Viewpoint
The Battalion
Texas A&M University
Tuesday
June 20, 1978
The snail darter or common sense?
Even the best of ideas can get out of hand.
That’s the case with the Supreme Court’s deci
sion last week to ban further work on a $116 million
Tennessee dam because it would destroy the home
of a rare 3-inch perch.
The court said the Endangered Species Act for
bids the Tennessee Valley Authority from com
pleting construction on Tellico Dam because the
dam would destroy the only know habitat of the
3-inch snail darter.
Now we have here a question of priorites.
Congress passed the Endangered Species Act in
1973 to protect animal species threatened with
extinction. It was a long-overdue law. One section
of the act, the one under which Tellico Dam was
challenged, provides that projects authorized,
funded or carried out by government agencies can
not endanger species threatened with extinction.
Again, a noble idea.
But to people along the Little Tennessee River,
the Tellico Dam is a pretty noble idea too. The
dam means thousands of new jobs to people who
need them. The dam would mean hydro-electric
power that TVA and plenty of American consum
ers need.
The dam if it has to be abandoned would mean
$116 million in tax money spent and wasted for
what Justice Lewis Powell, Jr., called “a conversa
tion piece for incredulous tourists.” The dam itself
is virtually complete.
But there’s at least some question whether the
law should even apply to Tellico Dam. Construc
tion on the dam began six years before Congress
approved the Endangered Species Act. Propo
nents of the dam maintain that the law applies only
to government construction that began after 1973.
It seems very likely that because of the Tellico
Dam decision Congress will act either to clarify the
law or to provide for exceptions. Senate Minority
Leader Howard Baker, himself a Tennessee Re
publican, has proposed a bill establishing a federal
board authorized to make exceptions in cases like
that of the snail darter. Such a board would “give
the Endangered Species Act an additional dimen
sion of common sense,” Baker said.
That sounds like a good idea. The same law
designed to protect alligators or buffalo won’t al
ways work for every species and every situation.
But there are potential problems. An indepen
dent, judicious board could improve the law; an
eager-to-please board granting exemptions right
and left could destroy the law. And we surely don’t
need any more benevolent-but-bureaucratic
boards.
But we could use some common sense from
Congress.
L.R.L.
Detente at crossroad
By HELEN THOMAS
UPI White House Reporter
WASHINGTON — President Carter
has made it clear that detente with the
Soviet Union is at the crossroads.
Addressing the naval academy’s 1978
graduating class, the president threw down
the gauntlet. “The Soviet Union can choose
either confrontation or cooperation. The
United States is adequately prepared to
meet either choice.
“WE WOULD PREFER cooperation
through a detente that increasingly in
volves similar restraint for both sides, simi
lar readiness to resolve disputes by negotia
tions and not violence, similar willingness
to compete peacefully and not militarily,”
he said. “Anything less than that is likely to
undermine detente.”
other nations, and said their form of gov
ernment is becoming increasingly unat
tractive to other nations.
Furthermore, he said the Soviet Union’s
economic growth is slow, its agricultural
production remains a serious problem and
it cannot match the United States in pro
ductivity or scientific and technological
capability.
IT HAS BEEN a long time since an
American president has been so vocal on
the communist system. In recent times,
the issue of an internal dictatorship, partic
ularly when President Richard Nixon and
Secretary of State Henry Kissinger were
making policy, was soft pedaled in pursuit
of detente.
Some observers believe that Carter is
taking too tough a stance. But hardliners
like what they hear and are applauding
him.
/iwetf
Washington Window
The president chose the two-track ap
proach, which the Soviets describe as a
series of ultimatums, for many reasons, not
the least is the growing alarm of Russia’s
expanding influence in Africa.
There is no doubt that the pressure was
; on Carter to make some counter moves to
£ warn the Soviets and the Cubans that their
"operations were a threat to U.S. interests.
Carter made several harsh comparisons
between the United States and the Soviet
Union while at the same time recalling the
countries were allies in World War II. He
accused the Soviets of abusing human
rights in their own country, of refusing to
tolerate free expression of ideas or a loyal
opposition, or to allow free movement for
its peoples.
“The Soviet Union attempts to export a
totalitarian and repressive form of govern
ment, resulting in a closed society,” he
said. Carter also charged that the Soviets
have “difficult political relations” with
To the more cynical, domestic politics
also has come into play. Since Carter has
been viewed by some of the foreign policy
critics as indecisive, and his own pollsters
see that such an image is hurting him, there
is some feeling that a more assertive presi
dent is in order.
So far, Carter has not projected the*
image of a president who enjoys saber-
rattling, putting pins on maps, or calling
the shots in the 24-hour White House situa
tion room, as some of his predecessors did.
And no one doubts the sincerity of his de
sire to reduce-the arms race and to elimi
nate the threat of nuclear war.
IF CARTER’S PRESENT policy could
be reduced to simple cliche terms, it is the
carrot and the stick. The least that can be
said, however, is that although the Rus
sians are getting the message, there is a
breakdown in true dialogue.
Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev and his
cohorts have rejected the idea of a get-
acquainted summit with Carter until the
time approaches when they could an
nounce concrete results in the strategic
arms limitation negotiations. But in this
case maybe a bit of face-to-face personal
diplomacy might help.
Back to the bus
By LeROY POPE
UPI Business Writer
Good town hard to find
More corruption
NEW YORK — Corporate enchant
ment with suburbia may be waning under
pressure of the energy crunch.
Soaring transportation costs are forcing
more workers — and executives — out of
their cars and into mass transport where it
is possible.
The problems of workers who drive to
commuter trains and 15 percent by bus.
The average firm surveyed employs 1,400
current and potential mass transit riders.
Should this trend become general
around the country, Ms. Maddox said,
there could be a significant impact on the
urban real estate market.
By ED ROGERS
United Press International
WASHINGTON — Government-
financed researchers have found that only
one locality out of 10 it studied was free of
such corruption as bribes, kick-backs or
other crimes involving public officials.
“Corrupt practices were found in all the .
areas except Arlington Heights, Ill., which
was chosen for study because of the lack of
corruption and because cases of corruption
turned up in communities around it,” the
report said.
The other areas studied were Fairfax
County, Va.; Hoffman Estates, Ill.; Bro
ward County, Fla.; Cincinnati-New York
City; Oklahoma City; East Providence,
R.I.; San Diego, and Santa Clara, Calif.
“Like Fairfax County; Broward County
and Hoffman Estates, ” the report said, “Ar
lington Heights was developed after World
War II as tract after tract of cornfields was
bought up by developers.”
“Unlike many other suburbs,” it said,
“the village of Arlington Heights has made
this transition from farm town to upper
middle-class suburb with a total absence of
corruption.
This “conservative enclave” of upper-
class residents pays high salaries for a com
petent professional manager and his staff
has adopted policies aimed at “keeping this
community free of scandal, the report
said.
The study, which required two years,
was made by SRI International (formerly
called Stanford Research Institute) and fi
nanced by a $265,000 grant from the Law
Enforcement Assistance Administration.
The findings are being compiled into six
volumes. The LEAA made public a prelim
inary draft of the first volume — a 189-page
document focusing on corruption in land
use and building regulations.
Some of the findings:
—Fairfax County: Following a develop
ment boom during the 1950s, some county
supervisors accepted zoning bribes in the
form of campaign contributions or no
interest loans.
—Hoffman Estates: Conspiring de
velopers devised complicated payoff
schemes to get housing projects approved
by the Planning and Zoning Commission
and the Village Board in the late 1960s.
Voters later ousted the corrupt officials.
—Broward County: Grand juries in 1973
and 1974 heard accusations that zoning
commissioners, city attorneys, councilmen
and mayors in some of the county ’s 29 cities
were accused of misdeeds but returned no
indictments.
—Cincinnati: City investigators in the
1970s found employees of the housing re
habilitation office were receiving cash, gifts
and services in exchange for giving favors to
local contractors.
—New York City: An undercover inves
tigator posing as a building inspector was
offered payoffs in 44 of 66 instances.
—Oklahoma City: In 1973 four city elec
trical inspectors and five outside contrac
tors pleaded guilty to bribery and nine con
tractors lost their licenses.
—East Providence: Investigations in
1973-74 zoning board members were “sell
ing their decisions,’’which resulted in a
number of perjury and bribery convictions,
guilty pleas and nocontest pleas.
—San Diego: In 1974 a planning com
missioner and a lawyer were charged with
accepting campaign contributions in ex
change for favorable land-use decisions.
—Santa Clara: On Aug. 12, 1975, a plan
ning commissioner, also president of the
Chamber of Commerce, pleaded guilty to
felony corruption charges and was sen
tenced to 1 to 14 years in prison.
their jobs in Chicago’s suburbs have
caused the state of Illinois to start moving
offices with 8,000 employees back into the
city’s rapid transit loop district.
The Continental Bank, one of Chicago’s
biggest, is moving its computer operators
into the loop district for the same reason
— so employees can get to work by ele
vated train or bus.
The downtown industrial districts and
areas near the railroad stations in virtually
every city in the country contain aban
doned or half-empty buildings constructed
years ago. These buildings, she said, could
be remodeled into offices, showrooms and
even manufacturing facilities if the cost of
driving to work goes so high companies are
forced to depend on buses and rapid tran
sit systems to get people to work.
Business
Eva Maddox, Chicago office designer
and planner, sees these examples as man
ifestations of a developing trend which
may see hundreds of offices and other
commercial and industrial facilities move
back into urban areas served by rapid tran
sit or high density bus lines as the price of
gasoline and the cost of buying and main
taining automobiles becomes more and
more burdensome.
Her firm, Maddox Associates, has just
completed a survey of publicly-held cor
porations in the Chicago area. That survey
indicates 60 percent of the companies are
considering a move.
Of those who intend to move, 61 per
cent said the main purpose would be to
locate on the city’s rapid transit lines so
employees would not have to drive their
cars to work. The companies said 67 per
cent of their workers presently arrive in
their own cars, 18 percent by elevated or
Ms. Maddox said many other office
planners around the country are well
aware of the problem and are busily re-
valuating buildings and vacant land lying
close to railroad stations, the remaining
trolley lines and high density urban and
interurban bus lines for office and light in
dustrial use.
The Maddox company asked workers
and junior executives how high the price
of gasoline would have to go before they
would be compelled to give up driving to
work and find a job they could reach by
bus or train.
Twenty-six percent wouldn’t hazard a
guess. Forty-four percent said gasoline at
$1.50 a gallon would be more than they
could pay. Ten percent said even 85-cent
gasoline would force them to look for jobs
they could reach by public transportation
and 20 percent said they couldn’t pay $1 a
gallon.
There’s another factor the survey didn’t
go into: the current high cost of replacing a
worn- out automobile or even of keeping a
car in tires and batteries if it is driven to
and from work every day.
FEEM
by Doug Graham
Top of the News
State
Kiss brings new drug charges
Bobby Dale Jensen had just been given a break that would keep
him out of prison. State prosecutors had tried to have Jensen’s two-
year probation for a drug charge revoked after he was arrested for
misdemeanor assault two months ago. But he agreed in Houston
Wednesday to join drug rehabilitation program and the judge dis
missed the state’s motion. After the ruling Jensen’s girlfriend em
braced and kissed him and apparently slipped him a pill believed to
be a depressant. Now Jensen and his girlfriend, both 19, face charges
of possession of a controlled substance.
Man beaten with artificial leg
Police have arrested three men who robbed a crippled man of
about $50 Sunday in Dallas, then beat him with his artificial leg.
Salvadore Martinez, 28, who lost his leg three years ago in an au
tomobile accident, was in fair condition at Parkland Hospital as a
result of the beating. Pedro Zapata told police he had just left a bar
when he spied the three men beating Martinez. He said when he
went to Martinez’ aid, he also was attacked. Zapata was treated at a
Dallas hospital for minor injuries, and released.
Upgrading jail health care begins
The Texas Medical Association spokesman in Austin Monday an
nounced plans for a statewide effort to upgrade health care in jails.
Beginning in mid-July TMA will contact Texas sheriffs to see if they
are interested in making their jails meet voluntary standards for
minimum care set by the American Medical Association. Five jails
will be selected to receive advice and technical assistance from TMA
doctors for the following 12 months. Texas is one of eight states
participating in a pilot program to improve jail health care.
Nation
Juvenile rights inquiry expanded
The Supreme Court Monday in Washington broadened the scope
of its deliberations on the rights of juveniles whose parents want them
committed to state mental institutions. The justices accepted for re
view next term a case involving Pennsylvania’s procedures for com
mitment of both mentally ill and retarded juveniles. Previous deci
sions have related mainly to student'activities and appearances in
juvenile court. Now the court is going into the more delicate question
of their rights as opposed to parental control.
Hearst may marry bodyguard
Patty Hearst plans to marry one of her former bodyguards, News
week magazine reports. The magazine said Hearst, now serving a
prison sentence for bank robbery, plans to marry Bernard Shaw,30,
who was her private bodyguard during the 18 months she was free on
bond. He has been granted a divorce from his wife and that divorce
becomes final soon. Newsweek said he refuses to comment, but
doesn’t deny the report that he and Miss Hearst plan to marry,
possibly before she is eligible for parole in another year.
Hovering light puzzles citizens
A strange hovering light witnesses said was ringed with a blue haze
has baffled local authorities and area weather forecasters in the cen
tral Nebraska city of North Platte. The light was seen briefly above a
park by two patrolmen about 10 p.m. Saturday, but vanished while
the officers tried to find a better location from which to view it. The
National Weather Service said there were no weather balloons in the
area and authorities said they could not explain the phenomenon.
Soundproof autos may be unsafe
Automobile options such as stereo tape decks, soundproofing and
air conditioning pose a major threat to the safety of ambulance crews
during emergencies, a paramedic contends. Lloyd Mackie, chief
paramedic at Denver General Hospital, said during the weekend new
automobiles tend to be virtually soundproof and hamper attempts by
ambulance drivers to get motorists out of their path.
World
Dayan explains Israeli decision
Israel Foreign Minister Moshe Dayan met with U.S. Ambassador
Samuel Lewis Monday in Jerusalem to explain the Israeli Cabinet’s
statement about its intentions in the occupied territories after a five-
year interim period. Dayan said following the Cabinet meeting Sun
day verbal explanations would be given to the Americans about the
government’s decision that it is willing to negotiate the future of the
occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip five years after the establishment
of peace in the Middle East.
OPEC continues oil price freeze
Oil ministers of the Organization of Oil Exporting Countries
(OPEC) agreed Monday in Geneva, Switzerland to maintain the
freeze on oil prices at current levels until the end of the year. Oil
Minister Ali Khalifa AlSabah of Kuwait, who presided at the ministe
rial conference, said “no decisions” were reached on increasing
prices, currently $12.70 a barrel.
Weather
Partly cloudy and hot today and tomorrow with highs in the
low to mid-90s. Low tonight mid-70s. Winds from the south
east at 5-10 mph. Continued partly cloudy and warm through
Saturday.
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