EDITOR'S COLUMN T ABLE OF CONTENTS The coJlllpse of Marxism in Easte rn Europe is the most significant foreign EDITOR'S COLUMN ...... • . • . • . • . •• •...... 2 poticy event since World War II. Of course. the philosophical dismissal of PROFILES AND PERSPECTIVES: Lenin. Marx and Stalin by Eastern A Conversation with Elliot Richardson . ... • • ••••••••••••••••••••• 3 Europeans and now Nicaraguans leaves profound potitical consequences. SOUTH AFRICA: Of Gods & Men In this issue of the Forum. we con Terrence M . O 'Sullivan ...... • ...... • .•...... 7 ti nue to explore these ramifications. Ambassador Elliot Richardson headed EDITORIALS • ...... •...... 8 the Uni ted Nations' observer team to .Nicaragua for that country's February CREATING A FREE WORLD FUND elections. In his interview, Ri chardson Steven B. Kl insky . •••••••••• • •• • • •• • • •• • ••• • ••• •• • •• •••• • • ••• discusses Nicaragua 's e lection process, 1( the challenges facing new Nicara guan RESPONSES TO PRESIDENT BUSH'S NATIONAL president , Violeta Chamorro. and the " mechanics" of assembli ng a TRANSPORTATION POLICY ...... • .. . I democ rat ic tradition . T he formt:( Cabinet secretary also argues that the RIPON SOCIETY POLICY CALENDAR ... .. • ...... 1 U.S. must take the lead in crafting a new s truc t ural framework fo r global BRUCE GELB: Voicing America security. Without such. we and o ur Winiam P. Mc Kenzie .• ••• • ••• • •••••• • ••••••••••••••••••••• • • •• 1 Western all ies wil l lack the adequate means to absorb the world's changes. SBA: Back In Business To be sure. the changes abroad will Mariann Kurtz .••••• • • •• • •• • • • • • •• •• • ••••••••• • •• • ••••• • •••• 1 lead to shi ft s in American defe nse priorities. The operative phrase is that SUSTAINING THE ECONOMY we will reap a "peace dividend ." ' The Richard Innes .. •••• • •••••• • ••••••••••••• • • • • • •• • • • •• • , •••• • •1 Forum agrees. but argues in an editorial that any defense savi ngs must first be REVIEWS: applied to deficit reduction. Only then can we develop the economic strength Offspring of History: Stephen Jay Gould: historian Paul Kennedy says will be the Alfred W. Tale ••••• • ••• . •• • •• .• • •••••••• • •• • •• •• ••• • •• • •• • • 20 ne w ""metric of powe r. "' THE CHAIRMAN'S CORNER: Not that global responsibi lities must be ignored. Ripon Forum editorial London Bridge Isn'l Falling Down But Others Are: board member Steven Kli nsky. a New Wil liam Clinger .• •• •• • •• •••• • • • • •• •••••••••••••••••••. • • • • • 22 York merchant banker. outlines a plan fo r a new in ternational security WASHINGTON NOTES AND QUOTES . . ...•...... 23 framework. In Klinsky's estimation. a ""Free World Fund"' can more adequate ly address post-Cold War needs than such organizations as NATO. The Forum :llso provides commen ta ry on the president's rece nt national RIPON/orum transportation strmegy. Ripon chainnan £dil(Jr : Will iam P. McK""zie William C li nger discusses how ai rport Production o;"clOr: B radl~y E. K<'1Id3I1 and highway trust fun ds can be used. E"diloritll Board: Pany. ,\ bnuscripts and photograph, are soliciled. but David A. Fuscus do not .... presentthe views of IN: SociCly unless so Mated. And Republican congressional leaders Stepi>cn A. Messinger .\ I ari~nn KUn7. Second cia" po:s. Vi'ta and other vol untee .... THE RIPON FOR UM (ISN 003>-5526) i, published Owrsca,. ple~ add S6. PIe ..... 110101 five wech for ad· in a bas ic way, without improved bi _ monthly in 1990 by The Ripon Society. Contents d .... ss change. transport ati on systems. the U.S. cannot arecop)'rightedl990 by tN: Ripon So.:iety. tne .. 6 The Ripon Society Inc .. Marl E. Unc-.pher. president. Library Coon. S.£ .. Washingt"". D.C. 2(X)(l3. is a Republican .... se. rch and policy organi1.Olion whose remain economically compet iti ve. In the publication the Society hope' to provide a forum rncmt.;,rs a .... busir.css. academic. and profe"ional men for r .... sh idcas. wdl .... so:archtd proposals. and a .pirit and women. II is i>cadquane .... d in Washington. D.C.. of Cream'. critict~m and innovation in the Republican with National As
2 Ripon Forum. March 1990 PROFILES AND PERSPECTIVES A Conversation with Elliot Richardson
Nicaragua' s fir,~1 peacefil/ transfer of pawel'. On a mini-scale, Mrs. Now a lawyer ill \V(lshillglOlI. tile former al/omey general i.'i hesl kllOWI/ Chamorro faces th e same for refllsing Richard Nixon's order 10 problems Gorbachev COI1- fire sfJecia! fJroseClllol' ArchibaM Cox during \Vatel'.!1ll1e·,f famolls "Satllrday frO /lfs. Both have to deliver Night Massacre." RichoI"lJ.wII·s expel" quickly. With U.S. help, Shorrl), iJljore midnight all Felmwry lise has bet'll drawll 111'011 by leaders of maybe she can. 25, Elliot Rh:lwrdSOIl, Jimmy Carler bOlIl parries, (lnd ill lhis imer"iew he and Joaf) 8(1('11(1 Soares. Sl'crelary discusSt's Ihe changes ill Celllral l!elll'ral of the Organi:alio/l of America. AmericlIlI Stales, were called to mcel Richardson: Let me firs t say that the 11';,11 a sWill/cd DOl/iei Ortega. who hatl Ripon Forum: Were you surprised by purpose of the U,N. delegation was to just lost Nicaraguo' s IJresidemia/ race the elec ti on results in Nicaragua? verify the electoral process. A dozen /0 Via/eta Clwmorro. The pllrpose of full- time people arrived in Nicaragua in the ml'{,fing. arranged by Or/ega. I\'as to Richardson: I wasn't really surprised. August. By Decemberthe U.N. number orchestrare his acknowledgement of but that wasn't because I could foresee had grown to over 40, and we had de/em, the outcome. A coupl e of astute people in every region. From August Nicoragllo's February eJeeriOll, of American observers who had been in on. we dealt constantly with repre CO W ,fl', II'a,\" rlil' Cli lmillarioll of a /ollg Nicaragua the week before I arri ved said sentati ves of every region and pany. alld surprising campaix", Since /978. they believed Viole ta Chamorro's One of our earliest deci sions was 10 Or/ega's SllIl(iinista Par')' had heltl United Nicaraguan OPI)()sition would agree thaI we couldn't simply nOle power wilh Ilule serioll.f OPIJositioll. So win . What surprised me was that the deficiencies in the process withou t Doniei Ortega's defeat. whidl was wil observers thought they had a pretty finn seeking to get them corrected as soon as nessed by thollsands of i"'emaliallal basis for their belief. possible. Much of my time was spent absurer.\'. brollgh, (II/ nul/a tlnother Theonlyclue I did see was in the huge talking to the Supreme Electoral Coun Marxist power. rally for Daniel Onega on the cil. pany representati ves and to Daniel Elfiol Richardson. who has heldfoM campaign's last day. The crowd was the Onega himself. We didn 't succeed in Cabinet positions under Republican largest one I'd seen in my li fe. Onega gelling all our corrections and improve preJidentJ. and serred as U.S. ambos· w'llked up and down the plmfonn with me nts. but we recogni zed that we had a .wdo/" to Greal Britain. led Ihe Uniled a hand-held mike. li ke a rock slar. evok second responsi bili ty. That obl igation NlIIiolls' ubsen'er delegation for Ille ing roars of response. Yet the cheers was to dec ide before the e lection Nicaraguan eiec:lion. Tile UN. group had a rote, rh yt hmic pallem. I was whether the process had been sufficicnt Iwdfollowed the Nicaraguall campaigll st ruck by the crowd's lack of spon ly free and fair. We had to say with since August 1989. After the filla/I'ure. taneity or genuine enthusiasm. reasonable confidence that the people AmhtlSsador Richardson and Presidellt would be going to the polls the next day Carter were asked to stay Ot/IO discl/ss Ripon Forum: So what do you think able to exercise a free choice through wilh Nicaraguan leaders Ihe trat/sfer of about the election's conduct? Several passing a secret ballot which was pOll'er. As Ihe longlime Ripon member years ago few people wou ld have ex honestly counted. tells Ripot/ Forum editor Bilf Mc pected Nicaragua to ha ve a free elec During the campaign. we also issued Kell:ie. Ihe election markel/ ti on. five reports. one of which included an
Ripon Fomm, March 1990 3 analysis of the media's role. By the agri cul tu ral land has been taken out of portant 10 distingui sh between three time of the election. we had become in use, and a current annual innation rate kinds of problems. One issue is will the timately involved with every procedure. of somewhere between 2,(XlO percent Sandinistas tum over powe r? Not onl y I told the Ne w York T imes that I saw and 10,000 percent , it's remarkable thai with respect to the government general no way of beating the system. The pro the government had even a seri ous ly, but also in the case of the AmlY and cedures were far more rigorous than any prospect of ree lection. It 's hard to im I had encoun tered in my home state of agine that. except for the opport unity to This is theftrst time Massachusetts! Certai nly they were blame the United States, the Sandinistas more ri gorous than any elections con could have cond ucted a seri ous cam power will change hands ducted in Illinois in Richard Daley's paign. in Nicaragua/rom an in time. Ripon Forum: Were yo u confid ent cumbent government to an A problem Nicaragua when you went to meet with Ortega that opposition government. If he would abide by the election results? Nicaragua can do it, faces is the possibility that Or did you consider the election results militant Sandinistas, much in jeopardy? anybody can do it.
further down the chain of Richardson: We thought it likely the the Interior Department and its security command, will rise up Sandinistas would accept the results. force. against the UNO govern They had publicly declared they wou ld: certainly we had foun d them free and Ripon Forum: Will the y? ment. fair. And yet I thi nk we would have ad mitted to some anxiety. given the mas Richardson: Yes. By electi on day, there were probably si ve margin by which the governmenl 3,000 obse rvers in Nicara gua. The was repudiated. But when we arri ved, Ripon Forum: Wh y? U. N. had 239: the Organization of it was clear that Ortega had no thought American States had close to 600: lmd of rejecting the outcome. The whole Richardson: Because of the under Jimmy Carter had a smaller number discussion focused on his concern that standings reached at the time oftheelec which incl uded .. group of senators and UNO supponers might claim vi ctory tion and the negati ve con sequences of fonner heads of state. A very large too soon. thereby antagoni zing the San wo rl d opinion and domestic reacti on nu mber of po ll ing places were covered dinistas. So we worked out with Mrs. that woul d follow if the consti tutional on electi on day. Charnorro and UNO an agreement not provisions for the transfer of power to declare victory unti l Daniel Ortega were not obse rved. Ripon Forum: On election night. yo u. had had a chance to deliver his conces The second problem Nicaragua faces Jimmy Cart er and Joao Baena Soares, sion. He delive red that speech at si x concerns the possibility that militant head of the Org .. ni zation of Ame ri can a.m . the next morning. Sandinistas, much further down the States' delegation, went 10 meet with chain of command, will ri se up against Daniel Ortega ... Ripon Forum: What do these chan the UNO government. ges mean for Nicaragua? After all , Richardson: We were invi ted to meet Violeta Chamorro has no real governing Ripon Forum: Is this going to hap with him. experience and the UNO coal ition con pen? sists of con servati ves as well as COIll Ripon Forum: Can you tell us about munists. Richardson: I don't have a good feel that meeting? fo r it. I just talked to one government Richardson: Before we get to that. let representati ve who is conside rabl y wor Richardson: The U. N. had the ear me say that the first priorit y after the ri ed about it. This is a consideration li est and best projections of Ihe tall y, election was the selection by each side which underlines the continuing value which turned out to be off by onl y one of transition team leaders who could of an intern at ional presence. or two-tenths of one percent of the ac begin to deal with the most urgent The third pro blem is how theSandinis tual vote. We talked with UN O and problems. At the top of the list was how ta Pany behaves as the largest vo ting Sandinista representatives earlier that to de-mobilize the contras. bloc in the Nicaraguan Assembl y. To evening, and we were anxious to learn I stayed on in Nicaragua an ext ra da y what degree will the FSLN cooperate in how the Sandinistas we re reacting to to discuss this question with various promoting a nat ional conse nsus 0 11 what must have been a shocki ng result . U.N. and Sandinista people. In fact. all basic things. such as the continuity of We all assumed the Sandi nistas were three obselVer groups have asked to stay some of the changes instituted by the surprised, but I here can't help injecti ng on until the change in govern ment Rf'I'oluciol1 itself? a parenthetical observ:ll ion. You asked leadership on April 25 . The U. N. will These three problems wil l ex ist me earlier whether I was surprised. have 12 twelve transition team mem without regard to the potential conflicts Gi ven the decline in Nicarag ua over the bers coordi nating the work of the U.N. internal to the coalition led by Mrs. last 10 years of at least 7S percent in per organizations. ChamoITo. capita income. the fa ct thaI a third of About the questi on you asked, it 's im-
4 Ripon Forum. March 1990 Ripon Forum: A Sandinista union produce re form s without creating stress in the campaign gives reason to leader was quotcd aBer the election as synergy among several components. hope that she has Ihe shrewd instincts saying: "We workers will demand One is a coherent domestic economic needed 10 achieve the necessary salary readjustments. and if they do nOl strategy: a second is a favorable climate cooperadon. respond. we will paralyze the govern for foreign direct investment. mcnt." Will the Sandinistas sabOiage These refonns must encourage further Ripon Forum: Al ready Mr. Mayorga Mrs. Chtlmorro's market refonns? priv:1tiza!ion and be supported by earl y has been 10 the United States seeking assistance which is channeled into the $300 mill ion in U.S. aid, muc h of whi ch Richardson: 1 don't think that's a kind of infmstructure improvement that is for a "social emergency fund" to as probable reaction as such. The employs significant numbers of people. sist small businesses and create new problems of wages and poverty and the In tum. further foreign and domestic in· jobs. What should be our response to loss of purchasing power, as well as its vestment will be encouraged and addi· this request? continued erosion by inflalion, are cer ti onal jobs will be created. tainly horrible. And I think everybody She does have a very able economic Richardson: We should cenain ly be on both sidell had seen the election as a advise r in Francisco Mayorga 8al generous 10 Nicaragua. Whatever one watershed or springboard. It was going ladores. Recently Mayorga said that the thinks of U.S. po licies over the past to be the door opening toward a beuer Chamorro government would not sig decade, there can be no denying that the day, which everyone, UNO supporters nificantly reduce government employ combi nation of U.S. support fo r the civil and Sandinistas alike, could endorse. ment at the outset. wa r and the trade embargo has in nicted The Sandinista slogan. "Todo sera an immense amount of suffering and major," means "everything will be bel Ri pon Forum: Is that a wise move? deprivation on the 'icaraguan people. ter:' A curious slogan. by the way. for To some degree our actions arc ratiol1 - an incum bcm government. But the fact Richardson: Yes, give n their level of aliled as ha vi ng cont ri buted to a good thai people voted for UNO can only be un e mployment. T he o nl y way outcome. But they sti ll leave us wit h a understood on the basis that they Nicaragua can move in the shon-tenn thought UNO had a bener chance of toward reducing inflat ion is through We mllst 1I0t jorget that delivering an improved existence. foreign assistance. Otherwise, inflation It's a big mistake ever to assume thai would have to be wrung out through the the aspiratiolljor uneducated people arc un intell igent. kinds of measures the International democracy springs from As I said earl ier. it's undoubtedly true Monetary Fund nonnall y imposes. But that, given the economic si tuation, Or it's extremely difficult to achieve th e human condition itself tega would not have been a credible can coherence when you're nO! a pany didate but for the fact that he could leader. large share of responsibility to assist blame the economic situat ion on the Nicaragua. United State:.. Thi s was a consequence Ripon Forum: So how doe s Mrs. of our trade embargo and the contra war. Chamorro put together a governing Ripon Forum: Is $300 million ade But it's also true that many people may coalition with such a wide va ri ety of quate? have calculated that the United States people? would be likely 10 give Nicaragua a lot Richardson: What amount is needed more help if UNO won. Richardson: It 's going to take tough and how it is used mUSt be examined The Sandinistas tried to mtlke poli tical minded leadershi p and a lot of negotia very closely. Assist small businesses to capital out of the U.S. financ ial support tion. People must have their attemion do what? Remember the phrase about a to Mrs. Chamorro's campaign. That at repeatedly drawn back to realiti es. society in which everyone makes a tempi could also have backfired. Abstract ideological or doctrinaire posi living by taking in othcrpeoplcs' wash People may have thought, let's put Mrs. tions aren't going to provide solutions. ing. If you fund small businesses in Chamorro in because we ma y get more Facts and common sense must prevai l. Nicaragua, who's b uy in g thei r aid from the United States. prodUCLS? And ..... ith what? That 's why I'm sure the union leader you quoted Ripon Forum: But does she have the I said we must look at the infrastructure is reflecting a widespread aui l"ude that ability to pull these different groups improvements needed to support a cou ld. depending upon how things together? Or is she going to have :1 larger industrial base. An awful lot of evolve, work 10 the political advantage strong cabinet-led government . where the infrastruc ture has been badly of the Sand in istas. On:1 mini-scale. people like Mayorga playa ve ry sig neglected. Mrs. Chamorro faces the same nificant role? Of course, there are a lot of Ihings problems Gorbachev confronts. Both people could do if you paid them. One have to deli ver quickly. With U.S. help. Richardson: There is every reason 10 idea is 10 put some people to work build maybe she can. hope that she will succeed in keeping ing up the facilities for tourism. It's a he r foll owers' eyes focused steadil y on beautifu l country. Ripon Forum: Can she prooucechan the national interest. on ac hievi ng unity, ges? cooperation and the subordi nation of Ripon Forum: What effect will the petty and personal differences. The fact Chamorroelecti on have on El Salvador, Richardson: I do nOi think she can that UNO was kept together under great where leftist rebels ha ve been assisted
Ripon FOri/in , March /990 5 by or through the Sandinistas? Richardson: No. but staning with the cease to need the aut hori tarian ap Philippines in 1986 an in teresting paratus dem:lIlded by the effon to ap Richa rdson: I can't guess the kind of phenomeno n has bee n occurring. proximate its goals, Only the problems alternative weapons sources the Sal· Authoritarian. non·elected dictators associated with chaos could require the vadoran rebels might ha ve, nor how used to think they could maintain power reimposition of dictatorial rule. those weapons get there , The much indefini tel y. Automatic weapons. ar We must not forget either that the more signi ficant implication is that mored vehicles and modern com aspiration for democracy spri ngs from other countries can learn about achiev munications systems gave them great the human cond it ion itself: the need for ing po wer·sharing through the advantages over popular revoluti onary recognition and respect. a voice in mat democratic process, This is the first movements. ters that shape one's society. and oppor time power will change hands in But what the Philippines showed was tuni ties for self-fulfillment. Nicaragu:1 from an incumbent govern· that if enough people get out on the If governments that nuempl power street, their own countrymen won't fire sharing can create opportunities for A danger is rhar rhe U.S. upon them. They won't roll tanks over democratic self·expression alld meet them. basic goods and maintain order, they may nor rake responsibility should be nble to gain strength. The for building a srrucrural Ripon Furum: You think the same problem in Central America ·· and some phenomenon could occur in Cuba? parts of Latin America .- is that of framework for global breaking the domination of economic security. We need to Richardson: I don 't know to what ex oligarchies and building a middle class rep/a ce the strllcture te nt people in Cub a think that shares po litical and economic authoritarianism has brought equalit y in power. Thal's the hard pan. but it can creared by rhe demands of such things as access to health care and be e ncoura ged through inte lligent rhe Cold War. education. But we must al so think economic assistance. about the consequences for Cuba's economy when the Soviet Union turns Ripon Forum: Are you worried that men! to an opposition government. If off the flow of subsidies. the United Stlltcs is becoming the next NicaragUlI can do it, anybody can do it. United Kingdom? For example. after The holding of elections also gre woul Ripon Forum: You mentioned Ihat World War li the U.K. took 1I pass on of the Central American peace process thi !> e lection marks the first time rebuilding Europe through the Marshall launc hed by O scar Arias . The Ni c aragun has trans ferred powe r Plan and never regained its world icara guan outcome should be seen as peaceably. How optimisti c can we be leadership. Similarly, the U.S. is not lending new impetus to that process. that a tradition of pol iii cal tolerance can pUlling much public aid into Eastern develop? Europe and Central America. Is that Ripon Forum: Whm about Cuba? In dangerous? mid-Febru ary. the Central Committee Richardson: We can be optimistic. of Cuba's Communist Pany vowed to The official presence of the U.N.. the Richardson: There are three dangers. "perfect" IlS elf and reaffinned the OAS and Jimmy Carter helped develop The fi rst stems from a possible U.S. pany's comm ilmentto a one-pany sys communications among people at the failure to step up to the needs of emerg· tem. community level. In many regions, ing democracies. particularl y since there were re gular meetings between these needs grow out of an arrinnation Richardson: I don't think the members of the opposing p:lrties, And of our values. Indeed. our failure to do Nicaraguan example has any pecul iar during the last weeks of the campaign. so would imply the erosion of U.S. applicability to Cuba. as distinct from they met daily in some munici palities at leadership. the events in Eastern Europe. The laller eight a.m. A real fraternal or sororial Second, there is the danger that the changes have more pmctical s ig feeling developed among the party rep U.S. will not take the lead in creating or nificance for Cuba. BUI it's onl y a mat resentatives in the polling places. and I bolstering the institmions that will bere· ter of time before the Cub.1n situation suggested to a number of them that they qui red to address transnational issues. cracks open. have a reunion every February 25. These issues are beyond the capacit y of anyone nation to solve. Ripon Forum : Wh y? Cas tro Ripon Forum: But Foreign Policy The third danger is that we may nOl remains strong and he has resisted his editor Charles William Maynes argues lake responsibility for building a struc allies' changes abroad. that with the exception of Costa Rica, tural framework for global security. We we've on ly had "facade democracies" need 10 replace the structure created Richardson: So did Nico laus in Central America. Socan we really be during the prolonged stalemate brought Ceaucescu. optimisti c about developing democratic about by superpowe r competition. traditions in s uc h countries as These three interrelated cha llenges Ripon Forum: But Ceaucescu wasn't Nicaragun? demand U.S. leaderShip. I earnestly surrounded by his brother and hi s hope we wi ll prov ide that ·- for our sake brother's strong intern al supponers. Richardson: Yes. because when you and the world 's sake. • abandon the ideals of communism, you
6 Ripon Forum . March 1990 South Africa: Of Gods and Men lead th e black ANC delegation to by Terrence M. O'Sulli va n The position being raken Pretoria. In addition. he is the only per son who can heal the violent seven-year small miracle occurred recenlly in by de Klerk' s ruling rift between ANC and Zulu Ch ief Gat A South Africa. Nationalist Party is that sha BUlhelezi's Inkatha movement. No, il was not the leg .. 'i z3tion by constitutional reform mList From the pe rs pective o f man y Frederick de Kl erk 's white government moderate and liberal whites. Mandela's of "banned" groups such as th e African include protection of release W3S seen 3S necessary. Contrary National Congress -- nor even the "minority rights. " The to some opinions. most whites do release of Ne lso n MandeJa and believe that Ihe system cannot cominue numerous other anti-apanhe id pol itical question is, what they will as it is. and that change must occur. prisoners. All of those measures were mean by that? Most will re gard recent events with highly encouraging and necessary nervous anti cipation: their greatesl fear preconditions for negotiations towards blacks in general. and the fears of South is Ihat they will be overwhelmed by a a new political order in South Africa. Africa's white minority. black majority out for revenge. ;md On Ihe contrary, South Africa's small. But. from the day of his release. he has most know in thei r heart s that a lack of tenuous miracle is Nelson Mandela demon s trat ed the same poli ti cal progress will only increase the chances himself. Rcg:udless of the 27 year-old shrewdness he possessed three decades of that occurring. mythology that has built- up around the ago. On the one hand. by stating a posi The position thus being taken by de man si nce his imprison ment in 1962, lion of uncompromising faithfulness to Klerk's ruling Nat ionalist Party is that Mandela is not ademi -god. But. as it has Ihe ANC -- repeatingly insisting in in constitutional reform must include become apparent since hi s long-awaited terviews. that what he wanted was nOi protection of "minorit), rights." The release in February. he is some thing as important as what the ANC wa l1led question. of course. is what they will much bener: a skilled politician. of him -- he has both ensured his po l mean by thm? Larger than life. yes, especially in the itical base and enabled himself 10 ri se Nelson Mandela is a pragmatist. he eyes of most blacks -- but reputation above some of the significant strains has clearl y stated that South Africa is for alone would not have been able to sus within Ihe organization. all ils citizens. regardless of race. He tai n even Nelson Mandela on the dif One of these strains exists hetween will thus be likely to strike a politicall y fi cult road ahead. While his influence is ANC members who belong 10 the South viable bargain without being seen as sei indisputably tremendous. the expecta African Communist Party. which. until li ng ou\. F. W. de Klerk is counting on tions of him are similarly very great, and its v;nual abandonmem last year by the this for his own political survival. Many fully capable of causing a lesser man to Soviets, had been firmly in loc kstep whi tes instinctively realize that Nelson collapse under their weight. But after w i th Moscow, and old guard Mandela is their greatest hope for politi hi s years away from soc iety and nationalists like Mandela. Another is cal sal vation. and. though he wi )) still poli ti cs. which have changed sig between hardliners and moderates. The need to proceed diplomatic:llly to nificantly. Mandela has demonstrated fomler advocate cont inued violence solidify cred ibility among whites. the that he is the ri ght man -- possibly the against the state by the ANC's military black leader has shown himself quile only man -- for s hepherding hi s wing. Umkhonto wi Sizwe. and are un capable of doi ng that. The man. in sum, countrymen toward a peaceful end to will ing to take Frederick de Kl erk up on is the first black leader in SOUlh African apartheid. And for that. South Africans his offer of negotiations ulllil the six history to have the potential for a sig of all races should give thanks. year state of emergency is lifted and nificantl y multi-racial majori ty fol low It will not be an easy task. of course. apartheid largely aboli shed. mg. Mandela musl tread a delicate line be As evidem:.:ed from its March 2nd Meanwh il e. white backlash is an ever tween the often conflicting hopes and s tateme nt. the ANC' s le ade rs hip present concern for all would -be desires of hi s ANC colleagues. and coalesced around Mandela's moderate negotiators. The white Conservative posi ti on ve ry quick ly. Its 35-member Party is outraged by de K lerk 's refonns. Terrence M . O·SIt/lil'an . a Ripon national executive commillee appointed But the Conservatives do not constitu F arum edi/MilJ/ board mf'mber. is cur Mandela as deputy president, second ti onall y have the power to foree an elec relll/\' (J doctoral slIIdenr ill illfernalioll only to the ailing current president. tion until at least 1994. This gives de al r~/lJlioll!j 01 Ille UII/l"ersiIY of Oliver Tambo. The question of actual Klerk and Mandela some breathing Solltllerl1 Cab/omia. He recen,ly com succession ofT;lmbo is actually a moot space during which they may construct pleted his masters degree in Africa/! one: he and Mandela are both o ld and se ll -- a political compromise. StluJies m UCLA, and he Irave/ed to friends. and whether or not Tambo Mandela is in a unique posi tion. The SOIllIl Africa ill 1986 for research as a recovers. Mandela wi ll undoubtedly world holds its breath. • Mark O. Ha tfield Scholar.
Ripon FOri/fl!. March 1990 7 EDITORIALS The ''Peace Dividend" and the New National Priority: Learning to "Just Say No"
he post-Cold Waf er:! into which federal programs do not hungril y con would create new business investment freedom-lov ing East Europeans sume the potcntial dcfense sav ings and in plant and equipment. as well as in T (and Nicaraguans) arc thrusting if the Federal Reserve cooperates." crellse both productivit y and housing us presents as milny challenges as it Of cou rse, it cannot be assumed that constru ction . (A "personal" peace does rewards. if we can be somber Congress will restrain ilSelf. The dividend would be realized. too: ifinter IOned about it al l. But for starlers. Ict's Democratic-led insti tution is unlikely to eSI ra tes fe ll by two percentage points, celebrate the victory. exercise the necessary disci pl ine to buyers cou ld s:lve $ I.IXX) a year on a America's steady stand against com "just say no" to wonhy spending re $50.000 mortgage.) munism over the I:I SI 45 years is an ac quests fo r infrustructu re improvemcnt. complishment for which this nati on can drug abuse, job dislocmion costs and THE GOP AND DOMESTIC and should be proud. Our constant but housing progra.ms, among other items. ISSUES nOl inexpensive suppon for NATO and the Western alliance is an example of he "just say no" approach does not how publ ic spending has worked. Any savillgs from a T mean th e GOP should ig nore Yet in the wa ke of the Eastern bloc' s "peace dividelld" mllst be "quality of life" issues. Education. demi se. new choices abou t national housing. environment and transpona priorities demand debate. The decisions used/or deficit redllctioll. tion issues are among key concerns for we face now are as imponant as those That task may IlOt be politi- all Americans. con fronted at the end of World War II. Republicuns should not let DemOCl"'J.ts cally easy, bill it is /UI1- beat them to the punch on these issues. SELECTING PRIORITIES damemally sound. A GOP stT:l tegy does not require exces sive budget reord ering either. hi s scenario is truc. eve n if For example, look at transponmion. If The Bush administration will thus be T prudence dict:lIes U.S. intemation the Bush administration is successful in placed in the unfonunate but correct a l responsibilities be maintained forcing Congress to apply the coming position of controlling domestic spend momenturily at Cold Wlir levels. In "peace di vidend" to reducing the ing -- at least for the foreseeable fUlure . evitubly. U.S. global defense commit federal deficit, the hu ge federal high This role is never envi:lble, us you ma y ments will be lessened lind the savings way and airport trust fu nds (S 16 billion recall the troubles Gernld Ford ran into -- known on Cupitol Hill as the "pcace and $7 billion, respecti vely) now used being the "veto presidenl." dividend" -- will force our hand in to m:lsk the defi cit could be released. So the udmini stration must argue for selecting prioriti es. The funds would be an important step in cefully -- and with an adequllle public Put specificall y. wi ll we apply the $60 improving roads, bridges. sewers, air relations c:lmpaign -- thm deficits arc bi llion or more of sllv ings over the nex t pons and maintenance. (The trust funds enemy number one. If the administ!"'J. few years to defi cit reduction, domestic would also be replenished through ex lion needs some arguments, consider spending or cuning tuxes? To us, the isti ng ta xes, so the accounts would most compelling case is for de fi cit again Brinner's remarks: "Lower !"'J.tes, remain current.) in !Urn. would cut the the defici t furthcr reduction. Republicans al so have marketable and a vi nuous cycle can be initiated," he Consider the recent remarks to the ideas about housing. Housing and told Congress. "Specifically. by the end Joint Economic Committee by Roger Urban De ve lopment Secretary Jack of the century. annual federal interest Brinne r o f DRI/McGraw-Hill. lin Kemp is asking fo r $2. 15 billion in payments could be red uced by about econom ic cons ult ing firm . Last federal funds over the next three years $100 bi llion or 0.8 percent of the gross December Brinner told the Committee to cnable tenants to purchase their nalional product: the combination could that if military spending is reduced by public housing units. This request is in swing the federal budget from a de ficit Defense Secretary Richard Cheney's addition to $50 millio n for urban of 3 percent of GNP today to a surplus suggesti on of $ 180 bill ion in cuts in the homesteading projects. extended lUX of 0.3 percent." increase over the next three years. the credits for construction and rehabilita Other multiplier factors wo uld also savings would "drive interest rates tion of affordable low income housing. come into plll Y. Lower interest rates down considerably. assuming other and housing opponunity 7..o nes.
8 Ripon Forum. March /990 10 assess the likelihood of global warnl VllIilthe Democratic Con ing through ozone depletion. the The "just say I/O" ap administration's commitment to secur gress gels serious about ing a Clean Air bill -- as demonstrated proach doesn't mean the reJorming middle and by its March I agreemem wi th Senate COP should ignore leaders -- is important. The bill will have upper class entitlement teeth. and its passage sho uld help re "quality oJlife" issues. programs, or pushing Jar a slOre the GOP'!> environmental image. Education, housing, ell greater sharing oj deJense The administration is also proposing vironment and transporta changes on several o ther environment burdens, real budget shifts fronls. The National Oceanic AtnlOS tion issues are among key conl/ot occur. pheric Administration is receiving a 35 concerns/or all Americans. percenl budget increase for 199 1: fund The tenant management program. ing for wetlands research , protection been promoted here before. real budget known as Homcownership and Oppor and enhancement will increase by 24 shifts cannot occur. !Unity for People Everywhere (HOPE). percent; and thc administmtion 's $175 For instance, by limiting to 60 percent is a particularly compassionate use of million effort to plant one billion trees the yearly cost-of-living adjustments government. Owning private property on pri vate lands and 30 mi ll io n trees on for middle and upper class recipients of e nhances personal esteem and in public property is not as hokey as it may Social Security and federal and military dividual responsibility. [t also provides sound. Reforestation is important to pensions. S 100 billion in savings could minority groups economic power. combating global wanning. be reali zed annually by the year 20Cl0. The Bush administration is seeking Likewise. by urging the Westem allies fu ll funding. 100. for the Stewart Mc ENTITLEMENT REFORMS AND and Japan to spend four percent of their Kinney Homeless Assistance Act. This BURDEN-SHARING gross national product on defense. the legis lation is a res ult of the lale U.S. could save $60 billion annually. o be sure. the charge Ihat these congressman's -- and Ripon Congres These not insignificant savings could programs only touch the periphery sional Advisory Board member's - T be applied to serious domestic issues. of real problems is not wi thout merit. work on behalf of the homeless. The In the meantime. any savings from a But the "not-enough" complaint can't $8 19 million sought by the administra "pcace di vidend " must be used for be levied at just the administration or tion for fi sc:.! year 1991 will be used 10 deficit reduction. That task may not be Republicans. help the indigent secure housing. food. politically easy. but it is fundamentally Utllil the Democratic Congress gets job training. physical and mental health sound. • serious about refonning middle and care. and drug and alcohol abuse Ireal upper class entitlement programs. suc h men!. as was suggeMed in these pages last Allhough Governor No. John Sununu. December by fomler Cabinet Secretary may have convinced the president th:1I Pete Peterson, or pushing for a greater more study -- and less action -- is needed sharing of defense burdens. which has
Of course. that Bob Byrd even agreed ready weakened his position on auto THE CLEAN AIR BILL to participate. after years of obstructing emissions, he must not let the Michigan The compromise agreement reached movement toward lower coal sulfur lawmaker dr.!w him into more com in early March between Senate leaders dioxide levels. is mysterious. The promise. and the Bush administration on the senior legislator is notorious for giving On the political fronL the Senate's Clean Air ACI provides thc Environ up little. So wi ll his compromises on agrcement involved several key Ripon mental Protection Agency strong new c lean-up costs for high sulfur coal. members. including Sena tors John tools in fighting air pollution. At least. which is found in West Virginia. be Chafee. James Jeffords and Dave that's what the administration and con valid? Are there any unknown back Durenberger. This is wonh noting, be gressionalleaders contend. and they're room sacrifices made to get his agree cause progressive Republicans played a mostly right. ment? pivotal role in merging envi ronmental On the proccduml side, the bi ll repre The full Senate'S debate on Clean Air demands with business interests. sents progress. During the I 980s. Con should resul t in a measure by the end of Toooften, environrnenta li s L~ and busi- gress bickered about the Clean AirbiU's March. Then attention will tum to the ness leaders c lash. Only through renewal and thc Reagan administration I-I ouse of Representatives, where the mediating their disputes. such as was ignored it. Now major players like powerful John Dingel!. a Democrat advocated by Mark O. Hatfield Scholar West Vi rginia Democratic Senator from Detroit. controls the bill's debatc Roben Ward in the September 1989 Robert Byrd, the coal industry's most through his Energy and Commerce Forum, can rea l c hange occur. loyal supporter. are coming to the table. Committee. Progressive RepUblicans like Chafee. George Bush deserves some credit for Auto emission standards are essential Jeffords and Durenberger make this this progress by making the environ to Dingell . [n particular. he likes low contribution by bringing opposing sides ment an issue in 1988. standards. Since George Bush has al- together. •
Ripon ForuIII. March /990 9 Creating A Free World Fund defense annually while Japan spends by Steven B. Klinsky CHANGING ROLES under $30 billion and West Gennany spends even less. As a resulr, America ecent fundamental changes in Inevitably. the role of the twO super is staggering under a budget deficil and world politics require parallcl powers are also chan ging and clear thi s budgct de fi ci t, through the changes in the structure of the thinking is required 10 manage Ihal R tautological magic of economic defini Western all iance and the United States' change effecti vely. The Soviel Union ti ons, produces a trade deficit. The twin role in it. A broader viewpoi nt and a has managed its own affairs poorly, deficits drive the United Stales toward more balanced shnring of burdens and maintaining the prctenseofinvincibility unilateml anns cuts. cuts in foreign aid, pri vileges among th e leading Free unlil it became economically bankrupt trade wars, bans on foreign investmcnt World nations arc nceded. A new "Free and forced to release power in aconvul and xenophobia. American weakness, Worl d Fund" 10 fi nance shared goals sive rush. The Unitcd States govern in turn, compels the Japanese and fairly would be one key inSlitution in ment owes a responsibility to it s citizens Europcans to conside r indcpendent achieving these objectives. to conduct its affairs more successfull y. Any sound American allied diplomatic policy must begin wi th the Any sound American 0/· following bilsic proposition. America. The institution most lied diplomatic policy mllst Weste rn Europe and Japan arc now needed to establish and im begin with the followillg three parts of onc whole • Cil l! it the plemeJ1lthe alliance's "Free World" or even. geography aside. basic proposition. "West." We th ree are unified by a com· priorities is a common America. Western Europe mitment to democr..l.cy and to private fllnd, joilllly finallced alld capitalism. We own each others com and Japan are now three panies and produce each others goods. mallaged by the Free parts of olle whole - call it We consume thc same products, wear World notiolls. Thefllnd the "Free World" or evell, the same clothes, w:ll ch the same wOllld collect volllntary movies, advance the same technologies, geography aside, "West." lend and borrow thc s:tme capital and comributionsfrom each na- .. .{We are] lInified by a depend on the same military defenses. tioll based 011 its GNP. commitmel1f to democracy America cannot survive without Japan and Europe. Europe cannot survive foreign policy initiatives pointed in · (Jnd to private capitalism. without America and Japan. Japan can evi tably toward non-alignment. which nOt s urvive without Europe and tear at the Free World's fabric. The world may appc;tr to be shifting America. haphazardly in recent months, but it is The second proposition of a sound al NEW PRIORITES more appropriate to say that it is heal lied diplomacy is this. The Free World ing . The devastation wrought by World is faced by certain challenges whic h are Priorities must be set 10 reverse this War II left an unnaturalnrrangement of larger than the interests of any sing le na process. placing today's issues in their two mi litary superpowers •. the U.S. tion. Principal among these challenges proper and larger context. It does and the Soviet Union •• and many are the Wesl's relations with the Soviet America no good to force open Japanese decimlllcd or captive Slales. In thc half Un ion. Eastern Europe and the Third rice markets. for example. if the result century since World War II .a more nor· World. Equally important are the or is to drive a pro-Western Japanese mal di stribution of wealth and power ganizational issues which arise when government out of power. And it is no has reasserted ilself. The Warsaw Pact th c interests of thc Free World's solution to have a pacifictJ:ipan eschew nations and Baltic Slales are regaining sovereign nat ions are coordinated into military spending in favor of foreign aid their freedom. Gennany has recovered the needs of the largcr whole; issues when the Free World's foreign aid costs economicall y·. al leaSI in the West - such as burden sharing. tmde barriers are less than one-twenti eth of ilS and seems destined to reunify. Japan has and currcncy exchange Tates. securit y costs. regained the t.'Conomic success due to an If Amcrica. Europe and Japan do not Similarly, a workable supranational industrious nation. Europe is again an conscious ly work together 10 :tddress institution is needed to address thi s area. importanl political force. these largerchaJlengcs.then the West's Today. the United Nations is too broad responses will develop haphazardly and and diverse a rorum for discussion of dangerously. This is the unfortunate specific allied concerns. Existing allied institutions. such as NATO, are too nar Sle\'ell 8 . Klimky is (I IIIl'ml)el" of tile state of affairs today. Now. the U.S. RitJOII Porum i'ditorial bo(mJ. spends $300 billion on Free World row . Mi litary fundi ng issues must be to Ripon FOl"llm. March 1990 joined wit h civil issues. Atlantic con and explicit. TIle disciplines of interna cerns must be joined wi th Pacilic ones. Th e Jund would restore tional opinion and national honor will The insti tution most needed to estab be brought into play. In addi tion. a li sh and implement the alliance's some measure oj/airness division between fundi ng and actual in priorities is a common fund. jointly in Free World burden shar volvement will be established. Japan. li nanced and managed by the Free for example. cannot consti tut ionally Wo rl d nat ions. The fun d wou ld collect ing, particularly benefit part icipate in the Persian Gulf task force voluntary contributions from each na ting overburdened even tho ugh Japan would be the pri n tion b..1scdon its GNP and channel those America. ThisJairer allaca c ipal benefic iary. However, Japan fund s into projects which are unani could not help but participate in the mously considered to furt her Free tioll would result in a funding of such an enterprise. World interests. For example. assume reduced U.S. budget Fifth. the c om mon fu nd would all the all ies agree that a naval task force strengthe n the concept of the Free should be sent to protect oil shi pments deficit, more stable curren World as a whole. The perceived in the Persilm Gulf. Money would be cy exchange rates and dichotomy between the U.S. as a collected by the fund from each nation reduced trade tensions. mi litary nation and Europe/Japan as
TO: T HE EI)ITO RS phi losophy Ihat speaks 10 the needs of sumption of this position. without any RE: REAC HI NG O UT : ABOR our nation and pany. Rhetoric about consultation with the geneml member TION POLITICS pragmatic solutions and accommodat shi p. would appear as a direct rebuke to ing various views arc val id. but not a those Ripon Rcpubl icanssuch as myself The review by Dale Curtis of "The coherent program. We must defin e our and congressionn l moderates Da vid Declin e and Fall of the Liberal selves finnl y :ls Republicans wi th a fun Dure nberger. Tom Petri. Silvio Conte Republicans" (Ripon Forum Septem damentally conserviltive philosophy of i1nd Mark Hatfield who regard legalized ber. 1989) underscores the need for governmentas Ihe junior part ner 10 the abort ion as an assault on the most basic Ripon Republicans to both assess and private sector but wilh :I progressive human right to lifc. It also is n fai led op defi ne ourselves. From the historical as empha sis on :1 responsible inler portun ity to initiute a reasoned discus sociation with Wa ll Street and corponlle nationalism. civi l rights. the env iron sion on this mosl divisive issue and so intrests to the most recent hungering for ment and:l refonniSI good-government perhaps chart new ground and policy the '"yuppie" vote. GOP moderates have agenda. proposals. an activity well within not generall y been known for building On anolher front. as a member-at Ripon's mission. bridges to ethn ics. Catholics and un ion large of the Ripon Society I must strong These thoughts arc perhaps a bit wide members. If we rea listically seek elec ly protest the adoption of an "abortion ranging bUI are offered in the hope that toral success, we must re:lch OUI. nO! rights" resolution by the Ripon Nmion the y might generate discussion. • only as Republican progressives but as al Executive Committee and subsequent Republican populists. le tter re-affirming that fa ct in the Jeff Vogt This means having a liml and clear December. 1989 Ripon For um. The as- Dunki rk. New York
Ripon Forum. Morch /990 /I Responses to President Bush's National Transportation Policy 011 March 8, Transportation the same. Nor are they we ll served by Secretary Samllel Skinner released the proposals to raise user fees for non Blish administratio,,' s long-awaited transportation purposes. such as deficit policy all rellewi 1/8 America' s (ral/spoT' reduction. /lilian capacities. Al/hough careflilly The most effective means of pUlling 1101 /abelnJ (I "1}lon," ill order to allay trust fund dollars to work would be to collservmil'l' critics' fear of big gover,,· remove these funds from the Unified ment. Skinner's slralegy is rhe mas/ im Budget. Efforts to do that have been ponan' tralls/JOrlOlioll stalemel1l sim:e made in the past several congresses and Dwight Eisenhower 1(IIlIIchi'li the illfer are expected to continue. In any event, state highway program ill /956. in my judgment. public acceptance of In (Jnricipario/l oflhe (U/minisrrlllio,,' S higher user fees is tied to the fu ll expen proposals. the Ripon Society sponsored diture of what is already avail able. [our policy break/ast //Iee/ings last fall olllrallsportaliOll, Ripon chairman Wil Ripon Forum: During a lime of liam Clinger. liS wefl (IS key at/millisf/"ll fedeml deficits. when budgets must be rioll represemotil'eJ. addressed such cOlllrolled. how do we encourage in topic~; as airport maillfellollce, ill vestments in transportation infrastruc !raSlrIICIIII'(! repair (lIId increased "user pose. wh ich is to make capital improve ture? For example, given the expected fees ... ments to these transportation systems. growth of aviation in the future. how do We continlle Ihl' debate by presel/lillg Unquestionably, public support for we maintain existing faci lities and below rel)lil's from four key user fee-financing in transportation has develop new ones? Repllblicalls to qllestions abOllt IIII' endured in great measure due to the ex admillistration',f strategy. Representa cellenl track record of our transporta tives JollI/ Palll Nammerschmidl and tion truSt funds in support of the nation's Bill Clinger. rl'.tpectil·ely. are the tll'O highway and aviation programs. top-ranking Rc/mblicalls 011 the HOllse However, there will be grent reluc PI/blic Works ami Transportation Com tance to increase user fees. even though millet'. ConNre.fSwomall Nallc), justified on the basis of needs, until we JOhllSOIl is a member of the tax-writing spend those fees current ly being col HOllsl Ways alld MI'(/IIS COlllmill(!('. lected. Senlllor John Dal/forth is the se"ior Unfortunately. we lire having greal Republican 0" the Senate Commerce. difficully in putt ing trust fund dollars to Scil'lIce {lIld Transportatiofl Commi tiel'. work. A major part of the problem is the Alld Senator Mark O. Haifield is the continued practice of usi ng highway ranking Republicall 01/ the Sellate Ap and aviation trust fund balances. now propriations Commillee. totaling $26 billion. to mask the true deficit in the general fund. This practice Ripon Forum: The presidenl's 1990 was started by President Johnson when John Danforth transponatioJl s trategy calls for in he placed all trust funds in the Unified creased "user fees" to fund various Budge t and has been continued by every transportmion projects. What user fees administration since then. Danforth: We have tremendous air are moS t likely to be accepted by the Not only is this practice hamlful to pon needs. More people are traveling by public? To what purposes should they transportation programs. it also breaks air today than ever before. [n just the last be put? faith with those who pay the user fees four yeaTS. passenger traffic has increas for the expressed purpose of improving ed over 30 percent. In order to keep up Hammerschmidt: The American our tr..lJl sportation systems. After nOI with the demand. we need to expand ex people have demonstrated time and having their taxes spent for the purpose isting airports and build new ones. time again their support on a broad basis for which they were collected. the The problem. as you point out. is for av iation and highway user fees when traveling public can hardly be expected money. One approach is to allow local the fees are used for their intended pur- toembrace proposals promising moreof :lirpon authorities to impose charges on
12 Ripon FOrllm. March 1990 airline passengers who use their has endorsed the idea of allowing local systcm is a good example. facili ties. It is an approach that seems to aUlhorities 10 levy charges on pas Local leaders art' taking into account be gaining favor with the adm inist ..... • sengers who use the airport. In fact, he current population needs. future growlh tion. would not restrict it to concentrated air patterns and cost-effectiveness. This In tenns of airpon needs. consider ports. Similarly. President Bush, in his isn't easy. of course. But when com these facls: Denver is engaged in the fi scal 1991 budgct request, proposed munity leaders have been successful in con.~truction of a new airport which will that Congress move forward in this area. balancing these needs. and in develop cost in excess of $2 billion. Lambert-St. Thc president has urged Ihat increased ing a strong base of local support. Lo ui s International Airpon soon will local authority be linked with a reduc they've been able to win suppon from need a third pa ..... llel runway. The cost tion in federal airport funding. state and fedcral officials. could be as much as a billion dollars. I think Congress wi ll act. Thi s ap Chicago O'Hare and Chicago Midway proach to funding airport construction is Ripon Forum: The Bush admin are totally congested. There is a press consistent with federali sm. reduces istration's transponation plan says the ing need for a new airpon in the area. re liance on the federal government. and government should spend the aviation The estimated cost of such a facility is puts the burden of financing directly on and highway trust fund balances "over 3.5 billion. 11,ere is growing discussion the beneficiary of airport services. time in a fi scally responsible way:' As of Ihe need for a new "jelpon" in Ihe suming these ex:pendilUres occur, and Phoenix-Tucson area 10 relieve conges the nearly $26 billion in trust fund tion in Ihat region. which includes monies for aviation and highways are no SOUlhern Cali forn ia. The estimated longer used to mask the deficit. how can pri ce is $1 billion. These needs are over these funds be spent crealively? and IIbove routine airpon capi tal needs. The federal government is spending Clinger : The Aviation Trust Fund. approximately $ 1.35 billion per year on wi th a balance of $7 billion, and the airport expansion. This money comes Highway Trust Fund, with a balance of from an av iation !rust fund comprised of $16 billion, represent ahuge resource of revenues from taxes on passenger ti ck funding to improve and expand our ets, aviation fuel and freight. There is I works. However, thi s money presently a reserve of about $7 billion in on a cash basis but rather this trust fund. But even if every cent that comes into Ihe trust fund we re spent by Ihe Con gress, airpon needs would continue to exceed fiscal resources. These tremendous needs led Senator Ripon forum: You have served as John McCai n (R-AZ) and me to intro both governor and scnUlor. so how like duce legislation which. among other ly is it that states will bearresponsibility things, would give some airpons a new for improving the nalion's infrastruc fi scal resource. S. 1741, the Airline ture? The president'S policy calls for Competition Enhancement Act of 1989. "increasing the share of projcct COSIS incorporates an approach that is simple paid by the recipients of federal aid for and straightforward: allow highly con transportation." centnlted airpons. those dominated by a single airline. to impose a surcharge on Hatfield : We could help states by Bill Clinger passenger tickets to fund new construc shifting federal spending priorities. This lion. Not only would Ihis relieve pres means putting less into the Pentagon. sure on the aviation trust fund, but new which would free up federal resources has been borrowed by the Treasury to construe!ion at these airpons would for transportation projects. But state and suppon general government operations. provide room for new competition to local governments will be most respon 1.0.U.·s presently fill the two funds and enter -- a real need. considering Ihal the sive when IOC111 constituencies are for us to begin spending down Ihe balan Depanmenl ofTransponation estimates crealed in suppon of increased transpor ces, the Treasury would have 10 borrow thaI passengers depaning from highly tation investments. The same, by the on the pu bl ic markets to repay their concentrated airports pay an avemge way. can be said about the federal nOles. Ofcoursc.this would significant premium in ex:cess of 18 percent. The government's role. ly add to the deficit. sodeficil reduction revenues that could be raised by such an This isn't 10 say that emphasis on local is necessary to begin using these funds. approach are substantial. A locally im s upport isn't occuring. Some The trust funds can be best used iflhey posed charge of four percent per ti cket municipalities are already preparing are operated as originally intended. at Lamben-St. Louis International Air their regions for the coming century. In They arc self-s ustaining. having an port would yield income of ap my home state of Oregon, we have a identifiable revenue source and a prox:imately $40 million per year. variety of projects where local officials specific purpose. Users of our highways Transportation Secretary Sam Skinncr are taking Ihc k:ad. Ponland's light-rail and lIirpons are. in cffee!. paying for
Ripoll Porum. March 1990 13 services th rough the gas and airpon wou ld be avoided. Mi litary airfields thm EXCERPTS FROM THE taxes. However, because of the way the are dose to metropoli tan areas could be BUSH TRANSPORTA federal budget is calc ulated. th e used to handle all-cargo and gener.ll trustfunds do nothing bu t make the aviation nights, thus freeing up capacit y TION POLICY deficit look sma ller. It is imponant that at the main commercial fie ld. these funds be un shack led from the -- Increase the share of project Unified Budget. and freed fro m Ripon Forum: The president's March costs paid by the recipients of Gramm-Rudman constrain ts. If this 8 transportation statement calls for federal aid for transportation, does not happen. the transponation trust transponation research activities to be -- Spend transportation trust fund will continue to represent a fonn of revitalized and that we ·'need a renewed fund balances over time in a fiscal taxation for which li ttle or no benefi ts focus on innovation and technology:' Iv responsible way. are received. But how do we provide incentives to . -- Assure that transportation It is possi ble that the trust fund can do private companies in panicular to par users bear the maximum practical more for the American publ ic if protec ticipate in transponm ion research ;tnd and appropriate share of the costs ti ons are bui lt in to insulllle them from development? As you know. this is es of services and facilities. budget gimmickry. People have shown sential to our international competitive- -- Continue efforts to increase a willingness to pay user talles, provided private sector involement in they are assured that t;.xes collccted are transportation where practical being spent as advenised. If we con and in the public interest, includ tinue with policies to admin istcr thc ing high-speed rail, mass transit funds, then th is willingness to pay could operations, airports, air traffic casily erode. . control towers at low-activity air Finall y, ifwedoovercomc the barners ports. toll roads and bridges. and to fu lly using these trust funds. we need intermodal facilities_ to be creative in our appro..1.ch. Cenain -- Assure effective screening or Iy straight funding of programs nceds to passengers and cargo at interna be a priority. but by encouraging user tional airports to prevent ter fee projects. guaramccing loans and rorism in the skies_ other measures, we could Icverage -- Develop improved and more federal dollars int o more than the consistent contingency planning present levels of the funds. procedures to respond to oil spills, in connection with state, local, and Ripon Forum: How do you cn regional officials, courage pri vate capital investment in -- Increase the federal transpor tation budget for research and tr.lIlsponation projects, such as high Johnson: The renewed commitment speed rail de velopment. closed military technology projects. incoordina to research and development is indeed a tion with t.he efforts of private in facilities or in fra structure improvc significant part of the administration's ment? dustry, the academic community transponation appro:.ch. But the private and state and local governmenls, sector can·t be the only resource or -- Recover a higher portion of Clinger: In;t world of emergi ng world .~ ou rce of expert ise. The fedcr:ll govern peace ;md shrink ing defense force, it program cosls from user fees and ment must also provide guidance to en increase the size or federal avia only seems prude nt that we use some of sure that resources arc applied intel our fonner mili t;try bases for civilian tion programs, ligent ly. This includes being involved -- Provide for implementing the purposes. Mili t;try airfie lds. closed and with such high-tech innovations as active, represent the cheapest and best National Airspace System Plan high-speed rail. as we ll as day-to-da y and installing a new generation of source of new capacit y for our civilian projects like bener highway exi t ramps. transponation network. This is especial air traffic control. Today's R&D budgct will detennine -- Make use of the Highway ly true because many airficlds are the effectiveness of tomorrow's presently used at Tates far below their Trust Fund to address critical lransponation systems. highway infrastructure require capacit y. Contrast thi s with the crowded Also, let"s not forgct the most impor commercial airpons that are becoming ments. tant application of R&D: safety. The -- Provide federal funding incen a problem th roughoUithe nation. horror of the Nimitz freeway collapse To convcn airfields to joint use with tives for preservation of highways. during last year 's Loma Prieta -- Increase Ihe state and local civil traffic is much less expensive than eanhquake should serve as a reminder bui lding an entirely ncw commercial share of fed eral-aid projects. 10 transponation policy planners of the -- Restructure the federal mass airpon. Military f:.cilities might n:quire imponance of adequate R&D prior to the construction of separ.ne taxI ways transportation assistance construction. Basic research. thoughtful programs to improve effectiveness and tenninal buildings to handle com planning and thorough inspection arc mercial traffic, but huge costS like land and reduce reliance on the essential to a safe and re liable Irunspor- General Fund. • acqui si tion. construction of c~n.l~ol lalion systelll. towers and crash :ll1d rescue facdHl es •
/4 Ripoll Forum, March 1990 Ripon Soctety Policy Calendar The Ripon Society regularly holds issue seminars in Washington D.C. Since last Come Join the Ripon Soc iety and fa ll the Society has spon It s Congressional Advisory Board in Honoring sored eight breakfast meetings on subjects of growing impor Rudolph Giuliani tance: trans portation and the With the Fourlh Annual Jacob K. lavits environment. Below are list Public Excellence Award ings of speakers and subjects:
D:ue: Apri l 30. 1990 Place: Tower Suite. Time-Life Building. New York Ci ty Nov. 14 - Congressman Bill Ti me: 6p.m. recepti on. 7p.m. dinner Clinger discussed mergers and Tickets: $400 per Person. $4.000 per Table ofTen acquistions in the airline in duslry . Nov. 2 1 - Thomas Larson, adminstrator of the Federal Highway AdminiSIr.uion. dis cussed the future of federal highway policy. STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP, MANAGEMENT AND CIRCULATION Nov. 28 - Gilben Car michael, administrator of the I.Tillc of PubllcallOn: Ri pon Forum, 2. I)",c of Filing: ~"vemb"" 25. 19~9. J. ",<:qutn- Federal Railway AdminiSlra C) of l"»t>. B, ·Morllhly. 3a. Nurnbcrof h suc' Publi,1>ed Annually: 5. 3b. Annual Subcnp lion Pti«-: S2S .00. -l. Complele MalionG Addw., of lho Kno .... " OffICe of Publlcllion: 6 tion, discussed the Staggers Library Coun. S.EJWa$hrnglon D.C. 2000), S. Comple'" MaIling Addr.$. oflhe Head A c t. whi c h effects rail quaners of GeM",,1 BuSlRCS< OffICes of Lht PllbI.).!w:r: 6 L."brary Coun, S.EJWa>hinglQl'l D.C 20003. 6 Full Names and Complete Ma.hna Addr=lofPubh>h
Ripon Forum. MlIrcll1990 /5 Bruce Gelb: Voicing America been doing for 35 years." Through by W illiam P. McKenzie radio. scholarships, speakers bureaus and television programs, USIA has dward R. Murrow puzzled his helped "open the doors of freedom." journalistic friends when he ac But some people. even wi th in our own E cepted John F. Kennedy's offer government. Gelb says, may consider to head the Un ited States Infaonation this work "soft." Yet aren't human ex Agency in 196\. As A.M. Sperber c hanges. especially involving wri tes in ;' Murrow: His Life and academics. essential to c hangi ng Times," for the veteran CBS newsman societies? "'They're] about as soft as it was "".a lillIe li ke learning to walk all Vaclav Havel," Gelb c];lims, refe rring over again." to the new Czechoslovaki::Ul prime min Bruce Gclb. George Bush's pick to ister who came here in the 19605 on an head US IA. will not necessarily have to academic exchange. learn to "walk all over again." The New According to the former business ex Y ork businessman has served as execu ecutive. his agency's work is as impor tive vice president of BrislOl Myers and tant today as it was at its incepti on. For president ofClairol. So conceivably his instance, the USIA is helping people in Gelb points o ut that during the Cold training has provided him managerial emerging democracies learn how to as War's most "frosty" points, such ex insights. semble their governments. In facl. the changes continued. He thc n reminds a The new US IA director may need such questions Gelb faces on tr.1vels abroad visitor that it is, again, easier to invest in abilities. however, as he walks into the are very basic: How do you establish a "intellectual capital" than military as new area of media operations. USIA party? What does a political party do? sistance. manages Voice of America. WoridNet And what are these Roberts' Rules of Considerthe drug war, Gelb says. Like satellite television. the Fulbright Fel Order? Paul Revcre, the US IA can be out warn lowship program and various cultural During his first year, Gelb's journeys ing listeners about the problems as and educational exchanges. As Gelb put have taken him to Eastern Europe, the sociated with drug usc. it during a recent interview. the agency Middle East, South America and Honest, that's the way Bruce Gelb deals with "intellectual capital ." Southern Africa. Their purpose has talks. But if he sounds like an earnest But already the long-time George been to learn the in tricacies of the patriot, his actions. like George Bush·s. Bush friend (th is man may be the most agency's workings. But the visi ts have support hi s rh etoric. The New York passionate Bush supporter you' ll ever also brought him into contact wi th tOP leader has serv ed on many boards. in e ncounter) has come across the nuances foreign leaders. cluding as a trustee for Howard Univer of Washington. Whi le Gel b was travel Among his encounters has been the sity in Washington, D.C. Like the presi ing earlier this year. the head of Voice former head of ideology for Czechos dent. he believes deeply in public invol of America. Richard Carl son. an lovakia. The meeting was qui te ironic, vement. nounced in hi s absence that six of Gelb says. because whi le the Com Perhaps Gelb's next annoying battle VOA's la nguage services. incl uding munist minister spoke at length about will be fou nd in Cuba. Fidel Castro has Greek and Turkish. would be c urtailed. the failings of the Marxist system, a threate ned to jam U.S. radio and This sank VOA morale. and Gelb had portrait of Lenin hung behind his desk. television stations if the USIA proceeds to act quickly. Although he allegedly Bruce Gelb has a picture of hi s leader wi th its plan to beam television reports signed off on the decision. the fie rce on his wall. too. But the US IA director into Cuba. reaction surprised the new director. He also has an expansive map of the world. Gelb di smisses thi s complaint. saying restored the language services. but Staring intensely at the map's pressure Castro is "threatening in any way he learned the hard way thai turf-protec points. Gelb reminds one that the Mid can." TV Marti. as the new USIA signal tion is cenlral to life in many dle East remains a particular hot spot. to Cuba will be known, is consistent Washington agencies. So this month the agency is sponsor with the U.N. Charter and the Helsinki Of course. Gelb is also arriving at ing a Salzburg seminar wh ich Gelb Accords. US IA during one of its most exciting. if hopes can move the region "inch-by Maybe Castro's real problem is that he not rewarding periodS. As he putS it, the inch" toward dialogue. The seminar's is isolated -- physicall y and spirituall y. events in Eastern Europe represent a subject is the Middle East's history, not After all , isn' t the world "thirsting for "culmination of whatlthis agency] has its po litics, and participants include freedom?" • professors and experts from the Middle Williall/ P. McKen :ie is editor of Ille EaSt as well as North Africa. Ripon Forum.
16 Ripon Forum. March 1990 SBA: Back in Business authority over $3.2 billion in this by Mariann Kurtz category, an increase of 57 50 million or 30 perce ll! over the 1990 budget. The he Small Business Administra surety bond program. which helps small tion has long played the role of businesses obtain insurance to guaran T advocate for America's small tee work completion. also received a business owners. Since its creation in boost in the 199 I budget requests total 1953. SBA has championed grassroots ing $450 million. economic development by providing The agency. in an effon to help its financial assistance, management coun own cau se, has given itself all ad seling and training to thc small busi ness mini strati ve facelift. SBA Ad community. The same agency also has mini s trator S us an Enge lei ter, a played a pivotal role in directing moderate Republican from Wisconsin . government contracts to small finns and wants to improve program deli very and assisting women. minorit ies. the hand agency outreach and to funher the op icapped and veterans with entry into and portunities for women- and minorily Mitchell F. Crusto surv ival in Ihc business arena. owned business to gain equal access to Ironic. then. thallhis very agency has funding and cOll!racts. To reach these created a new commission on minority struggled with its survival for mOSI of goals. Engeleiter, following a decade of business to chan a course for the '90s, the lasl decade. Under the Reagan ad slaff reducti ons. garnered enough sup '·We have the human resources, the ministration. conservative budgeters pon to add 61 full time positions to the ideas and the initiative." said Crusto. sought to eli minate SBA by "zeroing agency. One of those new faces belongs "What we need now is more sources of OUl " its funding requests in six of eight to Ripon Forum contributor Mitchell working capital. better cooperation be budget periods. Although a sympathet F. Crusto. twccn the business and education com ic Congress provided resuscitating sup Engeleiter created the position of as· munities and a prototype for economic port, America's small business cham sociate deputy adm inis trator for development." pion searched for a champion of its own, finance. investment and procurement to CruSto admits, however, that times Enter George Bush . No, not th e improve coordination across program ahead may be challenging. ··We are George Bush of Kennebunkport, Yale lines and to ens ure sufficient to p facing a peace-time downturn in and the Skull and Bones secret frater management support for the agency's governme nt spending, especially in nity. But the rolled·up sleeves. hard hat key financ ial programs, Cru sto was defense. In a post-Cold War economy, wearing George Bush of the West Texas tapped last September for the role . where we must grapple with faltering o il fields. George Bush th e small Before coming to WashinglOn, Crusto financial institutions, the president must businessman whose entrepreneurial se r ved as president and CEO o f promote education and assistance to spirit uttered cumpaign promises of American Ventures International. Inc .. small business." economic growth and now has moved an investment consulting company and Crusta envisions that many of those the budget pen in generous strokes securities brokerage firm. As SBA's now serving in the armed forces and toward SBA . newest deputy administmtor, he over working for prime contractors involved America's small business partner. it sees the agency's progrdm on small in defense may try their hands in small seems, is back in business. bus iness loan guarantees, venture capi business when their current positions A kinder, gentler Office of Mange tal. surety bond and disaste r relief arc no longer needed. meO( and Budget has made a strong programs. Also in his purview are In the first nine months of 1989, commitment to the agency and for the minority small business and capital 520, I 08 new corporations were formed, first time in nine years, the president 's ownership development progr.lJllS and according to Crusto. Ninety-eight per budget includes an increase in funding procurement assistance. cent of them were small businesses. to SBA. Specifically. the increase will ··We want minorities and ot he r During 1988, 37,820 bus inesses failed, come in the form of additional business economically di sadvantaged groups to a decline of 15.6 percent from 1987. loan guarantee authority, a program in be good capitalists and seize the means ··S BA is a small agency that packs a which bus iness loans arc made by of production. " said Crusto. Others lot of punch." said Crusta. "We tote a private lenders and guaranteed by the want to give the disadvantaged food and lot of de li ve rables. Investing in agency. The 1991 budget provides SBA housing but not the means of produc American growth is one pragmatic way tion. We want them to produce for we can tackle the deficit. SBA provides Mariallll Kurl: is amell/her oflhe Ripon themse lves." one imponant vehicle for investment in- Forum e"iloria/ booNI. Crusto also noted that President Bush itiatives:' •
Ripol! ForuIII. March 1990 /7 Sustaining The Economy
by Ric hard Innes THE CLEAN AIR COMPROMISE nvironmental protection. or the fter weeks of difficult sessions The traditional "com lack thereof. is emerging as one A which often went long into the mand and contra/" E of Ihe two or three issues Ihal nighl. Roger Porter. the presidcnt's regulatory framework is ex- could makeor break a presidential eJec chief domestic policy adv isor. emcrged lion. Recent po lls ind icate there is from the sessions 10 say Ihal the conces pensive and illefficiem, broad. bi -partisan support from a sions made by the Sen:ltc would result and wherever possible we majority of lile popu lation for measures in a bill that would "provide imponant to preserve and protect the environment. env ironmental benefits in an cconomi should develop alterna even if it means mising ':lxes \0 do it. cally efficient way:' Mr. Poner was tives which provide in- referring to compromiscs allowing aut o dustry with the incemive to makers. uti li ti es and other industry Th e true test oj whether groups more fl exibility in meeting protect the ellvironmem. President Bush will SIIC cleanup req uirements of Ih e bill. In ceed in becoming the ell dustry is granted this fl exibi lil Y, howevcr. wilhoul sllcrificing significant flexibility in achieving the goal. and. vironmental president will reductions in automobile tailpipe cmis· where possible. employ positive incen· lie ill his ability 10 recolI sions. a ten million ton cut in sulfur ti ves. The traditional "command and cile economic growth and dioxide emissions (acid rain). and a re control" regulatory framework is ex· qui rcme nt for controlling toxic ai r pol pensive and inefficient. and wherever environmental protection. lutants. possible we shou ld develop alternatives Although the ultimate fa te of the Clean which provide industry with the incen Air Act is far fro m cerl a in . the ti ve to protect the environment. President Bush effectively out nan ked administration's perfonnance thus far is his opposition during the 1988 election of the type that will help George Bush A SUSTAINABLE ECONOMY by striking a\ Governor Dukakis on his deserve the accolade. "the environmen horne tu rf: Boston I-I arbor. By making tal president." On acid rain provisions. he true . test of whcther President an issue of the env ironmental degrada the adminislr.lIion ncver retreatcd from T Bush WIll succeed in becoming the tion of tile hurbor. President Bush called the goal of achiev ing significant reduc environmcntal president. however. wil l into question thc commitmcnt or ability tions in sulfur dioxide emissions. But lic in hi s abili ty to reconc il e economic of the govcrn or to respond to an en the adrninisn ation did insist on a growth and environmental protection. A vironmcntal thrcat in hi s own backY:lrd. method of achieving reductions that af kcy to accomplishing th is reconciliation Coupled with cnv ironmental sllllements forded industry fl exibility. and provided is to undenila nd that long-tcrm on ocean dumping and prcservmion of posi tive incentives. Specificall y. the economic growth. bot h domestic and in wet lands. Prcsident Bush succeeded in compromisc plan c.lll s for a credit trad ternational. is not necessarily in com c:lpt urin g the e n vi ronm en t as a ing system. with increased credits for petition wi th environmental protection. Republican issue. companies that reduce poll ution below Rather. it depends on envi ronmental Now for the hard pan. President Bush. mandaled levels. Thccreditscan then be protection and the preservation of our hi s chief of staff. John Sununu. and En sold to other utilities. which can use ecological system. vironmcntal Protection Agency Ad them 10 bui ld new elcctric generating But the danger is that forward-think mini strator William Reilly are grap plants. At least in theory. this wi ll allow ing environmental policy will fall prey pling with tough trade-orfs and tension for economic growth. whi le achieving to affluent and powerful interest groups between economic growth :lnd environ substantial improvements in air quality. intent on protecting short-term mental protection. The recent closed While the administrJtion is off to a economic gain. The environmental door negotiations betwecn thc White good stan wit h clean air. its success wi th president must be able to accept slower House and the Scnatc on the Clcan Air other issues, such as we tland preserva growth in the next quaner. in exchange Act is a perfect case in point. tion and global wanning. have been for a policy which protects our basic called inlo question. Here President eCO logical capital. A nationwide poll Bush and his advisors shou ld utilize the completed in February by Cambridge same fomlUla: decide on the goal. such Energy Research Associates noted that Ricll(ml IlIlIes is a proje.uiollal sl(lff as "No nel loss of wetland." Never show 74 percent of those pollcd said that. memherojlhe Sl' IW/{' Commillee olllhe any sign ofwaivcring from the goal. but when forced to choose between en Ellrirollmc/lf al/d Puhlic Works. indicate a willingness to ;]ll ow vironmental impro vements and
/8 Ripon Fonllll. March 1990 economic growth. they would choose with stories documenting the economic reaps enonnous economic benefi ts. A slower economic growth. and human costs of degrading our en new marina. condominiums. or 11 water As president of the United States in the vironment. Exxon has already spent in fron t hotel will provide additional jobs. I 990s. George Bush's environmental excess of two billion dollars cleaning up a larger tax base. ,lI1d short-term responsibilities do not stop at our own Prince William Sound. The deforesta economic advantages for a small num borders. Especially as the concept of an tion of life-supporting tropical forests ber of people. In the long-term. interre luted worl d economy becomes continues at the rate of over 30 million however. such development is not in the moreof a reality. the U.S. has an obliga acres per year. Large areas of the world beSt interest of either the environment tion to implement policies which cunail are experiencing soil erosion and or the economy. Degradation of our the destru ct ion of fini te ecological desert- like conditions. which leads 10 coastal water imperils a $ [2 bi llion dol resources. International environmental perhaps the most insidious result of ig lar fishing industry, not to menti on the negotiations and conferences are begi n llOring our environment: malnourish tourism industry. It is not possible to pUl ning to command center stage. We must ment and starvation. a price tag on the enjoyment of a fami This ecological stress -- the degrada ly or a fishennan strolling along an un Th e environmental presi tion of soi ls. water, our utmosphere and polluted beach free of medical waste. our forests -- can have enonnous impact delll mllst be able to accept not only on the United States but on the To consider the environ slower growth in the next enti re world economy. Unless we util ize our ecological resources wisely. in a mel1lal implicatians of quarter, ill exchange/or a manner whic h e nh ances their economic growth should policy which protects our renewability and preserv es them for be a major institutional basic ecological capital. posterity, we face a bleak future. We can no longer simply worry about whu! ef challenge for the environ- fec t our economi c growth will have on mel1lal president and U.S. use these forums 10 address urgent the env ironment. but perhaps more im problems such as the greenhouse effect portantly. what impact will the environ foreign policy in the com- or the ozone hole, or we muy nOI on ly ment have on economic growth? ing decade. hi nder economic growth, we may President Bush und the Republican threaten humun survi val. Party have an opportun ity to solidify a ------The president of the World Bank reputation for successfull y dealing with Yet it will requ ire vision and courage to recently stated that, "sound ecology is environmental problems. both here and stand up to those. both within and out good economics ... the objectives of sus abroad. in a manner that does not neces si de the administration. who would tainable economic growth. poverty al sarily inhibit the vitali ty of the deplete our ecological capital now, at lev iat ion and env ironmental protection economy. But if he is to succeed. he the expense of futu re generations. are often mutually rei nforc ing."' This must learn to "just say no"l0 arguments Theodore Roosevelt, in establishing kind of thinking represents a significant which clearly favor short tenn special our nat ional park system.reali zed the shift in the international upproach to en interests at the expense of environmen imporlance of protecting irreplaceable vironmental protection. There is an in tal protect ion. A good case in poi nt is lands from the onslaught of develop creasing awureness that environmental protection of our coastal waters. ment. In like munner, this administru protection measures . such as energy and tion must institute policies which serve water conservation, recycling of haz COASTAL WATERS lOalign the long-tenn intereSlsofthe en ardous and solid waste. worker health vironmelll with the economy. Fail ure to report issued by the congressional and safety measures that reduce costly do so could cause the Republicun Party absenteeism or injury. are measures that A Office of Technology Assessment 10 lose the hi gh ground on a critical last year stated that our coastal waters make good business sense. issue. and tax an environment which is are generall y degra.ded. and showing no On a more national and global scale. already showing dangerous signs of signs of improvement. A major cause of we must begin to anticipate the environ stress. • this degradation is burgeoni ng develop mental consequences of our economic ment along the coasts, which result in in policies. For example, our policies with creased loadings of runoff. pesticides regard to fossil fuel consumption and r;======j] and other pollutants into marine waters. energy can no longer be considered in Although states and municipalities pluy What's Ahead in the dependently of the urgent need to the major role in controll ing develop reverse the greenhouse effect. Reorient Ripon Forum? ment, the fede ra l government can ing businesses. and indeed na tions. to provide strong incentives or disincen consider the environmental implica -More on the Free Worl d Fund tives through flood insurance programs. tions of economic growth should be a grant programs, and the statutory major institutional challenge for the en -President Bush's 1990 au thority of the Marine Protection, vi ronmenlal president and U.S. fore ign Budget Research and SanclUaries Act, and the policy in the com ing decade. Clean Air Act. The stakes. however. could nOI be -The 1990 Elections Short tt:nn economic interests will higher. The papers every day are filled argue that development of coastal areas
Ripoll Forum. March 1990 t9 REVIEWS The Offspring of History " Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of History. " by Stephen Jay Gould, New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 1989.
The Burgess Shale is an outcropping and its subsequent correction tell us By Alfred W. Tale of sedimentary rock located high in the about both the nm ure of the history of Canadian Rockies on the eastern border life on earth and how science proceeds he "war" between ~c i ence and of Bri ti sh Columbia. The fo ssil in the discovery of that history. religion has been marked by two crammed outcropping was di scovered Gould concl udes it was Walcou 's major engagements. The first. T in August 1909 by Charles Doolittle preconceptions about evolution and his which began wi th the replacement of Walcott. the head of the Smi thsonian. failure to allow his find to Quest jon PlO lemaic with Copernican astronomy. Walcott re lU med 10 the site each sum those preconceptions that caused him to resulted in OUf being banished from the mer through 1913 and again in 1917. "shoehorn" the Burgess fossils imo center of creation 10 a sate ll it e of one of He publi shed hi s description and clas classifications to which they could not the numberless slars in a galaxy which sification of til e Burgess fossils in 1912. poss ibly belong. is itsel f an infinitesimal pan of a Walcott pl:lced them all in fi ve already Walcott believed himself nn orthodox measureless universe. established lineages, of wh ich four were Darwin ian. and accepted the process of The second fo llowed upon the publi re presemed in the present. As part of his natural selec tio n a s the basic cation of Darw in's "Origin of Species" interpretation. he hypot hesized a single mechanism of evolution . He took th is in 1849 and The subsequent general ac distant Precambri:m anceslO r for the step funher. however. ,lnd equated this ceptance of evolutionary theory. Here Burgess creatures. process with progress in an absolute the consequence has been bei ng forced Walcott's conclusions remained fun· sense. Walcott ascribed to what Gould \0 abandon the belief that mankind is a damentally unchallenged for over 50 call s "the iconography of the cone of in special creation. unique and somehow years. How Cambridge Uni versit y geol creasing di versity." an image which ex set apan from the rest of nature. ogy professor Harry WhittinglOn and presses an understandi ng of the history Both of these developments are poten colleagues Derek Bri ggs and Simon of life as an inexorable movement in tially humbling fo r the human psyche. Conway Morris came 10 a radically dif time from a few, simple org:misms So fa r. however. we have successfull y ferent explanation of the con tents of the toward the more diverse and complex, defended ourselves against any sense of Burgess Shale provides the plot for with humanity the centerpiece and apex diminishment they might induce by ac Gould's drama. In a series of papers of this development. knowledging their irrefutability on the publ ished beginning in 197 1, they com Walcott's predilection to fi t the Bur one hand. and steadfastly refusing to pletely overturned Walcott 's work. gess creatures into such a scheme was consider seriously their ramification on identifying 10 date at least 20 unique reinforced by the fact that he headed the the other. arthropod s and eight anatomical Smithsonian at a time when evolution THE WALCOTT FIND designs that do not fit into any known was under sharp attack by fundamen· animal category. talists. He was convinced that their as· Not so Stephen Jay Gould. As a According to Gould. it is now clear sault could onl y be repulsed by showing biologist and a historian of science. he that not hing approaching the diversit y the ult imate unity of scientific with has devoted hi s considerable ta lents of fossil s contained in the Burgess Shale re ligious truth. For Walcott . Gould both to expanding and refining our has been found anywhere else in the writes. "the primary evidence for this knowledge of how evolution works and world. Far from providing only repre unity lay in the ordered, predictable, and to confronting the non-specialist with sentatives of a small number of already progressive character of life's his the larger meaning of that knowledge. clearly identified li feforms, thi s one tory .. . Evolution. wi th its principle of Gould con tinues this in his latest book. small site -- not much more than the natural selection leading to progress. "Wonderful Life." an account of the di s height of a man and less than a city represented God's way of showing him covery. ini tial classification and then bl ock long -- holds rem:Li ns representing self through nature." rev ised interpretation of the in ver more anatomical diversity than is found tebrate s of the Burgess Shale. He in all of the world's seas today. GOULD'S CONCLUSIONS describes thi s collection as "the world's How this rev ision came about and the Accordi ng to Gou ld. when correctly most imponant ani mal fo ssil s." techniques used in reconstructing these interpreted. the evidence contained in bizarre creatures makes fasci nating the Burgess Shale tells a very different reading. But Gould is primarily con SlO ry. He believes the pri mary insight Alfred IV. Tale is (I member oflhe Ripol/ cerned with the questions of why Wal Forum editorial board. cott went so wrong and that his mistake fina ll y won from the quarry in that life on eanh did not slowly evolve by con·
20 Ripoll FOI"llIl1. March 1990 tinuous prolifer.llion and advance. In when new "facts" are discovcred. On slead. iI procccdcd through a serics of Could's ullimale con Ihe Co ntrary. c reative thought in SICPSc haractcrizcd by rapid divcrsifica science. Gould maintains, is never tions followcd by dccimalion during clusion is that the central merely the collection of facts and the cataclysmic mass cxti nctions. Thus thc principle of all history - constructi on of theories. It is a complex image Gould would substitute for the process involvi ng bias. intuition and in "cone of increasing di vcrsily" is that of for Ihal of orgal/ic life as sights borrowed from other fie lds. thc "cvolutionary bush," in which rapid well as Ihal of human sur- The one thing the story of the Burgess branching is followed by pruning which vival -- is contingency. fossils would seClllto make abundantl y on ly a few disparatc types survivc. clear is that the facls never speak for Equally imponant, Gould says that a This has polilical cOl/se themselves. New dala. collected in old study of the remains of thc Burgess quences. ways under guidance of theories. mrcly animals reveals noclearcxplanalion for leads 10 new understanding. As Gould why a few types have desccndants alive writes of the history of the Burgess in the present while the large majority of cells 10 the meaning of the whole of Shale: do not. Thi s provcs. he believes. that the hi story. And even the non-scient ist can I know no finer illustrat ion of mech:mi sm of evolution -- natural be certain what he has to say wi ll the most imponant mcssage selection _. is not inhercntly progressive provoke controvcrsy ;md be challenged taug ht by the hi srory of as Walcott believed. at every level of his :Irg umen!. sc ience: the subtle and in Gould's ultimate conclusion is that the evitable hold thaI theory exerts central principle of all history -- for that POLITICAL LESSONS upon data and obscrvation. of organi c tife as well as that of human Reality does not speak 10 us endeavor -- is contingency. The crea But why would anyone interested in objecti ve ly ... The greatest im turesofthe Burgess Shale and theirfate. contemporary politics want to read ped iment to scientific innova "Wonderful Life"? he believes. underscore what a growing tion is usually a conceptual body of evidence has been pointing to. For one thing. doing so is fun. There is lock. not a factual lack. that the explanation of how life has something immensely pleasurable in If th is is true for the so-called "hard reading a book bY:1 sc holar with the ex developed does not rest on direct deduc sciences" how much more so must it be tions from nn tu rallaws. ceedingly rare ability to communicate for thc "soft "·- of wh ich poli ti cs must clcarly both what he knows and his Rat her. Gould claims.lhcevolution of surcl y be the softcst. life as wc know it is inextricably em· sense of the imponance of and excitc Wh y is one poli ti cian 's freedom bedded in the vagaries of hi story. We ment at hi s knowledge. fi ghl cr. another's terrorist: one's lazy and the whole of the natural world are Another reason for reading the book is welfa re cheat. another's victim of the products. he writes. of "an unpre Ihat you can learn lots of neat Slufffrom economic injustice: one's accomplice in dictable sequence of antecedent states, it . Gould ex plains the uses of taxonomy the murder of infants. another's cham where any major change in any step of and outlines the different classifications pion of reproducti ve freedom? The the sequence would have altered thc into which biologists group the animal problem is not that the posilions we take final result." kingdom: he describes the different eras on these issues are infomled by our Wh .. t we must come to tenns with, into which geologists divide the history presuppositions. Nor because of thi s in Gould contends. is the real it y that we of the eanh: and. of course. he expl i ev itabi lity must we resign ourse lves to cates the theory of evol ution. arc neither the products of divine plan some fonn of ultimate relativism. nor ineluctable progress. but the off And some of what Gould S'IYS has im Rather, our difficult resides in not al spring of history. Far from finding this mediate application. After reading him lowing these pre(.;onceptions to be traumUl ic. however. he believes the ac· it will be easier to recognize racist slate genuinely challenged by the new facts ments for what they are. even when their ceplance of th is can be freeing and in we encounter and the interpretations spiring. If we ac knowledge that our au thors claim for them the authorit y of given Ihem by those with whom we dis pseudo-science. species is the product of a seri cs of agree. Like Charles Doolittle Walcott c hance survivals of small and in And Ih is points to the most imponant poring over his find of fossils, we see reason ··Wondcrful Life" would make nocuous creatures over a long and acci only what we want to see. rewarding reading for politicians. If the de nt-filled history. he thinks we can The re are many reasons for the tenll is not to be an oxymoron of the make more responsible usc of what Ihat steri lilY of contcmporary poli tic al most egregious son. the "sciencc" in process has given us -- our minds -- and debate in this country. The lesson to be "political science" must be of the son al lhe very least recognize that whether learned from the creatures cntombed in Gould champions. we succeed or fail from this poinl is up the Burgess Shale is that one import ant Science has proven so successful in to us. cause of Ihis vacuity is the fact' that we Gould's enormous audacity is ap explaining how the world works that an have not ye t proved able to consistently oversimplified version of its "method" parent to even the non-scienlisl. The summon the coumge to SlOp projccting scope of his book is grand in every has been adopted as Ihe model for all old answers Onto the ncw wonders his disciplines. According 10 this over· sense. in the time it covers -- from the tory is turning up around us daily . • beginning of life to the present -- as we ll simplification, science procecds toward as in its scale -- from the innerworkings the truth in minute. incremental steps as its "hypotheses" are altered or repl accd
Ripoll Forum . March 1990 21 The Chairman's Corner London Bridge Isn't Falling Down, But Others Are
Of co urse. when one talks of in By Bill C linger In order to maintain our frastruc ture and the enormous costs ondon Bridge is not fall.i.m:, necessary to rebuild o urs. the budget realities of 1990 loom li ke a specter down. II is alive and well and en economic status and L joying a new lease on life at quality of life, we need ill overhelld. Some estimates of our needs Lake Havasu in Arizona where i\ has novative ideas to finance run into the trillions of dollars. I don' t been carefully reconstructed. believe they are thai high. but the costs Unfoflunlllc ly. othe r bridges, high- Ihe rebuilding of Ollr in- arc indeed large. Many people shy away from such large numbers. assum ing that wa ys, pollS. waterways, 3irpons and frastructure. Olle idea that the money clln never be raised. But. to sewer systems -- in fact. much of merits debate is estab America's infrastructure -- is wearing paraphrase an old prove rb. ""The jour ney ofa thousand miles begins with one o ut faster the n we are replacing o r lishing a revolving loan step. "" re pairing it. Much of America is crum fUlld to finance our public bling and we are doing too liule to SlOp FINANCING REPAIR this destructive trend. works. There is a direct link between the In order to maintain our economic quality o f OUT public facilities and our THE JAPANESE AND status and quality of life. we need in ability to have sustained economic INFRASTRUCTURE novative ideas to finance the rebuilding growth. If OUT highways. bridges and of our infrastruc ture. One idea that other support facili ti es are not function For example. the Japanese hllve built merits debate is establishing a re volving ing properl y. it creates a dntg on the their economic leviathlln using a variety 10:tIl fund to finance our public works. economy. one that will continue to af of techniques. and one of the most suc Loans would be made to local and state feCI every persall in America. There is a cessful has been heavy investment in in governme nt who would then build large body of emerging evidence that frastructure. By e nsuring that their projects requiring user fee s. Toll ro:lds. productivity and infrastrUC lUre are transpon:nion system is among the mosl charges for sewer systems and the li ke directly linked and nowhere is this more modem in the world. they ensure thm would be used to raise revenue from the evide nt than in transportation. If goods their economy can operate at maximum projects. Those funds would then be and se rvices c:mnot be transporte d efficiency. Presentl y. they invest :tl most paid back in to the loan fun d to be lent q ui ckly and e ffic iently. product costs go eight percent of their gross national again. It ·s estimated th:ll $4 billion in up and are pllssed on to other sections of product in infrastructure. The United start-up costs for such a fund could be the economy. States barely spends two perce nt. used to leverage $50 bil lion . Again. that Over the past several decades. we've An additional sign of bpanese em fi g ure will not solve our problems. but spent less and less on expanding lind phasis on infrastructure can be seen in it 's a large first step. maintain ing our infrastructu re and it is thei r inves tmen t in ne ig hboring We have a nalion filled with innova starting to effect our economic health. economies; over the pas t several years. tive. intelligent people who have long Witho ut the ability to move goods and they hllve poured bil lions of yen into bee n on the forefront of solving large people into and out of an area easily. public works projects in Taiwan. Korea problems. The president. Congress and without the services necessary to sup and China. The Japanese know that sur private industry need to sian th inking port industry . we cllnnot continue to be rounding nation s s upport their about how we can solve thi s one. An a compcteitive nlltion in the world econo my. so strong regional public idea like a revolvi ng loan fund is one economy. We need to start investing in works can only help them. such idea. we need more. • our future. in our infrastructu re.just like Infrastructure is not a sexy word. not other nations. one thai usually makes headli nes. but it' s vital nonetheless. Our roads . bridges Polit ics In Print. and highways lire the threads that weave "Tribute of the Peopte: l1lc MinllC$Ol:l 50 individual states int o the quilt of one Legistatu re and lis LeJdership" nation. Witho ut good public facil ities. by Royce Hanson University of l\.1innesotJ Press Bill Clinger is chairman o/Ihe Ril)OI1 our economy can't function and we will 20.17 Uni \'ersity Avenue. S.E. Society alld a 1I1 ('m/)er o/Collgress/rom not continue to enjoy 11 hi gh qu:tl it y of Minneapolis. I\.1N 554 t4 t·800-388-3863 p ellll.~y ll'{lI1ill. life.
22 Ripon Fomm. March / 990 WASHINGTON NOTES AND QUOTES
Dale C urtis : Yes, there is a change on the House Minority Leader. But Bill D.C. on May 5. The meeting will begin our masthead. And it is with regret thaI Weld, a one-time Ripon member, is ex at 10 a.m. (n place will be announced we note Dale Curtis, the Forum's as pected to challenge Peirce in the fall soon). An nfternoon policy discussion sociate editor since 1984. has moved on RepUblican primary.) will be held following the annual meet to a life beyond editorial deadlines. Masu Dyer continues to organize ing. But the Forum 's loss is the country 's meetings for the Hawaii Ripon Society. The Society's regular pol icymaker gain. In February Dale joined the Bush In January Desmond Byrne, chairman breakfaSL.. will continue in May and admi nistration. He now is special assis of the Hawaii Better Business Bureau, June with sessions on health care and in tant to Council on Environmental addressed the group on accountability ternutional trade. For more in fonnation. Q uali ty Chainnan Michael DeLand. in the Hawaii state government. please contact the Society's national of Dale's expertise in cnvironmenlai is On February 22. the New York Ripon fice. sues was honed while servi ng as an chapter sponsored a discussion on the Ripon Forum editor Bill McKenzie's legislative assistant 10 Representative Pac ific Rim. The speake r, John column has recently been printed in The Sherwood Boehlert and through writing Pryvarski, spoke to the group .tbout the Dallas Morning News. The Casper ed itorials and feature pieces for the economic climale in Tokyo. Hong Kong (W yo.) Star-Tribune. The Keene Forum. Most recently he authored a and Beijing. (N.H.) Sentinel and The Providence piece for the Envi ronmenta l Forum on (R.I.) Journal. If papers in your area are "The Green Grand Old Party. ,- The C h oice De ba te: The interested in receiving this column, Dale's voice on thi s magazin e, Washington, D.C. chapter of the Na please contact the Ripon Forum. 6 however. included more than adv ice on tional Republican Coalition for Choice Library Court S.E., Washington. D.C. environmental issues. He consta ntly held a demonstration in from of the 20003. provided a cool voice of reason and Republican National Commiuee on keen political insight. We know the ad January 22. That date usually draws Election Ne ws: Ripon National ministration will be well served. anti -abortion protesters to Washington Governing Board member Jamie Mc because of the January 22,1973 Roc v, Laughlin member is vying for the 1990.lavils Award Dinner: On April Wade decision legalizing abortion. Republican nominat ion for 30, the Ripon Society will sponsor its But th is year. the Washington chapter Connecticm's Fifth Congressional Dis annual Jacob K. Javits Excellence in of the NRCC decided to counter the trict. Now a member of Connecticut's Public Service Award Dinner in New anti-abortion movement and protest the Senate, where he is ranking Republi can York City. This year's honoree is GOP's strict endorsement of restricted on the Senate Finance Committee. Mc Rudolph Giuliani, New York's 1989 abortions. GOP Chainllan Lee Atwater Laughlin maintains a good shot for the GOP mayoral candidate and fonner addressed the group (mostly well GOP's endorsement thi s July. If so, his U.S. :utomey. Like previous recipients tailored Capitol Hill aides), and reas likely Democratic opponent wi ll be David Rockefeller and Bob Packwood. sured them that the partyc'lIl function as fonner Congressman .lIld news anchor Giuliani is being cited for his commit "an umbrella." According to Atwater, Toby Moffett. ment 10 soc ial progress and public ser diverse views on abortion can be found In Massachusetts. fomler Bush aide vice. For more information, please con with in the GOP. and self-described progressive tact the Ripon Society, 202-546- 1292. Long-lime Ripon member Tanya RepUblican James L. Nuzzo is seeking Melich also spoke recently before a to unseat controversial Democratic con C hapter No tes: The Boston Ripon Washington audience on the choice gressional incumbent Barney Frank. Society hosted a successful Mas issue. On February 23, Melich told the Nuzzo is a trained neurologist, as well sachuseHsGOP gubernatorial deb:ue on annual meeti ng of the Republican Task as a fornler White House fe llow. Frank Monday. February 12. The Boston Force of the National Women's Politi has recently come under scrutiny for al chapter. under the guidance of John cal Caucus: "Pro-choice Republicans legations of mltintaining a male pros Scars. Arthur George and Andrew Mc are in a uniq ue position and may have titute on his congressional st:lff. Nuzzo Leod, co,sponsored the evening with the ability to effect more positive is now assembling a campaign opera Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of chunge than our Democratic sisters. Our tion in the primarily Democratic Fourth Government. opponents are out in the open. Theirs arc Di strict, and is thought to be a serious Participants included all RepUblican often hidden under mounds of rhetoric. contender. gubernatorial candidates. except former inaction andequivocation."The head of Former Arlen Specter (tide Bruce U.S. atlorney William Weld. The debate the New York State Republican Family Marks is now running for Penn drew impressive press coverage, includ Committee also outlined a ten-point sylvania's State Senate. Marks is seek ing reports from all three major Boston strategy for dealing with the GOP, as ing a seat from Philadelphia. where he te levision affiliates and the Boston well as with the women's movement. has been involved in politics over the G lobe, Boston Herald. and Harvard last decade. The nephew offornler Con Crimson. Ripon Society Acti vities: The annual gressman Mark Marks. Ihis is his first (As it turns OUi. the state purty's March meeting of the Ripon National Govem personal election contest. • 10 endorsement went to Steven Pierce. ing Board will occur in Washi ngton.
Ripon FOl'llm, March 1990 23 THE RIPON FORUM "Celebrates the Middle ..." Subscribe Now to the Ripon Forum The Washington Post o Yes! Send me a fu ll year of the Ripon Forum for only "Required reading for progressive $25 Republicans"-TIME Magazine o Enclosed is a contri bution to the Ripon Society: "Positioning itself to be the voice ofthe Party's $ ---- future"-The Boston Globe
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24 Ripoll Forllm. March 1990