Viewpoint
The Battalion Wednesday
Texas A&M University February 21, 1979
Tax limitations pose
federal ‘puzzlement’
By DAVID S. BRODER
WASHINGTON — In the immortal
words of Yul Brynner as the King of Siam:
“Is a puzzlement.”
The domestic politics of the United
States is dominated by a welter of propo
sals for putting a lid on taxes, spending and
the growth of the government. According
to the Coalition of American Public Em
ployees, 36 states are considering statut-
oiy or constitutional limitations on state
and/or local spending. Congressional
committees, responding to pressure from
the legislatures, will soon hold hearings on
a variety of proposals to restrain the
budget.
The impetus for all this is supposed to
be the well-adverbsed taxpayers’ rebellion
Commentary
against the rising cost and scale of gov
ernment. But a pair of recent studies
suggest that the causes and cures for this
ailment may be more of a “puzzlement”
than most would suppose.
The National Governors Association
asked its policy research staff to examine
last fall’s referenda on tax and spending
limitations. There were 23 separate propo
sitions on the ballot in 18 states. Fourteen
of them passed and nine failed.
Somewhat to their surprise, the re
searchers found no “relationship between
the relative tax burden in a state and the
voters’ decision to impose or reject fiscal
controls. ”
Neither the level of taxes, nor their rate
of increase, nor the level of government
expenditure turned out to predict the out
come of a referendum.
“Obviously, said Gov. William G. Mil-
liken of Michigan, “the level of taxation
alone does not explain the tax revolt.” The
governors’ association staff does not at
tempt to find an explanation, but points to
polls suggesting that the voters wrath
may be aimed at perceived waste in gov
ernment, rather than taxes themselves.
The other “puzzlement is why govern
ment keeps expanding, if the costs of that
expansion are such a matter of complaint.
An explanation that is both unconventional
and challenging is offered by David R.
Cameron, a Yale political scientist, in an
article in the new issue of the American
Political Science Review.
For his study, Cameron cofripared the’ ^ '
growth in the governmental sector (as
measured by tax burdens) between 1960
and 1975 in 18 advanced industrial na
tions, ranging from the United States and
Japan at the bottom of the scale to the
Netherlands, Sweden and Denmark at the
top.
After weighing the impact of a variety of
political and economic forces, he found the
best single predictor of the rate of growth
of the governmental sector was the “open
ness” of that country’s economy to inter
national trade. The greater the share of a
nation’s economy dependent on exports
and imports, the faster the increase in its
tax burden and government programs.
Cameron offers an ingenus explanation
— really more of a theory than a provable
connection — between the scale of foreign
trade and the expansion of government.
Countries with “open” or international
economies, he says, tend to have a high
degree of industrial concentration in a few
big firms and a high degree of unioniza
tion. Collective-bargaining involves gov
ernment intervention, and the political
strength of the unions helps create fre
quent left-wing governments which
provide income supplements from public
funds to smooth labor-management rela
tions and help keep the industries compet
itive in international markets.
Cameron acknowledges that the expla
nation appears to work better for small
countries like Sweden and Denmark than
for the industrial giants, and he said, in an
interview, that he did not want to make it
a “deterministic theory” for the United
States.
But the implications are interesting, be
cause the United States is becoming much
more dependent on foreign trade. Be
tween 1960 and this past year, the export-
import share of the American economy has
almost doubled, from roughly 11 percent
to almost 20 percent.
It is significant that, at the same time
the Carter administration is trying to re
spond to the anti-big government senti
ment by trimming the federal budget, it is
sponsoring a “real wage insurance plan”
which Cameron says is exactly the kind of
expansion of government one would ex
pect in a nation whose economy is increas
ingly trans-national.
All of which may simply suggest that the
people who are promoting the tax-and-
spending limitation measures, as well as
those who are trying to analyze them, may
have a tougher job than they suppose. “Is
**. a-pitzalement.” ? -*
(fc)T979, The'Washington Post
Company
Love’s a full tank of gas
By DICK WEST
WASHINGTON — It’s like the girl next
door that you hardly notice until one day
you suddenly become aware that she is
really a knockout.
It’s like Gigi’s sparkle turning to fire and
warmth becoming desire while you were
either standing up too close or back too
far.
I am referring, of course, to Mexico.
Although we’ve been neighbors for
years, I don’t remember ever thinking of
Humor
Mexico as being particularly lovable. It
was just sort of down there, the other side
of the hyphen in Tex-Mex cuisine.
One instinctively knew that no country
that made Carta Blanca beer could be all
bad. But that was about as far as it went.
Likeable, si; adorable, no.
Now, all of a sudden, Mexico is the cat’s
pajamas. Everybody from President Car
ter on down is making goo-goo eyes at it.
It was no mere coincidence that Carter
spent Valentine’s Day in Mexico City.
When the love bug bites, you’ve got to
scratch where it itches.
Why, almost overnight, has America
started lusting in its heart for Mexico?
That question seemed to call for another
Playboy interview. So I arranged an inter
view with Pedro Playboy, an expert on
Latin-American affairs at the Energy De
partment.
Q. Was Mexico suprised to learn how
much we care for her?
A. Suprised and thrilled. If Mexico
seems to be playing coy, it’s only because
she doesn’t want to be swept off her feet.
Q. Does she doubt our intentions are
honorable?
A. Not exactly. Mexico wants to be sure
we love her for herself and not just for her
you-know-what.
Q. Whatever would make her suspect a
thing like that?
A. Because we’ve become attentive so
soon after our break-up with Iraq. Mexico
is afraid she might be catching us on the
rebound.
Q. Are such fears groundless?
A. I’ll admit that for a time America was
infatuated with Iran. But that is all that it
was. We were never any more serious
about Iran than Lee Marvin was about his
former mistress. But Mexico has stolen
our hearts.
Q. I’ll bet you tell that to all the petro
leum exporting countries.
A. OK. If you want to hear me say it, I’ll
say it — Mexico truly does have lovely oil
deposits. Maybe that was what attracted
us in the beginning. But that doesn’t mean
we haven’t grown to admire her many
other good qualities.
Q. You mean like her wetbacks?
A. We’ve never tried to pretend that
Mexico was perfect. She has faults like
everyone else. But when you’re really
smitten, you overlook little defects like
drug smuggling and illegal aliens.
Q. That’s the most romantic thing I ever
heard. I hope for Mexico’s sake that it isn’t
just sweet talk. What does the word ‘love’
mean to you?
A. Love means never having to wait in
line at the gas station.
Tetters to the Editor
Move your muscles, leave the car at home
Editor:
The Battalion has devoted a lot of cover
age to Texas A&M’s parking problems,
and the proposed study of alternatives by
the Texas Transportation Institute. TTTs
“alternatives” consist of two different
kinds of parking lots, either a raised lot or
a peripheral lot.
I would like to propose some other al
ternatives. Walk, ride your bike, jog, car-
pool, and improve the shuttle bus system.
Get out of your gas-guzzling, polluting, le
thal automobile.
I contend that Texas A&M’s limited
parking space is not a problem, but rather
a good incentive to get people to leave
their cars at home.
Too much of the earth’s surface has al
ready been sacrificed to the private au
tomobile.
—Paul West
graduate student in soil and crop sciences
Nuke record flawed
Editor:
In response to David Eppes letter con
cerning nuclear power (Battalion — Feb.
191 I would like to say that vou mv dear
friend are merely a product of your in
structors who have rather large sums of
grant money donated to them by the De
partment of Energy.
If you expect them to relate any of the
“negative” aspects of nuclear power to you
in the classroom, well, you better think
again. Some people go beyond what the
media has to offer to justify their fears
about this ominous threat.
I have a few questions: Is it not true that
certain levels of radiation are emitted from
nuclear facilities? Is it not also true that no
level of radiation has been found to be
safe? In my studies I have learned of the
use of radiation to form genetic mutations.
Don’t let radiation fade your “genes.”
Certain amounts of radiation are permit
ted to be released by federal regulation.
And the energy department says they
would never expose the public to this
amount. However, if the suggestion is
made to lower this permitted amount, the
energy department fights it tooth and nail.
You speak of a flawless record. Nuclear
energy starts with uranium which must be
mined from the earth. More than 100
uranium miners are already dead, and an
estimated 1,000 more are expected to die
from a radiation-induced lung cancer. You
may not think 1,100 lives is a high price to
pay to be able to flip a switch and have
“illuminaton,” but I do.
If you have the “safe and simple” solu
tion to nuclear waste disposal, I sure wish
you would let the experts know about it
because they cannot seem to figure it out.
All of the different states say let’s dump
the waste somewhere else, in some other
state. I have the solution, let’s dump it in
your backyard. For the next 500,000 years
it can irradiate you and everyone else for
that matter.
You seem to only be thinking about
radiation pollution. What about thermal
pollution? It is my understanding that
reactors are cooled with water. This water
is then piped boiling hot into the ocean
where it is released into the cool water. If
you know anything about “life” in the
ocean you know that marine plankton and
, microoganisms are very sensitive to
change in temperature, pH etc.
If we disrupt the ecosystems in the
ocean we just might as well kiss ourselves
goodbye. How much do you know about
alternative energy sources? In your years
of studying nuclear engineering, did
you ever study anything about solar
power, geo-thermal or even the use of
plants as hydocarbon fuel sources?
I will close this letter with a challenge.
Ask your beloved professors if they know
what the most efficient form of energy
conversation known to man is then heed
their answer and use it for the betterment
of “all” life forms on this planet.
—Charles Cody, ’78
Athletic attire ok
Editor:
This is in regard to Les Palmer’s letter
in the Feb. 14 Battalion. I’m sorry if you
disapprove of our attire Mr. Palmer, but
we athletes earned our “jerseys,
windbreakers, etc.” and we ll wear them
any place we please. Seems to me there
are more pressing issues at this university
than what the athletes are wearing.
—Lynn Goldsmith, ’81
Correction
The Monday, Feb. 19 Battalion
incorrectly reported in the “Talk
with Dr. Miller” section that the
wrestling team’s record is 7-2. The
team has 12 wins and 2 losses.
The Battalion regrets the error.
Top of the
CAMPUS
Variety Show deadline Friday
Auditions for the MSC All University Variety Show will be
on March 2, 3 and 4. The show is scheduled for March 23. In order t
audition, an application along with a non-refundable fee of$5 mi| ( t
be turned into the Student Programs Office hy 5 p. m . Frid â„¢
“The show will act as a forum in which talented students, faculty and
staff of A&M can perform, and it will provide an evening of
entertainment for the university community,” said Chair
man
emei itwiimtiii ----- - v^nai
Dorothy DuBois. She said that talent has being sought in such areas
. • J y-L-orvro r»/Arrw->ri\/ introrlirwr o I ..
JLJUIUlliy -O lit auuiarei
as music, dance, drama, comedy, magic, juggling and acrobatics.
Peace Corps, Vista to interview
Peace Corps and Vista representatives will interview students in
the placement center, 10th floor Rudder Tower, and have aboothin
the Memorial Student Center mall next Tuesday through March)
Peace Corps is a two-year voluntary program and Vista is a one-year
program.
STATE
TDC trial to stay in Houston
The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Thursday voided Tyler
Judge William Wayne Justice’s order to move the Texas Department
of Corrections prison reform trial from Houston to Tyler. The deci
sion cited federal law and said, “The district court was without au
thority to change the place of trial from Houston where the trial was
in progress to Tyler under the facts and circumstances of this case."
Lawyers for the state were elated, but federal civil rights lawyers
were disappointed.
By SALLI
Battalion
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NATION
uesc
Arms demonstrators arrested
By REGINA
Battalic
Seventeen demonstrators were arrested in Rosemont, Ill., Sunday
for protesting outside an international arms bazaar they described asa
“supermarket of death.” They refused to be released even without
bond and were jailed pending court appearances. They opted to stay
in jail “as a form of witness,” one protest leader said. The "Defense
Technology ’79” exhibit included samples of electrical and wiring
systems for radar and small components for arms.
Orphans found barefoot in cold
Five orphans aged 7-13 were found wandering Detroit streets
barefoot and scantily clad in sub-zero cold Sunday. Two of the young
sters were hospitalized for frostbite and exposure and the other three
were placed temporarily in a youth home. Police say they will seek a
child abuse warrant against the orphans’ legal guardian, Clark Hurd
Jr., who threw the children out of the house.
Widows file three lawsuits
An attorney representing widows of two missilemen killed in an
Aug. 24 fuel leak Tuesday filed three lawsuits in a Houston federal
court seeking $13 million from two California firms, Arrowhead
Products and Garrett Corp., who made astronaut-type suits used in
Air Force missile refueling. Air Force reports revealed a design flaw
in the suits could have contributed to the deaths of Staff Sgt. Robert
Thomas and Airman First Class Erby Hepstall.
Slain U.S. ambassador buried
To a snow-muffled volley of 19 shots and a bugler’s “Taps, slain
U.S. Ambassador Adolph Dubs was buried Tuesday at Arlington Na
tional Cemetery, in Washington, D.C. Flanked by Vice President
Walter Mondale, Rosalynn Carter and Secretary of State Cyrus
Vance, Dub’s wife Mary Ann, watched silently as an honor guard
escorted her husband’s casket to the burial site.
WORLD
Mild quake shakes Japan
A mild earthquake shook northern Japan Tuesday, but there were
no reports of damage or casualities, the nation’s Meteorologies
Agency reported. The agency said the tremblor originated in the
Pacific off Miyagi Province north of Tokyo.
Guerrillas bomb Rhodesian airport
Black guerrillas fired 15 mortar shells at the Salisbury, Rhodesia,
airport in a midnight strike, the first attack on the vital complex in t e
6-year guerrilla war, the military said Tuesday. A military cow
munique said the bombs landed on the grounds of Salisbury Interna
tional Airport shortly before midnight Monday and caused ablackou
Airport guards responded with bursts of small arms fire in the ex
change. There were no reports of injuries or property damage an n0
guerrilla organization claimed responsibility for the attack.
WEATHER
Fog this morning dissipating this afternoon and becorriinS
partly cloudy and warm. High today 70, low tonight 5U.
Winds moving southerly at 5-10 mph with a 30% chance o
rain. 100% humiditv
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The Battalion
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r-~
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