1
The Battalion
Viewpoint
November 13,1981
5
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Slouch By Jim Earle
‘Why is it always my roommate who is the Christmas freak?’
Preserve symbol
by working on stack
Editor:
For three years, I have heard nothing but
attacks on Bonfire. Let me ask this: do any
of the critics work on Bonfire? If not, and I
doubt many of them have, how can they
possibly understand the facts of Bonfire, let
alone the feelings it evokes after long hours
of work.
Yes, I work on it. Last year I put in my
class hours on the stack; a fact that I am
extremely proud of and intend to repeat,
while maintaining a 3.2 GPR and 15 hours.
(While I’m at it, I challenge all the other
non-regs to do the same. We need the
help.)
Yes, the wood in Bonfire is wasted.
Without Bonfire the wood would be wasted
anyway. TMPA strip mines the area we
Reader's
Forum
clear. The company that owns Granada
grazes cattle on the cleared land. If Aggies
didn’t do it, a bulldozer would clear it and
the wood would be burned in a number of
smaller piles.
Why not distribute the wood to needy
persons of Brazos County? How much
energy would it consume to distribute the
wood? How many “needy” people can nor
mally afford wood to heat and cook, or even
have the facilities to do so. The electricity of
TM PA and cattle of Granada are probably of
much greater public value.
Bonfire does provide a public service. It
stimulates the Bryan-College Station eco
nomy like no other single event. The tour
ism alone brings in millions of dollars, not to
mention the supplies such as axes, gloves,
boots, etc. And I hardly think we are des
troying the forests of central Texas. One 150
Charles Barr ‘83
The Battalion
USPS 045 360
MEMBER
Texas Press Association
Southwest Journalism Congress
Editor Angelique Copeland
Managing Editor Marcy Boyce
City Editor Jane G. Brust
Asst. City Editor Kathy O’Connell
Photo Editor DaveEinsel
Sports Editor Ritchie Priddy
Focus Editor Cathy Saathoff
Asst. Focus Editor Debbie Nelson
News Editors Phyllis Henderson
Bernie Fette, Belinda McCoy
Diana Sultenfuss
Staff Writers Gary Barker
Frank L. Christlieb, Randy Clements
Gaye Denley, Nancy Floeck, Tim Foarde
Colette Hutchings, Daniel Puckett
Denise Richter, Mary Jo Rummel, Rick Stolle
Nancy Weatherley, Barbie Woelfel
Cartoonist Scott McCullar
Graphic Artist Richard DeLeori Jr.
Photographers Brian Tate
Daniel Sanders, Colin Valentine
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Alfonse and Gaston in Washington
By JERELYN EDDINGS
United Press International
WASHINGTON — In a spirit of
politeness reminiscent of a comedy rout
ing, the White House and Congress stood
in the doorway of a budget decision for
weeks waiting for someone to step in first.
The refusal of either side to move
brought work on a budget-balancing prog
ram to a screeching halt.
It was in the true spirit of the old
Alfonse-Gaston comedy team, whose po
liteness in the doorway — “After you,
Alfonse.” “No, after you, Gaston.” — kept
either from going anywhere.
President Reagan has proposed a three-
year package of $115 billion in budget cuts
and tax increases designed to balance the
federal budget by 1984. But it ran into such
opposition from Republicans as well as
Democrats that GOP leaders went scur
rying to work out something that could pass
Congress.
Senate Republican leaders came up with
an alternative package, but it included even
bigger budget cuts and such large and con
troversial tax increases — coming on the
heels of Reagan’s heralded tax cut — the
leaders decided they needed the presi
dent’s nod to win over reticent colleagues.
Reagan, meanwhile, was silent for
weeks. He had spent his entire presidential
campaign railing against high government
taxes. How could he turn around and sup
port raising them?
Treasury Secretary Donald Regan
argued against it.
But budget director David Stockman
took the position that another campaign
pledge would be jeopardized — the ba
lanced budget — unless spending is cut
drastically or the government gets new re
venues from somewhere now that personal
and business taxes have been slashed.
The GOP was in a position of either advo
cating unpopular tax increases in an elec
tion year or admitting to the public that it —
just like the previous Democratic adminis
tration — could not figure out how to reach
that cherished goal of a balanced budget.
Democrats realized the Republicans
were in a spot and they turned up the heat
with calls for White House guidance on
what it wanted next.
“The White House is clearly going to
have to play a role. I am not prepared to
move until I know where the White House
stands,” said Rep. Leon Panetta (D-Calif),
a leading Democrat on the House Budget
Committee.
Administration officials, who worked
with congressional Republicans privately,
said it would be unusual and “inappropri
ate” for them to tell Congress what to do at
this stage.
They noted they had already revised
their budget figures once — in Septembei
— and indicated the next step should be;
taken on Capitol Hill.
But Republicans pleaded for Wlii|
House guidance, and their pleas couldonlv
be viewed as sincere — if not desperate.
Pushed by Democrats to spell out tie
GOP position. Rep. Delbert Latta of Ohio,
the senior Republican on the House Budget
Committee, said: “Until the administrafa
passes the word to me, I’rrt not in a position
to take a position.”
Besides, Republican congressmen
argued the House was still controlledb)'
Democrats. They said it was the Demo
crats’job to put forth a proposal and notwail
for the administration.
In the Senate, which is controlled by Re
publicans, Budget Committee Chaimiai
Pete Domenici (R-N.M.) seemed ready to
move on the package he developed. But
after talks with key administration officials,
and after getting the word from Republi
cans that they were not anxious tobei
front on this, Domenici put his plans
hold.
He, too, said it would be good to h
from Reagan.
The Alfonse-Gaston act closed la [
Washington Friday when the president
told Republican leaders that he was sticking
with his plan. He was prepared to risk an
unbalanced budget rather than raise taw
It was, afterall, just a goal, he said,
acre site (Granada) has provided almost all
the wood for two years and there is some
left besides the cedar and pecan which we
were not allowed to cut.
The death of Wylie Jopling was an im
mense tragedy, as is the death of any Aggie,
or any fellow human at all. I did not know
Wylie, but I know several of his friends and
none felt that he would have wanted Bon
fire to suffer because of his death. The acci
dent itself was only remotely connected to
Bonfire. There are tractor accidents every
day; this one just happened on the way to
cut for Bonfire. Should we ban tractors?
There are risks in everything. Bonfire has
had a truly remarkable safety record for the
type of work that it is, two very unrelated
deaths in its long history.
I can understand why watching a huge
pile of wood burn does not leave one with a
great sense of camaraderie, satisfaction, or
school spirit; it doesn’t do all that much for
me either. Satisfaction is gained by working
on it.
I have met many people, some of whom I
now call friends, while working on Bonfire.
Spending six hours in the cold rain, in the
middle of the night, running little wires
around big logs, with total strangers doing
the same thing, is camaraderie. Seeing
thousands of people unknowingly appreci
ate your work gives a feeling of quiet pride.
Building Bonfire for no other reason than
school pride, helping your fellow Ag, and
meeting a lot of good people is the true
Aggie Spirit.
If you have never worked on Bonfire, do
not criticize it, for the real meaning of Bon
fire is known only to those who give of
themselves in its construction. If you have
worked and do not like it, let those of us
who wish to preserve a symbol, and it can
not be argued that Bonfire is not such a
symbol to the public, of A&M’s spirit and
traditions, to do so at your own “expense ”.
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The '
iponson
and all
Reagan hailed as communicator
By DICK WEST
United Press International
WASHINGTON — As he demonstrated
again at a news conference this week. Presi
dent Reagan’s best subject is communica
tions.
Just as Abraham Lincoln became known
as “The Great Emancipator” and William
Jennings Bryan is remembered as “The
Great Commoner,” Reagan is being hailed
as “The Great Communicator.”
Last summer. White House aides cre
dited the president’s communications with
Congress with passage of his economic
program. That perhaps was overstating the
case a bit.
As Speaker Tip O’Neill pointed out, vot
ing for a three-year tax cut is not one of the
more agonizing duties a congressman per
forms.
Nevertheless, there is no disputing that
Reagan’s communications with the striking
air controllers came across loud and clear.
“White House to Control Tower. Over
and out.”
In communication jargon, this meant:
“The strike is over and you guys are out of a
job.”
More recently, Reagan was given high
marks for his communications with senators
about the sale of AW ACS to Saudi Arabia.
And now the presidential powers are being
tested again — this time with respect to
proposals that he “enhance revenues” to
balance the budget.
For an indication of whether Reagan will
once more prevail, let us try to imagine how
well he might do on the rabbit test.
Remember the famous “swimming rab
bit” incident during the Carter administra
tion? In hindsight, we can see it was
perhaps the turning point in Jimmy Car
ter’s political career.
After what was described as “a fairly
robust-looking” amphibious rabbit attacked
Carter’s fishing boat in Georgia in the
spring of 1979, the White House refused to
release photographs taken of the assault.
That bit of stonewalling created suspicion
that the White House was trying to cover
something up. From then on, Carter’s poli
tical fortunes went downhill.
With a better communicator in the
White House, the results might have been
different. Here is how some other presi
dents might have handled the incident.
Lyndon Johnson would have been drop
ping his pants to show photographers the
scar where the bunny bit him.
Richard Nixon would have ordered the
Air Force to drop 90,000 tons of bombs on
the fishing hole on the chance of hittingthe
rabbit.
If Jack Kennedy had been in the White
House, the rabbit would have changed into
the type of bunny one sees in Playboy.
Jerry Ford, on the other hand, would
have swung at the rabbit with his fishingrod
and hit his head on the bottom of the boat.
I have every confidence that
would pass the test with flying colors. Skfli
led communicator that he is, he would
simply adjust his news conference format.
Instead of pulling the names of reporters
out of a hat to determine the order of ques
tioning, Reagan would pull out a rabbit.
Warped
By Scott McCullar
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