The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, April 06, 1994, Page 7, Image 7
* Wednesday, April 6, 1994
r ;
I *t!5ari
Serving V
J.T. Wagenheim, Editor in Chi
Edltorl
Wendy Hudson, Carson ]
Nancy Salomoi
Crime
'Two strikes, you're o
to keep repeat offend
/TTihe "two strikes, you're out" po
Legislature is a positive step
JL crime.
. a
Most violent offenders, once releas
repeating their crimes. Many commit
; ations or have demonstrated that th<
J "made up" for their crimes.
Unfortunately, the excuse of priso
justice system to let many prisoners, <
ciety without adequate time for refor
t J For a number of criminals, though
leased, they go on to perform similai
^ and money of the law enforcement s;
i nals it has just set free.
\ The solutions? Several possibilities
\ and cons.
; Legalize drugs. Perhaps the most <
t crime, some say, are to make drug sa
oners convicted of using or dealing. T
to be used by violent offenders. The \
abuse begins to run rampant, thereb)
Build more prisons. A logical step, <
, olent criminals go, but an expensive
form of the prison system itself.
After all, what good will it do to ha\
4 the system is still geared toward findii
' radically violent offenders.
The "two strikes" bill. By building m
c oners convicted of violent crime twici
, tive, albeit expensive, solution will pul
belong: away from law-abiding citizer
The bill, which would classify violet
or rape, is the most effective way to <
bars.
Critics of the bill say it doesn't allov
Kilifotinn ai* \Y/iv\?*r? A
vuimuvil VI IVUVllipUVlI. TY IVllg. A pih
has a chance to redeem himself. If the
ity, there is no excuse to allow him to
Other opponents of the bill say it is
to groups that study prison populatioi
^ prisonment.
When it comes to violent criminals, I
is the innocent citizen attacked by a v
by a system designed to protect the pi
Of all the anti-crime proposals to cc
strikes" proposal is the most reasonat
Costs of wel
a shouldn't sc
Reports in both The New York
Times and The State Tuesday said
the cost of President Clinton's plan
to reform the U.S. welfare system
would cost much more than originally
expected. This was according
to a confidential memorandum presented
to the president by adminis,
tration officials.
Tl ? J ^1 1 I J
me mcinu 5<tiu mc pian couiu
add as much as 158 billion to the nation's
welfare costs over the next 10
years. It also said there was the
chance that, under the plan, which
calls for a two-year limit in benefits,
some former recipients might be left
homeless or unable to take care of
their children.
Incredibly, the initial reaction by
many, including administration officials,
to this news was one of surprise.
For a system that is so screwed
up, it should be no surprise that it
4 could cost quite a bundle to fix it.
Of course, there are ways to cut
some of those costs, but any plan
which would still meet the original
goals of welfare but avoid the abuses
of it, would require more money,
at least in the short run.
Clinton's plan has been described
as the "Cadillac version" of welfare i
proposals and will probably be
scaled down. The current plan calls
for a two-year limit on benefits for
those able to work plus expanded i
training, education and child-care <
-i /
. programs su uit uiance OI getting a |
job before being cut out of the pro- 1
gram is much higher. 1
His plan is ultimately the best way j
of preparing welfare recipients to en- 1
ter the work world again. In this |
way, the money the program requires
will not be just thrown down |
a hole, as it is perceived. Instead, it 1
will be an investment in people, who 1
will pay back society through hard
work in a normal job.
Now, my conservative critics will
' *t5aifcock &
Student Media Russell House-USO Col
J.T. Wagenheim Nancy Salomonsky
Editor in Chief CaroKn?! Editor
Lee Clontz To"y S?ntori
Viewpoint! Editor _ Sports Editor
Carson Henderson Mandrel]
Copy Desk Chief Pboto Edi,or
Gordon Mantler Chns Middrow
Copy Desk Chief Graphics Editor
Wendy Hudson Nora Doyle
New. Editor A?t. New.
The Gamecock is the stndent newspaper of the
University of South Carolina and is published Monday,
Wednesday and Friday during the fall and spring semesters,
with the exception of university holidays and exam
periods.
Opinions expressed in The Gamecock are those of the
editors or author and not those of the University of
South Carolina.
The Board of Student Publications and Communications
is the publisher of The Gamecock. The Department of
Student Media is its parent organization.
Itcock
SCSinct 1908
ef Lee Gontz, Viewpoints Editor
lal Board
Henderson, Gordon Mantler,
nsky, Tony Santori
ut' policy good plan
fers off streets
l: ?J? ;J ? ?- -t -
in./ unuci ?.uiu>iucniuuii Dy mc staie
i toward the prevention of violent
ed, successfully return to society, not
ted their crimes in questionable situly
can function in society. They have
n overcrowding has encouraged the
rven violent ones, move back into som
and punishment,
i, there is no rehabilitation. Once re
crimes again, wasting the resources
ystem, which must track down crimiexist,
each with their individual pros
controversial ways to reduce violent
les and usage legal, and release prishis
would, in effect, free prison space
plan, however, could backfire if drug
r creating more crime.
:ertainly when compared to letting viinvestment
to make without any rere
more prison spaces available when
lg a quick release for all but the most
ore prisons and demanding that pris:
serve a lifetime sentence, this effect
violent, repeat offenders where they
IS.
it felonies as armed robbery, murder
insure that criminals remain behind
v appropriate opportunities for rehajoner
released after one violent crime
: criminal continues his violent activremain
on the street,
unfair to blacks, who are, according
is, more often targets for lifetime invite
only person being treated unfaidy
iolent criminal prematurely released
ublic.
ime down the pike thus far, the "two
>le and potentially the most effective.
fare reform
are Clinton
I9BEU
Gordon Mantler
COPY DESK CHIEF
say this is way too idealistic and that
most of these people are losers and
will never amount to anything. This
might be true for some, but many
just had bad breaks. This type of program
is just the type which gives
them the chance to succeed and give
something back to society.
The solution to welfare is not to
just cut off people after one year or
six months as some conservatives
have suggested. The training programs
are necessary, even though
they probably don't need to be quite
as expansive as in Clinton's proposal.
The other concern of some people
failing through the cracks is, unfortunately,
hard to avoid. No program
will be able to accommodate
everybody, but if done right very few
will fall into this rateeorv.
The release of this information
about the potential costs of welfare
reform is a necessary step in educating
the public about what it will
take to fix the system. Most likely, it
will cost us quite a bit of money in
the short term. However, welfare reform
is an investment in the future,
arhich will eventually bring about a
good yield.
I just hope the president and Congress
will stick to their promise and
reform a badly broken system. The
ivorst thing they could do is nothing.
Gordon Mantler's column appears
every other Wednesday.
I / "! s. r> 11
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Tbe Gamecock will try to print all letters received.
Letters should be 200-230 words and must include full
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Letters must be personally delivered by the author to
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11*5 P66& I^AM
1Y5 gjg^tRTHkN VIETNAM
1Y5 ?66EB"1M*N TM?
<Pani$* NQw>?ON !fI
"The deficit is getting lai
We are $20,000 to $2!
the actual ar
Feminists wan
I know I am not sharpening knives in the kitchen.
I know I am not studying pamphlets for a feminist
Utopian island. I know I am not spitting on men
who pass me in the street. But I know I am a feminist.
When I say the majority of people who attack
feminism understand very little about its nuances,
I am not calling anyone stupid. Feminism is complex
in its different opinions and thoughts. Not all
women are brandishing steak knives or hopping on
^li^ocmTSticks ready to recolonize thfe moon with
women only.
Most mainstream feminists want integration with
men, they want equality, they want respect. Women
are not a pair of legs with gossamer hair and a
smooth butt. Women do not want to destroy men.
What good would that do? It defeats the purpose
of feminism.
Some feminists argue women aren't different
from men except biologically. Plop a kid out, and
that's it. That's what makes a woman different from
a man. Other feminists say this difference is what
women should celebrate because it is unique: To
give uie, to nave a cnna stir inside tne body is something
wonderfully womanist.
Or maybe a woman's mind is different in that it
is more serene, more docile, more sensitive because
of the hormonal differences. But if that's true, such
a thing might be an asset in times of trouble. If the
country is on the brink of war, a government with
more women involved might be less likely to declare
violence. And many crimes are committed by
men.
Violence not related of the ml
? , . nant woman
to abortion rights ment and w
pregnancy, sh
To tbe editor; all of her opti
Steve Lefemine's letter to the edi- the a,
tor fa the April 1 issue of The Game- tirebirthcon,
cock was a nice Apnl Fool s Day joke. p)anuandin
I rod this same letter in The State a
"'?, 15 the woman's
unjustified and ludicrous as it was .
abortion, no i
Gaining the legal right to a safe ^^eS' ^ aV
abortion is not an explanation for the aTe'
friehtenine amount of vinlpnre that Prevention
we are experiencing in this country ^to rec^uc'
today. If you remember correctly, dur- cies-1116 ^acu
ing the 12 suffocating years of Reagan ^ activity and
and Bush, abortions were actually re- bias-free in c
stricted by the gag rule. message is no
State health departments around Violence is i
the country were gagged by this rule to have an ab
and were unable to inform or aid the lated to the la
pregnant woman if she wanted to ter- the streets o
m in ate her pregnancy. With the repeal frustrated peo
What do you thin]
"I don't think it allows ro
change. Criminals should be
should have some benefit i
instead of being put away for
- >-.mr m
r |[j| "I think it's a pretty good p<
flP Hi porate some rehabilitation."
Secondary counseli
its
1U{
ITS QoJ A UOHTCJ wk
REFR*$H'N& T^Slf . -jvir
VOiu ENJO'*#' -
sha
COLUMNIST kej
pos
OW]
But, these are just theories. How do theories get
proven? They must be tested.
So many perceptions must be changed. Men still wo
think they must be the pursuer. Some think that is to (
all they can be to a woman because she is not wor- A
thy of friendship: Her mind is too weak, and she is bin
too much of a temptation for him. ses:
A few years ago, 1 was at a party, and 1 spoke to er t
a man who was friends with my then-boyfriend. I woi
assumed this man was just being amicable, and he It
mistook my behavior, also. He started writing me is n
letters and sending me copies of his favorite music, anc
When I asked him to stop and just be my friend, Anc
he raged, calling me every negative feminine word ^
he knew. This man was embarrassed and hurt, and ? ?
sue
this was how he retaliated. I never heard from him ^
again- heft
I do not hate men at all. It's simple. Society tells
men they must pursue women who aren't aggres- ern
sive, but are passive and timid, sitting by the phone, we
drying their hair on a Saturday night. mei
This is the negative image of what feminists fight T
Women are not objects. But here's another stereo- nor
type. When women cease being objects, they cut fern
off penises. No, no, no. Lorena Bobbitt did not cut agir
e in 1992, when a preg- Let us focus on why violence
enters a health depart- curring instead of on how t<
ants to terminate her American women of their rig
le is given counseling on safe abortion,
oris, including abortion.
ivent of new and effec- Wendy Sc
trol methods such as im- School of Public 1
jections, the number of graduate si
y be reduced. However,
right to a safe and legal USC volunteerS hell
matter what the circum- 1
ailable thanks to Roe v. tit ClClllCllttiry SCilOi
through education is the To the editor:
ng unwanted pregnan- The city of Columbia had a 1
> on birth control, sexu- experience Saturday, March 26
STDs need to be taught unteers representing all aspects
>ur schools in case the community participated in th
?t received in the home. Year program. The individu;
not linked with the right volved in this program deserve
onion; it is directly re- nition for the positive change
rge number of guns on caused to happen in our comn
f our country and the Many USC students comprised
pie who are using them, volunteer groups.
k about the 'two strikes, yo
om for people to ^ ^
punished, but they 8et away w
to the community
Marketing senior
olicy if they incor- MT 1 think it's
LdBfl violent, the
:ia Stackhouse lifc"
ng graduate student
IfoM*
7_
: MePlM Mtc MAtONfe
OUT OF
J CTuFf ? PO^T teAW-V
U*pCR$TANft..
I'M ATRA'O
jO'N&T&ENOfOON...
O
o
o
je is getting smaller.
We won't know
August."
J.T. Wagenheim
The Gamecock editor in chief
i the cancellation of the Garnet and Black yearbook
lity, not fear
r husband's penis because she .hated men or
a ted revenge. She wanted to stop him from hurther.
tnd when a woman is pushed to such a point, I
ike my head and want to cry. This woman was
ng raped by her husband, a man who was sup?ed
to respect and honor her. And it was in her
n home. Rape in her home by the man she mar1.
Anyone would feel trapped, too. Mv God. no
nder she did such a violent act. It had nothing
io with vindication.
l woman is more than a pretty pair of legs. Bed
a woman's moving, uncrinkling eyes, she posses
a brain which kicks and screams even hardhan
those legs. This world has not been fair to
men.
t is wonderful a woman can create life, but that
ot all she can do. Her mind stomps and shouts
I pushes forward, throwing back its blankets.
I a man does these things, too. But because his
ly is not the house of the child, he is free to purcareers.
fo matter what, I know women have a long way
)re they can call themselves equal. The U.S. govment
is only made up of 2 percent women. As
all know, this country does not have that many
he steak knives are still dull, the pamphlets are
lexistent, and I don't like spitting. But I am a
inist and will be when my eyes are crinkled and
>gi
is oc- As principal of H.E. Coriey Elemeno
strip tary School, it was an honor to be asht
to a sociated with the Carolina students
who worked with City Year. These students
came to our school and assisted
hmidt our families and staff in making an outiealth
door classroom and nature trail,
mdent An amazing transformation in a
j 1?
wwucu <11 cid near uur scnooi oc?
curred in a matter of hours. These stu"
dents, who spent several hours at our
3l school, have made a tremendous difference
by providing an additional
learning environment for our students
inique and staff.
as vol- A special "thank you" comes from
of the our school to the students who asle
City sisted us. USC can be very proud of
als in- this fine group of young people,
recogs
they James Lane
lunity. Principal
I these H.E. Corley Elementary School
Irmo
u're out' bill?
; sounds like a good thing. Criminals
nth too much today."
Will McNair
Business administration freshman
OK. If the crimes are consistent and
n the person should be put in jail for
Rodney Byrd
Chemistry/biology senior
WERE MAOe JCETtWEVRf 5
, TEW?M6TW TIWW/ u
i
ger, and the potential to generate reveni
5,000 in the hole from the 1993 yearbool
nount until the 1994 book comes out in,
On
it respect, equa
rl Afei 1?: 1 ?
I flHi Melissa Tennen I