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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 10, 1979)
Viewpoint The Battalion Tuesday Texas A&M University April 10, 1979 Revolt backstabs states Slouch by Jim Earle “Now get this! He’s getting his notes in order, reviewing his previous tests, and then he’s going to systematically study for his final examinations so he won’t have a last minute crunch. Do you think he has completely cracked up?“ A solar ‘terror lurks By DAVID NISSMAN MARS — We are all witnessing the “horrors” of a nuclear reactor mishap and are saying there must be a better solution to the energy dilemma. Many say turn to solar energy. Now stop for a moment and think about the horrors of solar energy. It has been Humor said that a couple of square miles of land covered with solar panels would supply the energy of a 1000 MW reactor. But imagine the plight of a domestic airline flight over this area. The glare off the glass panels would be blinding and should the pilot be looking down God only knows what might happen! Take for instance the plan to put a multi-acred solar collector satellite in orbit Editor: Besides the excess of signs, flyers and campaign promises, election time brings around the usual petty squabbles between candidates. That was something I was hop ing not to be involved in but a letter to the editor by another candidate, John Groce, has forced me to write some type of re sponse. John was disappointed that The Battal ion endorsed me for vice president of stu dent services and felt The Battalion had overlooked some of his qualifications. His letter Monday was a rebuttal to that endorsement for not giving him credit for ideas he claimed were his. I know John is a hard worker and has been involved in researching some good ideas for the student services committee next year. Yet no one can claim ownership to ideas that came from our whole commit tee. Those ideas come from a lot of hard work by last year’s committee members, this year’s members, other senators as well as John and me. Neither John nor I can pull out an idea or project and say “it’s mine,” even though both of us have been extensively research ing it. Some ideas I’ve done more research on, some John’s done more research on and various committee members have worked very hard on most others. It’s not important where they came from. The feet is the student services commit tee has a lot of good ideas for what future projects will be and what they involve. What is important is to have a good leader next year to finally organize the committee to see some action on these ideas and not just another year of research. Hopefully whichever one of the candi dates is chosen for the vice president of student services will realize it’s not impor tant who can take credit for the ideas, but it is important to have a combined com mittee effort to see the idea turned into ac'-ion. I think this little argument on who did what is ridiculous and I’m sorry the stu dent body of Texas A&M has to listen to it. —Brad Smith, ’81 Editor’s note: John Groce’s letter, which appeared in Monday’s April 9 Bat talion, was printed to give him a chance to answer The Battalion’s endorsements printed Friday. The Battalion apologizes for not allowing Brad Smith to run his answer to John Groce’s letter the same day. The Battalion still supports its endorse ment of Brad Smith for vice president of student services in student government. ‘Aggie credit 9 due Editor: I believe that many students will agree with me in saying that the present system and beam the energy down by microwave. The dangers of this are two-fold. Should the satellite’s orbit go awry it would first be beaming microwaves indiscriminately making TV dinners out of tens, hundreds, even thousands of us. Along with the failure of many mechani cal pacemaker units being the direct cause of the deaths of untold many. And then as the orbit decays and this gargantuous ob ject comes hurtling out of the sky to crash on a major metropolis, possibly causing the annihilation of the greater urban cen ters of the world — New York, Dallas, Los Angeles, London, Moscow or worst of all Luckenbach! The dangers are as real and imminent as those the proponents of a nuclear ban fear so greatly. Are you willing to subject your children to this? I say “no. ” Advocate the abolition of solar energy. (Live in the dark). David Nissman is a sophomore at Texas A&M. of getting football tickets is unfair to stu dents who have attended Texas A&M throughout their college career. Why, for example, should a student who enters A&M as a junior (by transferring hours from another university) receive any bet ter seats at a football game than an incom ing freshman? One might argue that the transfer stu dent has already suffered the disadvan tages of being an underclassman. I doubt, however, that very many transfer students have previously experienced the competi tion for good football tickets that exists at A&M. Why should a graduate student who got his B.S at Cougar High be sitting on the 50 yard line when he doesn’t even know the yells, while the junior who has earned all of his credit hours at A&M is still in the horseshoe right behind the goal post? The system of getting ticket booklets should be arranged so as to weight A&M credit hours much higher than transferred credit hours. It seems that the present sys tem was originally intended to categorize Aggies according to their academic classification. Wouldn’t a more fair system By DAVID S. BRODER WASHINGTON — One of the most painful lessons of our time is that “re forms” have unintended consequences. The liberals have littered the landscape with programs famous for the perversity of their effects. To cite but two examples: In the 1960s, “urban renewal” left great scars on the heart of cities; and in the 1970s, campaign finance “reforms” spurred a flood of special-interest contributions. Not to be outdone, the conservatives, in this time of growing influence, are proving that they can be every bit as short-sighted in the causes they espouse. As a case in point, consider the mounting evidence that the great conservative “tax revolt” may very well spur a new centralization of government power. Proposition 13 in California has been hailed as the herald of a conservative charge against free-spending bureaucrats. But the main effect of the rollback in local property taxes has been to send local offi cials scrambling to Sacramento, seeking state funds to finance vital local services. The upshot: A setback for home rule and local responsibility, and an increase in the authority of the state government. A similar result may come from the cur rent conservative drive for a balanced fed eral budget. Just as Proposition 13 shifted spending decisions, and therefore gov ernmental power, from the localities to Sacrmento, the balanced-budget drive is fueling a shift of power from the states to Washignton, D.C. It is doing by posing an imminent threat to one of the few federal programs of recent years, designed to in crease, rather tban hamper, local decision-making. That program is general revenue sharing, which currently sends about $4.6 billion a year of no-strings aid to localities and $2.3 billion of unencumbered money to the states. The state portion of revenue-sharing is a prime target for his year’s budget-cutting drive, both Democrats and Republicans on the House Budget Committee have recommended its elimination from the fis cal 1980 budget. And insiders on the Se nate Budget Committee think it likely to be trimmed, if not eliminated, there. The argument is that with all states being able to balance their budgets this year and many showing a surplus, it makes no sense for the deficit-ridden federal gov ernment to pump money into their coffers. That argument is coming not only from liberals who have opposed revenue sharing ever since Richard Nixon pushed it into law in 1972, but from many budget-balancing conservatives. Rep. Ralph Regula (R-Ohio), the rank- offer equal privileges to students serving equal academic time as Aggies? —Carl Strain, ’80 Seniors, go vote Editor: I want to let TAMU seniors know that they are allowed to vote. Monday, unfortunately many of us (my self included) were told that we were not allowed to vote (in campus elections). In past years seniors have been allowed to vote. Also, nowhere in the Election Regu lations does it state that seniors are not allowed to vote. Monday afternoon after numerous com plaints, the Election Commission decided to start letting seniors vote. I was fortu nately informed of this, but am aware that many seniors may not know about the change in policy. Therefore, seniors, go out and vote. You have one day left to make one of your last contributions to the student body while still a student. The right to vote 'is a very basic one and one that should be utilized. —Laura Brockman, 79 ing Republican on the House Budget Committee, says: “I’ve supported revenue-sharing in the past, but we re at the point where we don’t really have any revenues to share. ” Sen. Henry Bellmon (R-Okla)., the ranking Republican on the Senate Budget Committee, another long time supporter, says: “My position now is that revenue-sharing is a good idea that didn’t work. The state legislatures are tel ling us to balance the budget, and we have to take that mandate seriously.” Both Regula and Bellmon said they would prefer to make the cuts in the cateogrical-aid programs. These programs comprise the vast bulk of the $80 billion of aid Washington sends to state and local governments. But the programs — replete with guidelines and directives and legisla tive mandates manufactured in Washing ton — are, predictably, not the ones the Washington legislators or bureaucrats want to eliminate. As Senate Budget Committee Chairman Edmund S. Muskie (D-Maine), another long-time supporter of general revenue sharing, concedes, “it will be a very tempt ing target,” because the simplicity of this program makes it easier to save money fas ter than in those programs where dollars take a long time passing through the bu reaucratic maze. What is forgotten — or minimized — in the current debate is that general revenue-sharing had a philosophical as well as a fiscal rationale. The idea behind it was to reverse the flow of money and power to Washington by diverting a small portion of the proceeds of the federal in come tax to the states and cities, for them to spend as they saw fit, rather than as Washington officals ordered. Sen. Richard G. Lugar (R-Ind.)., one of the few balanced-budget advoctaes who is still a proponent of revenue-sharing, ar gues that the threat to that program is “just part of the huffing and bluffing the spenders do to make the bad dream (of a balanced budget) go away.” Lugar may be right philosophically, but political trends are likely to prove him wrong. State governors believe they can muster the political clout to keep revenue-sharing alive through 1980. But even they are not optimistic about what will happen then. Sooner or later, the balanced-budget “reform” will almost cer tainly doom revenue-sharing and acceler ate the centralization of spending power in Washington. Ironic, yes. But that’s the way it is with “reforms.” (c) 1970, The Washington Post Company credit Good record critic Editor: In reference to Duke Watson’s letter (March 28), I would like to speak out in defense of Victor Sylvia. I have read many record reviews in many different publica tions over the past few years, but Mr. Syl via is the only critic I have read who con sistently has his head screwed on right. Not only are his reviews intelligent, but they are often amusing, and I look forward to reading them each Thursday. Perhaps Mr. Watson’s resentment lies in the idea that he feels if Mr. Sylvia says the people who play the music are “slugs” and “quasi-humanoid characters,” that he is also implying that the same holds true for those who listen to that music. Besides, Mr. Watson shouldn’t be grip ing about a lack of objectivity in the re views because it is obvious from his biased letter that he is a UFO fan. —Mike Wardlow, 81 Editor’s note: This letter was accom panied by four other signatures. . Thotz 1 rt~\e. Womens ^RcAWrWdl Souad is doing lousy/ LeVs con 4-W\c Knuckle, is a genWs at securing Voluntary resignations, boys. By Doug Graham Ive already sent "for knuckles Mckneebona. He's 4-\ne iden+i cle. twin of Joe. Joe Mama.* (.Hee > He O ■ e~f I've already used tine 5-tri p efn tbeir power 1 * ploy. - . Tht anonym005 pbone Oal/ trick And tVie " Yoo mean yoo didn't really Want to "(i red,Wand a tactic. Letters to the Editor Individuals shouldn’t claim SG Top of the News CAMPUS Zachry to address group tonight The Texas A&M University Business Student Council’s Spring Seminar will be 7-9 tonight in Rudder Theater. The keynote speaker will be H.B. “Pat” Zachry, addressing the topic “Ingredients of Suc cess.” Also appearing will be Dr. William V. Muse, incoming dean in business administration. Muse will discuss developments in educa tion in the College of Business, changes in the business environment, and the effect of those changes on today ’s student. There will be a question and answer period in the theater immediately following the talks. Man dies of heart attack at AbM Henry L. Alsmeyer Sr., 84, of 600 Woodson Drive, Bryan, died Monday morning of an apparent heart attack in Heaton Hall at Texas A&M University. The former Rio Grande Valley vocational agricul ture teacher became Cameron County agent in 1925 and retired in 1952. In 1952 he went overseas as agricultural advisor in the Point Four Program. After moving back to Bryan he was named Bryan- College Station’s Outstanding Senior Citizen in 1972. The 1923 A&M graduate was the father of two sons and one daughter. One son, Henry L. Alsmeyer Jr., is a former associate director of Sterling C, Evens Library. NATION GOP hopefuls begin campaigns The Republican campaign for New Hampshire’s crucial first-in- the-nation presidential primary officialy began this weekend as six announced or potential presidential candidates jostled for national attention and supporters. About 500 party faithful paid $100perplate fund raiser in Concord to see and hear announced candidates Rep Philip Crane of Illinois, former Texas Gov. John Connally and former Gov. Harold Stassen of Minnesota. They were joined by Sen. Robert Dole of Kansas, Rep. John Anderson of Illinois and former U.S, envoy and CIA director George Bush. One strike ends, two continue A four-hour Pan American World Airways strike ended in a settle ment, and negotiators have scheduled new talks in the Teamsters strike-lockout which entered its tenth day today. But a third strike shutting down United Airlines, the nation’s largest commercial air carrier, is deadlocked and the line’s officials have stopped taking reservations through June 7. The Teamsters and the trucking indus try have agreed to resume negotiations Monday. The talks brokeoi Friday after both sides refused to compromise on the money issues that prompted the strike — and the retaliatory lockout by the com panies — last week. Official testifies in Silkwood suit A smashed thumb was considered a more serious injury than expo sure to radiation at the Kerr-McGee nuclear plant where Karen Silkwood worked, a company official testified Monday in the federal court trial in Oklahoma City of an $11.5 million lawsuit. Wayne Nor wood, former head of health and safety at the plant, testified the company was praised several times by the Oklahoma Safety Council and the National Safety Council for not having any employees oil work because of on-the-job accidents. The testimony opened the sixth week of the trial of a lawsuit filed by Silkwood’s family against Kerr-McGee, owner of the nuclear fuel processing plant near Cres cent. The lawsuit alleges Kerr-McGee negligence caused Silkwood to become contaminated with cancer-causing plutonium, the substance processed at the plant until it closed in 1975. Guard patrols Camden, Ark. National Guard troops, armed to prevent looting, Monday patroled a mile-wide path of destruction left by weekend tornadoes that de stroyed hundreds of homes and businesses in Camden, Ark. A tor nado hit Camden late Sunday, injuring 27 persons and destroying 75 homes. An elementary school and a shopping center were extensively damaged. A few hours later a second tornado struck Hamburgn about 70 miles to the southeast, injuring 10 persons and destroying 130 homes. Another 500 homes in the town of 3,200 population were damaged. Gov. Bill Clinton declared Camden, population 16,009, a disaster area Sunday night. WORLD Earthquake shakes Yugoslavia A strong earthquake jolted a wide area of Montenegro State in southern Yugoslavia early Monday, sending panicky residents in their nightclothes fleeivheir homes, police said. There was no serious dam age or injuries, according to initial police reports. The quake was also strongly felt in Igalo, a seaside resort near central Herceg Novi, where President Josip Broz Tito is now staying. No details of possible damage to Tito’s residence were available, police said. The quake measured 5.0 on the open-ended Richter scale and hit the areaat9:ll p.m. EST Sunday, a spokesman at the Belgrade Meterological Sta tion said. WEATHER Mostly cloudy with a slight chance of rain. High today ini mid 70’s and a low of 58. Winds will be N.E. at 10-15 m| 30% chance of rain today. The Battalion 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. Represented nationally by National Educational Adver tising Services, Inc., New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles. The Battalion is published Monday through Friday from September through May except during exam and holiday periods and the summer, when it is published on Tuesday through Thursday. Mail subscriptions are $16.75 per semester; $33.25 per school year; $35.00 per full year. Advertising rates furnished on request. Address: The Battalion, Room 216, Reed McDonald Building, College Station, Texas 77843. 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 Kin Managing Editor fix Assistant Managing Editor .Andy"' Sports Editor Davids City Editor Scott Campus Editor Ste'*' 1 News Editors Debbie P*®* Beth Calhoun Staff Writers Karen Patterson, Sean Petty, ^ Blake, Dillard Stone, Ro) ® Lyle Lovett, Keith Tayk> r Cartoonist Doug Photo Editor Lee Roy LeschiL Photographer 7Lyn n ^. Focus section editor Gary" 9 * 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. The Battalion is a non-p supporting enterprise operated by s a university and community Editorial policy is determined by W 11 | >- A A