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Viewpoint The Battalion Wednesday Texas A&M University February 14, 1979 Constitution reformers should heed Hamilton By DAVID S. BRODER WASHINGTON — In the space of' 24 hours, late last month, two men of judg ment and experience in serious statecraft who share a conservative bias on constitu tional questions recommended to the con sideration of their fellow citizens a con stitutional amendment of great conse quence. John B. Connally, the former governor of Texas and present candidate for the Re publican nomination for President, and Griffin Bell, the former federal appeals court judge and current attorney general of the United States, endorsed the propo sal for granting future Presidents a single six-year term, with no possibility of reelec tion. The idea is not a new one. As Bell noted in his University of Kansas lecture, it was discussed at the constitutional convention, proposed to Congress as an amendment in 1826 and has been reintroduced some 160 times since then. That history does more than suggest the antiquity of the notion; it also hints at its frailty. One would presume that if this par ticular change in the Constitution were really needed, it would have been made before now. But this is a time when many are eager to rewrite the Constitution. Half a dozen proposed amendments are bumping into each other on their way to. and from the legislatures, and, given the eminence of Connally and Bell, it probably would be a mistake to ignore their notion. In both cases, the avowed purpose of the proponents is to liberate the President from politics and incline his thoughts to ward more elevated matters than reelec tion. As Bell put it, “The single six-year term would permit the long-term, steady planning and implementation that our government needs, plus saving that fourth year now lost to campaigning.” Or as Connally argued in his own an nouncement of candidacy, “Nothing ... would be more conducive to the restora tion of the confidence of the people in our form of government ... than the knowl edge that an American President from the day of the assumption of off ice has fulfilled his political role and has no future except as the historians view him as a statesman.” The operative assumption in both ar guments is that it is politics — specifically the calculation of strategy for reelection — that demeans the presidency and under cuts the leadership potential of the office. But that argument is buttressed neither by the experience of history nor the test of common sense. If it were true that libera tion from concern about reelection were the key to presidential statesmanship, then one would expect to find far greater achievements in the second term of past Presidents than the first. Is that the case? Eisenhower’s first term saw him end the war in Korea, appoint Earl Warren to the Supreme Court and manage the downfall of McCarthy ism. His second term brought Little Rock, the Sherman Adams case and the interstate highway system. Franklin Roosevelt’s first term created the New Deal; his second term, the court-packing fight and the Neu trality Act. The Connally-Bell amendment would not strengthen the President’s leadership, nor would it increase his accountability for the exercise of his power. By arbitrarily lopping 24 months off his maximum term of service, it would limit his capacity to move policy in a sustained direction. By taking him off the ballot in all congressional elections held during his tenure in office, it would reduce his influ ence with the legisative branch and make him even less able to resist the encroach ment of Congress on his prerogatives. With a single six-year term for President, the bureaucracy would respond even less .tq e*ecutiv,e directipn «pid jaegqpiq even more dependent on its permanent patrons in Congress. , . . , ; The proposal would also eliminate the use of the reelection campaign as a source of discipline on the exercise of presidential authority. By immunizing the President from receiving the voters’judgment on his stewardship in office, it would encourage him to ignore public opinion in the daily administration of his post. It is, in sum, exactly as bad an idea as Alexander Hamilton thought it was when he wrote in Federalist 72: “Nothing ap pears more plausible at first sight, nor more ill-founded upon close inspection than a scheme which ... has had some re spectable advocates — I mean that of con cluding him from it. .. .These effects would be for the most part rather pernicious than salutary. ” Admirers of Griffin Bell and John Con nally may find it hard to believe they are not the wisest counsel available on a con stitutional question. But in this case, be lieve me, Alexander Hamilton is better. (c) 1979, The Washington Post Company Letters to the Editor Merge coupon services Editor that is, that it was dedicated to the Ags I’m writing in reference to the article in Monday’s Battalion (Feb. 12) on the “People Book versus Student Purchase Program. It is evident from the data col lected from the local merchants that the “People Book” is superior in its function of encouraging contact between students and local businesses. The issue of whether or not a private firm should be allowed on campus is irrel evant in this case. Both books are attempt ing to provide the same service — free of charge to the students. The “People Book” is by far a bigger success. Instead of student government fighting the distribution of the “People Book,” why not join forces to provide a better service to students, after all isn’t that what student government is about? —Mary Hutchinson, ’80 MSC mine field Editor After reading the recent controversial articles concerning the MSC grass, my roommate and I have a suggestion to make. We are staunch traditionalists; we firmly believe in the importance of pre serving the MSC grass. We agree that planting a hedge on the outer perimeter of the grass is a good idea. We have a proposal, however, that would insure proper respect for the grass. In addition to the hedges, we propose that small calibre land mines be planted under several spots of the grass. The initial pro cess would entail some defacing of the grass, naturally, but we feel that the efforts would be beneficial to preserving one of the most sacred traditions at A&M. If Ags aren’t considerate enoueh to respect the that died during the wars — then we feel that they too must die. If by some unfortunate instance, some inconsiderate Ag does choose to step on the grass, the mine explosion would deface the MSC green somewhat; however, we firmly believe that the mines would pro duce such a scare within the student body that no Ag would dare try again. For those Ags who refuse to heed the warning and step on one of our mines, let there be no Silver Taps for the inconsid erate two-percenter! Strategically placed signs could warn visitors of the potential hazard of subverting Aggie traditions — thus they could spare themselves from the mines. These two consequences would not be too severe for someone who refuses to respect the traditions at A&M. —John Barber, ’81 —Chip Landry, ’82 Jock identity crisis Editor Do the A&M athletes have an identity crisis? They all seem to wear a football jer sey, a baseball windbreaker or some other piece of clothing normally reserved for the playing field. Seems to me if someone is any athlete at all, people would recognize them without a program. When was the last time you saw Earl Campbell wearing his jersey to a banquet? Incidentally, something even more ridiculous to me is the non-athletes (in formation types, trainers, et al) wearing the windbreakers, etc. —Les Palmer Tfxas A&M staff Lower the flag, on road accidents By KAY WALLACE Another Silver Taps. Within one week, another Silver Taps. It isn’t known whether Pamela Jean Forest attended Silver Taps last Tuesday for the late Richard S. Gaines, but whether she did or not, she certainly never suspected that this week the flag would he lowered for her. The number one cause of death for college-aged students is accidents. Accidents such as the one Pamela Forest was in Saturday. Senseless, all of them. If just one person had been driving slower, or more alert, or less cafeless... if, if, if. Anyone who stands outside the Academic Building as Taps rings out will get the gut feeling that is inherent in any ceremony for the dead. It’s an empty, helpless and scary feeling. The feeling, “It could have been me.” Hopefully, enough people will take time to think about the tragedy of all Silver Taps we have. Slowing down, taking time to think before we possibly endanger ourselves — whether it be in a car or crossing the street — could save us a ceremony that could be for you. Use your brains — think before you act! It’s a sickening feeling to think we all have worked so hard to get through school, to make something out of life for ourselves, only to lose it before we can really have the chance to enjoy it. Kay Wallace is a junior journalism major at Texas A<LrM and a Battal ion production assistant. Key to U.S. inflation stop deficit spending By TOM GLASS SCON As topic this year, “America’s Economic Environment” addresses the is sues that probably are the most pressing in America today. Basically, the speakers at the conference are discussing the govern ment’s effect on the public’s pocketbook. Many effects of government today are painfully obvious regulations. But there is one effect of government that is less obvi ous and more controversial. That effect is inflation. Everybody today is aware of inflation. Constantly rising prices affect every per son in the society. The words “inflation” Reader’s Forum and “inflationary” are used in the news and by every politician. But, what is infla tion? What is inflationary? And what is the cause of inflation? Inflation is a long-term rise in most of the prices of goods and services in an economy. When the price of coffee rises because of a freeze in Brazil,, that is not inflation or inflationary. This price rise is not long term and all prices do not rise because of this. Inflation can only be understood when the relationship between money and wealth is comprehended. Wealth is the goods and services that people want. Money is a medium of exchange and value that represents this wealth. Money is used to facilitate exchange of unlike goods in a society. At any given time there exists a total amount of wealth and a total amount of money. Prices of each individual good and service are determined by the supply and the demand for each in relation to the total supply of money. If the total money supply were $100, each item would have a price proportional to another items’ price so that all wealth would be represented by $100. Note that if the supply of goods and services and the supply of money stays constant, one price can only rise if the price of some other commodity drops. If the total money supply were $200, and the same wealth existed as before, all prices would be proportionately twice as much. This example shows that inflation is caused by the relationship between money and wealth. Inflation can only be caused by an increasing difference between the total money supply and the total wealth. This growing difference is caused by a fas ter growth rate of the money supply than the growth rate of goods and services. Again, any individual price rise in a con stant monetary environment cannot be in flationary because that price rise has to be counterbalanced somewhere else in the economy. Monetary growth faster than the growth of wealth is the essence of infla tion. In America, the body that totally con trols monetary growth is the federal gov ernment. It is responsible for inflation- today because it has constantly created" money to finance its budget deficits. The only way to stop inflation is to stop gov ernment deficit spending. Inflation has many undesirable effects. The most obvious is that the poor and those on fixed incomes are robbed of spending power. More subtly, inflation causes people to save and invest less in enterprises that create new wealth and jobs and more in nonproductive assets such as gold, antiques and land. In our present tax structure, in flation actually causes the total taxes paid by its citizens to increase. As the wage earner’s salary rises, he must pay a higher percentage tax, although his earning power has not increased. In the long run, inflation threatens to destroy our civilization by destroying the incentives to produce wealth. It also in creases governmental control over the so ciety, thereby decreasing individual free dom. Government causes inflation by its defi cit spending. We must balance the federal budget and halt inflation before it is too late. For though we may try to have more than we may produce in the short term, sooner or later we must eventually pay the price. Tom Glass is a senior chemical engineer ing major at Texas A&M and a delegate to the Student Conference on National Af fairs (SCONA). Slouch By Jim Earle SMOW YDUR VALENTINE SPIRIT/. SEND ME A K.IS5J ( ladies OMLY. , PLEASE!) pes Top of the News CAMPUS Contest to be held to name group A contest to name a new Texas A&M University women’s choral group is under way. Organized this year, the 37-member group per forms classical and popular music. Entries in the campus-wide con test will be accepted through Friday at the vocal music office in the Memorial Student Center. Each entry should include the persons name, address, and phone number. The winner will receive $10. Jobs for grad students available The Graduate Student Council has positions open for graduate students in the colleges of engineering, liberal arts, and geosciences. Duties for the positions are “mainly information dissemination." Candidates must be honaflde graduate students in the colleges need ing positions and must be degree candidates taking at least eight hours of course work. Interested persons should contact Bobby Parker at 845-2620 or John Kennedy at 846-8766. STATE Urban managers grant available The Texas City Management Association is sponsoring the Clar ence E. Ridley Scholarship for graduate study in public administra tion affairs witb particular attention to students contemplating careers in urban management. Personsjnterested in the $4,000 grant should contact the Texas City Management Association (1020 Southwest Tower, Austin, 78701) for additional information and application forms. Mexican-American named judge President Carter Tuesday nominated two men — one of them Hispanic — to be U.S. district judges in Texas. Carter nominated James DeAnda, 53, of McAllen, Texas and George Cire, 56, of Hous ton to fill new judgeships created by the last Congress. If confirmed by Congress, both would sit in the southern district of Texas. De Anda, an attorney, has been in private practice since 1951 in Hous ton, Corpus Christi and McAllen. He would become the second Mexican-American to serve as a federal judge in Texas, joining Judge Reynaldo Garza of Brownsville. Chavez to make Texas union play Cesar Chavez, who has concentrated most of his organizing of farmworkers in California the past decade, will make another pushto unionize Texas Farmworkers beginning with a convocation Feb. 23 the Lower Rio Grande Valley, it was announced Tuesday. Rebecca Flores Harrington, director of the United Farm Workers Union i Texas, said Chavez called the convocatin “to formally recognize the union’s organizing committees that have been established in Texas and to set legislative priorities for 1979. Witnesses scared of cycle gang A U.S. attorney reports witnesses in a massive criminal investiga tion of a motorcycle gang fear their lives will be threatened if they testify before an El Paso grand jury. “A nqmbef of witnesses have already expressed fear for their personal safety,” said Uc Attorney Jamie Boyd. But he warned federal officials would not tolerate threats against witnesses in the investigation of interstate racketeering, gambling, prostitution and narcotics trafficking allegedly involving the Bandidos motorcycle gang. i Loya helped North 1 Majo Auditoi tured h held ca Rays morale, oners confess! The] ment, 1: bei the Noi The ] tion tha They wouldn prisone deep ei and lac Ray s hire, tl POWs without enemy. Ray < and onl )im be< Americ m ( Unit( etroit ntine ght wit amacy. Rhc he prc his Sii ited lo' len. hope ler,” 1 NATION Indictments sought in jail death The chairman of the Mexican-American legislative caucus says he has asked President Carter to recjuest that the Justice Department seek indictments in the death of Ortega Lozano, an Odessa jail in mate Mexican-American leaders claim was beaten to death. Rep Paul Moreno, D-El Paso, Monday said he planned to deliver to Car ter a letter from the caucus complaining an assistant U.S. Attorney general had been holding evidence in the case for more than three months. Dizano died in the Odessa jail Jan. 23, 1978. Odessa officials contend Dizano inflicted his own injuries by beating his head against his cell, but Mexican-American leaders and others argue he was be aten to death. WORLD Ambassador to Afghanistan killed U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Adolph Dubs was kidnapped by terrorists in the Afghan capital of Kabul today and shot to death, embassy officials in Pakistan and the State Department in Washing ton reported. Embassy officials said the seizure of Dubs did not involve an assault on the embassy as in neighboring Iran. The State Department said Dubs, 58, a native of Chicago, was seized on his way to work and taken to a hotel in Kabul, where he died of a bullet wound. The police rushed the Hotel Kabul, killing one terrorist, but officials in Washington said it was not known whether Dubs was killed by police bullets or by the terrorists. There was no clear iden tification of the terrorists, or details on how many took part in the kidnapping. WEATHER Overcast skies, partly cloudy and warm with a high of 80° and a low of 60°. Winds will be southerly at 15 mph. 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United Press International is entitled exclusively to the use for reproduction of all news dispatches credited to it. Rights of reproduction of all other matter herein reserved. Second-Class postage paid at College Station, TX 77843. MEMBER Texas Press Association Southwest Journalism Congress Editor ' KimTytf Managing Editor '. LizNe^ Assistant Managing Editor .Andy Ww Sports Editor David B# City Editor Scott Pendle® Campus Editor Steve News Editors Debbie Beth Calhoun Staff Writers Karen Rogers, Patterson, Sean Petty, Di* Blake, Dillard Stone, Bragg, Lyle Lovett Cartoonist Doug Grail* Photo Editor Lee Roy Leschpert Photographer Lynn Bias? Focus section editor Gary Wed . 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. 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