1993_10 The Daily Collegian October 1993

              2—Op/Ed
Clje Bailp Collegian
Monday, Oct 4,1993
-•
What happened
to perestroika
and glasnost?
By David Mirhadi
News Editor
The legacy of former Soviet Pre¬
mier Mikhail Gorbachev is dete¬
riorating under the strain of a few
hard-line conservatives that will do
anything in their power to under¬
mine the advances of capitalism.
How is this being accomplished?
The man who has continued
Gorbachev's legacy, President
Boris Yeltsin, is being pressured
into turning over the many reforms
and advancements made in the last
eight years by an increasingly dis¬
satisfied public—the same' people
who toppled statues of Lenin and
tore posters of Stalin in favor of an
open market economy and the free¬
dom to pursue (heir dreams. These
people are tearing at the very fabric
of their freedom by demoralizing a
man who championed their cause
by making himself a man of the
people, in much the same way as
. Gorbachev did before him.
Tbe problem with this situation
is that the Russian people cannot
find a happy medium to live by.
They would rather live on commu¬
nal plots of land, with no owner¬
ship, than have the ability to man¬
age their own two-acre truck farm
growing beets and turnips. The
thought of no competition among
workers, poor standards of living,
and numerous other shortcomings
sounds like the perfect thing for an
ailing Russian economy.
Well, I don't agree, and I'm not
so sure that many other Russians in
this country feel this way.
What happened to the jubilant
cheers of perestroika and glasnost
that permeiued Gorbachev's presi¬
dency? Have wc forgotten his
legacy and his message of personal
and economic freedom. Maybe
I'm totally wrong, but I don't think
I'd forget that easily.
It seems mat tbe Russian mob
can't make up their minds. One
minute they're chanting "Yeltsin,
Yeltsin,' Yeltsin," and in tbe next
breath they curse him as if he were
the second coming of the bubonic
plague. If this were to happen
during Stalin's time or in the reign
of Czar Nicholas n, these same
people would be issued a compli¬
mentary one-way ticket to
Vladivostok. These days they have
the freedom to chant in the streets
of Moscow and then go home and
see themselves on TV or on the
front pages of the newspaper.
These people won't know bow
good they've got it until it's gone.
Ljttsr
Another unhappy
letter about ASI
Dear Editor,
Today I witnessed my third
consecutive ASI Senate meet¬
ing, and guess what? Nothing
was done. They couldn't even
pass the agenda!!! Again ?!!!
I am a freshman, and my best
friend is a business major who
was going to pledge for [Pi
Sigma Bpsilon] next-semester.
But after witnessing the. irre¬
sponsible and hostile attitudes
of Gino Borges and Peter
Nicholson, type told her she
better reconsider the types of
people with whom she will be
associated. We know they be¬
long to this fraternity because
she has friends who have .told
her. And it seems to me that
these two, along with all ofthe
Reality senators, don't care at
all about what is right for the
students. AH they are con¬
cerned with is demonstrating,
at times, thjft they are the "ma¬
jority.'* Well, I'm sure that they
would have never gotten elected
if the students had known what
jerks they all are.
Reality Senators: Grow up!
Decide on what it is that you
are fighting for. You keep talk¬
ing about* Stacey Green this,
Giovana Driussi that, but at the
same time you stand for noth¬
ing but disruption. Why should
Ms. Driussi have to call Peter
Nicholson out of order more
than once oojthe same motion?
She's constantly doing this. At
today's meeting I just kept hop¬
ing she would dismiss him from
the meeting so they could get
on with things. Really...
It was obvious to me, and
everyone else in the gallery to¬
day, that Ms. Driussi was being
much too kind to the obnoxious
Mr. Nicholson. If he was an¬
noying people in the gallery, I
can't imagine what effect he
was having on those senators
that were trying to move on.
The three executives, Eliza¬
beth Casai ez, Michele Meiring,
Jennifer Nutting, Austin
Hastings, and David Fakhri—
hooray for you I (now you just
have to get everyone else to see
the light.
Sandra Hart
1 column
Current administration of
Bill Clinton is a tyrailny
By Tim Springer
Guest columnist
Tyranny, the very word evokes
images of oppression and the sup¬
pression of freedom. Webster's dic¬
tionary defines tyranny as "a rigor¬
ous condition Imposed by some
outside agency or force." President
Clinton's use of higher taxes for
health care directed by the federal
government, in which the secretary
of the treasury will be able to im¬
pose a payroll tax on employers in
any state who do not meet federal'
.deadlines, is practicing tyranny.
- Clinton thinks of the American
people as children who need to be
Liberty is a precious
thing which must be
guarded with vigilance
to protect it from the
tyrants...    .   .
guided and directed in much tbe
same fashion as the English gov¬
ernment did tbe American Colo¬
nies before the Revolution. Clinton,
likethe English before, suffers from
a lack of understanding of the ma¬
turity, mentality and capabilities of
tbe American people.
The judgement of such a man,
who is so out of touch with the
majority of the American people,
..aust be questioned and scrutinized
carefully. .Serious questions must-
be asked such as: What are his true
motivations behind the plans? How
much freedom will the American
people lose after his plans are en-
Please see Tyranny, page 5
Q$e Bail? Collegian    t
Keats Campos Building. Mail Slop 42, CSU Fresno, Fresno. CA 931 ■ 0-0042
Published by Associated Siudenis, Inc. \
1 Editor ln Chief: David Donnelly
\ Managing Editor: Marc Matteo
News Editor: David Mirhadi
Sports Editor: To be announced
Photo Editor: Matthew Soby
Graphics Editor: Thean-Su Ooi
Copy Editor:Aimee L. Fisher, K. Amy Kaltman
Advertising Manager: Stephen Kellogg
Advertising Production Manager: Ofir Levy
Staff Writers:
Brent Batty, Marlene Bryant, Celeste Cox, Grant Johnson, Dipan Mann, Jason Owen. Craig Robinson, Douglas
* Stolhand, Ana Marie Zanini
Columnists: /   .
Sports Writers:
Adam Brady. Mirk Bryant, Chris Cocoies, Robbie Miner. Brett Pane
t^a-N. Photographers: *%
.    Viw Des pinches, lCenKolH Ann Uie^
* ."'•>      CartooBbti: •
Ofir Levy
Circulation: ,
Saul Martinez
Advertising Representatives:
Sara Gritton, Matt Kollmeyer. Karen Mendel. Jeiiiufa Newman, Jairo IVepgrass -
The opinions published on this page are not necessarily those of The Diily Colkpin or iu slatff. Unsigned ediloriids, imless Doted.
a ' are written by the Editor in Chief
The Daily Collegian welcomes all letters to Ihe editor. All letter, must be typed tnd no more Ihjui 500 words. Leners must be
signed and include a telephooe number. Letters may be edited for length and grunmir.
Smxi in The Daily Collegian can brought to our attention by phone or by mail.