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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (June 28, 1978)
Viewpoint The Battalion Wednesday Texas A&M University June 28, 1978 The experts are coming! By MARK WILLIS Battalion City Editor As the problems and scope of gov ernmental concern grow, we are seeing what might be described as the rule of the expert. Government bodies, from Washington, D.C. to College Station, are depending more and more on advice from “experts” to guide them in their decisions. No one person can possibly understand all, or even most of the complex issues that gov ernments must deal with today. Not that our elected officials could not become knowledgeable in most of these matters, given time, though for some of them an eternity would not suffice. But there is simply not enough time for study of each issue. It would be interesting to know how many acts of our governments are influ enced solely on the advice of experts. Out side those issues of public note, which are greatly in the minority, the number is probably staggering. Commentary For the most part it seems certain that these expert advisors, who represent ev erything from aviation to farming, are honest and make the best recom mendations they can. Yet, certain of them have have been questioned in recent years and found lacking. Perhaps the best known group, nationally at least, has been the military, which in some cases has been found to misrepresent the facts for its own purposes. They are, in all probability, not alone. The danger in this system is that our elected officials may become so dependent that they become merely a token symbol of public rule. Our government is increas ingly under the control of this unelected group of civil servants, the “experts. ” Unfortunately, the nature of the prob lem and its cause make it very difficult to deal with. It would be foolish to advocate a return to a simpler type of government based on less government. The technolog ical, economical, social, and de- mographical problems of this country make that a rather naive view. The need for expert advice is not going to abate. Therefore, the answer lies in the election of officials who question with in telligence, and an alert populace that doesn’t simply vote and then go into hibernation until the next election. Apathy at the ground level of govern ment can only produce the same attitude at the upper levels. The people of this country are still capa ble of controlling it; they just don’t bother to do so for the most part. The theory be hind this system in the beginning, and to day, is that the people will monitor it. If we, as individuals, fail in this responsibil ity we can only blame ourselves for what may follow. Long, hot summer for Democrats By DAVID S. BRODER WASHINGTON—Behind the seeming summer torpor of the capital, there is a drama of great fascination taking place. It is the internal struggle within the govern ing Democratic party to adapt its histori cally liberal premises and programs to the conservative forces now dominant in America—and to do this without breaking apart at the seams. The tension this creates within the polit ical system explains many of the contradic tions and much of the fault-finding that seem so prevalent. What are those forces? In foreign policy, Soviet expansionism in Africa and its arms buildup in Eastern Europe have shifted the focus of American diplomacy from the pursuit of detente to an updated version of the containment doctrine. The shift is pushing defense spending higher, delay ing arms-control agreements and sharpen ing the exchanges between Moscow and Washington. In economic policy, the resurgence of inflation has shifted the focus from reduc ing employment, where the administra tion was quite successful, to restraining prices, where the success so far has been minimal. In social policy, the rising chorus of complaints about the costs and inefficiency of government has driven officials in Washirtgton, as elsewhere, to seek to con strain government, rather than expand and improve its benefits. All three of these shifts—toward a more anti-Soviet foreign policy, a tighter fiscal policy and a slowdown in domestic programs—are essentially conservative in their thrust. Were the Republicans the governing party in this country, they would have lit tle difficulty adapting their rhetoric or their programs to the prevailing mood. But the Republicans are suffering the after-effects of a decade of their own lead ership failures, and are exiled from power. So these shifts are taking place at a time of extraordinary Democratic dominance at all levels of government. The tensions they are producing inside that party are growing. Whether it is a meeting of the mayors in Atlanta, labor lobbyists on Capitol Hill, former Vietnam war opponents now in mid-level administration jobs, or the black caucus at the Democratic National Com mittee, the questions are variants of a single theme: What is happening to the people we put in office? Where is the pol icy payoff for all we did? True believers in the old, liberal faith, like George McGovern, shake their fists at the change and cry betrayal. “In the past, in success and in adversity, the Democratic Party has stood proudly for the possibilities of progress,” the 1972 nominee said last weekend. After the New Deal, the Fair Deal, the New Frontier and the Great Society, “we have not come this far to settle now for no deal....” Those whose conflicting loyalties make them equivocators do their best tb rationalize the change. Vice President Mondale, who now prefers the term “pro gressive” to “liberal,” is the exemplar of those who seek “humane priorities” in a period of constricting govenment. They seek to ease the adjustment to forces they cannot afford to oppose. The younger Democrats in Congress and the state capitols, with less to protect, admit their confusion. They talk among themselves about the “intellectual vac uum” in their party and gaze wistfully at such previously heretical Republican no tions as deep cuts in personal income taxes and capital gains taxes. The man in the middle is, of course, the President, who probably did not bargain on being caught in such powerful historical forces before he had a firm grip on his own government. As in so many other things, Jimmy Carter is equivocal about this change. There are strong conservative forces in his own character—his upbringing and his religion, his Annapolis training and Navy discipline, and the successful struggle he and his strongly conservative wife waged for their own economic independence. Jimmy Carter does not feel estranged from those who are anti-Communist, anti inflation, anti-taxes and anti-big govern ment. But he still dreams.some of the lib eral dreams of his party: of arms control and expanding world trade, of full em ployment, a compassionate welfare system and health protection for all. He understands that a leader who throws himself in the path of powerful forces that are pushing America in a more conservative direction will be overrun. But he also knows that if he abandons too quickly the historial liberalism of his party, he can be challenged within it by someone more formidable than George McGovern. There are no easy answers for him, or for other Democrats. (c) 1978, The Washington Post ‘Why not the best?’ By STEVE GERSTEL United Press International WASHINGTON — Without giving a thought to Jimmy Carter or the problems of plagiarism, how many senators look in the mirror and decide, “Why Not The Best?” Probably more than anyone ever knows. The lure of using the Senate as the springboard for a run at a presidential nomination is hard to resist. Even the prospect of using the vice presidency as an escalator stop on the way to the top has very willing recruits in the Senate. The election in 1976 of Jimmy Carter, a one-term Georgia governor, who beat Gerald Ford, a congressman who reached the White House by accident, did not kill the notion that the Senate is the breeding grounds for presidents. In fact, Carter’s troubles may have rein forced the feeling among senators that they — above all others — are qualified to lead the country. The feeling that the Senate is the best jumping-off point for a presidential race Washington Window can easily be justified by four of the last five elections: • —In 1960, John F. Kennedy, the junior senator from Massachusetts, defeated Richard Nixon, who left the Senate to serve two terms as vice president. —In 1964, Lyndon Johnson, who gave up the powerful post of Senate Demoratic leader to be Kennedy’s vice president, beat Sen. Barry Goldwater, R.-Ariz. —In 1968, Nixon, resurrected by the GOP after eight years out of politics, edged Hubert H. Humphrey, who left the FEEM Senate to serve as Johnson’s veep. —In 1972, Nixon trounced Sen. George McGovern, D-S.D. And in 1976, Carter had to fend off a field of senators — Jackson, Bayh, Church — and others to win the Democratic nomination. A little more than two years before the 1980 national conventions, it seems almost certain that more than one senator is going to hit the campaign trail in search of the nomination. Among Republicans, much depends on what Ronald Reagan plans to do. Should he give it still another whirl, the number of senatorial entries would decrease. If Reagan rides into retirement, Sen. Robert Dole of Kansas, is certain to make his bid. The GOP’s 1976 vice presidential candidate is already the closest thing to an active candidate going. Two other possibilities from the party’s conservative wing — both with little na tional recognition — are Paul Laxalt of Nevada and Orrin Hatch of Utah. Laxalt won his spurs and plaudits from all sides for his leadership in the fight against the Panama Canal treaty despite its ratification. Hatch is trying to milk every issue that comes by to establish his cre dentials. The best-known of the Senate Republi cans is their leader, Howard Baker of Ten nessee. Baker, who came close to getting the vice presidential nomination in 1968 and in 1976, has made no secret of some day going after the top spot. Depending on Carter’s vulnerability, he might try 1980 or wait for 1984. Among other Republican possibilities — all closer to the liberal wing — are Charles Percy of Illinois, who had an “exploratory” committee going before Ford announced he would run; Charles Mathias of Mary land, who in 1976 talked of jumping in to give Republicans a non-conservative choice; and Lowell Weicker of Connec ticut. With Carter in the White House, there is less speculation among Democrats. Sen. Edward Kennedy, who beats Car ter and everyone else in the polls, is al ways mentioned, but he steadfastly insists he is going with Carter in 1980 and re- Letter to the editor Editor: On the morning of the 22 of June, I arrived at the Zachry Parking Lot at 8:05 a. m. to park my car. Upon arriving, I found out that two-thirds of the lot had been par titioned off in order to paint stripes to park. _/ Well, at least two dozen people were driving around the remainder of the lot waiting to park their cars and were unable to do so since there were no spaces availa ble. Why must they partition off two-thirds of the lot? Why not just one-third? Don’t they know that at least two-thirds of the lot is used this this summer? Why couldn’t it be done between the two sessions of school? A lot of students were inconvenienced by the poor planning by whoever was in charge of this operation. I feel an apology is due to all students who were inconve nienced and late by at least 20 minutes to their 8:00 classes. —Jim Miller —Gary Williams, ‘77 —Rick Riggins, ‘71 —Jack Toellner, ‘78 by Doug Graham mains content in the Senate. All that could change, however, if Car ter decides not to seek a second term or appears doomed to defeat. Then, a number of Senate Democrats would wind up in front of their mirrors, wondering, “Why Not The Best.” Editor’s note: The Battalion contacted Eugene Ray, head of the grounds maintenance department, who scheduled the restriping of the Zachry parking lot. Ray said he was sorry if students were inconvenienced by the work; however, he emphasized that the job was routine maintenance that had to be done before students return for the fall. Ray said that the crews are restriping many of the lots on campus and students would have to be inconvenienced because they could not all be done during break. It should be pointed out that there is no ac tual break between the two summer school sessions. Ray said that the lot was blocked off for two days, but that the lot has never been more than 40 to 50 percent full at any time. He said the restriping was important because it had not been done in six years and the lines were barely visible. / N Readers’ Forum Guest viewpoints, in addi tion to Letters to the Editor, are welcome. All pieces sub mitted to Readers’ forum should be: • Typed triple space • Limited to 60 characters per line • Limited to 100 lines Yoo roaches used fo fc/mw , ypur place. sy Hidir^, scurry ing at night, ~Tel| rne, whdt happened? r .— X quess it $ v c^use 1 l ( n|0re college. Restriping inconvenient Top of the News State Copy of Declaration donated Ten business and civic leaders in Dallas have arranged to obtain one of the original 21 copies of the Declaration of Independence for donation to the city in July 4 ceremonies. Dallas industrialist Ira G. Corn Jr., and an associate, Joseph Driscoll, purchased the document in 1969 for $404,000. Driscoll confirmed arrangements had been worked out for a group of individuals to obtain the copy as a gift to be displayed in Dallas’ new City Hall. Plainview fire rages Flames shooting two-stories into a predawn sky Tuesday severely damaged three downtown businesses in Plainview, caused smoke damage to at least two other firms and forced the evacuation of a hotel. Fire Marshal Joe Ferguson said firemen were still putting out the smoldering blaze that raged through a used furniture store, pool- room and restaurant. An unoccupied business office on the floor above the three firms also suffered extensive damage, he said. No injuries were reported. Ferguson said the cause of the fire was still undetermined and no damage estimate was available. Nation Tanker towed for repairs Trade deficit up Chain violates skin ban World South Yemen stops violence Toy store bomb found A powerful bomb discovered Tuesday in the toy department of a large Paris department was set to go off when the store was most crowded with children and customers, police said. There was no indication whether the homemade explosive was linked to Mondays bombing of the Versailles Palace. Police said the bomb was found inside the box of a toy automobile on the shelves of the toy depart ment of the Bazar de 1’Hotel de Ville in central Paris. Monaco s princess to marry Princess Caroline, 21, of Monaco will marry Philippe Junot, a 38- year-old investment banker on Wednesday. Junot was better known in jet set discos than in the halls of finance, until he met the daughter of Prince Rainier and Princess Grace, rulers of the rich little French principality of Monaco. Newspapers keep referring to Junot as a playboy, but the royal family likes him and they feel he will do everything in his power to make their daughter happy. Their only reservation, friends explain, is Caroline’s high potential for achieve ment which will not be tapped. Soviets fire craft The Coast Guard Tuesday said a 784-foot tanker disabled by afire that forced the crew to abandon ship briefly in th Gulf of Mexico would be towed to Mobile, Ala., for repairs. A tug was dispatched to the Liberian-registered M .T. Amoco Texas City, located 210 miles southwest of New Orleans. The tanker was en route from Lake Charles, La., to Aruba in the Caribbean when the fire broke out Monday in the engine room. The 35 crew members scrambled into lifeboats and abandoned ship briefly until the fire went out, about 3Mi-hours after it was reported. No injuries were reported and dam age was limited to the engine room. The United States recorded its smallest trade deficit in 10 months in May, purchasing just $2.24 billion more in foreign goods than it sold overseas, government spokesmen in Washington said Tuesday. However, the total deficit for the first five months of 1978 has now reached $14.77 billion, which is 79 percent higher than during the same period last year when the nation chalked up its biggest deficit in history. The Ohrbachs department store chain has pleaded no contest to charges it sold wallets made from python skins. Los Angeles Munici pal Court Commissioner Ronald Tische fined Ohrbachs $1,235 and placed the store chain on one year’s probation following Mondays plea to violating the state penal code section which bans the importa tion of skin or other body parts of endangered species. Officials at the county Natural History Museum determined 12 wallets at the store were made from python skin. Shooting has stopped in Aden, capital of South Yemen, and the city was reported quiet Tuesday after the ouster and execution of the nation’s president by the pro-Moscow ruling political party. The Iraqi news agency said the violence apparently had stopped in the strategic Red Sea nation and the government radio had resumed normal broadcasts. 4edi< las it; ine o :ases. 0v< led b year e cast brant port© year year. Go serioi nose ings have form; theT admi syste Te: fivet the h year The Soviet Union Tuesday night fired a new Soyuz spacecraft into orbit, carrying a Soviet commander and the world’s first Polish cos monaut. Moscow radio said Soyuz 30, which is headed for a docking with the orbiting Salyut 6 space station, was carrying commander Pyotr Klimuk and Polish citizen Miroslav Ermashevsky. Weather Partly cloudy and hot today tonight and Thursday with a slight chance of thundershowers this afternoon. High today mid-90s, low tonight low 70s. High tomorrow mid-90s. Winds from the southeast at 10-15 mph. 30% chance of rain this afternoon, 20% tonight, and 30% tomorrow. 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 Re gents. The Battalion is a non-profit, self-supporting enterprise operated by students as a university and com munity newspaper. Editorial policy is determined by 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. Mail subscriptions are $16.75 per semester; $33.^Pj school year; $35.00 per full year. Advertising ra leS ^ nished on request. 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