Viewpoint
The Battalion
Texas A&M University
Monday
April 24, 1978
A
Consumer advocacy vs. common sense
Poor Ralph.
First they postponed the air bags in cars. Now
the House of Representatives has defeated plans
for a proposed new consumer protection agency.
Nader attributed the defeat, by a hefty 227 to 189
vote, to “the corrupting influence of big business
campaign contributions.”
Actually, it was a modest victory for common
sense.
The proposed agency, which has been in the
legislative works for years in one form or another,
was perceived as yet another layer of bureaucracy
with little focus. The plan was to establish a new
department of government which would represent
the consumer’s interests before other government
bodies. The consumer advocates would have the
power to appeal decisions or take them to the
courts if they didn’t think the outcome was in the
consumer’s best interests.
It sounds good, but there are some fundamental
problems. First, it’s not always obvious what’s in
the consumer’s best interest. Which would you
choose — more lawnmower safety devices and
higher prices for lawnmowers, or lower prices at
greater risk to your toes and feet? Both sides have
consumer appeal, but for different reasons.
Second, the consumer agency’s function would
have been largely superfluous. The federal gov
ernment is already laden with regulatory agencies
which are supposed to take the consumer’s point of
view into account. Of course, many of them are
captives of the industries they regulate. But the
solution is not to capitulate by establishing another
watchdog agency to watch the watchdogs; it is to
appoint more consumer-minded individuals to
existing boards and agencies.
Much to the horror of business interests in some
cases, this is precisely what President Carter has
been doing. Many of Ralph Nader’s closest as
sociates are now members of the Carter adminis
tration. Some of them have become targets of their
former boss’s scathing denunciations.
If consumer protection is what they’re after,
Congress can do better by continuing to pass legis
lation in specific areas such as money lending and
credit policies, auto safety, consumer fraud and
the like. It is lobbying for legislation like this —
much of it valuable, some of it silly — that accounts
for Ralph Nader’s reputation as the nation’s chief
consumer advocate.
But we see no reason to enshrine his point of
view permanently in yet another costly govern
ment agency.
The Greensboro N.C. Daily News
Panama: The great canal giveaway
By MICHAEL WARD MILLS
I wish to urge all readers to appeal to
their Congressmen and urge them to pro
pose a resolution declaring that all flags be
lowered to half-mast to commemorate
America’s Day of Shame in recognition of
one of the most reckless and tragic acts in
our nation’s history; the ratification of the
Panama Canal Treaty; or more fitting, for
the Great Giveaway of the American Canal
in Panama.
The confirmation of the treaty, riding the
crest of lies and half truths about the proper
sovereignty and effectiveness to us, has
created one fighting mad citizen in me,
as it should in most of you, since the over
whelming majority of Americans, accord
ing to records of Senators mail, opposed
this sell-out for numerous and sound rea-
The Maritime Administration has esti
mated that by the year 2,000, U.S. exports
through the Canal will double (wouldn’t
you rather save three months around South
Readers Forum
In spite of those brow-beating moralists
that would have us pick apart and solve our
consciences over the issue of our sover
eignty there, which is valid, the facts blow
away all arguments that the Canal is not
ours and is no longer needed. Consider the
fact that 66 percent of all U.S. export ship
ping last year transitted the Canal. Not only
this, but 96 percent of the U.S. fleet can
transit the canal, even considering the fact
that most supertankers that can’t transit the
canal don’t have routes that bring them
close to it.
America and also save the risk of America
being shutoff by Panama because they sud
denly change their attitude or else are un
able to maintain it because of ineptitude?).
However, I guess that the second possibil
ity has already been taken care of since,
contrary to what the man “who promised
never to lie to us has told us, we will be
paying directly $20 million in revenues to
Panama when the treaty goes into effect in
October, 1979. You will be “asked” to give
the Reds $50 million in military assistance
over the next 10 years, as well as to finance
the training of their Canal operators.
The obvious military importance of the
Canal blows away any doubt of the same.
The main flaw in the neutrality treaty is that
there is no stopping Panama, with United
Nations support, from shutting down quick
American transits in time ofwar. While the
fact is that 96 percent of our present fleet
can transit the canal, the projected growth
of the fleet is toward smaller, faster vessels,
so that, in essence, the Canal would assume
even more importance. What we actually
need is a bigger Canal!
Don’t be fooled by the everloving, trust
ing declarations made by our State De
partment; the typical Communist bargain
ing position has been, and will continue to
be: “What is ours, is ours; what is yours, is
negotiable. The result of the Kissingeres-
que style of shady, clouded diplomacy has
been revealed in contradictions, numerous
and serious of what the treaty means.
Escobar Torrijos’ official spokesman re
vealed several of these points in a speech
last October: the U.S. will have no defense
rights in time of war past the year 2,000,
that U.S. ships would get no preferential
transit rights in time of war, and that the
neutrality treaty would not apply during
foreign attack or internal disorder. All of
course, in direct contradiction of the prop
aganda and hurried assurance of our illus
trious State Department.
The most regrettable part of the mess is
that despite the overwhelming disfavor of
Americans, particularly represented by the
Texans who sent mail opposing the treaty
by 99 percent to your good Senator
Bentsen, who voted for the damned thing.
Carter, under this influence of his advisors
of the infamous Trilateral Commission,
proceeded to give the American people a
good, old-fashioned snow job. By the way,
wasn’t it funny that the Merchant Midland
Bank of Chicago, one of whose directors is
on the commission, has $12 million dollars
coming to it from Panama by way of direct
loans? Makes you wonder if one of the real
motivations was to hand the Canal to
Panama, so that as the Canal talks were
gradually raised, the Panamanians could
kick it back to their master’s banks.
The fact of the matter is that the old
saying, "what you see is what you get,’’
does not apply in this case. Now Carter and
his cohorts are trying to circumvent the
Constitution which requires that the whole
Congress, and not the Senate only, must
vote to ratify not any treaty, but specifically
those treaties involving the expropriation
of American territory. The big reason, of
course, is that it hasn’t a ghost of a chance of
passing through the House because of close
constituent ties. This flagrant violation will
not occur if you good people will write to
your respective Congressmen and urge
them to sign the petition asking for a favor
able decision from the Justice Department
on the issue of the House vote.
In this age of so-called "democratic”
ideals and lip service pertaining to such,
let’s show Washington who still runs this
country!
Mil/s is a junior geophysics major.
Senators get old too
By DAVID S. BRODER
WASHINGTON — Of the 33 senators
whose terms were scheduled to expire this
year, two have died since the beginning of
the current Congress and eight others have
announced their retirements.
The retirees include three relatively
young men — James Abourezk (D-S.D.),
47; Dewey F. Bartlett (R-Okla.), 58; and
James B. Pearson (R-Kan.), 57. The other
five are at, or past, what is generally con
sidered normal retirement age.
But, as pollster Peter Hart has pointed
out, there are three other senators, all in
their 70s, who have decided to try for one
more term. And all three of them appear to
be in trouble.
One is Sen. Jennings Randolph,
D-W.Va., 76, the only member of the cur
rent Congress who served in the Capitol
when Franklin D. Roosevelt was inaugu
rated. Randolph was elected to the House
in 1932.
He is up against ex-Gov.- Arch A. Moore
(R), and a recent Republican poll shows
him with less than 50 percent support and
only an 8-point lead — not a comfortable
position for an incumbent. Moore, a cele
brated political infighter, is not making age
an overt issue. But he rarely fails to men
tion that Randolph “has given almost a
half-century of service to the state.”
The second Senate elder who appears to
be having his problems is Strom Thur
mond, R-S.C., 75. No one would accuse
Thurmond of infirmity. A physical fitness
fanatic, he remarried ten years ago and has
four young children.
Yet the latest poll taken for Thurmond’s
challenger, Charles D. (Pug) Ravenal (D),
shows the incumbent with only a shaky
48-to-44 percent lead.
The third example is Sen. Clifford P.
Case, R-N.J., 73, who has both a Republi
can primary opponent and several eager
Democratic challengers. A recent Eagleton
Institute poll showed Case with suprisingly
small name recognition, despite his four
terms. He drew more negative comments
than positive from the cross-section of vot-
Hart is convinced that there is more than
coincidence in the fact that the only over-70
senators who have decided to seek reelec
tion are in trouble. While Congress has
repealed the mandatory retirement age for
federal employees, the voters appear to
think there is a time when it is appropriate
for their elected officials to step down.
Increasingly, senators have been getting
the message. Three other senators in their
70s are retiring this year — John J.
Sparkman, D-Ala.; James O. Eastland,
D-Miss.; and Carl T. Curtis, R-Neb. So are
Sens. Clifford P. Hansen, R-Wyo.; and
William L. Scott, R-Va., who would reach
70 before the end of another term.
That was also the pattern in 1976, when
such senior senators as Mike Mansfield,
Hugh D. Scott, Stuart Symington, John O.
Pastore, Roman L. Hruska, Hiram L. Fong
and Paul Fannin decided to end their legis
lative careers.
There is no iron rule on retirement —
and probably shouldn’t be. Senators who
have been as well respected in their states
as Randolph, Case and Thurmond may be
able to persuade the voters that time has
not yet run out for them.
But Hart is right, I think, in pointing to
the “age issue as the key factor in these
races. More than ideology, more than party
label, more than positions on Panama, So
cial Security or other controversial issues,
what will probably determine the fate of
these three senators is the public judgment
about the wisdom of their decision to pro
long their own careers.
It has never been easy for stars in any
field — and especially in show business,
sports and politics — to know when to take
their final bows. Increasingly the voters are
ready to make that decision for the politi
cians who don’t know how to make it for
themselves.
(c) 1978, The Washington Post Company
Fetters to the editor
New wall makes fortress out of city hall
Editor:
Just a few words to lodge my opinion
against the very ugly wall the city of Col
lege Station erected in front of C.S. City
Hall.
It makes an otherwise adequate struc
ture look uninviting, forbidding, secretive,
and downright fortess-like. It is very unfor
tunate that so little taste and ingenuity was
used to allocate the public monies with the
consequence of destroying the esthetic
quality of the building.
—B.E. Aguirre
were asked to pay for the damages since the
fire occurred on their floor.
Although this is a hypothetical example,
its similarities are more than just a coinci
dence to the actions recently committed at
Utay Hall. Residents of the third floor of
Utay have been asked to pay for acts of
vandalism committed on their floor ir-
regardless of their purported involvement
in these destructive actions.
It is our belief that the people who com
mitted these acts of vandalism should pay
for their deeds. We also believe it is illegal
to try to force other residents to pay for
someone else’s sadistic behavior.
—Tom Gowan, ’80,
Howard Yancy, ’79,
Billy Waddell, ’79
Cartoonist wins second Pulitzer
Panama Hnsighf
Editor:
The following is a short comment on Lee
Roy Leschper’s editorial, “Panama’s Puppy
Bares His Teeth.”
The editorial showed a definite lack of
knowledge of and insight into Latin Ameri
can political affairs. Contrary to the edito
rial, Torrijos’ comments were not directed
at the United States, but to a national audi
ence of Panamanians. In other words, the
comments were for home consumption to
appease Panama’s radical dissidents.
This may also account for the lack of
interest or “shrug of the shoulders” of the
Administration and the State Department.
In any case, the editorial was a good
example ofhow a lack of political insight can
bias American’s perception of what are
often another country’s internal politics.
Sounds like the hook-line-and-sinker syn
drome.
—Stan Stanfield, ’78
Everybody pays
Editor:
Imagine this: A fire is put out on the third
floor of a dorm at Texas A&M University.
After the damage done to the building was
estimated, the residents of the third floor
’"cs-vuSsr.Jw.-
“I get a lot of help from politicians
in Washington who unknowingly
contribute to the humor of my
work,” Jeff MacNelly has said in ac
cepting awards for his editorial car
toons. v
MacNelly, 30, whose cartoons ap
pear regularly in the Battalion, has
won his Pulitzer Prize for editorial
cartooning this year.
MacNelly calls himself a conserva
tive — “a small m’ mugwump with
Whiggish tendencies,” he says —
but his overriding view is that edito
rial cartoons should be funny.
“These days there are an awful lot
of reasons for readers to be full of
gloom and doom,” he says. “Edito
rial cartoons should not contribute to
that mood. In a desert nearly devoid
of humor, editorial cartoons should
allow a reader to pause and get a few
laughs.”
j
Top of the News J
Campus
Pre-registration begins Monday
Pre-registration for the lull semester at Texas A&M University
began at 8 a. m. today and will continue through Friday afternoon. Fall
class schedules are available at Heaton Hall (the old Exchange Store)
and at the Rudder Tower information center. Only students currently
enrolled for the 1978 spring semester will be allowed to pre-register.
Classes for the fall semester begin Aug- 28.
Battalion staff receive awards
The Battalion received a total of 11 awards from two regional jour
nalism conferences Saturday. Two of these were second and third
place recognition for best student newspaper.
Rusty Cawley, former city editor, won first place in editorial writ
ing at the Sigma Delta Chi convention in Oklahoma City for his
comments on the “speediness of the Walter Joe Coleman trial.
Liz Newlin, campus editor, placed second in spot news reporting
for her article on possible budget cuts at the KAMU-FM radio sta
tion.
The Battalion received second place among regional schools for
best student newspaper. The Daily Texan. University of Texas,
placed first.
At the Southwestern Journalism Congress in Denton, the Battalion
placed first in editorial page layout and third in the competition for
best student newspaper.
The Daily Texan again placed first followed by the North Texas
State newspaper, the North Texas Daily.
Glenna Whitley, former assistant managing editor, received a sec
ond place award at the S WIC for her series on gay lifestyles at Texas
A&M University.
Rusty Cawley received second place in critical writing for his col
umn on Woody Allen’s paranoia.
Sports writer Mark Patterson received third place for best game
story for his story on Mike Mosley’s “heroic” game against the Uni
versity of Houston last December.
The Battalion was also given first place recognition for newspaper
advertisements and best series of ads by Steve Korte and for best
feature headline.
A v,
ere;
ersil
rocoi
unds
Tlu
ly tin
rocoi
href
tuddi
Tlu
ar ct
■ompi
hisp
mall
it tii
he t;i
leep
hinlii
An
ealta
’hilip
ased
Ingli
rord
naclii
angu
Vai
ould
tpe,
ion j
ould
omp 1
Mo
State
Freight trains derail in Cibolo
Two Southern Pacific freight trains collided in Cibolo, Texas, during
a thunderstorm Saturday resulting in a derailment, several injuries, a
diesel spill and heavy damage to both trains. Emergency vehicles were
dispatched to the site in southwest Guadalupe County about 35 miles
northeast of San Antonio. Sev eral persons received minor injuries and
were taken to nearby hospitals for treatment. A spokesman for South
ern Pacific said several boxcars had derailed and the cause of the
collision was being investigated.
LULAC will file federal lawsuit
A spokesman for the League of United Latin American Citizens said
Saturday in Houston that the group will file a federal court suit Monday
against the Texas Employment Commission. LULAC Attorney David
Lopez said the group) will charge the TEC with discrimination against.
Spanish citizens in employment, recruitment and assignment of per*"
sons already employed. The LULAC suit will name Susan Banda as a
plantiff, he said. Lopjez said she worked for the commission for J5_venrs
and failed to get a promotion she felt she had earned. Loprez also said
the TEC had been contacted by the federal government and warned if
its officials did not change the agency’s policies, the U.S. Justice
Department would file its own suit.
Nation
Indians’ trek protests legislation
A group of about 250 Indians on a cross-country trek from California
to Washington to protest "anti-Indian legislation before Congress
called time out Saturday and announced they would spDend the week
camping at a northeast Kansas reservoir to reorganize their ranks.
David Hill, a member of the Choctaw tribe who joined the group in
Utah, said the purpose of the "Longest Walk was to bring public
attention to legislation that would force Indians to give up) renewable
natural resources and rights guaranteed them under treaties.
World
Korean plane survivors aided
A Pan American plane on a mercy mission from Murmansk arrived
in Helsinki, Finland early Sunday with the 106 surviving p^assengers of
a South Korean Airlines jetliner forced to crash-land. The plane
crashed on a frozen lake in a remote northwest corner of the Soviet
Union when Soviet jetfighters attacked and opened fire on it. Also on
board the Pan Am Boeing 727 were the bodies of two passengers, a
Japanese and a Korean. Passengers said the two were killed hy bullets
fired from the Soviet interceptors that scrambled to meet the South
Korean Airlines Boeing 707 when it strayed over sensitive Soviet
territory Thursday while flying the Polar route from Paris to Seoul.
Another 16 passengers were injured but it was not immediately clear
whether any had been wounded or whether they suffered injuries
when the MIGs forced the South Korean plane to crash-land near the
Finnish border.
Weather
Mostly cloudy this morning becoming partly cloudy and
warm later this afternoon. Fair and cool tonight. Sunny and
warm on Tuesday. High today upper 80s, low tonight low
50s. High tomorrow upper 80s. Winds from the south at
10-15 mph becoming northerly tonight at 5-8 mph.
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 University administration or the Board of Regents. The
Battalion is a non-profit, self-supporting enterprise oper
ated hy students as a university and community newspaper.
Editorial policy is determined hy the editor.
LETTERS POUCY
Letters to the editor should not exceed 300 words and are
subject to l?eing 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 he
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.
McDonald Building, College Station, Texas 7
United Press International is entitled exclusively &
use for reproduction of all news dispatches credited
Rights of reproduction of all other matter herein reset
Second-Class postage paid at College Station, TX
Represented nationally by National Educational Adver
tising Services, Inc., New York City, Chicago and Los
Angeles.
The Battalion is published Monday through Friday from
September through May except during exam and holiday
periods and the summer, when it is published on Mondays,
Wednesdays and Fridays.
Mail subscriptions are $16.75 per semester; $33.25 per
school year; $35.00 per full year. Advertising rates furnished
on request. Address: The Battalion, Room 216, Reed
MEMBER
Texas Press Association
Southwest Journalism Congress
Editor Kind 11
Managing Editor KarenW
Sports Editor David M
News Editors Carolyn Blosser, Debbie
City Editor Gan ^
Campus Editor LizN* 1
Assistant Campus Editor Andy Ml* 1
Editorial Director Lee Roy LescV
Photo Editor J. WagnerTj
Staff Writers Mark Patterson, Paige
Andrea Vails, Michelle Scudder. Sean^
Photographers Susan Webb.
Cartoonist Doug
Student Publications Board: Bob G. Roiias. Chtifl*
Joe Arredondo, Dr. Gary Halter, Dr. CharlesiicCW
Dr. Clinton A. Phillips. Rebel Rice. Director of ^
Publications: Donald C. Johnson.