement's pay-as-you-go
but Sen. Robert Byrd. D-VV. Va? used die rules to circumvent any
iiblican cunendments.
y failing to amend die bill, die Senate kept all of die spending classias
"emergency" for die entire five years, insisting that its total cost be
:d directly to die deficit. The amendment would have also forced S10
on in spending cuts elsewhere to pay for the "stimulus" funds in 1994
beyond. Surely $10 billion in spending cuts could have been found in
>2.16 trillion of discretionary spending for fiscal years 1994-1997.
s Sen. Richard Shelby. D-Ala., stated, "We preach fiscal responsibiliith
one hand and spend money behind die back with the other."
he second use of the filibuster was to show Mr. Slick that Republicans
members of Congress, tot). Three weeks ago the White House passed
>pportunities to negotiate the package with congressional Republicans,
filibuster sent a message that Republicans, united and highly motivatare
capable of forcing Clinton to back down. This is good news for
middle-class taxpayer whose taxes Clinton is going to try and raise in
lear future.
illary and Mr. Slick pranced into Washington thinking Uiey could run
:ountry like they ran a small, backward state. They have tried to play
Iball with members of both parties, but they are now getting a harsh
: of reality. Until Clinton learns to compromise, he is going to have a
cult time breaking all of his campaign promises,
i die end, the Senate approved S4 billion in extended unemployment
Tits, saving the American public billions of dollars in useless spendAs
Senate Minority Leader Bob Dole, R-Kan., said earlier in die
k. "The taxpayers won this one."
Wesley Locklair is a Columnist for The Gamecock.
pMmpnnmH
r. Watts finds smoking relax- "try to understand" smoking, just
I find, after a big meal, releas- as I refuse to understand how you
giis relaxing. But 1 won't force equate jogging and enjoying basenfortunate
side effects on oth- ball to smoking. That would be like
iust because I'm tense. That's equating you to Dave Barry or any
. I'm surprised dial Mr. Watts, oilier real columnist,
lf-styled political correctness
ader, would even smoke in Jamie Williams
lie, since that's all P.C. is: Journalism sophomore
an extreme degree. HMIfCTBH
r. Watts says that smoking
bolic of releasing the bad The Gamecock will try to print
li* nl himtfll w/iiIt ci niirtn 1p I all letters received. Letters I
Well, so acain is a fan.* should *M0'250 woIds xi"
..." . . . mum. Full name and profeso.
ill. Walls. can l unilei- sional title or year and major, if
d what il s like to have a a student, must be included
.Mtdency sueh as smoking" along with an address and
use I don't think I need to rely phone number. The Gamecock
omethinc outside myself and reserves the right to edit for
fiends lose! ihroush ihe day. f>"e' "bel or 3(,a"
" ,,, - , .. . lunitations. The Gamecock will
> Sony, Mi. Watts, will not no( ^^hold names under any
circumstances.
d ADVERTISING
co ck
CAROLINA . COLUMBIA SC 2 9 2 0 8
Gamecock is the student newspaper of the University of
Carolina and is published three times a week on Mondays,
isdays and Fridays during the fall and spring semesters and
/ during both summer sessions, with the exception of uniholidays
and examination periods.
ions expressed in The Gamecock are those of the editors or
and not those of the University of South Carolina.
Board of Student Publications and Communications is the
ler of The Gamecock. The Student Media Department is
*ent organization of The Gamecock.
lge of address forms, subscriptions, requests and other cor
dencc should he sent to The Gamecock, P.O. Box 85131,
niversity of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208
scription rates are $46 a year. First-class postage paid at
ibia, SC. The Gamecock is a registered student organization
University of South Carolina and is partially funded by stuetivity
fees.