| OCR Text |
Show 1 he Nall Lake Tribune, Ihursd.n, Januar) 16, im A15 Paradoxical Presidents Dont Give Us What We Paid For Nous Amonej Syndicate as an alternative to Hubert Humphrey and Richard Nixon, he charged that there was not "a dime s worth of difference between them Certainly the difference between Humphrey and Nixon was worth a lot more than a dime, and the gap was even greater between Nixon and George McGovern in 1972 and between Lyndon Johnson and Barry Goldwater in 1964. not to mention Ronald Reagan and his two opponents in 1980 and 1984. All these candidates represented diverse interests, appealed to distinct constituencies, offeied contrasting policies. Contrary to the standard notion about politicians, it can also be assumed that they more or less meant what they were saying and had every intention of trying to keep their campaign promises. Nevertheless, the paradoxical fact is that once in office the winners in these races more often than not seemed to find themselves pushed and palled toward positions (especially in foreign policy) they had just been running against and that had presumably been repudiated by the voters. Wnh Toddy Kennedy definitely uut and tl.iry Hart detimtely in. with George Hush mulling the conservatives and Jack Kemp or king to keep him from alienating their .iltections. the race lor the presidency in 1'iKH is ahead) well past its opening stage In the next few stages, other candidates a ill announce and withdraw as support either does or does not materialize. All the while passions will gather and intensify, and the time will come when nothing on the face el this Karth will seem more important to many of us than which of the dozen or so Republicans and Democrats now maneuvering for position at the starting line will finally succeed Ronald Reagan as president of the United States That time for most people is still at least two years away, which is why this may be a good moment io step back and speculate not in the usual fashion on who the winner will eventually be, but on the more fundamental question of whether it really matters as much as. or at least quite in the way that, we generally think. In raising this question, I do not mean to suggest that all we are ever given is a choice between Tweedledum and Tweedledee (or, as a wag once amended it, between Tweedle-dumand Tweedledumber). Nor was George Wallace right when, offering himself in 1968 When Dwight Eisenhower became president in 1952, for example, he was widely expected to follow a more venturesome strategy in dealing with the Soviet Union than his Democratic opponent Adlai Stevenson or his immediate predecessor Harry Truman. b After all. Eisenhower has selected as his running male a man. Richard Nixon, who went around ridiculing the alleged timidity of Truman and his Secretary of State Dean Acheson, and Eisenhower then named as his own secretary of state another man, John Foster Dulles, who spoke of replacing the Truman-Acheso- n one aimed at policy of containment with rollback of the Soviet em- pire. When, however, the Hungarians, perhaps encouraged by such talk, rose up in rebellion and were crushed by Soviet tanks, Eisenhower, enrolling in what Nixon had during the 1952 campaign called Acheson's "Cowardly College of Communist Containment, did exactly nothing. Conversely, in 1964. Lyndon Johnson atr tacked his Republican opponent Barry for threatening to escalate the American involvement in Vietnam and declared Gold-wate- that he himself had no intention of sending more "American boys to fight in that war What then happened was summed up in a sarcastic crack that became popular a few years later "They told me that if I wanted a American troops in V ietnam 1 should vote for Goldwater So I did. and now there are " half-millio- n Nixon provides an even more striking case Here was a politician whose entire cabut reer had been built on who as president proceeded to negotiate a detente with the Soviet Union and an opening to communist China. With this kind of thing in mind, I once proposed that the only way to get what we want is to vote for the candidate whose views are at the furthest removed from our own Then came Ronald Reagan. Reagan was supposed to be the great exbeception. Like Goldwater and McGovern fore him, he was more an "ideologue" than a "pragmatist," but whereas both of them had for that very reason lost, and lost big, Reaand won big. gan had won Furthermore, by denouncing the Soviet Union at the beginning of his presidency as an "evil empire" and by insisting simultaneously on a large increase in defense spending, he even aroused the suspicion that he was try mg to resurrect the old Dulles dream of "rollback " Vet w hen the Solidarity crisis ei upted in Roland. Reagan decided in effect to cooperate with the Soviets and their Rolish quis lings in quieting the situation down instead of Irving to exacerbate it something lie could have done, and w ithout any n-- of war. simply by refusing to roll over the Rolish loans to the West. - As it turned out, this choice of rollover as against rollback was the first step on Reagan's road back to the very policy of detente he himself had denounced in the strongest possible terms when rurnmg against Jimmy Carter It seems, then, that not even Reagan has been able to hold out against the pressures that push and pull a president toward the views of his political opponents But if not Reagan, who? For those of us who still believe that Reagan's original ideas about the Soviet threat were much sounder than his present policies, and also far more likely to secure both the interests of this country and the future of liberty throughout the world, maybe voting for the most dovish of all the candidates in 1988 really will be the only wav to make those ideas prevail The Public Forum Tribune Readers Opinions judges are out to get him because they are all Democrats and he is a poor, little wholesome Republican. How can Mr. Cannon or his deputies expect to appear before these biased, wretched judges on matters affecting this county or our citizens? As officers of the court, they must know there is no integrity, evenhanded-ness- , or common fairness in these courts under judges whom Mr. Cannon sweepingly indicts as Democrats. How utterly childish of Mr. Cannon to try to cover or excuse his lapses by crying that those mean old judges are after him because he is a Republican. The county attorney is a proud and important office, undeserving of such degrada- Seeks Enlightenment On Jan. 5, I saw a news report in which resident Benson addressed the members of an LDS Church ward in the Washington, D.C., area. He stated his opposition to socialism, humanism, rationalism and organic evolu- tion. After listening to President Benson, I began asking myself the meaning of his words and 1 became confused. For example, since President Benson is that mean government institutions such as the water department should be eliminated? Maybe President Benson is more selective in his opposition to socialism. Could he please tell us which government programs are all right? It has been my experience that the four terms President Benson referred to have a great variety of meanings to different people. I would be grateful if President Benson could explain his definition of these terms so we might understand him better. WILLIAM MAIBEN opposed to socialism, does tion. Out, Mr. Cannon. FRANK E. MOSS Former County Attorney Shedding the Mundane Barbara Cummings Dane is entitled to her opinion concerning the state of affairs at Pioneer Memorial Theater, but I applaud the intelligent choice to bring a director in who can offer Utah audiences a fresh approach, away from the mundane sameness of past PMT menus. I urge her to see the delightful current production of "The Importance of Being Earnest. She may want to qualify her criti- Holladay Forum Rules Public Forum letters must be submitted exclusively to The Tribune and bear writers full name, signature and address. Names must be printed on political letters but may be withheld for good reason on others. Writers are limited to one letter every 10 days. Preference will be given to short, typewritten (double spaced) letters permitting use of the writers true name. All letters are subject to condensation. Mail to the Public Forum, The Sell Lake Tribune, P.O. Box 867, Salt Lake City, Utah 84110. cism. AGATHA FLOGERAS Really Frosts Blasts Cannon Having disgraced himself, his office and the bar by his outburst against the judges of the 3rd Judicial District, County Attorney Ted Cannon should have the decency to resign. Every law school student and, presumably, Mr. Cannon knows an attorney is an officer of the court in which he appears. One chosen to be county attorney is expected to he a fair, unbiased and public servant in representing all citizens of this county and indeed, the state, in our courts and elsewhere. But Mr. Cannon publicly accused every district judge in Salt Lake County of bias, political vendettas, and wholly conduct for ordering a grand jury to look into the activities of his office. He says the There has been a severe lack of snow removal from residential areas around the city. Why? I can see a slight delay in the removal because highly traveled areas such as 1300 East and 2100 South have a need to keep traffic flowing, but after they have been cleared why dont the snow plows clear the rest of the roads? The lack of snow removal from other areas is not only a hazard to cars, but also to pedestrians. I live on Stratford Avenue, and when I return home at night from work I have to skate my way along sidewalks that are impassable (even though there is a law concerning the liability of homeowners for unshoveled walks) and I have to walk on streets since that are almost a solid sheet of ice they have not been shoveled all winter. I lived in the East prior to coming to Salt Lake City more than seven years ago, and the problem has gotten worse each year. As a taxpayer I would like to snow-remov- know why? J.L. EDWARDS A Dose of Quotas The Washington Post WASHINGTON Paula Stem, chairwoman of the International Trade Commission, likens the agency's work these days to the daily routine on Hill Street Blues," the popular TV show. The ITC is the cop on the import beat," she told the National Press Club. The alarm bells rung by American producers who claim that they are being victimized by competitors dumping goods, subsidizing sales, police-and-robbe- pirating discoveries or violating trademarks make my office seem something like the Hill Street station during a gang war. I can understand the instinct to go out and do it to them before they do it to us. But I cannot justify our following that primal urge in international trade." Stern, a Democrat with seven years on the commission, became chairwoman in 1984, not because the Reagan administration is entranced with her but because it was her turn under a rotation system. Lately, she has been underscoring the point that ITC decisions in cases will have only a small impact on the vexing problem of llie $150 billion annual American trade deficit. In a few days, the commission will decide one of its most important cases in recent years. The American semiconductor industry, this time supported by the U.S. government, charges that Japanese companies are engaging in unfair trade competition. Add Mathematician to Repressed Ranks New York Times Service BOSTON The huge sufferings of the peoples in Europe in this century have proved that it is a human duty not to accept repression. So as long as it lies within my power, I will contest this act of political per- - secution." 1969, the United States has treated Romania as a favored member of the Eastern bloc. In tariff 1975, it was given status, the only Eastern country except Hungary to have that advantage. The reason for favoring Romania was that it had a better record than other War of those words is not a celebrated dissident, just an ordinary victim of Granny. Radu Rosu, a Romanian mathema-tinuwas invited to the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton this academic year. Romanian officials refused to give him the necessary exit visa to leave his country. The writer n But Rosu did not accept the obscure fate of a scientist forbidden for unknown political reasons to move in his professional world. wrote those determined words to the American Mathematical Society. And this week he began a hunger strike in Bucharest. Political repression is so widespread in the Soviet bloc that those who monitor human rights in the world may sometimes wonder whether it is worth recording one more injustice. After all, the suffering of as great a human being as Andrei Sakharov goes on. On Jan. 22, it will be six years since the KGB seized him on the streets of Moscow and transported him to tormented exile in He Gorky. But it is also a human duty to record the s pointless persecution of someone who repre-'eiii- 37a to the state, no great challenge ear-olmathematician seeking only to lake abroad. prestigious academic invitation hat is the case of Radu Rosu. Moreover, the Rosu case raises hard questions about the special relationshipEver the United States and Romania. in since President Nixon visited Bucharest up a I Emigration is a particularly sensitive area. U.S. legislation focuses on a countrys emigration policy as a condition for its retreatment. Roceiving mania his qualified because it does allow isii,H' , it (. inigr.ui' i oi .ews to Israel and nns to WeM f,,rma j and others to .( the United Stales in greater numbers than the Reagan administration has actually been willing to admit. The tariff advantage has been important to Romania, too. In 1984, its exports to the United States reached nearly $1 billion, while it imported only about $200 million. saw Pact members from the American viewpoint. In foreign policy, it was more independent, for example not breaking relations with Israel after the 1967 Middle East war. In human rights, most significantly, it eased restrictions on emigration. In recent years, however, internal repression in Romania has become extremely severe, including reported acts of persecution against evangelical Christian sects. Secretary of State George P. Shultz, on a visit to Bucharest just before Christmas, warned President Nicolae Ceauscscu that Romania's preferential trade status would be in danger if that persecution continued. The Shultz warning reflected a new political fact in Washington. Members of Congress on both left and right have become concerned about Romania's human-right- s record. At House hearings last year there were significant calls for an end to Its status. In November, the Senate adopted a resolution charging Romania with contempt of religious freedom." The case of Radu Rosu, in short, comes at rea highly delicate time in lations, when Romania is in jeopardy of losing major economic benefits because of a deteriorating record on human rights. It is a test case for that relationship. If Romania's emigration policy is seen as arbitrary and oppressive, the argument for continuing favored-tariff status will be seriously weakened. Rosu's fellow mathematicians have brought his situation to light. The Committee of Concerned Scientists, a human-right- s group, has taken up the case. The State Department says it has asked our embassy in Bucharest to look into it. There is no end to the political victims in a nasty world. As I write, I learn that a SoviVladimir Lifshitz, a et mathematician has been Jew who wishes to go to Israel arrested in Leningrad and told that he will be charged with the serious crime of "anti-Sovislander. But the case of Radu Rosu is one that the United States should be able to - affect. Wont Cure Trade Ills Naturally, all ITC commissioners scrupulously avoid discussing individual cases still before them. But a visit to Stern indicates that the outspoken chairwoman however she votes in the semiconductor case believes that laws offering U.S. companies relief from the strains of import compe- - Hobart Rowen tition merely nibble at a minor facet of the problem. In an era of growing protectionist sentiment in the business, labor and government communities, it takes real guts to lay that truth on the line: Imports often are not the source of an American companys problems. And even where they are, most of the supposed remedies dont work. Today, the only effective tool available to the ITC, says Stern, is quotas. And quotas, as we have seen in the auto and steel industries, don't necessarily make a domestic industry competitive. "Too many people say we'd get back the jobs weve lost if wed just eliminate the imports, says Stern with a show of anger. "Thats just not so, and its a deception to suggest it. She unhesitatingly throws back at Lee Iacocca one of the Chrysler Corp. chairman's favorite lines. It is the one suggesting that if only American industry had "a level playing field" it could handle the competition with Japan or anyone else. This conveniently suggests that the auto not its fault, but someone elses. And it provides a cover for Chryslers partnership deals with Asian industrys multiple failures are producers that effectively jobs abroad. Stern has little patience simplification. "To explain trade deficit we have to . ways in which foreigners close their markets and abuse the open hospitality of ours," she says. Our chief concern need not be the level of the playing field. We must concentrate instead on building the strength of the American team." She argues for a move away from the protectionists fixation that imports are the problem, and that quotas, tariffs and other forms of trade relief are the solution. Instead. she would make industry's and labor's willingness to become more competitive the test for any government assistance. To be sure, this is not a new idea. But Stern, after participating in more than 1,000 industry complaints since 1978, is in a unique position to assert that "the approach that focuses narrowly on imports often overlooks more basic causes of competitive decline." In these cases where import relief isnt the government should not walk justified away from attempting to solve the underlying problem, but should demand something in return for its help. "If wed extract something that we know is good for them, we'd all be better off. That calls for stronger leadership by the president, who needs to become strategist-in-chie- f to overcome the trade deficit. This theme has also been sounded by Democrats on the Hill, and the similarity is not coincidental. I'd like to think that I can influence the debate in any way I can, she smiles. Stern makes a good case. But the logic of her thinking could get lost in an election year as Congress, as is its wont, gets caught up in the monthly trade statistics, likely to look bad, even with the dollar declining. Perhaps a harbinger of what lies ahead was the outburst in Tokyo this week by Sen. John Dan-fortwho said in a John Connally-likphrase that Japan must learn that theres more to leadership than flooding the world with Walkmen and VCRs. More isn't the answer to job creation. e Japan- -bashing ship American Senator Soaper with such overaway the 1985 look beyond the driver and a lion tamer is that the bus driver doesnt have a whip and chair The difference between a school-bu- (A- - s |
