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Show t - - t r tp Campus News A Sobering Story About Uncle Dick by Liz Peterson Forum copy editor Ephraim seemed the only appropriate place to put Uncle Dick to rest My father contacted a handful of old friends, most of About a year ago I wrote about riding whom hadnt seen Uncle Dick since he had home for Thanksgiving with my alcoholic been in college some 40 years ago. Uncle Dick. It was a rather sarcastic story The weather on the day of the funeral that explained why I thought my Uncle ' was perfect entirely depressing. There Dick had apathetic fife. Thats all hes ever was a biting north wind, and patches of a man who was my fathers been to me snow dotted the grass. Some old Ephraim brother and a man who was an alcoholic. natives showed up, along with Uncle Dicks fe three children and their spouses, his My Uncle Dick died last spring. No one even noticed until about a day after. I dont and s, and my mother, father, even know who found him. His daughter sister and I. called my father, not quite sure how to The only person my father could think handle funeral arrangements. of to read a eulogy was an old college Uncle Dick had three children, an esfriend of my Uncle Dicks, a friend who e, and thats about it He tranged really hadnt known him since then. lived in Salt Lake, but had no close friends The eulogy consisted only of nostalgic here. Besides his cat. He really loved his college tales, since thats all the eulogist cat named Oink. knew of him. And most of the tales were Uncle Dick had been an Air Force test drinking ones. The service was overwhenUncle Dicks pilot during World War II. After, he had been a student at S now College in Ephraim , daughter read a poem called Prayer of a British Air Force Pilot or something like Utah, the. same town where he and my father had grown up. Ephraim was the only that its a poem that no one seems to know the name of, and a copy of it had hung place my uncle had any real ties. That was the only place he had any claim to. fame, on Uncle Dicks wall for years. I actually cried at my uncle Dicks fumostly for being the most incredible hell raiser the town had ever seen. neral. I had no real reason to miss him, ex-wi- in-law- ex-wif- - Dr. Minsky Continued from page 4 since I had never known him, but his life seemed so solitary and meaningless. He had his children, which was nice, and he had Oink, which is nice as far as cats go, but that was about it besides glorified memories of World War II test piloting. His life had really been over for many years, ever since he had dedicated it to liquor. The time I drove with him to my parents house was the only time I had ever talked to him. He wasnt an unintelligent person. He wasnt even unlikable. He was drunk. Here was a man who was bom with just as much to offer the human race as any other person. Basically all he left, however, are would-b- e dreams of glory and three children. (Im not sure what happened to Oink.) Everything he ever had to offer literally went to the bottom of a bottle of Tennessee whiskey. Im sure I would have liked him, had I had the chance to know him. But as . it was, I never could. And just think of everything in life hes missed. Hell never even be able to know his grandchildren. What a price to pay for having an addiction. What a sobering thought. Lectures On "The Crisis before. New agencies were created. New productive facilities and resources were created as a reaction to the failure of our financial structures in 1929 to 1933. This led to the big three of government spending: interest on the government debt, social security and the military, said Minsky. While we find social security and the military necessary, they are not resource creating. Paying interest on the government debt certainly isnt necessary and its definitely not resource creating. There is much we could do with that money to benefit society. Minsky said the purpose of government is to create resources that will aid and abet the private sector in being productive. Government spending must be resource creating. Government is an issuer of liability. We can all create liabilities. Every time you have a debt, you are committing future income to pay the debt, he said. From 1950 to 1975, government spending and taxing were about even, said Minsky. We had minor deficits and surpluses. Until 1980, government debt was decreasing relative to the G.NP. Since then, we have seen the national debt go to 5, 6 and 7 percent of the G.N.P. year after year. Our governments credit rating has gone down. Today we talk about whether we can afford certain programs; we lack a national will, but not the ability to solve our problems, according to Minsky. We lack the will to tax ourselves. Taxes must be higher than ever before to achieve the same Jesuits. We cant repudiate our debts, we must validate them. There is no free lunch; we dont get something for nothing. Taxes are the price we pay for civilization. They are necessary, he said. Minsky said we must have an balanced budget in principle. It doesqt mean we have to have a balanced budget every year. . We should not have been running a deficit during the 1980s when the economy was doing well. Small deficits are OK during recessions or times of crises, he said. Minsky said we are creating the frame-wor- k for tomorrows society. We must think out into the future, not just for the shortterm. Government must construct a financial structure that serves not the bankers, but the communities. Minsky said we need to be able to say that government is not just a parasite on the economy. We have to recognize that government in this country from its beginning until almost yesterday has played a constructive part in the development of the economy. v The lecture was followed by a question and answer period where Minsky offered diverse views on a variety of economic topics; Minsky, a Chicago native, refers to himself as an underground cult figure in economics. He received a bachelor of science degree in mathematics from the University of Chicago, and a master of public administration and a Ph.D. in economics from Harvard University. He is currently a Distinguished Scholar with the Jerome Levy Economics Institute at Bard College. Minsky is a professor emeritus of economics at Washington University and has had a distinguished academic career teaching at Camegie-Mello- n University, Brown University, St. Johns, Cambridge, Harvard and the University of California, Berkeley. He has served as consultant to the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, a consulting economist and member of the Board of Directors and Advisors for Mark Twain Bankshares, and served on the International Center for the Study of Political Economy in Trieste, Italy. In Finance" Minsky has also published over 100 articles and a number of books in the areas of banking, finance and economic stability. Dr. John Watkins, asistant professor of economics and director of th economics program in the Gore School of Business, said the school of business faculty , and the economics faculty in particular, were pleased to have Minsky as their distinguished resident. He said the decision to invite Minsky rested on two considerations. First, economic theory is more than a means to confuse students, although that is certainly a consideration, said Watkins. Theofy should shed light on understanding actual problems and processes with a view toward formulating policies which help resolve those problems. Ultimately, the goal of economic theory should be to alleviate human suffering, or in the words of George Bush, to create a kinder, gentler America. The second consideration stems from the observation that economic ideas too often are inaccessible to the general public, according to Watkins. The disastrous fiscal policies of the past decade have tripled the federal debt in less than 10 years. This, combined with a monetary policy of high interest rates, has led to an interest payment on the federal debt that now exceeds what we spend on social security and national defense. The lecture series, now in its tenth year at Westminster, is a learning-lectur- e experience which brings distinguished executives and professionals to the campus to consult with local business leaders and students enrolled in Westminsters graduate and undergraduate business programs. The lectures are open to the public at no charge and are given in the Gore School of Business auditorium starting at 6:30 p.m. . Heres To , Your Health A Service cr of the Prevention Program Many students have asked for more informaof alcohol addiction what is what is dependency, what is misuse and abuse, what is responsible drinking. Some people may be concerned about their drinking patterns and some people may just be looking for information on how much they can drink without going over the fine line separating social drinking from alcohol abuse. Unfortunately, people who drink react differfactors afently to the same amount of alcohol fecting their reactions include: body weight, sex, genetics, general health status, history of drinking and familial alcoholism. The prevalent concept of alcoholism being a chrome, progressive disease has been instrumental in removing the stigma of alcoholism and has helped thousands of people get treatment However, it has also had the unfortunate effect of fostering the popular misconception that if a person has any drinking problems, then he must be progressing into alcoholism; or if he is not an alcoholic, then his drinking must be OK. The message is simply this: you dont have to be an alcoholic to have a drinking problem. The following list contains general information only and is not to be used as a personal assessment tool. The list is also not to be viewed as a list of progressive symptoms of the disease of alcoholism for everyone the progress of alcoholism is very individualized. The list can give you a general idea of how you are drinking, what problems you may be tering as a result, and may help you decide what is responsible drinking for yourself. ABSTINENCE No alcohol consumption, whether for personal, religious or health reasons. Alcohol doesnt affect school work or personal relationships. May feel uncomfortable where alcohol is abused or the only beverage available. USE tion on the process S ocialiy acccptab Ic drinking. -- Control over alcohol consumption. Person chooses when and how much to drink. Almost all users will misuse on occasion. Alcohol doesnt affect school work or personal relationships. May feel uncomfortable where alcohol is abused or the only beverage available. MISUSE Any use which is harmful or potentially harmful to self or others. Negative affect on schoolwork, health, self or relationships due to alcohol consumption. Weekend binge drinking. May drink because of social pressure, then levels. drinking goes beyond Behavior may become out of control when drinking. Beginning to develop patterns of drinking. May erroneously be seen as socially acceptable on college campuses. ABUSE Planned, systematic misuse of alcohol. Preoccupied with partying. Tolerance builds. May have blackouts. Increased negative effects because of alcohol consumption. Believes alcohol must be present to have a good time. May erroneously be seen as socially acceptable. on college campuses. socially-acceptab- le . DEPENDENCY No control of drinking. Compelled to drink. Regularly drinks to the point of intoxication. Drinking is the primary focus of the persons social activities. Continues to drink in the face of problems resulting from drinking. Person cant predict with any reliability when the person will drink or what he or she will do when drunk. Blackouts occur. Requires help to overcome problems with drinking. ForunrfPage 5 |