Prescott High School - Hassayamper Yearbook (Prescott, AZ)

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The Olympic games of 1980 were short nearly 30% of the countries who usually participate. Among the boycotting teams, protesting the Russian invasion of Afghanistan, was the United States. The decision to protest, made by the U.S. Olympic committee at the urging of President Jimmy Carter, caused a great deal of controversy within the coun- try. Many of the athletes were in favor of the decision but there were many others who felt that it was unfair to mix politics with the games. In the U.S. Olympic trials, gymnasts Kurt Thomas and Bart Connor, reached the zenith of their amateur careers, each receiving a perfect score of 10 during the individual events. Had the U.S. participated in the Olympics, these gymnasts as well as members of the diving, swimming and track and field teams were expected to take many medals. 27

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1980 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION In Arizona, Senator Barry Goldwater faced the toughest challenge of his career but did defeat multi millionaire Bill Schulz. Congressman Mo Udall’s seat was expected to be much closer than his re-election vote indicated. VOTE H8E BECflOM m The presidential election of 1980 will probably be remem- bered mainly for its overwhelming rejection of liberal politics by the American voters. Republican Ronald Rea gan won a landslide victory over Democrat incumbent Jimmy Carter, starting a trend which marched across the country on nearly every level of government. For nearly all of the campaign the presidential race was considered too close to call by the major poll takers. This was due in part to the unusually large number of undecid ed individuals. John Anderson, Independent, received no electoral votes. Many of the prominent Democrat senators felt the effects of the Republican sweep as a number of them including George McGovern (South Dakota), the 1972 presidential nominee and Senator Birch Bayh (Indiana), were defeat ed. 26

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28 The price of gas rose drastically during 1980. This encouraged many to cut back their driving and to spend vacation time closer to home due to the price and the availability of gas. The rising cost of fuel not only changed the American driving habits but also had a direct effect on what type of car people bought. The larger models have been replaced with fuel efficient compact cars. Due to our depen- dance on foreign countries to sup ply oil, the (J.S. is never really con- fident of a lasting supply of crude oil. GNP, CPI, prime interest rates, inflation rates, unemployment percentages—all are indicators of the struggling econo- my of the 1980 s. Perhaps the most dra matic, and in some ways the most ro- mantic, indicator has been the fluctuat- ing price of gold and silver. New inves- tors have offered top dollar for recycla- ble gold, jewelry stores take old class rings in trade, individuals are selling their heirloom sterling silver and bur- glary of silver items has surpassed the previous leader, electronic equipment. The gross national product (GNP) and the consumer price index (CPI) figures touched every family as rising prices of goods and services stretched the pock- etbook of all. The U.S. was not suffering alone: other countries fared worse than we with soaring inflation. Inflation has been a major story in the United States for years now and 1980 was no exception. The price of food rose right along with everything else as people continuously searched for the best bargain. Because food is such a necessary item, people were forced to pay outrageous prices and they searched for alternative menus in attempts to ease the cost. U f Ol ■ M