Vida Newspaper, Volume 22, Issue 2 - November 1993

VIDA CHICANO LATINO STUDENT SERVICES • LOYOLA MARYMOUNT UNIVERSITY November 4, 1993 Circulation: 2000 Brown’s Assertion: A Need to Look Critically at World By Maria Guerrero On Tuesday, October 9, former governor of California, Jerry Brown spoke at Murphy Hall. Brown’s assertion was that there is a need to “look critically at the world.” According to Brown, this does not happen in today’s world, es¬ pecially in the realm of politics. It seems that no one is willing to “look” or probe at any issue in great depth. Everything seems to be for that specific moment. Brown further stated that “the political process is the base of what America is all about.” De¬ mocracy and freedom are two major components of this politi¬ cal process, but unfortunately, one politician in particular made the statement that “...de¬ mocracy and liberty are not enough.” In Brown’s eyes, this is when the American citizen has to be very careful. Whenever a politi¬ cian in the United States starts Photo courtesy of Richard Ruelas Jerry Brown to contend that “democracy and freedom” are not sufficient; there is something going wrong with the political system. Brown illustrated his point further by referring to the media’s role in society. In Brown’s view, the media works to “manipulate reality”, which in turn results in an “empty and meaningless” ex¬ planations of events, especially events associated with political issues. Also, Brown referred to the American political system as be¬ ing a plutocracy one in which “you have one dollar; one vote as opposed to having one person, one vote.” He stated that since 1970 to 1990, there have been 12,000 public officials con¬ victed under federal corruption It seems that no one is willing to “look” or probe at any issue in great depth. statutes.” This is a result of the system that depends on the “top 1% of the country.” It seemed that Brown was asking the difficult questions. According to Brown, only through honest debate and discussion can real, fundamental change occur. But it is evident that this is not going on in the American politi¬ cal system . Not until the “under¬ lying dynamics” are dealt with can any real change occur. Clinton Signs Side Agreements on NAFTA Judge Brown Reflects on Life After College By Mari sol Barrios LMU alumna Judge Irma J. Brown will be speaking about life after college, her success story, on Tuesday, November 9 at Seaver 100 during Convocation Hour. Presently, Judge Brown is employed at the Municipal Court in Compton Judicial District. Judge Brown graduated with a bachelors of art in soci¬ ology in 1970 and continued to further her education by attending Loyola Maiymount University School of Law lo¬ cated in Los Angeles. She received her Juris Doctorate in 1973. “LMU was and is the pri¬ mary foundation for Judge Brown’s accomplishments. What she gained from LMU, she continues to give back to the university,” stated senior Kimlin White, Executive Vice President of Activities Pro¬ gramming Commission. Part of Judge Brown’s as¬ signments include all the phases ofthe Municipal Court Jurisdiction. They include misdemeanor jury trials, felony and misdemeanor ar¬ raignments, traffic and small claims matters, unlawful detainer cases and other civil actions. Judge Brown’s honors and awards include the past vice- president of John M. Langston Bar Association, student body president of Marymount Col¬ lege, and СО and past president of Black Women Lawyers Association. In addition, she received the Distinguished Alumni LMU and Distinguished Alumna David Starr Jordan High awards. Presently, she is on the Board of Regents at LMU and in the Los Angeles chapter of Jack and Jill of America. According to White, Judge Brown is an ideal role model because she is committed to her convictions and in achiev¬ ing her goals. If you would like to hear Judge Brown speak about life after college, come and find out “From the Inside Out”. Professors Speak Out on Health Plan By Sonya Mercado On Tuesday, September 14, President Bill Clinton signed the much-debated compromise side agreements to the North Ameri¬ can Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). If passed through Con¬ gress, it will be effective starting January 1, 1994. Supporters ofNAFTA propose that it will promote job growth in Mexico, the United States and Canada. Those in favor of the agreement claim that it will ben¬ efit Mexican workers by stimu¬ lating labor standards, includ¬ ing higher wages, superior to current working conditions. They also assert that the pas¬ sage of NAFTA will force the Mexican government and SEDESOL, the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Mexi¬ can counterpart, to enforce more strict environmental laws and regulations. Opponents, however, argue that this will be detrimental to workers’ rights and to the eco¬ nomics of both Mexico and the United States. According to AFL-CIO (American Federation of Labor- Congress of Industrial Organi¬ zations), President Lane Kirkland, “President Clinton sought side agreements to cor¬ rect the problems of the Bush- negotiated treaty. Unfortu¬ nately, his negotiators failed. The deal Clinton got contains no prac¬ tical means of safeguarding work¬ ers rights and the environment.” One of the main grievances of labor leaders is that the rights of workers - the right to organize, child labor, minimum wage, health and safety - are not prop¬ erly addressed in NAFTA’s supplemental agreements, and therefore, will not be enforced in Mexico. Economists opposed to the agreement contend that jobs in the U.S. will become vulnerable to relocate to Mexico because of the lower wages. According to a study by the Economic Policy Institute, while California does not have the high¬ est percentage of potentially vul¬ nerable jobs, it does have the most unprotected jobs to relo¬ cate with 840,000. With opposition of unionists and influential members of Congress, including House Mi¬ nority Leader Richard Gephardt, President Clinton and other NAFTA advocates will have a difficult time making the free trade agreement a majority in Congress. By Juan Torres and Analee Zelaya “Congress hates this (Clinton’s) plan,becuaseitis com¬ plicated,” comments Dr. Klinkner. “They do not under¬ stand it and are afraid they will lose control over legislating.” On October 5, the Political Science Association held a dis¬ cussion on Clinton’s New Health Care Plan. The talk was headed by Dr. Janie Steckenrider, Dr. Michael Genovese, and Dr. Philip Klinkner, political science pro¬ fessors here at Loyola Marymount University. The health care plan is obvi¬ ously a very complex matter, but a trim outline of the components is somewhat conceivable for stu¬ dents. Maria Gonzalez, senior and sociology major states, “I was very confused when I heard Clinton trying to explain his pi am. Actually, I think the journalists were just as confused as I was.” The plan should be nationally implementedby January 1, 1997. Services may be made available at a sooner date in some states, with the Clinton Administration offering incentives, encouraging states to do so. The health care plan will be arranged in regional centers, called regional health alliances. The latter will provide informa¬ tion to allow individuals to pick a plan that ismost suitable to them. Among other elements, the in¬ formation will be composed of the names of doctors and hospi¬ tals and the prices of the differ¬ ent health plans. Benefits of the plan include coverage for hospitalization, emergency services, doctors’ vis¬ its, mental health services, home health care, eye and dental care, substance abuse treatment, pre¬ scription drugs and rehabilita¬ tion services. These services will be available to all except illegal immigrants. Employers will pay 80% ofthe standard health plan and em¬ ployees 20%. Additionally, the employee would be entitled to an annual deduction of $200.00 per person or $400.00 for each fam¬ ily under the fee-for-service plan. Each individual will have the option of changing plans annu¬ ally. Furthermore, the adminis¬ tration will offer financial fund¬ ing to both low-income individu¬ als and to small businesses with fewer than 50 employees. Part- time employees will also receive assistance from their employers, depending on the numbers of hours they work. Self-employed individuals will pay their entire premium, but they would be of¬ fered a tax deduction of up to 25% of their health care expenses. In addition, Medicare and Medicaid shouldremainthe same here in California. Hence, indi¬ viduals under these programs should not be affected by the na¬ tional health plan. President Clinton is taking on a great task by attempting to create a national health plan. According to the professors, he is making good on one of his cam¬ paign promises — one that is very personal to him and Mrs. Clinton. Many agree that the plan will be implemented, but the acb’ustments that will be made to it remain to be seen. Nonethe¬ less, the United States would be joining other industrialized na¬ tions by having a national health care plan. Source: The Wall Street Jour¬ nal Monday, September 13, 1993 INSIDE VIDAY TODAY ■ Saviors Day 1993: A Salute to the Honorable Elijah Muhammad ■ Latino Unity: Is it a Contradiction in terms? See раде 4 and 5 ■ Latino faculty: What are their views? Who are they? See page 6 ■ When is a man in full control of the woman? Does he put her down, manipulate her body to his convenience? See page 7 See page 2