I l
Viewpoint
The Battalion
Texas A&M University
Tuesday
April 7, 1981
u
is
Slouch
By Jim Earle
“Whenever I get discouraged about how little I’m earning
when I figure my taxes, I remind myself that I’m still earning
more than Chrysler and Ford combined!”
Stockman proposing
zero-based services
By ARNOLD SAWISLAK
United Press International
WASHINGTON — The dictionary de
fines “radical” as “going to the foundation or
source of something, ” and in that sense the
views of budget director David Stockman
on the role of government qualify for the
word.
A couple of weeks ago, asked about the
administration’s proposals to end federally
financed legal services for the poor, Stock-
man said:
“I don’t believe that there is any entitle
ment, any basic right, to legal services or
any other kind of services, and the idea
that’s been established over the last 10
“I don't believe that...
every service that
someone might need in
life ought to be provided,
financed by the
government as a matter
of basic right.... We
reject that notion. ”
years that every service that someone
might need in life ought to be provided,
financed by the government as a matter of
basic right, is wrong. We challenge that.
We reject that notion.”
Very simply, Stockman has proposed
what might be called zero-based govern
ment. It brings into question scores of social
assumptions that had been accepted in the
conduct of government for decades.
It should be added that what Stockman
said about entitlements and services were
not the words of Ronald Reagan, and that is
what really counts if any conflict arises. But
Stockman said “we” and until someone
higher in the government says otherwise, it
is reasonable to assume that he is talking
about administration policy.
Stockman’s declaration appears to go
well beyond services that might be called
frills. There was no reservation in what he
said about untouchable “safety net” prog
rams for the elderly, the unemployed, the
poor and for military veterans.
And indeed the latest reductions did
take some nicks out of those programs, the
basics of which the president said at least
twice would be maintained in the 1982
budget.
But what about 1983 and beyond? The
National Governors Association, analyzing
Reagan’s budget proposals, says if the “safe
ty net” programs, national defense and in
terest payments are exempt from cuts, the
administration will have to make additional
reductions averaging 25 percent in each
year through 1984 to achieve its planned
balanced budget.
If that is true, and there is a “shoe that
has not yet been dropped” in the long term
Stockman budget-cutting strategy, no one
can claim after the budget director’s state
ment that he had deceived the public.
One completely speculative example:
What if the administration decides it costs
too much to maintain the Interstate High
way System with tax dollars and proposes
“user fees” — tolls — to pay for keeping the
roads in condition?
The interstate system was sold to the
nation in the 1950s as a super system of
highways, always to be free for any user.
But that was 30 years ago, and the assump
tion that the interstate system always would
be free could be inoperative in the 1980s.
Does that sound a little farfetched?
Perhaps, but Illinois State Sen. Don Tot
ten, proposed exactly that solution to inter
state highway system maintenance in
Washington at a conservative political ac
tion conference in March. He got a good
round of applause.
Warped
Invalidate returns immediately
Whatever credibility the spring elec
tions ever had has now been shattered.
Last week, denial of the vote to graduat
ing seniors resulted in the invalidation of
many results. That was only the first fiasco
in what looks like an attempt to see who can
foul things up the most.
★First, the Student Government Judi
cial Board tried to redeem whatever credi
bility the spring elections had lost by void
ing the races in which graduating seniors
were barred from voting.
Unfortunately for the J-board, Student
Government and the elections, that effort
failed when Board Chairman Paul Betten
court opted to hold the four-hour meeting
behind closed doors. That meeting — a
breach of the J-board’s own goals of “due
process, justice and openness” — was
enough to damage the already-shaken cre
dibility of this spring’s elections.
And the reasoning for closing the meet
ing is the most absurd we’ve yet heard from
the cloak-and-dagger crowd in Student
Government. That reasoning: “To keep the
burden off the members of the board when
they are formulating their opinion.”
The J-board’s job is to form opinions —
how can we trust their judgment when we
Sidebars
By Dillard Stone
know neither the facts being presented nor
the rationale behind their conclusions?
★ It now turns out that the Election Com
mission’s credibility — and thus the credi
bility of the election itself — has been
blown away by a whirlwind of security
breaches on election results. Some stu
dents outside the races and outside Student
Government have said they knew the unre
leased election results.
Election Commission members have
been flapping their mouths without careful
ly considering who their audience might
be. That’s obvious. One student who said
he had been told some results approached
The Battalion with what he knew, offering
to sell the results. That’s incredible.
★ Even more incredible is J-board Chair
man Paul Bettencourt’s unpardonable ve
ture into breach-of-ethics land: Bettencoir
was also a candidate for Off-Campus Aggit
president. He was a candidate in the vet
election he was in charge of certifying.
Bettencourt could have avoided the«
flict, since J-board bylaws provide fori
member to excuse himself voluntani
should there be a conflict of interest.
In this case, there was a conflict c
terest, yet Bettencourt still ran the J-boa
proceedings — behind closed dc
Maybe Bettencourt wanted that one
exercising of what limited judicial powe
he’s got before his term was over. But
ing an ego isn’t enough justification ford
ing into doubt the results of an election.
The only way to restore any credibility!!
the electoral process is to invalidate tk
entire election ... NOW! Otherwise, tit
election isn’t the Spring Circus anymort
it’s the Spring Farce — and it would raon
than befit the election’s conduct if student
were to laugh it off the record.
It shouldn’t take a sledgehammer hitij
our heads to tell us there’s something (b
tically wrong with the election process,
Will we continue to beat ourselves uni!
we re senseless?
OKppss
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It’s your turn
Direction change due to policies
Editor:
Dillard Stone, in his editorial of March
30, stated that conservativism and tradition
might keep Texas A&M from becoming
what it could be and that “progress and
tradition are on a collision course with des
tiny.” He also cites President Rudder’s
break with tradition and its results.
An examination of the facts leaves very
little support for his seemingly blind attack
on all tradition. If there is any reason for
considering any change of direction at
Texas A&M it can reasonably be confined to
administrative and academic policy and not
the students’ traditions.
President Rudder did away with com
pulsory military training and restrictions on
admitting women, two things which clearly
stood in the way of the growth and develop
ment Aggies had chosen as a goal for A&M.
Any suggestion that the remaining Aggie
traditions such as Muster, Silver Taps, the
Twelfth Man, and others adversely affect
the progress of A&M is absolutely ridicu
lous in view of the facts.
Texas A&M, in the span of a few years,
grew from a small state college into one of
the leading universities in the country with
many of its programs ranking among the
best in the nation and its enrollment more
than doubling. This rapid progress is no
thing short of astounding and continues un
abated. The question is, what made this
remarkable progress possible? What forged
the tremendous devotion and dedication
that was needed to accomplish such a feat?
As even Mr. Stone notes, it was tradition.
Texas A&M’s traditions fostered the
needed sense of dedication, unity, and de
votion that continues to fuel rapid growth
and progress and, at the same time, brings
Aggies national acclaim for their spirit and
sense of togetherness.
This unity among many differing group!
is the real basis of the “Aggie Spirit” whicl
has accomplished so much. The only thin!
our traditions keep us from becoming ii
complacent, uncaring, and ordinary aw
the way to insure A&M’s continued progre
ssion into a “truly great” University is notto
blindly follow a policy of change for the sak
of change but to stop worrying about
whether we are non-regs, CTs, Greeks,
non-Greeks, etc. and concentrate on tht
traditions that bring us all together»
Aggies so that they may continue creatinf
the spirit that has proven itself to be at
integral part of the growth, progress, and
uniqueness of Texas A&M.
R. S. Hilliard
By Scott McCullar
The Battalion
ISPS
MEMBER
Texas Press Association
Southwest Journalism Congress
Editor Dillard Stone
Managing Editor Angelique Copeland
Asst. Managing Editor. .... !. Todd Woodard
City Editor Debbie Nelson
Asst. City Editor Marcy Boyce
Photo Editor Greg Gammon
Sports Editor Ritchie Priddy
Focus Editor Cathy Saathoff
Asst. Focus Editor Susan Hopkins
News Editors Venita McCellon,
Scot K. Meyer
StaffWriters.' Carolyn Barnes,
Jane G. Brust, Terry Duran, Bemie Fette,
Cindy Gee, Phyllis Henderson,
Kathleen McElroy, Belinda McCoy,
Kathy O’Connell, Richard Oliver,
Denise Richter, Rick Stolle
Cartoonist Scott McCullar
Photographers Chuck Chapman
Brian Tate
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necessarily represent the opinions of Texas A&M Universi
ty administrators or Acuity members, or of the Board of
0-15
Regents.
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students in reporting, editing and photography das# 1
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