The Optimist (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 84, No. 39, Ed. 1, Tuesday, February 20, 1996 Page: 3 of 15
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jesdoy Feb. 20 1996
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Christians should
rcft you have a poor understanding
iMffljof the 1980s? Many people do.
Jnscrvativcs and Republicans like
'often arc characterized as favoring
KftSrich at the expense of the poor.
DJxrals and Democrats have succeed-
WrtWln rnnuinrtrirr mini nmnU ftii-
&ohald Reagan's tax cuts of the 1980s
rj did precisely that. They also blame
Vnnc -lire Pr Kiflnnninn fiAar Kiirl-
get deficits. )
As Christians we should be dedicat-
ed to discovering the truth about such
matters in order to rriakc intelligent
voting decisions. Helping the poor is a
biblical virtue we all should aspire to.
Therefore let us examine the available
evidence about these issues.
The Congressional Budeet Office.
controlled in the 1980s by the Demo-
crats noted that the highest and low-
est fifth of income earners both saw
fUheir incomes increase By 12 percent
5LHMrwn 1QM GnA 10RO
W Jl n. TT C Hitr nf Pneiif CnttnA
"rer
optimist experience
p'thc cotton
I' well remember die rigors of
V.I .-.
spurting out papers during the crazi-
oiiess or Sing Song and Lectureship
uwccK. ronunatciy i was one or inc
Jfta'rly benefactors of thtf Macintoshes
1 and networks and image setters that
frhave made the job easier than it was
tfibr those who preceded all of us
fc 'But I had to laugh vhen Tiffany
flltondrup mentioned thc Abilene
Reporter-News my employer.
-. -;; . : - .
iybure we have a lot mote statt than
'the Optimist but Ms. Kondrup you
.. I .. I .1 U
ncca ro Know inar our coopcrauvc
land we arc working with as few peo-
' tWVI'lVlUJ UIIW1I UUVJIIW VUWIAriUIVy
Tfper on nmc just as are most business-.
j'esHhcscdays ' " U".
rdaily "bread "box.
And tat us consider
how w may spur
one another on
toward love and
good deeds. Let us
'not give up meeting
together as some
are in the habit of
doing but let us
encourage one
J(.i
another -'''and
all the more as
Ml'
Jll
ir
you see the Day
approaching."
- Hebrews 10:25
in
Slackers whine wear hats steal forks and hide in hush
Listen up fellow slackers: We arc
uncouth and ill-mannered.
Yes according to everyone over the age
of thirty Generation X is full of rude
apwhetic whincrs - I really haaaate
wijpn people call me a whiiiiiner.
Of course everyone our age is upset
about this and we would be if we
Weren't so apathetic.
Apparently we have no sense of eti-
quette: we belch in public we call each
otler "big W we use the remote con-
trpto surf channels -Well actually we
learned that last one from our fathers.
We are in a word impolite.
Personally I can't stand seeing that
smUg look on Andy Rooney's face every
"timhe insults people our age.
Wc must prevent this ridicule with
ouf(pwn rules - our very own standard
bftfiiquettc. No longer will our parents
ansi; elders be embarrassed to be seen
will) us in public; instead we'll be
ashamed by their relatively uncouth
habits and proclivities.
. Toadults the first and most irritating
that average real family income grew
15 percent be ween 1982 and 1989.
The commissioner of the Bureau of
Labor Statistics testified to Concress in
August 1988 that Reagan's economic
policies had created more high-skill
irthc til In Inu.clSII rtn T unAprttinA
why national income increased under
those circumstances.
i Tn fVneite Rur'! ilcr AtrftnrtA
that although people at all income
levels paid lower taxes in 1992 than in
1980. the largest cuts came at the low-
est quintile which paid 540 percent
more in taxes in 1980 than in 1992.
The highest quintile on the other
hand had a 9.3 percent decrease in
taxes during that same time frame.
' Palil f!raicr Rnnrrre. wririncr in tf
Wall Street Journal argued that Rea
-"7 e ; t
gan's political enemies including the
Congressional Budget Office "had to
use unadjusted census data to con-
fnirr n mpattirr nf Gimilv inrnmi
hi3Cfn Kv ricincr riititw mte nnA th
I
true to real-world
! . ''.'.- .
' we have hard-drive crashes image-
Setters that jam and eat pagcsffilcs.
that disappear code glitches that
make type mysteriously vanish when" ;
ic aeany snows on inc computer.
Sometimes reporters even fail to turn
in stories vhen you think you should
have them.
Thc Optimist is supposed to provide
real-life experience to prepare you for
the workaday world.
If your staff or computers afcti
d- . . . . - .1 . -r.tn
cranky then youre gaining the expert-.
cnceyouH need.
T7 . . '.'... -t Sl. . ." T.
enjoy your ume on me vpnmtsr. iif
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ever have. ' m h
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Many of us ore filled with gladness mem-
ories and nostalgia of the times we've had In
ACU. pasi and present.
We have come from far and wide and
have met up with old friends and re-established
many lost relationships.
But soon we'll all go our separate ways
again and not meet perhaps until the next
Lectureship or Sing Song comes around.
In this respect let's make a commitment to
applying the verse in Hebrews and reflect on
how we can continue to 'spur one another
toward love and good deeds" and "not give
vp meeting together."
When we meet again wherever it may be
may we always cherish the friends made and
memories of our alma mater.
We thank you Father that we are one in Jam
Christ Titanic you for binding us all together in
you. In your Son's Name Amen.
pf our habits is the matter of wearing
hats indoors. Most youngsters see no
reason to doff a hat while inside and are
mystified when older people take
offense at a hat worn in a building.
The truth of thc matter is that removing
hats is a safety precaution dating back to
thc gangster days of thc Roaring Twen-
ties. Crooks used to hide guns knives and
bootleg liquor under their hats.
After a while men were simply
expected to remove their hats upon
stepping into a building to prove their
benign intentions and this convention
has stuck. In fact Chicago PD is still
prone to shout "Take off your hats and
nobody gets hurt!" in the midst of tense
arrests. But those days are long gone;
what should our generation do?
We should take off our hats in defer-
ence to our ciders of course. But our
new etiquette dictates that we must
then fidget with our hats to let everyone
know that we'd rather be wearing them.
And what of proper silverware? Some
really expensive restaurants show off
practice
Brian Shaw
Opilmlst Alumnus
"At Christians we
should stay away from
policies which stir up
envy and hatred of any-
one.' growth of single-parent households.
In other words they found out that
divorce is bad for one's financial situa
tion - something you and I could have
told them.
Let us find out whether those same
people blame Reagan's tax cuts for
increasing federal budget deficits. If
they are - or even it they arent - you
should owthac Federal revenues
were $550 bilhon in 1981 and $991
billion in 1989. If you read that rev-
cnues nearly doubled on Rcagans
watch you read it right.
Welfare spending also increased
Trends set in
ly Kit Morgan
Class of 1995
Managing News Editor 1995
Senior Staff Writer 1994-95
If you happened to catch last Thurs-
day's CNN debate in New Hamp-
shire between the GOP presidential
hopefuls you curiously might have no-
ticed thc Contract with America went
almost unmentioned.
Remember the Contract with Am-
erica signed in the last congressional
elections? Thc contract promised Re-
publican reforms and helped give the
GOP control of both the House and
Senate in 1994.
However the candidate most closely
associated with it Texas Senator Phil
Gramm has become but a memory of
the this year's presidential campaigns
before the first primary has even begun.
Even with his substantial financial
support and his talented campaign
gurus Gramm could not strike a chord
with voters.
Thc contract has degenerated into a
much-forgotten son of sorts for current
candidates.
When former Tennessee Gov. Lamar
Alexander was asked by reporters
whether he would support it he said "I
will have my own agenda."
In fact in Thursday's debate the con-
tract was mentioned just once by
California Rep. Bob Dornan.
In last week's Iowa caucuses Dornan
hardly registered a blip on the radar
screen receiving less than 1 percent of
all votes.
Such an outcome suggests Dornan
may be just slightly out of touch with
caucus goers.
Instead several candidates argued
how thc GOP had failed to keep the
trust of voters.
their elite status by giving patrons two
forks much to the bcfuddlement of
many college-aged patrons.
Why do we need two forks? One's
enough for me thanks. But they give us
two forks and so for propriety's sake
we should use them both. Eat with one
and take the extra fork home as a sou-
venir - proof that we actually had to
dress up to go out to eat.
Men when you approach a door at
the same time as a lady what should
you do? Should you open the door in
the spirit of helpfulness or would you
risk offending her liberated woman's
sensibilities? One never knows in this
age. The answer: run! If you approach a
door at the same time as a woman head
in the other direction until the coast is
clear. If you're near thc Campus Center
you can hide in the bushes.
As for you women out there what
should you do about paying for dinner?
Do you assert your womanhood by tak-
ing thc check yourself or should you
hope that your date has never heard the
Christian
from $140 billion in 1982 to $180 bil-
lion in 1991. Although the deficit
grew to $230 billion in 1985-86 it fell
to $150 billion by the time Reagan left
office. That's right. Cutting the pro-
grams that exploit the people Reagan's
political enemies claim to help would
have virtually eliminated the deficit
during Reagan's presidency.
Te t rnmnnccinnnf tt net mor
an(1 morc De0Dle bv making them oart
of thc government dependency cycle?"
asked radio talk-show host Rush
Limbaugh. "I think compassion
should be measured by how many
people no longer need it." Amen.
As Christians we should stay away
1trJnrnvnn. nmVcMlmn
pje.s moncv high taxation
quaiify grccd? what aout tciiing
poor that arc cntitica to
money someone else has earned?
I call that greed. How do sucli poli-
cies help poor pcopic improve their
New Hampshire primarjn
Indiana Senator Richard Lugar even
ventured that Republicans had "mis-
managed perceptions on the environ-
ment on education on the need for a
safety net for Americans who arc very
vulnerable."
quote.
By preaching
protectionism
and vowing to
reappeal
NAFTA com-
mentator Pat
Buchanan has a
slight lead over
the once-favored
Dole in
Tuesdays New
Hampshire
primary.
Before the New Hampshire state
Legislature Dole said "The real hourly
wage is 5 percent lower than it was a
decade ago and middle class families
feel less and less secure about their
future."
Ironically such new talk has the tone
of campaign rhetoric traditionally
Jeremy
Parish
"No longer will our
parents and elders be em-
barrassed to be seen with
us in public; instead
we'll be ashamed by their
relatively uncouth habits
and proclivities. "
jeremiad.
expression "dutch treat?"
Again(the proper response here is one
of avoidance. Pretend to pass out mur-
muring something like "Oh no too
much MSG!" You'll get out of paying
your share and if you're really lucky thc
restaurant will pay for your meal.
A problem for group datcrs arises
when all the women in thc party disap-
pear into the bathroom for an undeter-
mined amount of time. What should the
men do while they are stuck at thc table
forced to make idle conversation with
unfamiliar people? Don't panic instead
start evaluating one another's dates -
iHL
politics
financial situation? How do they help;
anyone get to heaven?
Despite the reputation of the 1980s'
as the "Decade of Greed" the National
Review reported that charitable dona-:
tions increased 57.7 percent during;
the 1980s reaching a record $10Z bil-:
lion in 1989.
"Moreover after declining relative to:
nihAntl innmA Hnrinit Iim 1 0"7Ar i
charitable donations rose ... to a record'
2.7 percent in 1989" the review read. ;
That doesnt sound like greed to me..
Limbaugh writes "It's common sense;
to realize that when people earn moTe;
and fell more secure in their positions;;
they give morc." Ephesians 4:28 says J
cnm..).;nn . .wu 4.: n-4 "
In sllorr cconomic poMcs that lex
pcopic kccp more of what & l
help pcopic earn more and give more)
to people who arc in need. Those poll-'
cies sound like policies all Christians
should be able to agree on. :'"i
-
espoused by that other party. ' t.
"Unfair foreign trade corpora'tet
responsibility anxiety about the future!
- issues that once were the currency in
Democratic primaries now are intor'ied
under the Republican banner" . Bilb
Lambrccht of the St. Louis Postj
Dispatch wrote Sunday. ' j J
Such issues also have a familiar ring' bfj
President Bill Clinton's personal
reminder during his victorious 192
campaign "It's the economy stupid.''
Candidates are now pitching their'
appeals in the direction where voters;
are most passionate thc area of jobst'
A recent announcement said New
Hampshire had recently regained more
than thc 48000 jobs lost over the jaSt?
several years.
An economic consultant Russell
Thibeault though points out the Itjst
jobs paid an average of $600 a week
while the new jobs paid just an average
of $380 weekly. ;"
Hence thc anxiety of New Hamp-
shire voters. J
Many experts are quick to point odt
that New Hampshire's dilemma is
hardly unique. ' K i
Unfortunately it seems indicative of a t
nation-wide trend. ( j
By preaching protectionism and vow-
ing to reappeal NAFTA commentator J
Pat Buchanan has a slight lead over the
once-favored Dole in Tuesday's Nefw ;
Hampshire primary.
Other contenders like Alexander and
publisher Steve Forbes argue for some"
sort of modified free trade. '
The New Hampshire primary has
usually been a bellwether of who Ulti-
mately gets the nomination. '
This year it should at least be an indi-
cator what themes voters across the
country will hear in the coming
months. J'
3
after all that's what the women; arc;
probably doing in their ever-mysterious
"powder room". .
I recommend the use of Olympic-style
scorccards. . ;
What happens when your roommar$ . ;
listens to the worst CD ever recorded at
loud volumes? Don't complain; smiley
and bear it. And when he or she is gone-
sell it to Hasting's. If you think thajjSt
too dishonest you could give it to.
someone as a gift. -.j-;
Unfortunately other circumstance
have no proper reactions such as being
forced to make conversation with a for?
mcr best friend or trying to explain tjp
irate readers that this column was all hv
jest. The best way to deal with those st
uations is to avoid them altogether:
Don't make friends and don't write
columns. So far I'm one for two. 1.-1
Hopefully if this new standard of eti;
quctte catches on our ciders will gaity
respect for us . . .
Otherwise we should just hide in die
bushes until theyre gone.
..'
-..r r ' '' --.-.
(TT-t"
----3rarEit. " $r3"ni&--"
Tml'.'ll'
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The Optimist (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 84, No. 39, Ed. 1, Tuesday, February 20, 1996, newspaper, February 20, 1996; Abilene, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth99676/m1/3/: accessed May 1, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Abilene Christian University Library.