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jramm survives ‘political revolution’
By BECKY SWANSON
Battalion Staff
Congressman Phil Gramm was one of the luckier
Democrats Tuesday. Unlike many of his less conserva
tive counterparts^ the Sixth District representative is
returning to Washington for another term in the
midst of what he terms “a political revolution. ”
Gramm defeated David “Buster” Haskins, who ran
on the Republican ticket but did little campaigning.
In a telephone interview from Washington Wednes
day, Gramm said he believed the election signaled a
“massive philosophical shift” of the American people.
“The American people finally decided that the coun
try was in trouble and they voted for a change,” he
said.
Every major liberal up for re-election was defeated,
Gramm said, but of the 35 most conservative Demo
crats in office, 34 were re-elected by large margins.
“Conservative Democrats with broad political bases
were not affected by this philosophical shift,” he said,
“because they were already where the American peo
ple wanted them to be.”
Gramm said the four senior members of the House
Commerce Committee he serves on were ousted in
Tuesday’s election, leaving him as the senior Texan on
the committee and one of the senior members.
The Commerce Committee deals with health, ener
gy, transportation, and communication issues.
Gramm also serves on the House Energy and Pow
er, Health and Environment and Veterans subcom
mittees.
Working to form a bi-partisan coalition to balance
the federal budget was one of his major projects in the
last session, Gramm said. This session he said he plans
to expand the coalition and work on a plan to balance
the budget during a two-year cycle by slowing down
;the growth of federal programs and cutting some
programs.
Gramm said he could support the Reagan-Kemp-
Roth tax cut bill which proposes a $31 billion tax cut,
tf it is accompanied by a 50 percent spending cut.
“Without those spending cuts, it would be very
difficult for me to support it,” Gramm said.
Other major legislation Gramm said he would like to
see passed in the coming session includes stimulation
of energy production, deregulation of the natural gas
industry and eliminating Department of Energy em
ployees whose job it was to regulate the oil industry.
“We need to junk at least half of the Department of
Energy and eliminate 7,000 employees whose job it
was to regulate the oil industry,” Gramm said. Since
oil deregulation will be completed by September
1981, he said, those employees should be eliminated
from the government payroll.
Another major project the Congress will undertake
in 1981 is rewriting the Clean Air Act, Gramm said.
Although he forsees no “wholesale gutting” of en
vironmental laws, Gramm said he feels this will be a
“real opportunity to look at the costs and benefits” of
environmental regulations. Gramm said some regula
tions cost more to the consumer in the form of higher
prices than they are worth in environmental benefits.
All groups involved in environmental issues will
have an opportunity to present their views before
Congress rewrites the bill, including industry and en
vironmentalists, Gramm said.
The congressman said the new administration will
place a higher priority on veterans programs. Gramm
criticized President Carter, saying, “At times, Presi
dent Carter has put a higher premium on social welfare
programs than veterans programs,” opposing “at least
a half a dozen well-needed veterans programs, but the
Congress prevailed.
“President Carter vetoed pay raises for Veterans
Administration doctors,” he said, but the Congress did
override the veto because the VA was having a hard
time recruiting and retaining good doctors for VA
hospitals because of competition with the private
sector.
Gramm also said that the armed forces were having
problems with recruiting and retention.
When asked if there would be a pay raise for the
military, Gramm answered, “I don’t think there’s any
doubt about it — there will be. ”
He said an increase in pay and bonuses for highly
skilled positions such as pilot and mechanic will help
recruiting and retention efforts.
“If you have the best equipment in the world, it
won’t do you a bit of good if you don’t have people who
know how to operate it,” he said.
Gramm said he hopes the Congress and the Presi
dent can work together to get more accomplished in th
next session.
□!
The Battalion
Vol. 74 No. 50
10 Pages
Serving the Texas A&M University community
Friday, November 7, 1980 DSPS 045 360
College Station, Texas Phone 845-2611
The Weather
Yesterday
Today
High
80
High
....85
Low
56
Low
....59
Rain
. 0.00 inches
Chance of rain . . .
. ...0%
*
P Freshmen of Company H-2 express enthusiasm to work on the bonfire in
k* this spirit banner quoting the Bible. The big push to work on the bonfire
Strong sentiments
begins this weekend due to the open weekend for football and the.deadline
to get the bonfire ready before the Texas game.
fyperton
'ready to go
Mter win
^ By USCHI MICHEL-HOWELL
Jt Battalion Staff
Kent Caperton, Democratic Party victor
i Tuesday’s general election, says he “is
Py to go to work. ”
‘This large margin of victory is very gra-
* 0 and I appreciate the support of the
oters,” Caperton, who won the District 5
late Senate seat, said.
“We anticipated to win, but didn’t think
^ would win by such a wide margin.”
The first part of work that Caperton will
liage in will be the building of his staff.
japerton said he is considering Roger
filler, former assistant to the president at
exas A&M University, as his administra
te aide.
^Education is high on my list,” Caperton
aid He wants to increase teacher salaries
Pi primary and secondary education and
n Mst the salaries of university personnel.
J [ Senior citizens and the passage of a
eric drug bill are also important to him,
;aid.
aperton received about two-thirds of
vote in Tuesday’s election. Republican
idate N.A. McNiel refused any state-
nent about the outcome.
If,Until I have evidence from all the coun-
|es as to who won I will not make a state-
jgit,” McNiel said Wednesday afternoon.
! The only statement he did make was for-
P and without reference to the outcome
the race in Brazos County or the district.
iThe American people have made a
pice. I am glad to have made a contribu-
to the political process. It was a learn-
| experience for me and I thank those
Ed supported me.”
Election causes no change
Iranian hostage
in
crisis
United Press International
A spokesman for Iranian Premier Mohammad Ali Rajai said
today the election of Ronald Reagan as president of the United
States will not affect the issue of the American hostages.
The spokesman, quoted by Tehran radio in a broadcast
monitored in Beirut, said: “American presidential elections
concern America alone and do not interest Iran.”
Asked whether Reagan’s election would affect the issue of
the hostages, the spokesman said: “The question of the hos
tages will take its normal course and will not be affected at jail
by the results of the American elections. ”
To win the most concessions from Washington, the Iranian
fundamentalist Republican Party newspaper urged in an edito
rial last week that terms for the release of the captives be
agreed on before the elections. Iran’s parliament Sunday then
approved four conditions, but no public response came from
Washington.
Iran, voicing impatience over the delay in getting an answer
to its demands — pledge of noninterference in Iran’s affairs,
unfreezing Iranian assets in U.S. banks, a move to return the
late shah’s wealth, 'and dropping all legal claims against Iran —
said Tuesday it asked intermediary Algeria to press for a
prompt reply.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry stipulated the reply should be
issued “through the mass media” — a demand promply re
jected in Washington.
“We are not going to be negotiating through the press,”
State Department spokesman John Trattner said.
Prime Minister Mohammad Ali Rajai, in an interview with
Iranian TV and radio Tuesday, said a U.S. note arrived in
Tehran before the official translation of the Majlis demands
reached Washington.
“Mr. Carter has sent us a statement concerning some gener
alities but which did not address the issue of our conditions, ”
Rajai said.
As the hostages moved into their second day of their second
year of captivity, there was no certainty on when they would be
released from their 368-day ordeal.
West Germany’s ambassador in Tehran, Gerhared Ritzel,
who met with Iranian Prime Minister Rajai Monday, said in an
interview in the Berlin newspaper Der Abend that a release
was “at least 10 days away.”
Trattner at the State Department said the United States was
studying the official list of conditions and reported they did not
appear substantially different from the conditions publicly
announced by the Iranian parliament Sunday.
Although the government Monday accepted “responsibil
ity” for the hostages from the militants who have been their
captors for the past year, Rajai said the Americans had not
physically changed hands “because the necessary steps have
not been taken.”
Asked whether he thought the United States would give a
positive reply to Iranian demands, Rajai said, “since they claim
to be willing to resolve the issue, they are bound to give a
positive reply.”
He also said that because of the media build-up, which has
brought almost 200 journalists to the U.S. military complex at
Wiesbaden, the hostages will probably not come to Frankfurt
and Wiesbaden.
A U.S. official in Frankfurt said: “We have said again and
again that a plan to bring the hostages to West Germany is just
one of many contingencies.”
We have never said that hospitalization in Wiesbaden was
our only plan.” v
Reagan begins
policy planning
United Press International
LOS ANGELES — Ronald Reagan has
had two days to reflect on his landslide
election and, far from wanting a rest, is now
“chomping at the bit” to begin his term as
the 40th president.
The still-jubilant president-elect, show
ing no fatigue from his arduous year-long
run for the White House, met reporters
Thursday for the first time since his victory
over President Carter and outlined some of
his views, from negotiations with the Soviet
Union to a role for running mate George
Bush.
Some of his proposals will be shaped
quickly into legislation because Reagan ex
pects to be an activist president. He
already is drafting a number of proposals
and executive actions for submission as
soon as he takes office.
Reagan also said he expects to name his
Cabinet by the end of the month or early
December.
Reagan, who at 69 will be the oldest
first-term president, originally planned to
rest for a while before plunging into his new
job. But those plans lasted about 48 hours,
aides said, and were junked because the
Californian became eager to start in on the
task before him.
“He’s chomping at the bit,” one aide
said. Reagan, who had no public events
scheduled for today, was to stay at his ranch
near Santa Barbara much of next week,
reading briefing papers and meeting with
advisers.
After that he is expected to jet back and
forth to Washington to consult with his
transition team.
That team will be directed by Edwin
Meese and William Casey, two trusted
advisers who will play a large role in shap
ing the personality of Reagan’s administra
tion.
A foreign policy transition team also will
begin working and will include three
Democrats: Sens. Henry Jackson of
Washington and Richard Stone of Florida
and Washington attorney Edward Bennett
Williams.
Their inclusion is in keeping with
Reagan’s emphasis on having a bipartisan
foreign policy that will, according to the
next president, have a decidedly different
approach to negotiating with the Soviet
Union.
“I believe in linkage,” Reagan told the
reporters. The term means Reagan will not
divorce such concerns as human rights and
communist expansion from talks on arms
reductions.
Officially, the Carter foreign policy saw
no link between the SALT talks and Soviet
aggression.
“I don’t think you simply sit down at the
table with the Soviet Union to discuss arms
limitation without regard to other factors,”
Reagan said.
As for some personal role in the Iranian
hostage crisis, Reagan is adamant.
“The president is still the president,” he
said. “We want to make it perfectly plain
that we are not going to intrude and we are
going to recognize the fact that this admi
nistration is still in office.”
On other subjects:
— Reagan said he is committed to the
conservative GOP platform. “It would be
very cynical and callous of me now to sug
gest that I’m going to turn away from it,” he
said when asked if he intends to obey its call
for an anti-abortion amendment to the
Constitution. He said he believes those
who voted for him “must have believed in
the platform also.”
— He said he would solicit advice from
all his supporters, including the fundamen
talist Moral Majority. “I’m not going to
separate myself from the people who
elected us.”
Grad student injured
A Texas A&M University graduate stu
dent is in stable condition after he avoided
hitting a University truck on his motorcycle
and struck a median at University Drive
and Agronomy Road Thursday morning.
James Delony was taken to St. Joseph
Hospital in Bryan and treated for cuts and
bruises. Hospital officials said Delony re
quired surgery on his left hand and stitches
in his head and left elbow.
College Station police said Delony was
riding east on University Drive when a
University-owned pick-up truck driven by
Thomas Marshall turned on to Agronomy
Road. Delony swerved to the left, struck a
median and was thrown from the motorcy
cle, police reports said.
College Station police have not issued a
citation pending completion of their inves
tigation.
A College Station ambulance arrived less
than 10 minutes after the accident and wit
nesses helped move the rider and motorcy
cle out of traffic, police said.
Delony, a 1973 graduate of Texas A&M
University, is a captain in the U.S. Army
and is studying civil engineering.
“When I hit the median I leaped about
20 feet in the air, at least that’s what people
that were there said,” Delony said.
“I hit the concrete and I really don’t
remember much. A doctor from out of town
happened to be there and he helped me.
“I feel like hell — just terrible — but I
guess I was lucky.”
Transition panel
to include Clements
United Press International
AUSTIN — Gov. Bill Clements said he
was “honored” to be part of president-elect
Ronald Reagan’s transition team.
Clements said Thursday he would confer
as quickly as possible with Reagan about
Clements’ role as a member of the interim
foreign and defense policy board of
Reagan’s transition team.
In a statement, Clement said: “I am hon
ored to be included in this group, and ob
viously, I want to help any way I can to
assure as smooth a transition as possible.”
Clements said: “I have my duties and
responsibilities as governor, of course, and
I can give only a certain limited amount of
time.”
Clements said the foreign and defense
policy board would function at the policy
level to provide overview of foreign and
defensive matters.
The governor said Mike Deaver, transi
tion team deputy director, contacted him ■
Thursday to inform him Reagan wanted
him to participate in the transition plan
ning.
“I am awaiting a call from Gov. Reagan to
provide the specific details,” Clements
said. “I am honored to be included in this
group. Texas is fortunate to have three
members (Sen. John Tower, Anne Arm
strong and Clements) on the board. That
bodes well for the lines of communication
Texas will have in the future with the
Reagan administration.”
Clements is a former deputy secretary of
defense.