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Show Illllllllllllll the ENTERPRISE gf 0 Actor Robert Redford, a Democrat, last month excoriated Utah's GOP Senators, Jake Garn and Orrin Hatch. He painted Garn a fool," and labeled Hatch shifty. Republicans retaliated hotly, the press and public cottoned to the controversy, and it has been upon us ever since. A noticable portion of the consequent debate has centered upon Redfords thespian-isThere is good precedent, if not good sense, for that focus. When Republican actor Ronald Reagan ran for California governor in 1966, a desperate incumbent Democrat, Pat Brown (Jerry's dad), placed a TV spot in which Brown sat on a kerb beside a black girl. You know," intoned Brown to his small charge, it was an actor who assassinated President Lincoln." For Brown, this constituted (courtesy John Wilkes Booth) accurate history but bad politics, and Reagan won going away. much of manYet, it is true that-f- or m. kinds history-play- ers have been social pariahs. Homer referred to beggars, actors, buffoons, and all that sort." The ancient Hindu Code of Manu, in its prohibition of conversation with others wives, expressly excluded wives of actors. The First Council of Arles excommunicated thespians, and both 1597 and 1647 Acts of the English Parliament declared them rogues, no further proof needed. Moreover, some antipathy lingers. The d segment of President Carters Southern Baptist sect disdains theaters. Underground TV critic Harlan Ellison decries what he calls The Show Biz Politician." Writes Ellison, If a man can look sincere on the tube, if he can seem to be honest and courageous, then he can sweep an election merely by employing the visual media." Whatever the nature of olden ostracism and current apprehension, however, actors have been important in every political campaign after World War II. Democrats have utilized the likes of Ralph Bellamy, Tony Curtis, John Denver, Jane Fonda, Paul Newman, Gregory Peck and the Redgrave sisters. Republicans have countered with, among others, Bing Crosby, Irene Dunne, Joel Robert Montgomery, Jimmy Stewart and John Wayne. pragmatic dogmatics Actors and politics by Kent Shearer hard-shelle- Mc-Cra- e, Why this trend? Actors are well known, are physically attractive, draw crowds, raise money, and--o- n deliver top of all that-c- an lines with force and meaning. Also some fill public office capably, as did Congresswoman Helen Gahagan Douglas Senator and Reagan George Murphy himself. So, no matter how inept are Redfords character assessments and no matter how shallow are his intellectual gifts, his deficiencies cannot, in this day and age, be sold to the electorate as the natural result of his status as an actor. (Which, because Redford owns Sundance, leads one to wonder how Utahns perceive ski operators.) (D-Calif-.), (R-Calif- .), UPCti Vtu TOM m IMK aXPer&JT AW ipeCSMT THIM6 KR TY6 OOP. by Parker M. Nielson Popular political sport these days is speculating about the proposal to extend legislative sessions to an annual 45 days. The current format calls for biennial 60 day sessions with a 20 day budget session in alternate years. The argument is that more time is needed to do an adequate legislative job. Unfortunately, there is every reason to believe this proposal, if adopted, would not be an improvement at all and might have the opposite effect. That the legislature could, and should be improved goes without saying. Those who would make improvements should, however, analyze the problems and tailor their solutions to meet them. In this instance, my view is that there are two essential problems, neither of which relate to the time needed to consider legislation. To the contrary, there seems to be ample time for proposals to stick warning labels on anything and everything that does not comport with the societal standards of Panguitch, or to censor movies which do not conform with the provincial standards of Orem, or to dictate that a persons business hours must be tailored to the religious beliefs of others - to cite a few of the boondogles which occupy the legislature session after session. A proposal for legislative reform The first problem, as I see it, is that for all of the important work that goes on in the legislature, the calling simply does not attract the best among us. Because it is a part time job, and poorly paid at that, there are not enough talented people able or willing to take time out from their regular employment to serve, and too many of limited vision who seek the job out of petty ego or ambition. There are, to be specific, too many of the Carl Petterssons, Georgia Petersons and Lloyd Selleneits. We are fortunate to have some quality legislators, such as the Richard Carlings, Art Kimballs and Genevieve Atwoods, but they are regrettably few. Extending the sessions will only exacerbate the problem. That aspect of the problem does not seem susceptible to solution, for Utah cannot afford a full time legislature. The other aspect of the problem, which is susceptible to solution, however, is that the legislators, whatever their skills, are not given adequate staff. The United States Congress is proof that even persons of limited ability can do a journeyman legislative job if they have adequate staff. I do not propose that we supply our legislators with a personal staff, which we also cannot afford. But what we can do, for little more than the cost of keeping some 100 legislators in session for an added 10 days, is provide more professional staff at the committee level. With that, the Constitutional and logical fallacies of the misguided proposals which have occupied so much of the legislatures time would be exposed more quickly. With the time that was saved, our representatives might then be able to conduct their business in the time presently allotted. We should not, therefore, extend the sessions, for the added time under the present structure would likely be absorbed by those who cannot comprehend that to promote the general welfare" has reference to police protection or needful commercial regulation, not to imposing peculiar moral or religious beliefs on others. Rather, we should concentrate on providing the staff necessary for the legislature to do an adequate job. |