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Show Page Six Tuesday, June 2 1937 POM! Pass the buck Last week, let alone the past several months, was an exceptionally busy news week. Lots was happening everywhere. So what a shame if an important message buried in the week's events a message from right here at home is overlooked or ignored. It came with the political bombshell dropped Friday by former Utah Gov. Scott M. Matheson. The bombshell, of course, was Matheson's announcement that he will not challenge Orrin Hatch for his job when the senator is up for in 1988. re-elect- ion Among the reasons Matheson cited for not making a bid for Hatch's Senate seat: money. Therein lies the lesson. Matheson said he didn't want to spend the next year as a e fundraiser. That's exactly what he'd have to do, too, given that some political analysts have estimated a MathesonHatch shootout in 1988 could cost as much as S10 million. full-tim- S ItLI: Shauna Bona 10 million. "In my opinion," Matheson said, "that is an obscene amount of money to spend on an election for the Senate, especially in Utah, where we pride ourselves as a discerning, and independent voting public." We agree. And we can think of a lot of other words for such a sum like ridiculous, outrageous and almost immoral. ts like that, though, arc not without precedent in Utah politics. The last time Hatch was challenged for his Senate seat, by U. Hinckley Director Ted Wilson in 1982, both candidates spent a combined total of over $5 million. But one only need look as far back as 1985 for an amount on the scale of the estimated $10 Well-meanin- menace g well-educat- ed Mega-amoun- million. That was when businessman Merrill Cook challenged Salt Lake Mayor Palmer DePaulis for the city's top job. Cook spent well over $500,000. DePaulis, badly outspent, put in over half that amount. Together, the total was roughly $800,000. ta On a basis, the expenditures in Cook's and DePaulis' citywide race are not terribly far below that of a statewide race costing $10 million. Amounts like those seem all the more enormous when put in a national context. In California, for instance, expenditures for statewide races have been known to hit $20 and $25 million. But California's population is 26.3 million. Utah's is 1.65 million. A candidate in a statewide race in California has to reach perhaps 15 times more eligible voters than does a statewide candidate in Utah. And a candidate in California has about a dozen TV markets in which to spend this money. Utah has one. Matheson was an unknown when he first ran for governor, and won, in 1976. Together, he and his per-capi- opponent spent about $500,000. The former governor put his finger on the trouble when he said last week that the days of an electable "citizen candidate" are over. He was also right on the mark, as always, when he opined, "In this bicentennial year, this is one feature of our current politics and government that (James) Madison and (Thomas) Jefferson wpuld find most peculiar and troubling." Troubling indeed. THE DAILY UTAH CHRONICLE The Daily Utah Chronicle is an independent student newspaper published during fall, winter and spring quarters, excluding test weeks and quarter breaks, by the University Publications Council. Editorials reflect the opinion of the editorial board, and not necessarily the opinions of the student body or the administration. Subscriptions are S25 a year, S10 an academic quarter. All subscriptions must be prepaid. Forward all subscription correspondence, including change of address, to the Business Manager, Daily Utah Chronicle, 240 Union, University of Utah," Salt Lake City, Utah 84112. I've been told I threaten people. Not physically, of course. I'm not much taller than and although I've tried both most and I have never even been able karate, weight lifting to intimidate the children I babysit. The kind of "threatening" I do is subtle and is actually a lot more like getting on people's nerves than intimidation. No matter what label you choose to place on it, however, the fact that I've owned public opinions for a few years obviously makes some people nervous. This uncomfortablcness comes out in many different ways in a letter to the editor from a stranger who wastes all her words attacking me instead of my stance, in a phone call from someone who heard from someone that perverted politics have warped my news judgment, in a few people's sneaking and undocumented suspicions that somehow I'm dangerous or not to be trusted. Before this column starts to sound like the paranoid delusions of a burnt-ocolumnist, let me quickly say that I usually treat such responses with the precise amount of respect they deserve. First, I try to understand where the uncomfortable reader is coming from. I listen as attentively as possible and make sure the person knows her or his n. response is If that isn't enough, I try to find out what I can do to make the bothered person feel vindicated. I offer the option of an opposing editorial column. I suggest she or he lodge a formal complaint with my editor or with the Publications Council. I sincerely promise - that neither I nor any of my relations will move into the person's neighborhood. If all these methods fail, I laugh about the whole incident over a pitcher at the Pub. After all, if I really cared whether people liked me, I wouldn't write a column in the first place. Unfortunately, while I'm getting silly over a few too many beers, other people are taking my "radical liberalism" far too seriously. Sure, I would consider myself to the political left of everyone I know except Andrew Hunt. But even though I take a sober attitude toward issues and opinions, I don't have a serious enough opinion of myself to exclude the beliefs of people on the right (or in this case wrong) side of the political spectrum. I've always known some student politicians worried about what they termed my "leftist, feminist, man- - and Mormon-hating- " perspective. What I didn't know is some regular people have also found my upfront display of political opinion threatening. ut well-take- so-call- self-import- Editorial Board: Shauna Bona, Lisa Carricaburu, Erik A. Christiansen, Donn Walker, John Youngren Editor in Chief John Youngren Lisa Carricaburu Managing Editor Associate Editor Shauna Bona News Editor Drew Staffanson Editorial Editor Donn Walker Mike Prater Sports Editor Dee L. NaQuin City Editor Entertainment Editor . Fara Warner Boone J. Chen Photography Editor Assistant News Editor Amy Page Assistant Editorial Editor . . Erik Christiansen Assistant Sports Editor Laury Livsey ........ ant ed This was made clear to me, however, when a writer I've known for about six months was trying to apply for a job as a Chronicle columnist. Although I thought we were friends, I had never heard this person utter an even slightly political opinion on anything. So, I innocently asked her a vague and ridiculous question about what her politics were like and was surprised to sec her hesitate. After a few minutes of talking without saying anything at all, I asked her, "Do you feel weird about telling me you're conservative?" She smiled nervously and I felt like dying. Anyone with perseverance enough to have read this far into this column probably knows I'm "liberal" on most topics. What some people, including her, don't know is that I happen to be fairly tolerant, too. "You can tell me you're a conservative,'" I said. "It won't affect how I feel about you." She didn't buy it. I could tell. I knew I'd have to get personal. I asked her if she'd met my boyfriend. If I can live with a Democrat-hate- r, I can tolerate a few Young Republicans in the workplace. I think the conversation ended well enough for her to know I'm open to diverse points of view. But since that day, I've been more attentive to comments from people who don't necessarily trust my ability to represent both sides of an issue. What I've discovered is that even though nearly every high school graduate believes she or he is endowed with complete knowledge of journalism ethics, few of these experts understand the difference between the editorial and news sections of a paper. Worse, few have any concept of the difference between objectivity and fairness. Granted, by deciding to write an opinion column journalists give up all chance of being considered completely objective. Anyone who believes I wouldn't struggle through a story espousing a sexist, racist or view either never reads my column or reads it poorly. However, just because as a human being I am incapable of objectivity doesn't mean I am unable to report facts fairly. Although I don't like the idea that some people are put off by my outspoken attitude, I don't plan on changing either. As long as I'm open to anyone gutsy enough to be straightforward with me and honest enough to present news stories fairly, I really don't care if some people think I'm a nuisance especially if I'm enough of a pain to make them think. Shauna Bona is a junior majoring in English and is associate editor of the Chronicle. card-carryi- ng pro-Cpn- tra Assistant Photo Editor Steve Wilson Assistant Entertainment Editor Rosemary Reeve Copy Editors Kent Anderson Susan Burke John Pecorelli Reporters Lori Bona Loreen Erickson Jess Gomez Mark Hollstein Tina Moulton Dennis Romboy Jack Wilbur Bryant Larsen Photographer Erin Calmes Business Manager Robert McOmber Accountant Rav Andersen Classifieds Accounting Clerk Collections Account Executives Dawn Bacher Kim Barrel Renee Jimenez Jill Aggeler Rick Chase John Hausknecht Kris DeBry Typesetter Rodney Dallin Production Manager Randy Sheya Assistant Production Manager . . Janet Taylor Production Staff Mike Cleary Tammie Bostick Kenny Watanabe Holly Rondas Distribution David Orchard Christopher Stratford |