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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 17, 1977)
Page 2 THE BATTALION THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 1977 Ceteris Paribus Carters stimulus—pain or panacea By MARK RANKIN It is true of presidents in general, and Democratic presidents in par ticular, that the urge to play with the economy will take a back seat to nothing. This seems to be none the less true with the pride of Plains, Ga. Take my word for it, Jimmy Carter would like nothing more than to “stimulate” the economy. He comes by it naturally. He has adopted the “fireside chat” and F.D.R. would be proud of his eco nomics. If he comes up with a little dog named Fala; I quit. Few of us, myself included, would resist a rebate from the gov ernment but there are certain things about the proposed Carter rebates that warrant a second thought. It is possible that this type of “shot in the arm” may prove to be swine fluish. There is a general misconception that the federally spent dollar is spontaneously generated in Wash- Slouch by Jim Earle ' SCONA 22 FEBRUARY 16-fS "THE exPRESS/OM OF IMDIV/DLIALH Y |K j AMEfRlCAM SOCIETY** T JUST LEARNED THAT ONE GUY FELT STRONGLY ABOUT EXPRESSING HIS INDIVIDUALITY IN DIS AGREEING WITH MINE!” Luncheon Specials Monday — Saturday ? i€ JC? 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Chopped Beef Steak $1 -29 Chicken-Fried Steak 99c or Southern-Fried Fish .49 Steaks & Seafood Served with Baked Potato or French Fries and Texas Toast Serving Choice Steaks & Select Seafood at Budget Prices 317 College Ave. 846-8741 WASHINGTON’S BIRTHDAY SALE Large Selection Of $1.99 to $16.99 Sale Merchandise Thursday-Saturday All Sales Final CARNABY SQUARE LTD. CULPEPPER PLAZA y Top of the Tower Texas A&M University Pleasant Dining - Great View SERVING LUNCHEON BUFFET 11:00 A.M. - 1:30 P.M. Each day except Saturday $2.50 DAILY $3.00 SUNDAY Serving soup i? sandwich 11:00 A M. - 1:30 P.M. Monday - Friday $1.50 plus drink Available Evenings For Special University Banquets Department of Food Service Texas A&M University “Quality First” ington, D. C. In fact, the rebate dol lar can only come from one of two sources: it can come from that huge budget surplus that we seem to have every year, or the government can borrow the money. Of the two, I find the latter more likely. The fact that Mr. Carter’s propo sal will require a good deal of bor rowing is not a trivial one. The government borrows from the private sector through the selec tive use of credit instruments that are unavailable to you or I, or to General Motors. As such, the Feds are able to offer a return on paper that brings lenders out of the woodwork. Government securities are very desirable as they are not subject to default and they are priced to sell. The point is that every dollar bor rowed by the public sector is not available to the private sector for the same purpose. This is particu larly important when you consider that industry is likely to require a good deal of borrowing after the ef fects of this winter are felt. In short, a government rebate will have the effect of stimulating demand at a time when supplies are particularly short. In addition, government bor rowing could further restrict supply by restricting the amount of funds available to producers. Anyone who can draw an “X” can interpret the problems posed by conditions of excess demand. Since industry will be unable to borrow sufficiently to meet the production requirements of increased demand, we would likely see increases in the price level as consumers seek to convert their rebate checks into rel atively scarce commodities. In addition, the increased de mand for what funds remain will pressure the Federal Reserve into expanding the supply of loanable dollars to banks resulting in, you guessed it, inflation. Finally, in this month generally associated with the payment of taxes, one can only look at a rebate check and wonder, “was that trip really worth it?” Don’t misunderstand me. I am all for the government returning money to me, but I am not too fond of the consequences associated with rebates for everybody. Mark Rankin is a graduate stu dent in economics. Catch 22 is getting credit Editor: I was brought up with the idea that if you don’t have the money to buy something, you don’t need it any way. Therefore I have paid cash for everything I have bought. I keep a good balance in my checking account and regularly put money in a savings account. Recently I tried to write a check in Houston. The cashier would not accept my check because I did not have a major credit card. I showed him my driver’s license, social se curity card, bank identification, and even my TAMU student identifica tion, to no avail. When I returned home, I went to several places and applied for credit cards. I was refused by all because I had no credit and owed no money. This seemed strange to me. I do not want or need credit cards, but my checks will not be ac cepted without them. Since I also cannot get credit cards the only al ternative is to carry large amounts of money. This I don’t want to do. Perhaps credit card companies should wake up and give us begin ners a break. —Rusty McDonald, ’79 The Battalion Opinions expressed in The Battalion are those of the editor or of the writer of the article and are not neces sarily those of the University administration or the Board of Regents. The Battalion is a non-profit, self- supporting enterprise operated by students as a uni versity and community newspaper. Editorial policy is determined hy the editor. LETTERS POLICY Letters to the editor should not exceed 300 words and are subject to being cut to that length or less if longer. The editorial staff reserves the right to edit such letters and does not guarantee to publish any letter. Each letter must be signed, show the address of the writer and list a telephone number for verification. Address correspondence to Letters to the Editor, The Battalion, Room 216, Reed McDonald Building, College Station, Texas 77843. Represented nationally by National Educational Advertising Services, Inc., New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles. Mail subscriptions are $16.75 per semester; $33.25 per school year; $35.00 per full year. All subscriptions subject to 5% sales tax, Advertising rates furnished on request. Address: The Battalion, Room 216, Reecl McDonald Building, College Station, Texas 77843.' United Press International is entitled exclusively to the use for reproduction of all news dispatches cred ited to it. Rights of reproduction of all other matter herein reserved. Second-Class postage paid at College Station, Texas. MEMBER Texas Press Association Southwest Journalism Congress Editor Jerry Needham Managing Editor James Aitken Assignments Editor Rusty Cawley Features Editor Lisa Junodl News Editor Debby Krenek News Assistant Carol Meyer Photography Director Kevin Venner Sports Editor Paul Arnett Copy Editor Steve Reis Reporters George Maselli, Paul McGrath, Lynn Rossi, John Tynes, Lee Roy Leschper Jr., Mary Hesalroad, Jan Bailey Asst. Photo Editors Tracie Nordheim, Mike Willy . But mau WhlAT ^ x WMe Doubts UNIVERSITY t „ A<£ LU r T u H J E D , ^ N CHAPEL 315 N. Main ^ QQ^ 846-6687 Hubert Beck, Pastor RENEW FAITH WITH US SUNDAY MORNING WORSHIP SERVICES AT 9:15 A.M. AND 10:45 A.M. WORSHIP CELEBRATION AT 6 P.M. Bible Studies Available DANIEL, Mondays, 8:30 p.m. REVELATION, Tuesdays, 8:30 p.m. GENESIS, Thursdays, 7:00 p.m. ANNOUNCEMENT TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF MEDICINE APPLICATIONS DUE NOW DEADLINE MARCH 15 FOR JUNIORS, SENIORS AND POST BACCALAUREATES Deadline for Sophomores May 20, but application review will be accelerated with earlier submission. Earliest letters of acceptance to applicants from post-sophomore group will be issued beginning in mid-March. Application forms can be obtained in Room 301 of the Doherty Building, or by calling 845-7743 or 845-7744. CLASSES WILL BEGIN AUGUST 29, 1977 Abandoning imperial presides Editor: If Jimmy Carter goes down in his tory as the greatest bag of hot wind this country has ever known, he will have at least done one thing right. From his Levis to his Heinz-57 dog, Jimmy Carter is one of us, and more importantly he is not ashamed to admit it. On the contrary, he ex ploits the fact. He enrolls his daugh ter in public school; he eliminates the limousine service; during the gas shortage he chills the White House so low he makes his wife cry. He makes it public that he lives like the rest of us. Too few people recognize the positive implications of all of this. When we allow our own elitist fan tasies to elect an elitist president, we should expect elitist, nondemo- cratic policies. It is also well to realize that in this world of ever increasing em phasis on social values, the United States needs to reflect in her chief a oneness with the people if we are to have any influence at all on preserv ing democracy. This is not to say that we should disrespect the authority vested in the president, not in the least, but we should expect him to be one of us, and therefore “for us.” An ad ministration shrouded in the idola tries of imperialism easily forgets where its responsibilities lie. Re member Watergate? —Clay Cockrill, ’79 referring to the headline article in the Tuesday, Feb. 8, 1977 Battal ion. The subject was the bonfire lo cation. In this article, we highly com mend Dr. John Koldus for his at titude about moving the bonfire. However, he was totally wrong on one point. He is quoted as saying, “The Corps does most of the work so the location is to their advan tage.” We would like to set things straight. First of all, if the Corps did “most of the work,” why wasn’t the bonfire better than last year’s? Sec ondly, if Dr. Koldus had come out to the Hearne cutting area on the non-mandatory cutting dates, there was not a member of the Corps in sight: only civilians. We are not criticizing the Corps for their lack of support; we can sympathize with their academic problems and mandatory call to Quarters. We just want credit where credit is due. We cannot speak of our dorm, because that would just be boasting. But, we have seen other dorms, civilians, breaking their arms and backs to build the bonfire. So, please note. Dr. Koldus. —Edward A. Graham, Jr., ’79 —Jeffrey Schneider, T7 —Chris Hinds, ’80 —Randy Hohlaus, ’76 retzels nd Ch if Han Pretzel ind Pie [wist P Twists Pretzel Pretzel Talley 1 Lye; :o give The FT irried absorb ihemit arbon when t Many contribute to bonfire C ommentaries contrasted policies.” Sharon Taulmaiii “Reform needed” was a contrast to Mark Elam’s at “Limits needed.” The contn not, as the articles show, posite viewpoints but duett fort by Taulman to present tax problems and possiblests to those problems which art pursued. Elam also centered his around taxes. Though the subject was taxes, Mr. Eh the tax issue into a baseofalt social programs, inflation, an nomic mismanagement. Asi ending for an article on tan Elam chose a quote hy Henry which said thatifiti fashioned to believe in ri[ could count on Mr. Henry« old fashioned. As compared to Taulmani ingly well thought article, article was a tirade directed current spending with the ness of the spending as his lution. Though Elam exposes faults of our governmeat people, the numerous fi; quotes, and cliches literature of the Young A» for Freedom, an organiaS which he is currently servi executive officer. Mr. Elat may ask, was tax reform thep of your article? —Stan Sla sually he tony Bram ’epper Nugget cheese Cheese Pretzel, retzels j Embreys Jewel Editor: This letter is not so much a com plaint as it is a correction. We are Editor: This is a short reflection on the Tues., Feb. 15 “Commentary” sec tion on “Government, taxation EPISCOPAL STUDENT CENTER 902 Jersey (adjacent to southside of campus) 846-1726 Tuesdays, 5:30 p.m.: Eucharist & Supper Wednesdays, 2:00 p.m.: Bible Study Thursdays, 12:30 p.m.: Bible Study Fridays, 6:30 a.m.: Eucharist & Breakfast Fr. James Moore, Chaplain We Specialize Ip Aggie Rings. Diamonds Sel- Sizing- Reoxidizing- All types watch/jewel Repair N Aggie Charge 9-5:30 '/t/ofnam Eddie Domingti Joe Arcinieji Greg Pita haircuts for guys and gals by . . . Across from A&M 707 Texas 846-6933 la® qua If you want the real thing, not frozen or canned ... We call It “Mexican Food Supreme.’' Dalles location: 1071 Northweet Hwy 3S2-8570 Ride a bicy Help keep oi environment elf MW- LET TOM'S PANTS TURN OK YOUR SPRING WARDROBE With pants from Levi Strauss & Co. in newsif and colors. Featuring Asterisks pants and for gals from Levi's. And we have Panatelashi and european cut jeans for guys. TOM'S PANTS WONT LET YOU GO DOWN THE DRAIN! TOM'S PANTS 800 VILLA MARIA 820-1 Across fiom Manor East Mall