Viewpoint
The Battalion Thursday
Texas A&M University March 9, 1978
Maximized benefits
I was fortunate enough to take part in a. student editors conference at the
White House last weekend which culminated in a half-hour question and
answer session with President Carter. The experience was interesting
enough, but as expected nothing of earth-shattering importance was re
leased. Carter knew better than to give college editors first shot at any hot
news — the wrath of the White House press corps is legendary.
Strangley enough, it was from an assistant secretary of Health, Education
and Welfare that I learned some interesting news. Mary Francis Berry, head
of the educational branch of HEW, told the conference that substantial
increases in federal student aid for public and private colleges were in the
works to help students combat rising educational costs. She said, however,
that no move has been made to help institutions battle increasing operating
costs.
It makes one wonder how much good will result from increasing student
aid benefits when at the same time college costs continue to rise. Since most
institutional funding comes from the state level, it might be a splendid idea
for the Texas Legislature to work along the same lines as the federal govern
ment. Perhaps then students could do more than just keep their heads above
water. /.A.
Affirmative Action overkill
By LILLI DOLLINGER
Have you ever wondered what it would
feel like to be told you couldn’t enter a
certain school or get a job because of your
sex or the color of your skin? Think about
it. If you are white, and especially if you
are male, it’s more possible than you may
think. Our government has decided that
past discrimination of minorities warrants
“affirmative action.” This action includes
forcing businesses and schools to set aside
a certain number of openings for
minorities: qualified or not-so-qualified.
This reverses the situation of whites and
minorities. As a matter of fact, this action
is like curing a drought with a downpour.
This drought is gone, but now we have a
flood.
Case in point: Allan Bakke is suing the
University of California at Davis Medical
School for discrimination. He is white and
is more qualified than the 16 minority stu
dents selected before him. Out of a total of
3,737 applicants, 100 were accepted, but
16 of those positions were set aside for
minority students under a “minority ad
missions program.” This program is a nice
way of establishing a quota. Of course,
very few people would support quotas, so
the government calls them Affirmative Ac
tion Plans.
Reader s Forum
The Fourteenth Amendment of the
Constitution guarantees equal protection
under the law for all, regardless of color (or
sex). Past cases have determined that ra
cial classifications and discriminations
violate this clause.
The advocates of Affirmative Action
claim that past racism justifies reverse dis
crimination. The Civil Rights Act of 1964
is a forerunner of the current quota pro
grams. Those who were so vocal in the
1960s about racial discrimination against
blacks do not seem to be so worried about
unjust discrimination today. Think about
the absurdity of ending discrimination by
discriminating.
Affirmative Action may be a burden to
the majority but let’s look at from the
minority’s viewpoint, also. First of all, the
minority student or employee that is ac
cepted or employed merely because of
race is at a disadvantage. Why encourage a
person falsely about his or her abilities or
background preparation? A study of spe
cially admitted black and Chicano law
school graduates in more than a dozen
states indicated that roughly 60 percent or
more could not pass the bar exam. What
was accomplished by this affirmative ac
tion.
Let s also think about the qualified
minority students, those who would have
no trouble gaining admittance to a profes
sional school because of their abilities. The
stigma attached to them because of these
quotas is very damaging. They say all too
clearly that the minority member just does
not have what it takes to make it and must
therefore be given what he hasn t the
ability to earn. His talent and hard work
will hardly be appreciated. This is a sad
commentary on the American way of life.
The proponents of Affirmative Action
believe that the government should prac
tice racial and sexual discrimination in
order to make businesses and schools rep
resentative of society as a whole. This goal
is unfit for a free society and should be
re-examined by not only our political lead
ers, but by each and every citizen that ex
pects to be treated according to his
abilities and hard work. This country
should keep its ideals high in regard to its
dealings with its citizens lives. Each one
of us has a stake in the Bakke case and the
ideal it represents. Let’s hope the Court
rules to establish the right of all young
people to he judges on their own merits
when attempting to secure employment or
higher education.
Lilli Dollinger is a freshman math major
and is secretary-treasurer of Texas A<bM
Young Americans for Freedom. Opinions
expressed in this column are the authors
only and not necessarily those of this pa
per.
No halt to ‘bracket creep’
By DON PHILLIPS
WASHINGTON — If you pay taxes —
and almost everyone above the upper
poverty level is supposed to — you are
suffering from bracket creep.
Bracket creep is not a disease, nor is it a
condition associated with underclothing.
Bracket creep is a form of tax increase.
But it is not brought about by any action of
Congress or the Internal Revenue Service.
In fact, it is brought about by inaction.
It works this way. Every year almost
everyone’s salary increases, but part of
that increase merely makes up for — or
partly makes up for — inflation. The “real
increase in income is the amount of salary
increase on top of inflation.
But the Internal Revenue Code is writ
ten as if there were no such thing as infla
tion.
Under our graduated form of income
taxation, the percentage of money with
held in taxes rises as income rises, no mat-
Letters to the editor
ter whether the increase represents a
“real” increase in salary or simply keeps
one even with the rate of inflation.
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Commentary
Therefore, year by year, the taxpayer
keeps popping into higher tax brackets and
pays an increasing amount of income in
taxes even though part of that income rise
is eaten away by inflation.
Taxpayers thus creep up into higher
brackets — “bracket creep.
When Treasury Secretary W. Michael
Blumenthal briefed reporters on President
Carter’s $24 billion tax cut bill, he was
asked numerous times why the multitude
of charts and tables did not include a table
taking into full account the effects of ex
pected inflation including bracket creep.
After giving evasive answers for a
period, he appeared to promise such a
' chart within a'fe\v days: It n^vei appeared.
Republicans, who favor a -much larger
‘tax cut; wbre’only f'oo hapjiy to do a little
of their own calculating. They came up
with a chart which seemed to show that a
family of four would actually pay higher
taxes in 1979 if it made $17,500 a year or
more.
In 1980, under the 1 GOP chart, every
four-member family making $10,000 or
more would pay higher taxes, and in 1981
every family of four would pay more.
The GOP chart takes into account both
the increase in Social Security payroll
takes scheduled under current legislation,
and the full effects of inflation, which is
estimated to be 5.9 percent this year, 6.1
percent in 1979, 5.7 percent in 1980 and
5.2 percent in 1981.
Of course, both the Carter White House
and the Republicans can use statistics to
their best advantage — Carter to make his
fa^’cuQook biggejfcqiyd flit' GOP/ to make
his tawfeut look j)h(-mrr" '
Bdt fine major fact is clear: inflation is
dealing Americans a double whammy, and
some people a triple whammy.
On the one hand, inflation erodes the
value of the dollar and robs us of a part of
whatever salary increase we receive.
Inflation also pushes us into higher and
higher tax brackets.
And at the local level, especially if we
own property, inflation pushes up local
taxes.
Add to this the fact that Social Security
payroll taxes are scheduled to rise year
after year, and one can only wonder how
long it will be before some harried soul
shows up at the doors of his congressman
with documents proving he owes various
governments more money than he makes.
Dance deserves more budget consideration
Editor:
Included in the Kyle Field expansion
are plans for a dance studio. It’s amazing
that an $18 million, four-story complex
housing classrooms, a lecture hall,
laboratories, 14 racketball courts, and five
basketball courts can only manage enough
money and space for one dance studio.
This addition will bring the number of
dance studios at A&M up to two.
The dance studio we have now is used to
the fullest extent. That one poor room is
used from 8 a.m. till 10 p.m. Classes are
held continuously from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
and other groups, such as Dance Arts So-.
ciety and Shorin Karate, work out there
until the room is locked at 10 p.m. It also
is used on weekends. All the PE classes
that need the studio are filled to overflow
ing.
Believe it or not. Aggies love to dance
— anything from ballet to square dancing.
And it’s not only girls, boys are there, too.
However, I don’t want to be misun
derstood and accused of being against the
racketball and basketball courts. I love to
play racketball and if I were seven inches
taller. I’d be seen playing basketball, too.
It just seems to me that someone, some
where is overlooking or ignoring this de
mand area. A&M always manages to ex
pand in just enough time to be over
crowded. I have enough faith in the staff
and administration of A&M to know that it
could be managed to plan and pay for
more than one dance studio somewhere in
$18 million and four stories.
— Deborah Wright, ’80
American tradition
Editor:
I was pleased to see a small group of
civilian Ags stop walking and proudly
place hands over hearts as the Corps
brought down the Stars and Stripes
Monday evening. Unfortunately though,
it’s a pretty rare oceurance.
Often, either alone or with my outfit,
I’ve stook at attention as our flag is being
lowered and seen Ags surely within sight
and sound continue on their way with little
or no regard for what is taking place. This
is particularly noticable on weekends. It
seems rather ironic that Aggies who tire
the finest fighters for so many proud tra
ditions within our beloved University
often refuse to pay due respect to our
country’s “traditions by taking a few
proud moments to salute Old Glory. I
promise you won’t regret it — chances are
it 11 make you feel great!
Certainly thfe Corps is one of the
proudest guardians of traditions at A&M.
We don t have a monopoly on it though!
On a grander scale, we are staunch defen
ders of America s “traditions but we defi-
nately don’t have the only hearts that open
up to her on display of those “traditions.
We re all Ags. We re all Americans!
So, c’mon non-regs; we want your help
in showing pride and spirit in America!
— James E. Edge, ’80
TM again
Editor:
In Friday’s Batt, George Sofka tried to
“clear up” misconceptions regarding TM.
Either he is misinformed himself, or is a
part of the active deceptive program of TM
in this country. Let me clear up some of
the misconceptions about the misconcep
tions.
Fact: TM seeks to hide its true religious
nature through deceptive titles. One need
only read his book, “Meditations of
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi” to see this. On
page 168, he states, “not in the name of
God-realization can we call a man to medi
tate today, but in the name of enjoying the
world better.” When Maharishi first came
to America, he was very blunt about dec
laring the religious nature of TM. The first
organization he established to spread TM
was called “The Spiritual Regeneration
Movement". However, as he became
aware of the legal situation here of separa
tion between church and state, as well as
the technological mentality of Westerners,
the name was changed to Transcendental
Meditation, to portray a “scientific” im
age. Most recently it has been changed
again to the “World Plan Executive Coun
cil”, promoted as an educational organiza
tion, to make the whole deception more
platable to Americans and further obscure
its religious nature. The state of New Jer
sey ruled Oct. 20, 1977, that TM is reli
gious in nature and cannot be taught in the
public schools.
Fact: The basic nature of TM is that of
Hinduism. Psychology Today Magazine
(April 1974) wrote, “Tbe Science of Crea
tive Intelligence (the doctrinal teaching of
TM) as it is called, is clearly a revival of
ancient Indian Brahmanism and Hin
duism. Its origins lie in the ancient texts
— Vedas, Upanishads, Bhagavad-Gita, the
teachings of Buddha, and the Synthesis of
these traditions by Shankara.” Most of all
the teaching of maharashi and TM (such as
the definition of faith, God, Karma,
reality, consciousness) can be found in
classical Hinduism and the Eastern Reli
gions.
Fact: Maharishi admits that it is reli
gious. The use of the Matra is a subtle
means of communicating with “the gods. ”
He speaks of “chanting to produce an ef
fect in some other world, to draw the at
tention of those higher beings or gods liv
ing there” (pp. 17, 18). When asked il
meditation were a form of prayer, he re
sponded, “A very good form of prayer. A
most refined and most powerful form of
prayer is this meditation which directly
leads us to the field of the Creator, to the
sources of Creation, to the field of God.
I think it is time TM stops deceiving the
students of A&M about its true nature. Its
basic thrust is that of Eastern Religion,
which I’m sure some involved themselves
don t realize, and is not to any degree
eompatable with the truth of Christianity.
— Willis Hudson
Slouch
by Jim Earle
SPRINtSrWCAT/PN
Fit,LG
9-7*
Campus
Drug study volunteers to report
Volunteers for the Influenza Drug Study are reminded to turn in
their weekly reports and receive payments at the Texas A&M
versify Health Center reception desk today or Friday during normal
clinic hours.
Local
Property owners meet tonight
College Station property owners are invited to a meeting at 7:!
tonight to discuss how property is rendered for school district taxation
and how market value is determined. The meeting will he conducted
by Tax Assessor-Collector Jewell Ellis and his staff, and will belieldat
the South Knoll Elementary School Cafeteria.
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State
Violent crime may be on dedim
Crime increased steadily in Texas during 1976, but violence mar
be on the decline, the Department of Public Safety said Wednesday
in Austin. DPS officials said the agency’s Uniform Crime report
which will be issued in a few weeks may show an increase in lire
number of violent crimes reported in 1977. But officials noted
another report released Wednesday is based on a random survey of
citizens and includes both reported and unreported crimes. While
the Uniform Crime report is based only on crimes reported to police.
The survey showed crime increases from 1975 to 1976 involved prop
erty crimes such as theft, burglary and motor vehicle theft.
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Farmers try to delay food
In their quest for higher prices, striking farmers Wednesday tried
to persuade truckers from North Dakota to Texas to delay shipments
of food. But a veteran market reporter said two days of cajoling had no
effect on the movement of fresh fruits and vegetables to grocery
stores. Most farmers used a soft-sell approach, inviting truckers to I
stop for coffee along interstate highways. Then they explained their 1
plight and asked the truckers to voluntarily park the trucks unlessj
they were carrying perishables. The farmers hoped their final push 1
would force Congress into favorable action on the Dole-BentsenBill,
an emergency measure which would grant farmers 100 percent parity
ifthey would take 50 percent of their land out of production this year.
Mud-stranded tribe receives aid
Army and National Guard helicopters dropped food and supplies to
an estimated 10,000 mud-stranded Navajo reservation residents
Wednesday in the f if th day of "Operation Mudhole. After three days
of good weather the muddy Arizona ground was beginning to ge/
firm, said Ralph Meek, the tribe s director of public safety. ‘There’s
beginning to be some ground movement in some affected areas, and
providing that storm coming off the Pacific doesn t get this far, we
plan to start winding the operation down tomorrow,” Meek said.
X
Students demonstrate at capitol
Last week more than 100 Langston University students demon
strated at the Capitol in Oklahoma City, trapping legislators in the
House for more than four hours in an effort to gain more money for
the predominantly black school. On Tuesday, a House committee
suggested abolishing the school despite warnings from ChancellorE.
T. Dunlap that it could cost the state $70 to $80 million in federal
funds. House Speaker Bill Willis, D-Tahlequah, predicted the propo
sal woidd never pass the House and said it did not represent a major
ity view. "It was obviously a reaction to the demonstration," Willis
said. Other lawmakers said closing the school would save the state
money on an institution with a poor academic reputation.
Bell says miners will work
Striking miners will heed a federal court order to return to work
and end the nation’s longest continuous coal strike. Attorney General
Griffin Bell predicted Tuesday in Kansas City, Mo. He expressed
confidence that the 160,000 striking members of the United Mine
Workers union would comply with a court order to end the three-
month-old walkout. Bell told reporters after the ceremony it was too
early to comment on the possibility of federal seizure of the mines.
He said he assumed the strike would be resolved before such action
became necessary.
M<
ar
Flynt shooting suspect freed
A young man arrested as a possible suspect in the Monday shooting
of Hustler magazine publisher Larry Flynt in Georgia was in Norfolk
at the time and has been released from custody. Teddy Morris, 20,
was freed after being questioned by police officers from Lawrence-
ville, Ga., who flew to Norfolk. Capt. B. H. Blanott of the Gwinett
County, Ga. police department said Morris “admitted it was all a
hoax.” Paul Lipkin, an attorney for Morris, said his client had con
cocted a false story to collect the reward money in the case and it had
gotten him into trouble.
Weather
Fair and warm today, turning partly cloudy and warmer on
Friday. High today mid-60s, low tonight mid-40s. High tomor
row mid-70s. Winds light and variable. Cooler Saturday and
Sunday with decreasing cloudiness.
The Battalion
Opinions expressed in The Battalion are those of the
editor or of the writer of the article and are not necessarily
those of the i Hi versify administration or the Board of Be-
tients. The Battalion is a non-profit, self-support* % r^
enterprise operated by students as a university and com
munity newspaper. Editorial policy is determined by the
editor.
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editorial staff reserves the right to edit such letters and does
not guarantee to publish any letter. Each letter must be
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number for verification.
Address correspondence to Letters to the Editor. The
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Fditor
J.IIH1I I*
Managing Fditnr
■ Man yli<vU,«W
Sports Editor
I'jiilMf
News Editors
Marie iloim-xrr. CjrnJirf
Assistant Managing Edito
’. Cl,mi Ml*
City Editor
Kami W*
Campus Editor
Kim I" 1
Reportei
l.iy
Mark Pattersoi
Uriel.
Photographei
(airtoonist
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Stiulent Tuhlicatums Board. Boh C. Huccr*. t h**
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Tublicalions: Donah! I Johnson.