Reagan a great American president
To the editor,
I am writing in response to Cory Spiller's article in which he heartlessly attacks the ailing President Reagan, one of the greatest presidents to have ever lead our nation. He cited the "unnecessary military buildup" Reagan instituted. I think Cory himself may have amnesia because what Cory conveniently forgets is that President Reagan's "unnecessary" military buildup ended the ongoing crisis that held the world hostage for over 30 years known as the Cold War and effectively crushed the Soviet empire.
Gorbachev himself admitted that had it not been for the powerful leadership of Reagan and his aggressive defense policies, the Cold War would have continued to drag on. Thanks to President Reagan, the world no longer has to live in constant fear of an imminent nuclear holocaust. I'm sure Cory will find a way to disagree with me, but I think global nuclear war may be a bit more taxing on our seniors' health than not having universal health care.
The only reason we have a surplus today is because of President Reagan. Cory fails to recognize that had Reagan not whupped the Reds as he did, our government would have been forced to continue pouring trillions more of our dollars into the defense program, building up our nuclear stockpile to defend ourselves from the Soviets, continuing the Cold War standoff and draining the treasury and the taxpayer's pockets. You know that projected $5 trillion surplus? That would have been $5 trillion worth of missiles; not health care, not tax cuts, but missiles. I doubt Cory is advocating missiles over spending programs and health care plans. Cory also seems to conveniently forget that thanks to President Reagan's domestic policies (namely tax cuts and deregulation), our economy received an infusion that created an unheard of 13 years of expansion (save for the small recession in '91) and the wildfire growth we experienced in the late 90s. So here I am, telling you that the poor in fact didn't get poorer because of Reagan, but instead got jobs and a healthy economy.
To summarize, thanks to the Gip, the world was once again safe from fear and safe for democracy and the US experienced the longest and largest economic boom in history (which benefited not only millions of Americans, but millions worldwide!). Now that's a legacy America can be proud of!
Christian Kurasek
The University of Iowa
Sophomore, Industrial Engineering
Pro-Life Ad an Outrage
To the Editor,
I am outraged at the "Advertising Supplement" from the Jan. 17th Wildcat. Apparently the Human Life Alliance thinks that it is above the "truth in advertising" law. This unbelievable insert is full of misinformation, half-truths, propaganda, and lies. For instance, there is no scientific evidence that having an abortion contributes to breast cancer. This myth has been perpetuated for years by the anti-choicers; it simply has no basis in fact. In this day, having a first trimester abortion (95% of all abortions are performed in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy) is far safer than carrying a pregnancy to term and giving birth. In case you were wondering, it is illegal to dispose of aborted fetuses in a garbage disposal or trash can. Come on.
I worked in a clinic that provided first trimester abortions as part of a full range of reproductive health services, and I have worked in battered women's shelters, on hotlines, and in rape crisis centers. I have talked with hundreds of women struggling with issues of unplanned pregnancy, and women and girls who have been beaten, assaulted, molested, and sexually tortured. Guess what: rape survivors have high rates of depression, suicide, drug and alcohol addictions, nightmares, and severe intimacy issues. Do you think that having a child from that violent experience would improve their recovery? Yes, deciding to continue or end an unwanted pregnancy is a difficult decision for the millions who face it every year. Some women do regret the decision later in life, and many often wonder, "What if..." When didn't you question a major life decision you had made? Questioning what would have been doesn't mean that we made a mistake; it's normal. The vast majority of women are forever grateful for the opportunity to choose when to care for a child. Most are relieved after the abortion. We never performed an abortion for a woman who had any serious ambivalence about her decision.
This slick little paper is a blatant attempt to frighten young people into accepting an ideology that threatens our very lives. We are finally at a time when women and men can realize their dreams, earn an education, and form families when and how they wish. Raising a child is the hardest thing anyone can ever do, and potentially the most rewarding. How could anyone be so arrogant as to assume that they could make that decision for someone else?
Stephanie Morgan
UA Staff Member
Wildcat pushes right-wing propaganda
To the Editor,
I am responding to the paid advertisement that was issued in the January 16th Wildcat. I am not alone when I say that I am outraged and appalled that the university would insert such a right-wing propaganda filled advertisement that would reach its many students. Many of the facts presented were distorted and inaccurate.
One section of the advertisement addresses the issue of abortion in the case of incest or rape. The advertisement justified not having an abortion in these cases by declaring that having an abortion only adds to the trauma of the incest or rape. This statement is ludicrous in that it demeans a woman's right rid herself of such a burden of raising a truly unwanted child. Okay, well what about incest? That's an even better reason to get an abortion than rape. Incest often yields retarded children or children with birth defects. But if you want a mentally deficient child with birth defects then go ahead and have the baby.
This paid advertisement is aimed at those uncertain women who are not sure whether or not abortions are moral. The cover of the advertising supplement has photos of the cute little babies. Yes, they are adorable, but if they were not wanted then their lives would be unfortunate. There were no pictures of severely retarded babies or babies with horrible birth defects. This right-wing Christian propaganda has infiltrated a public school that my parents work hard to send me to. And the fact that the University of Arizona is prostituting itself to the highest bidder, in this case it's the Human Life Alliance, is one of the most sickening experiences I've ever had. the Daily Wildcat is a newspaper for the students of the University of Arizona. That means that it's a state school. That means everyone regardless of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, religion, and even stance on abortion is welcome as long as they are academically worthy. This is not Bob Jones "University." If people don't want to have abortions, and they don't want their raped daughters to have abortions then by all means keep the unwanted children coming. But to have this propaganda thrust upon me as I read my Daily Wildcat is enough to make me physically sick.
Dan Sloan
Studio Arts Freshman
MLK would support affirmative action
To the editor,
In response to Edwin A. Locke's "MLK's message misinterpreted," I'd like to address the disturbing suggestion that racism is a thing of the past. Dr. King's "dream" was indeed a colorblind America, and affirmative action, I agree, is obviously not that dream. Locke says, "Taking jobs away from one group in order to compensate a second group to correct injustices caused by a third group who mistreated a fourth group at an earlier point in history (e.g. 1860) is absurd." Mr. Locke appears fundamentally confused. Racial injustices are not peculiar to some "earlier point in history," or to some particular "group," he seems to think the present has no relation to the past. Many of us are the children or grandchildren of racists or slaves; we were raised in their homes. How many of you have heard one of your grandparents make racist remarks? I have, and I get sick to my stomach and dispirited when I see my family full of so much cowardly baseless hatred. Affirmative action exists because we have not realized King's dream. Racism has abounded throughout all of human existence and, insidious as it has become, it has not disappeared.
So when we hear the self-righteous white "victim" of affirmative action crying "reverse discrimination" (the term implies that it is "supposed to be" the other way around), realize that power is still grossly unbalanced in the hands of whites and for every white victim of discrimination there are several minority victims. In a racist world, anything short of affirmative action is negligence when carrying out the guarantees of our constitution.
Ben Kalt
Spanish and Economics junior
Reagan piece disgusting
To the Editor,
The op-ed piece you chose to publish on Ronald Reagan was scurrilous, disgusting, and inhumane. Your columnist's comments on Alzheimer's Disease were contrary to standards of simple human decency.
Robert Stump
Chair, Tucson Young Republicans
