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:
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• Limited to 100 lines
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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.
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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
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