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Show its I. nlS Health reform) should include gum and ammo fax taxes would not apply to the police or military, Chrcnlcls EdltsiizI Tin7hen considering how to finance the health care reform, President Clinton must bite the bullet. More specifically, Bill and Hillary's plan should include the gun and ammunition taxes proposed by senators like Daniel Patrick Moynihan, Moynihan, who is Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, proposed a plan to raise taxes on handgun ammo from 11 to 50 percent, in addition to tax hikes up to 10,000 percent on deadly bullets like the Winchester Black. Talon, which expands in its victim's body "to expose razor-shar- p reinforced jacket pedals." Other Democratic senators like Bill Bradley of New Jersey and Patty Murray of Washington support more taxes on handguns and assault weapons themselves. Naturally, the proposed UU nation's badly-neede- d D-N- Y. and they would not affect .22-calib- 1989 (the most recent figures), 34,776 people target were killed and er practice ammo. As expected, the National Rifle Association has protested the proposals, and Clinton seems' reluctant to endorse controversial taxes on politically powerful gun and alcohol industries. But the Clinton administration has remained lukewarm concerning the taxes, leaving the option open for discussion. Hillary Clinton, who heads the President's Task Force on Health Care Reform, has endorsed the gun tax idea personally, but hasn't included it in Clinton's plan yet. Raising revenue for health care reform by taxing guns and ammunition is a sound and appropriate idea. Clinton should move quickly to approve such measures. First of all, it is entirely logical to require more taxes for health care from an industry that provides the means for so many illnesses, injuries, and deaths. Moynihan cited that in 175,000 were wounded by bul- lets. If the president can justify taxes on tobacco because of health reasons, he should also accept taxes on guns. Furthermore, the proposed taxes would only affect the handguns, assault weapons, and bullets designed specifically to kill human beings. Hunters don't need handguns to kill deer; they will remain unaffected. These taxes are effective because they single out the weapons dangerous to society without punishing responsible people with legitimate claims under the Second Amendment. v. taxes for on the plan guns for Altogether, health care revenue is ideal. The measures would benefit society not only by paying for universal health care, but also by discouraging the proliferation of deadly weapons that take lives and contribute to the country's health crisis. fl? The Chronicle is an independent student newspaper. Unsigned editorials reflect the majority view of the Editorial Board, i Kvf k jtyvs 'SiWvii4t into v. xvs ArfiA'w v Letters Hunting animals wrong Editor I am writing in response to Deen K. Chatterjee's letter ("Killing for fun wrong" Oct. 26). I am so relieved that there are people who care for those beautiful creatures. I believe that those who realize that we are lucky jp be coexistent with wildlife are better off than those who see them as mere rifle targets. Wendy Lagerquist LETTER POUCY The Daily Utah CIraicle Business hours: Monday through Friday 8 am to 5 pm 581-70- 41 The Chronicle welcomes reader response. Please letters, not exceeding two bring typed, double-space- d pages, to 240 Union Building. Each letter should include your name, major, year in school and tele- - hone number (for verification purposes only), letters will not be considered for publication. The Chronicle reserves the right to edit letters for 6 nsigned JATTEkHWT REFfcteT OH spelling, grammar and space. SEWML'ttttMWI M SCUooiS Vt PKIPEP To CHANGE OKV DOUG GIBSON GOP must fi Iter out fringe elements wh e keepi ng ya lues Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mary ran a TV ad that showed evangelist Pat Robertson hovering like Satan over GOP candidate George Allen. The intent was to link Allen with the T evil Religious Right. The attempt failed. Allen, who trailed Terry by 30 percentage points a few months ago, easily won the election. But it's interesting that so many people regard Pat Robertson and the Religious Right as hood- Virginia . ed John Endicotts intent on banning books, bashing gays and lesbians, shooting abortionists, limiting speech and just generally creating hate. .v Many friends tell me they could embrace the GOP party if it was purged of the Religious Right. , When pressed as to the sins of Robertson and Co., they answer only in generalizations: Religious righters are bigots; religious righters are homophobes; religious righters are intolerant. My friends have a point. Last year's boy" Convention turned off three groups that supported Reagan: liberal to moderate GOP women, 18- - to 29- year old voters and fiscally -conservative Southern i able to put their personal beliefs aside and help elect Clinton victory. Their lobbying arm, the Christian Coalition, seems more concerned with cutting taxes textbooks. In U.S. Senate races in g than New and Jersey, evangelical voters were Georgia, Texas proof-readin- ce out-of-tou- ch Moynihan prophecy is a key reason why 15 to 20 percent of Americans declare themselves as evangeli's anti-abortio- L . "Reagan Democrats." Leaders of the Religious Right would probably never admit this, but their tactics have softened since the control and tougher punishment for crime are frewith reality. quently dismissed as being Republicans Paul Covington, Kay Bailey Hutchison and Christie Whitman. And the shooting of abortionists by persons associn ated with reactionary groups Rescue America and Avengers For the Unborn has softened Operation Rescue's rhetoric. In a Mother Jones investigative article, journalist Bill Dedman reported that' he found OR demonstrators mild individuals who pre- -' pro-choi- It's interesting that so many...regard...the Religious R8ht as hooded John Endicotts intention creating hate. ,CrJ i ..rfV ; . r '; I ... ;vv .' I cal Christians. Concerns about violent crime and increased drug use are frightening to everyone, regardless of a person's political ideology. The Religious Right's solution to our decaying social order is a restoration of traditional values into this country. Groups like the Christian Coalition argue that social policy experimentations began in the 1960s have reduced incentive for personal betterment and caused a deterioration of personal responsibility. ".''' They should be listened to. Trillions of dollars the past 30 years have been wasted to create a "Great Society." Since then there's been a 500 percent increase in violent crime, illegitimacy has tripled, SAT scores have declined 80 points and the family unit has already ceased to exist for : ; Chronicle Editorial Columnist ferred praying and hymn singing to loud demonstra- two-pare- nt most-inner-cit- youth. y y T, If the GOP can complete filtering out the fringe ele- slurs directed at ments of the Religious Right (book banners, gayles-bia- n them by more radical bashers, conspiracy theorists, racists), liberal tors. , arguments that the Christian Right represents an s Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan, wrote 20. impending theocracy won't ring true. Instead, those tions this despite repeated-hatpro-choi- ce counter-demonstr- a- :: v D-N.- Y. years ago that society avoids confronting crisis like illegitimacy and rising crime by simply declaring those ' problems as a norm. Because of such social engineer ing, those supporting abstinence as a method for birth' shrill arguments will be correctly assessed as a desperate attempt to distract attention from the real problem: our country's free-fa- ll into hedonism as an accepted ideology . |
