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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 21, 1980)
Slouch by Jim Earle EAKt-t “That’s it? I come in here in good faith to ask your advice on how to improve my grades and all you can come up with is ’study?’” Opinion Put up or shut up concerning Olympic boycott President Carter’s suggestion that the U.S. pull out of the Summer Olympics in Moscow in retaliation for the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan is not a good idea. Trying to embarrass the U.S.S.R. into backing out of this military excursion with threats is like trying to fend off a bear with a pop-gun. While it is true that a war of threats (i.e. Cold War) is preferable to a war of guns, if Carter thinks he can keep up this one-sided battle of threats with the Soviets and win the backing of the American people, he ’s wrong. The President will find out soon enough that people will get angrier at him for no action than they are at the Soviets for instigating the whole episode. Carter’s indecisiveness is likely to spell an end to the sense of unity America has been enjoying recently as a result of the Iranian and Afghani situations. Thus, there appears to be only one way out for Carter, put up or shut up. Either pull the United States out of the Games and adopt a purely anti-Soviet posture or find another means of registering disapproval to the Soviet posture or find another means of registering disapproval to the Soviets. Whatever the choice is, it had better come preferably before the New Hampshire primary. soon Writing the editor The Battalion welcomes letters to characters in length. the editor on any subject. However, V Be neatly typed whenever pos- to he acceptable for publication these sible. Hand-written letters are ac- letters must meet certain criteria. ceptable. V Include the author’s name, ad- They should: dress and telephone number for ver- V Not exceed 300 words or 1800 ideation. the small society by Brickman ,4N T2>RAY, - &ILL- - Washington Star Syndicati /-2f The Battalion u s p S 045 360 LETTERS POLICY MEMBER Li’ttiTs to the editor should not exceed 3(X) words and are Texas Press Association subject to being cut to that length or less if longer. The Southwest Journalism Congress editorial staff reserves the right to edit such letters and does ' Editor Roy Bragg not guarantee to publish any letter. Each letter must be . . * _* i*. t'- •r' i ” signed, show the address of the writer and list a telephone Associate Editor Keith Taylor number for verification. News Editor Rusty Cawley Address ctnrespondence to Letters to the Editor. The Asst. News Editor Karen Comelison lZtn n T, R Z ,m 77^3 R, ' rd McD,ma,d Copy Editor Dillard Stone Represented na.ionaJIv bv National Educational Adver- S P° rtS E ^ it0r , T ° n y ^allucci Using Services, Inc . New York City. Chicago .end Los FftCUS Editor . Rhonda Watters Angeles. Senior City Reporter Louie Arthur Senior Campus Reporter Diane Blake The Battalion is published Monday through Friday from General Assignment Reporters September through May except during exam and holiday Richard Oliver and Andy Williams XTiods and the summer, when it is published on Tuesday hrotigh Thursday. Staff Writers Nancy Andersen, ,, .. . Tricia Brunhart, Mike Burrichter, Mail subscriptions are $16.7o per semester; $33.2o per . ^ i i T ^ school year. S.T5.00 per full year Advertising rates furnished Angeliqiie Copeland, Laura Cortez, on request. Address: The Battalion. Room 216. Reed Meril Edwards, Carol Hancock, McDonald Building. College station. 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Viewpoint local - The Battalion Monday Texas A&M University January 21, 1980 French ’swimming’ in good fortune i * V Inflation has not ruined the J.S., confli By SCOT Campu! good life in France for 30 years By JACQUELINE GRAPIN Inflation may be a new experience for Americans, but the French have been ac customed to it for the past three decades, without any serious setbacks to their tra ditional style of life. Indeed, they seem to ignore the steady climb of prices that has taken place here since the end of World War II, preferring instead to bask in the illusion that their rising incomes are a mark of their success. So, while they are constantly being told by politicians, economists and assorted other experts that France is in the throes of a crisis, they have not had to make any real sacrifices. Their sense of comfort bor ders on complacency. Surveys of their conduct indicate, how ever, that the French have adjusted them selves to inflation — not so much by slash ing their expenditures as by rearranging their priorities. Last summer, for instance, the number of French families that went off’ on vaca tion was slightly lower than it had been in 1978. And the evidence suggests that they exercised a bit more thrift than usual. Some took somewhat shorter vacations, and many camped or sought cheaper hotels. They tended to avoid garish re staurants, where prices are high and the food is bad, and they appeared to indulge themselves less on careless holiday spend ing. In contrast, they flatly contradict Presi dent Valery Giscard d’Estaing’s recent statement that France “is not made to be a consumer society by buying more and more stereos, freezers, furniture, televi sion sets and other merchandise. According to a poll conducted not long ago, 63 percent of those questioned also admitted that they have no intention of economizing on cars — and that statistic is apparent in their driving habits. Despite the fact that high-octane gasoline is now selling here for nearly $3 per gallon, the traffic jams are frightful. Dealers report that the demand for au tomobiles is so great that there is a six months’ wait for certain models. The studies show as well that the French still refuse to reduce their expen ditures on food, wine, cigarettes and cosmetics, but they are revamping their budgets to some extent. Housing, for example, has become a more important item in their scheme of things. Long afflicted with poor dwellings — many even in Paris lacked bathrooms — the French regard better housing as im provement in their social status. They are now beginning to entertain in their living rooms rather than meet friends in cafes. But they are also attracted by the idea of real estate as an investment that serves as a hedge against inflation. Urban property values here have been going up on an av erage of 13 to 14 percent per year, and even though prices are high, apartments are being snapped up faster than they can be constructed. In a sharp change from the French of the past, to whom debt was tantamount to crime, young couples are borrowing heav ily to buy apartments. The added advan tage of property is that mortgage interest on a main residence is deductible from in come taxes. The French are not enthusiastic about the stock market as a vehicle for their money. Astonishingly, though, they con tinue to build up hank deposits, despite the fact that interest rates of only 6.5 per cent lag behind the rate of inflation. Their favorite form of saving, however, is gold. Though statistics are difficult to I The difference ■nion and the 1 ■tpeets from de li e success of d [ifar, Air Force 1 said Friday- Isarmament sen Center for St Rudder Towei The United S lake detente “a i lions,’ Hansen Soviet concept of obtain, since everyone is sodiscreeln art everything subject, estimates indicate that theh rial progress, possess on the average about $2500 of gold per family. That means that the populatioi ■ whole possesses something like $301i ipitalism,” Han in gold. Most of it is held secretly, it can escape inheritance taxes or k nipulated in other ways. As a defense against inflation, let modifies have been as solid. Gold la about doubled in value every year past four years, thereby provingtt French that their grandfathers wen to have hidden hags of Napoleons a their mattresses. thieve their goa ■aid. Nobody here, tence of inflation - then, denies the hut nobodyappa he United Stu he suffering from it. With roughlyFoiBnodenqzed cent of their assets in real estateorj Jurope, Hansei the French are not simply staying but swimming in good fortune. So their leaders, like Giscardandfi Minister Raymond Barre, may issii peated appeals for austerity French go on spending and spe that, during a period of inflation, ms the best way to survive. peip 1 “In the Sovie regress simply growing of To the Soviets, ay of achieving rogress, Hansei ason the Sovit jianistan was SALT II is a oviet point of v lot lieen ratifiei ate, because i J.S. defense spe Vorld By TODD City World champi er Ted St. \ tassersby to coi fanor East Mai lay. St. Martin cor me wishing to si Martin earn< all or shirt; tho :ap as part of a nail. St. Martin losl riday, one to a lasketball playei St. Martin, 4 ecord for consec 1,036 in four hoi His other re< St By Doug Graham ’7—TTTTyniiR DORM)‘ t’M no W*dBLEM- a«,5 T .ou. AUF vug I Di N H£V JOHN, 1 UAS AEAUA SOMri UUEN I HEPiRb ABOUT YOUR SISTER. YEAH, UE TOOK HfP, TO THE BEST DOCTORS, BUT THERE UAS NOTHING ANY OWE COULD DO. YEAH, IT UAS REALLY SAh, AN5 SUCH A SHOCK. ONE DAY SHE UAS FINE, ANb THE NEXT... „ DELL JOHN. IF THERE’S ANY THING AT ALL UE GAN DO TO HELP YOU OUT, LET US KIUOU. YOU NEUER KMOO UMI GOOD FfUEWDS YOU HME AND H0O rWCH THEY a UWTIL YOUR SISTER JOB A SORORITY. 40 So Co Ri< Re N. p-