Paqe 10 THE BATTALION
** WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11, 1979
Intern learns inside politics in Austin
By MARK HERRON
Battalion Reporter
Brian Roop is an Aggie who has
learned a few things about the state
Legislature in Texas. But most of his
knowledge didn’t come from lec
tures in Political Science 207. He’s
an intern for the state Legislature.
“The first thing a representative
has to learn is there are certain
people in the capital you need to get
in good with,” he said. “If they like
you, it might mean a few more fa
vorable votes when you submit a bill
to their committee.
“I didn’t hear things like that in a
political science class,” he said.
Roop went to Austin when the
legislature session began in January.
After graduation from Texas A&M
University in August with a degree
in wildlife and fisheries science,
Roop said, “I wanted to go to
graduate school and the Agricultural
Development program loooked pre
tty good to me.
“It’s a 36-hour program, and you
make up your own degree plan,” he
said. “You can lean toward any field
of agriculture you want. ”
Roop said he decided to specialize
in agricultural economics because of
his interest in banking and finance.
“The Agricultural Development
program includes an internship
which you earn 10 hours of credit,”
he said.
When his adviser, John Holcomb,
a professor in the agricultural educa
tion department, told him of an in
ternship with the state Legislature,
“I was intrigued,” Roop said.
“I knew it would be a good oppor
tunity to make some contacts be
cause all the big agricultural com
panies lobby in Austin,” he said.
Roop said he was given the in
ternship after only three people
applied for the position. In an inter
view Saturday, Roop said he is
enjoying his work in the capital, and
he has changed his mind about
Texas politics.
A San Antonio native, Roop works
with Rep. Forrest Green, the
chairman of the Agricultural and
Livestock Committee.
“I feel like I’m an intergal part of
what’s going on,” he said.
Battalion photo by Liz Newlin
Brian Roop, a Texas A&M University graduate, is working on
his master’s degree by interning with the Texas Legislature in
Austin. Roop is working for Rep. Forrest Green, the chair
man of the Agricultural and Livestock Committee.
more about a bill before
Roop said his main function is to
write an analysis of each bill the
committee is to hear.
“It might be a 15-page bill and I
have to condense it to one page,” he
said.
There are 50 bills to be heard in
the Agriculture and Livestock
Committee alone, Roop said, and
most of the committee members are
on other committees as well.
“The committee members de
pend a lot on my analysis because
there’s no way they would have time
to read each bill in its complete
form.”
Roop said he also records the
minutes of each committee meeting
so the public can review action,on
the bills.
Another time-consuming task,
Roop said, is doing research for
committee members who want to
find out
they vote.
Roop said he spends almost two
hours a day talking on the phone to,
or writing letters to Green’s con
stituents, informing them of the
progress of certain bills.
“I usually write the letters and
Mr. Green signs them,” he said.
Roop is paid $500 a month, which
covers his living expenses and
leaves a little to spare, he said.
“About $300 comes from a special
legislative fund for interns and
Elanco (an agricultural chemical
company) pays the rest.”
Roop said Elanco receives no
political favors for sponsoring the in
ternship.
Roop said he had always thought
Texas politicians were a bunch of
corrupt, stuffed shirts. “But almost
all of the representatives and politi
cians are very responsible to their
position.”
Roop said their concern for the
state often outweighs their desire to
please their constituents.
There are a few representatives
that are not so responsible, though,
Roop said.
“Some of them don’t make it to
committee meetings, or might not
show up for a vote on the House
floor and that’s bad because tax
payers are paying their salerlies, ” he
said.
Roop said he rather not name the
representatives, but said there are a
few “left wingers that are always
causing trouble.”
“They’ll get weeded out sooner or
later,’’ Roop said. “Their con
stituents are not as dumb as they
think.”
Before going to Austin, “I had a
dim view of lobbyists,” he said. “I
always thought lobbyists were
crooks who took you out to dinner
and tried to coerce you into doing
something.”
Roop said he has not seen any
“underhanded dealings” between
lobbyists and politicians. “They
can’t afford to,” he said. “If word
gets around that a lobbyist is doing
something crooked, he’ll lose his ef
fectiveness.
“Lobbyists are sources of informa
tion, and they just try influence ac
tion that will help the people they
represent.”
Lobbyists are not the only ones
who come to testify before legisla
tive committees, Roop said.
“Farmers and ranchers come in
all the time to discuss bills,” he said.
“They’re given just as much consid
eration as the lieutenant governor of
Minnesota, who came in the other
day.”
Green’s committee meets once a
week and sometimes hears tes-
LAKEVIEW CLUB
8oxcaR Silly's
3 Miles N. on Tabor Road
Saturday Night: The Little Bit of Texas
From 9-1 p.m.
STAMPEDEDANCE
Every Thursday Night
$2.00 per person
All Brands, Cold Beer 55 Cents 8-12
w
309 Beach St.
Port Aransas, Texas
Next To Pat Magee Surf Shop
MIXED DRINKS
BEER & WINE
LIVE ENTERTAINMENT
FRL, SAT. & SUN.
'LARGEST BEER GARDEN ON THE GULF COAST'
1 FREE BEER WITH THIS AD
BB&L pays the maximum rate on
6-month Money Market Certificates
This week’s rate is
9.572%
si3)
BB&L pays maximum interest on Money Market Certificates.
No financial institution here — or in a metropolitan area — can pay you more on
6-month Money Market Certificates.
Call us today about a Money Market Certificate. It’s a 6-month investment for
$10,000 or more paying maximum interest.
Your savings institution
Money Market Certificate rate is
established weekly for the 6-month
term of the certificate and is subject
to change at renewal. Federal
regulations impose a severe penalty
for early withdrawal. Compound
interest is prohibited by law.
timony for 12 hours at a time.
“People who say, ‘we’re not being
heard in Austin, aren’t trying very
hard.”
Roop said he would have never
thought.about entering politics, but
now he might consider it.
“This internship has given me a
chance to meet people like the gov
ernor and lieutenant governor —
people I might never have gotten to
meet,” he said.
Roop said one politician he par
ticularly likes is House Speaker Bill
Clayton.
v-viciy i w 11.
“He‘s just a hard working country
boy. ”
“Tuesday night is called ‘speaker’s
night’ at the Broken Spoke (a co®
try and western club in I
Roop said. “Mr. Clayton is tl®
every week. He loves to
leg.”
When the legislative session]
over in May, Roop will come
Texas A&M to complete work on Ij
master’s degree.
Nautilus, 1st atomic sub,
being retired from Navy
United Press International
GROTON, Conn. — The USS
Nautilus ended its fabled 25-year
career as the world’s first atomic
submarine Monday, sailing out of its
home port for the last time as a
commissioned Navy vessel.
The Nautilus, which far surpassed
the science-fiction adventures of the
deep sea craft for which it was
named, wasn’t showing the flag
when it steamed from the U.S.
Navy submarine base at 2:02 p.m.
— just two minutes behind
schedufe.
marine Memorial Association is try
ing to have the Nautilus declared a
national monument and be berthed
in Groton permanently. The group
has gotten the support of state and
local officials.
The 3,200-ton Nautilus, named
after the fictional submarine in Jules
Verne’s 19th-century clast
“20,000 Leagues Under the S®
was the first to cross the ArcticS
under the polar ice cap.
She was launched from the El
trie Boat shipyard in Groton Jan
1952.
CIA report shows
increased terrorism
The Nautilus headed for Mare Is
land Naval Station near San Fran
cisco, where it will be decommis
sioned after its arrival in late May.
The Nautilus has been used as a
training and test ship since it last
took part in 6th Fleet exercises in
the Mediteranean Sea two years
ago.
“She’s ready to retire,” said Chief
Machinist’s Mate William Ever-
mon, a three-year crew member re
sponsible for maintaining much of
the ship’s equipment, before the
Nautilus departed.
“She’s ancient and it’s a 24-
hour-a-day job just to keep her run
ning,” he said.
The private Groton-based Sub-
United Press International
WASHINGTON — The CIA reported Tuesday that internatioml
terrorism increased last year, especially against Americans living®
Iran.
“Officials and businessmen — especially individuals whoaresym
hols of Western power and wealth — are still the primary targets,"
the report said.
Western Europe suffered the most terrorist incidents in IS
1,130 out of 3,043 reported throughout the world, the CIA said.
America — especially Central America — was second with 80!
dents, followed by the Middle East and North Africa.
The report noted terrorist attacks on U.S. citizens and propert
increased in 1978 over the preceding year.
“Most of this increase was due to the deteriorating security site
tion in Iran,” said the CIA, pointing to what it called scores f
firebombings and threats against Americans and U.S. facilities there,
Most Americans have since been evacuated from Iran.
The Italian Red Brigades generated international publicity byld
napping and murdering Aldo Moro, the report said, but terroril
attacks generally were centered on bombings, arson, snipingsa
threats.
Beautiful Cedar Ridge
A Nice Place To Live
RENT BY THE MONTH
WE OFFER YOU
2 Bdrm Unfurnished, All Built-Ins including Dish
washer, Laundry Hook-Ups, $240.
Brand New Units Located on Pinfeather Rd. just
North of Villa Maria. Convenient to TAMU &
the Bryan Golf Course, as well as the B-CS
Business & Industrial area.
BRY-CAL
A PROFESSIONAL MANAGEMENT CO.
846-3733 24 Hours
BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION
AUSTIN-PLEASANTON
Now Better Than Ever. You Will Be Pleased With
These Carefully Prepared and Taste Tempting Foods
Each Daily Special Only $1.79 Plus Tax.
“Open Daily”
Dining: 11 A.M. to 1:30 P.M. — 4:00 P.M. to7:00P.M
MONDAY EVENING
SPECIAL
Salisbury Steak
with
Mushroom Gravy
Whipped Potatoes
Your Choice of
One Vegetable
Roll or Corn Bread and Butter
Coffee or Tea
TUESDAY EVENING
SPECIAL
Mexican Fiesta
Dinner
Two Cheese and
Onion Enchiladas
w/chili
Mexican Rice
Patio Style Pinto Beans
Tostadas
Coffee or Tea
One Corn Bread and Butter
WEDNESDAY
EVENING SPECIAL
Chicken Fried Steak
w/cream Gravy
Whipped Potatoes and
Choice of one other
Vegetable
Roll or Corn Bread and But
Coffee or Tea
THURSDAY EVENING SPECIAL
Italian Candle Light Spaghetti Dinner
SERVED WITH SPICED MEAT BALLS AND SAUCE
Parmesan Cheese - Tossed Green Salad
Choice of Salad Dressing - Hot Garlic Bread
Tea or Coffee
FRIDAY EVENING
SPECIAL
BREADED FISH
FILET w/TARTAR
SAUCE
Cole Slaw
Hush Puppies
Choice of one
vegetable
Roll or Corn Bread & Butter
Tea or Coffee
SATURDAY
NOON and EVENING
SPECIAL
Chicken &
Dumplings
Tossed Salad
Choice of one
vegetable
Roll or Corn Bread & Butter
Tea or Coffee
(“Quality Firsf’i
SUNDAY SPECIAL
NOON and EVENING
ROAST TURKEY DINNP
Served with
Cranberry Sauce
Cornbread Dressing
Roll or Corn Bread - Butted
Coffee or Tea
Giblet Gravy
And your choice of any
One vegetable
Main Office: Bryan 2800 Texas Ave. • 779-2800