The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, February 08, 1982, Image 2

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    A
opinion
Time is running out
on Reagan’s programs
by David S. Broder
WASHINGTON - The clock ticks
terribly fast for any president of the Un
ited States. The fiscal 1983 budget
Ronald Reagan will present to Congress
next week is the first he and his associates
have had the opportunity to shape from
beginning to end. And when that budget
year expires, the 1984 presidential cam
paign will be only three months away.
The breakneck pace of the presiden
tial term is part of the explanation for a
wave of unease that has come over the
Republicans and the conservative move
ment, as they await the formal unveiling
of what is rightly considered the policy
and political centerpiece of any adminis
tration — its budget.
The budget will reveal in stark terms
what Reagan managed to pass over with
only fleeting comments in his State of the
Union address: the unhappy fact that
this conservative government confronts
deficits brushing the $100 billion-a-year
level for the rest of this term and beyond.
What the Wall Street Journal called
“the baleful effects of big deficits” are
only the symptoms of a greater doubt
gnawing at conservatives. That is the fear
that runaway government and a sick eco
nomy may overpower Reagan's re
medies.
Last Friday, as a succession of orators
tried to galvanize the members of the
Republican National Committee into a
show of enthusiasm for the mid-term
political campaign, copies of Friday’s
Wall Street Journal were being passed
from hand to hand.
The effect was like being doused in a
cold shower. “As they wrestle with a re
cession that wasn’t supposed to happen,”
the Republicans read in Ralph F. Win
ter's lead story in their favorite newspap
er, “some businessmen are starting to
think the unthinkable — that Reagano
mics might never bring the promised
prosperity.”
I he fear that def icits and high interest
rates will choke off the promised turnar
ound may prove unfounded. But, as if by
coincidence, a number of conservative
publications and pundits are gi\ ing voice
to a feeling of extreme nervousness ab
out where Reaganomics may be taking
the Republican Party and conservatism.
Kevin Phillips, who ever since the late
1960s has been periodically proclaiming
an “emerging Republican majority,” said
in the latest issue of his newsletter, “ I he
American Political Report":
“There’s a growing feeling in conser
vative and New Right circles that the
Reagan economic and policy shortfalls
shaping up for 1982 threaten an ideolo
gical and electoral crisis ... Important ele
ments of the Reagan coalition, not least
conservatives, are breaking ranks and
moving towards a save-yourself politics.”
Horace W. Busby, a conservative
Democrat and former Lyndon B. John
son aide, wrote that clients of his
Washington consulting firm a stiff, four-
page critique of the leadership and poli
cies of the Reagan government. Fie said it
reflected the comments of “men of subst
ance, experience and proved influence,”
many of them “long friends of Mr.
Reagan.”
Not long ago, Busby was writing about
a long-term Republican “lock” on the
electoral college and the presidency. But
in his latest memo, he reported wide
spread fear that the momentum of the
conservative thrust, which extended
from 1978’s Proposition 13 through the
1980 Reagan-Republican sweep and the
legislative triumphs of the first eight
months of 1981, “began to stall" in the
final quarter of last year.
It began to stall, not because of reces
sion and rising unemployment, but be
cause Reagan and his associates seemed
uncertain about how to master the forces
at work in the economy and the world, he
said. Both Busby and Phillips noted that
in December, Reagan’s standing in the
polls reached what Busby called “the
lowest level ever recorded for any Presi
dent in the same year as his inaugura
tion.”
They fear an economic-political un
raveling. If investors lose faith in Reaga
nomics because of soaring deficits, the
job-producing recovery may never come
or be quickly aborted. Bv November, dis
illusioned voters may snatch away the
provisional mandate they' gave Reagan
and the Republicans in 1980 by electing
waves of Democrats to governorships
and congressional seats.
None of that is certain, of course. But
the very fact that these fears are being
voiced in these places at this time shows
how thin the surface of patience, confi
dence and consensus supporting the
Reagan program may be.
The credibility of that program will be
tested in the reaction to the Reagan
budget. The President, budget director
David A. Stockman and the rest will be
judged on their candor — and there is
little time for the recouping if that credi
bility is lost.
This is a fateful fortnight for Reagan
— and the country.
Letter: Big shoes left
Editor:
In this time of upheaval at Texas
A&M, it is sad to see one of the most
effective and highly respected adminis
trators retire from the Texas A&M Uni
versity System. Chancellor Frank W.R.
Hubert has served A&M in different
capacities for 23 years, and in all that
time, his actions have only improved or
enhanced our great University.
Because of its broad administrative
nature, most of the students at Texas
A&M are not really aware of all the duties
that the chancellor’s post encompasses.
In generel terms, the chancellor acts as
the chief executive of the four academic
institutions as well as all of the services
and agencies. Some of these include
Texas A&M, Texas A&M at Galveston,
Prarie View A&M, Tarleton, The Texas
Agricultural Experiment Station and Ex
tension Service, the Engineering Experi
ment Station, the Veterinary Diagnostic
Lab, along with many others.
Dr. Hubert’s contributions are far too
numerous to go unnoticed. He initiated
the Quality and Teaching Conference
held among all of the System parts to
improve and exchange educational
ideas. When the federal governement be
gan legal preceedings against Texas
A&M under Title VI (an anti
segregation law), Hubert not only pre
vented the suit from coming to trial but
instituted a plan that was adopted by
many other Texas schools.
T exas A&M has received a lot of critic
ism and negative publicity in recent times
and I think, in the interest of fair prac
tice, some of the more positive aspects of
our University should be pointed out
from time to time. Dr. Hubert is certainly
a credit to the Texas A&M University
System. Not only is he a capable adminis
trator, but he is a truly Fine man. I have
had occasion to meet and talk with Dr.
Hubert. Along with being warm and gra
cious, he is also an extremely intelligent
and judicious man. Whoever is selected
to fill the chancellor’s position has some
very big shoes to fill. Dr. Flubert will be
sorely missed.
Janie Koester ‘84
Write your senators
Editor:
I am writing as a concerned young
woman in reference to the Hatch
Amendment that could be on the floor of
the Senate as early as next week. This
amendment allows states to pass legisla
tion concerning abortion and also forces
the most restrictive laws to be applied. It
is the forerunner of Sen. Jesse Helms
Life Begins at Conception Bill.
Should they succeed, both of these
measures will result in the proposal of
legislation that could outlaw all abor
tions, including those in which the pre
gnancy endangers the life of the mother
and also pregnancy as a result of rape. In
addition, the outlawing of contraceptives
is the target of future legislation. Does
this bother you? The idea of a powerful
minority fraction of pro-lifers attemp
ting to legislate their opinions of morality
bothers me.
This is obviously an issue which trans
cends school rivalries and affects each
one of us directly. Please write our U.S.
Senators as soon as possible to express
your disapproval of the Hatch Amend
ment and similar bills:
John Tower, 142 Russell Senate Office
Bldg., Washington, D.C. 20510; Lloyd
Bentsen, 240 Russell Senate Office Bldg.,
Washington, D.C. 20510.
Kala Jo Philo
Finance/Pre-Law
U.T., Austin
live co i
by Joe Tind
Battalion Re|
n introductor
ngeons and
judo course and tl
iprovement com
iitions to the M
sity Committee
jnester.
Keith Pucketi
.E.R.S., part of the
jn Committee, w
k course in the
lying game of “I
Wagons,” and rej
■^■ts from the Tex
Chtb will teach
end
by Greg
Battalion R
Bfexas A&M re:
n studying the
I—instead of cl
to tender!
'ell, assistant
mal science, s;
This process
electricit
Reader’s Forum
Preacher faces jeering crowd
Editor:
* I saw two shows of bravery yesterday;
one unquestionably authentic, and the
other in need of some more proof.
However, the authentic show of bravery
was not half so stunning and epic as was
the show of bravery that needed some
more proof. The authentic bravery was
bravery in the face of man; the epic brav
ery was bravery in the fear of God. A
sidewalk preacher, by squaring off
against a jeering, leering crowd, showed
that he was hot afraid of man. T he jeer
ing, leering crowd, as if to tap him,
claimed little fear of God.
To face a jeering, leering crowd for
hours and say nothing but what is closest
and dearest to your heart is bravery.
There is no denying it. And it happened.
It was authentic. A sidewalk preacher did
it.
But the jeering leering crowd made its
claim to courage also.
The sidewalk preacher told the jeer
ing, leering crowd that the Bible had
been written over a period of 1,500 years
by about 40 authors. He said that notonlv
did these authors agree with one
another, but they predicted occurrences
that have become major historical events.
Now juxtapose this attestation to the
Bible’s truthfulness with the following:
The sidewalk preacher also asked anyone
who could confess Christ to raise his
hand. He then informed the rest, with a
clear-cut passage from the Bible — the
book that multitudes over the centuries
have taken to be the very Word od God —
that they were going to hell. Not a tinc
ture of panic from the jeering, leering
crowd. Only a vehement uproar of pro
tests because it had been offended.
Could this bravery, i.e. lack of panic,
be real? Each individual in that jeering,
leering crowd will one day plunge into
darkness. All alone he will face finality.
And yet, although much anxiety was
shown about winning an argument with’a
sidewalk preacher, none whatsoever was
shown about death, judgement, or burn
ing hell. The jeering, leering crowd ful
minated that the sidewalk preacher
couldn’t prove such things as judgement
for the slaughti
Oney and is mi
t chemical pro<
Previously, n
frozen 16 hours
ter slaughtering
could age and b
f Rut electric a
the beef carcass t
jjfter the slaugh
24 hours, the m
or hell. Isn't it fantastic that thostBe federal grac
claim hell are asked to prove it,■ Texas A&M
those that are betting no hell sta a ft electrical me
by? Does not this apparent snnigbJf eslau 8 lller ' 10
elude the imagination’s grasp?
As the meeting broke up, I thi
about the strong, powerful voicet
sidewalk preacher, which the
leering crowd could only straintoql
remembered how his eloquence it*,
line of fire dwarfed the membefsd
jeering, leering crowd and niaHeJ
look like children. And then Irecai
passage from Bunyan’s Pilgrims 1
ress. It comes after a heathen grot— Battaiio
defeated in a dispute with ChiistiaupThree scho
Hopeful: awarded this s
...i-i m rJP rs of the fr
If these men cannot stand bdoif
by Kell
, lonor society
sentence of men, what will theytMDdta.
the sentence of God? And if theT
sentence of God? And it ttie® One newly
mute when dealt with by vessels oifef the society v
what will they do when they shall 1^50 scholars
buked by the flames of a devouring**! based
leadership ai
Danny Ent
Math Graduate SH
to fill in the Chancellor’s offio
irests as well
pnts Activiti
Sarber said.
Two$125:
tiven to acti
probably so
ciding the
on
Democracy in Arab states
tual debate under a non-partisan spon
sorship on the subject matter.
Editor:
Oussama Qawasmi
Graduate Student
Although Marc Rogers went off the
subject of the letter Nabil Al-Kolwaiter
wrote, I do appreciate his sharing our
concern for the abscence of democracy in
some Arab states. I also would like to
inform him of some facts which he does
not seem to know. We do have oppressive
governments and we recognize it as a
problem that we are trying to change.
On the other hand, oppression in
Israel is systematic, not only against
Arabs in the occupied territories, but also
against East European Jews and those
who disagree with the Israeli policies
(Israel Shahak, Felicia Langer, etc.).
Regarding the freedom of expression,
I happen to have studied at the Universi
ty of Petroleum and Minerals in Saudi
Arabia and the University of Jordan,
where we had open debates almost daily-
on the campus grounds. I have to admit
that we were cautioned not to organize or
we would end up in jail.
But in Democratic Israel, two out of
the only three universities on the occu
pied West bank are closed. Even schools
are closed every now and then. If you
happen to oppose the government you
will end up in jail and prominent leaders
are exiled or booby-trapped. Sometimes,
the democratic government of Israel ex
tends its rights to blow up Arab homes.
Mr. Begin brags that his government did
not demolish as many Arab homes as the
Labor Party government did. It is also
worthwhile to draw your attention to the
thousands of Palestinian youths in the
Israeli prisons or in exile. We do experi
ence all the above mentioned in Demo
cratic Israel, something we have yet to
experience in the oppressive Arab states.
A closing note to Marc Rogers: It is not
too late. You need to learn more about
democracy in Israel. If you still believe
that I am wrong, I am open to an intellec-
Foreign policy hypocrisy
Editor:
I cannot believe the hypocrisy of the
Reagan Administration. Less than a week
after airing its Hollywood proganda “Let
Poland be Poland” the administration
proposes the same crimes it accuses the
Soviet Union of by sending military! 1
El Salvador. The last thing El Sab
needs is help at killing its own peof
Why do you look at the speck of
dust in your brother’s eye and paj
attention to the plank in your own
How can you say to your bio
“Brother let me take the speck oi
your eye,” when you yourself failw
the plank in your own eye? Youh'l
rite, first take the plank out of yoW
and then you will see clearly tote®]
the speck from your brother’s eye.
6:41-42)
Let El Salvador be El Salvador.
dies
mg,
Jack Seifert
The Battalion
USPS 045 360
Member of
Texas Press Association
Southwest Journalism Conference
Editor. AngeliqueCopeland
Managing Editor JaneG.Brust
City Editor Denise Richter
Assistant City Editor Diana Sultenf'uss
Sports Editor Frank L. Christlieb
Focus Editor Cathy Saathoff
Assistant Focus Editor Nancy Floeck
News Editors Gary Barker,
Phyllis Henderson, Mary Jo Rurnmel,
Nancy Weatherley
Staff Writers Jennifer Carr,
John Bramblett, Gaye Denley,
Sandra Gary, Colette Hutchings,
Johna Jo Maurer, Daniel Puckett,
Bill Robinson, Denise Sechelski,
Laura Williams, Rebeca Zimmermann
Cartoonist Scott McCullar
Graphic Artist Richard DeLeon Jr.
Photographers Sumanesh Agrawal,
David Fisher, Eileen Manton,
Eric Mitchell, Peter Rocha,
John Ryan, Colin Valentine
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