Slouch
by Jim Earle
It just occurred to me — I’ve never seen what you look like.
Opinion
Senate backs bottomless cup
The student senate is considering a resolution that would
recommend reinstating a Texas A&M University tradition:
free coffee refills in the MSC caferteria.
For the last few months, the cafeteria has operated under
a pay-as-you-go coffee refill rule. Customers are charged 20
cents for a cup of coffee and 20 cents for every refill.
“The Dreaded Refill Rule,” to no one’s surprise, hasn’t
been popular with the early morning regulars in the MSC
Cafeteria. ^ as
One reason for the pay-as-you-go Dreaded Refill
obvious — to cut the number of people studpartment.
afeteria. The people at the Food Serviemdying in the
whicli runs o JO cafeteria, don’t like stuff 0111 that could be
cafeteria because they take up a F
C — natrons. x\ule took effect, the Food
s soon as The Dreade^ ia ^ res t °f u s know: rules are
ervices people four^mted, ignored and disregarded,
ma e to be brokerage studying in the cafeteria with The
Dread ^ ^ ll ^ e was usin S Stridex to stop a bullet.
p e ^ A e not only continued to study in the cafeteria, but they
griped about The Dreaded Refill Rule, too.
Since the senate’s action last night was only the first
consideration of a resolution that would recommend such a
change, it may be a bit premature to rename the MSC
Cafeteria “The Mrs. Olsen Coffee Shop.” But it’s still a good
idea, and the senate ought to be congratulated for striking a
blow for John Q. Aggie.
Oh, by the way, there might be some bad news, though.
The resolution also suggests that the price for the coffee be
comparable to the prices charged by other area restaurants;
the average price for coffee in local restaurants is 40 cents.
Despite the possibility of a price increase, we think it’s a
great idea.
the small society
by Brickman
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Viewpoint
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The Battalion
Texas A&M University
Thursday
February 21, 1980
Election winner should be
familiar with Congress
By STEVE GERSTEL
United Press International
One of the unrelenting problems that has
plagued President Carter during his stay in
the White House is his inability to create a
working relationship with Congress.
There are a number of reasons why this
schism has endured from the moment the
traditional “honeymoon” period ended,
some months after Carter’s inaugural, to
this day. And there is no reason to believe
the situation will change.
One of the underlying reasons for the
problem is that Carter never knew nor
understood Congress before he came to
Washington. He has learned some, but not
much.
A second term might make the going on
Capitol Hill somewhat easier for the presi
dent if he and the White House staff profit
from the mistakes of the first four years.
Which raises this question: Could any of
the numerous candidates for Carter’s job
handle Congress any better?
Going on the premise that it would be
difficult to do worse than Carter, the
answer has to be yes.
The 1980 crop of presidential candidates
has a singular advantage over Carter —
most of them are knowledgable about Con
gress, some of them very much so.
The two candidates sans Washington ex
perience — Ronald Reagan and Jerry
Brown — could run into many of the same
problems unless they have learned from
Carter’s mistakes.
Reagan might well — as Carter failed to
do — surround himself with top aides who
are familiar with congressional moods and
methods. Brown is much less likely to
move in that direction.
The other pretenders either have served
in Congress or have held posts in the execu
tive branch that brought them to Capitol
Hill. Some of them would find a reservoir of
good will at the other end of the avenue
should they reach the White House.
The candidate with the best prospects of
a partnership with Congress is almost sure
ly Howard Baker.
Baker, now in his fourth year as Republi
can leader, has been in the Senate since
1966. Baker gets high marks from col
leagues who also seem to like him personal
ly — Democrats as well as Republicans.
More important, Baker is known as a
consensus politician who has always argued
for congressional participation prior to the
submission of legislation. Such an approach
would surely endear him to members of
Congress.
Another GOP candidate well-liked and
highly respected on Capitol Hill is Rep.
John Anderson of Illinois. Although his
ideas would find resistance among some
conservatives in his own party, Anderson
probably would find it easier than other
Republicans to work with the Democrats.
Sen. Edward Kennedy — as he does
with the electorate — rouses strong feel
ings among members of Con[
could pose difficulties. So would
to embark on an imperial presii
After 18 years in the Senate,
knows the workings of Congress
members consider him a
well-versed legislator.
George Bush served in the Hi
then had stints as head of the Clt|
Republican Party, and later sene|
United Nations and as envoy tod
one could approach Congressfroii
angles.
By JI
Cam
Russians will
heat and Am
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t of this m
icellation of
prmance here
A soviet pia
vould have b<
Connally’s expertise comes
periods he served as Navy si
Treasury secretary. So, he
known on Capitol Hill.
The unknown in any assess™
suspicion that no president willhj
work harmoniously with a Coni
still suffers from having cowered
succession of presidents, increasiJ
discipline and bows to special ina
qtx<
too,H
By
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Everyone should pick cucumbers
for National Letter Writing Wee!
When t
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By DICK WEST
United Press International
This year’s observance of National Letter
Writing Week, which begins Feb. 24, will
stress the power of mail to “preserve
memories, shape opinions and lift spirits. ”
By way of illustration, the Postal Service
has reproduced some of the uplifting, opin
ionated and nostalgic corresondence it has
collected from various sources over the
years.
One letter that harpooned my attention
was written in 1963 to Jacqueline Kennedy
by a young school girl. It said:
“I wanted to ask you why women can’t be
presidents? Some people say that girls do
more studying in school and care more if
they pass than boys. If this is true, why are
men always presidents? This question
came to me when I was picking cucum
bers. ”
Insofar as I can determine, America does
not now have a National Cucumber Picking
Week. As the above suggests, however,
picking cucumbers, even more than open
ing your mail, is likely to preserve memor
ies, shape opnions and lift spirits.
I dare say the young girl who wrote to
Mrs. Kennedy never once in her life re
ceived a letter that shaped her opinion to
ward sexual discrimination. It was a stint in
a cucumber patch that lifted the spirit of
women’s liberation within her.
Anyone of either sex who has ever picked
any cucumbers can easily reconstruct her
thought process. It obviously ran some
thing like this:
“Suffering salad bowls! Look at all those
cucumoers! I’ll never get ‘em picked. What
a drag! When I grow up, I’m gonna get me a
job where I’ll never have to pick another
cucumber as long as I live.
“Hmmmm. Wonder what kind of job I
should look for. A lifeguard, maybe. I never
saw any cucumbers growing on the beach.
Or maybe I’ll grow up to be a photo
grapher. Cucumbers couldn’t grow in a
darkroom.
“Yeah, that’s it! A photographer. I read
some place that Mrs. Kennedy used to be a
photographer. If I learn to operate a
camera, maybe I can marry a president,
too.
“On second thought, why settle for mar
rying a president? Why not be one myself?
There aren’t any cucumbers in the White
House Rose Garden, I’ll bet.
“Come to think of it, there aittl
women presidents in the Roset|
either. Wonder why. Girls do!
school than hoys do. I’ll bet
make better presidents, too.
“I’ve got it! I’ll write to Mrs.
and ask her.”
Regrettably, the reply was noti:
among the letters duplicated by k
Service for Letter Writing Week
My guess is the inquiry was i
turned over to lower echelon aides 111
le. If so, they probably responded!?*
ing the girl a recipe for cucumbers-.
Moral: Don’t be discouraged if yd-'*
hasn’t been spiritually elevating rec
You may have a cucumber for:
THOTZ
By Doug Grab