opinion
Battalion/Page 2
March 30, 1982
Panic at the pumps
returns with surplus
Watergate players not faring well
by Dick West
United Press International
WASHINGTON — Petroleum ex
perts are predicting that gasoline prices
in much of the nation will hit thedollar-a-
gallon mark this spring.
These forecasts come as a shock to
many motorists, particularly those old
enough to remember paying around
$1.50 for a gallon of auto fuel.
Implicit in the outlook is the prospect
of uneven distribution of gas station busi
ness. Some sort of allocation system may
be necessary.
I don’t think there is much support for
a rationing program under which each
dealer would be entitled to pump a speci
fied amount of gas each month. There
are, however, a number of alternative
plans under consideration.
One proposal looked upon favorably
in several states involves an odd-even
arrangement. Under its provisions,
. motorists with odd-numbered license
, plates would buy gas at stations with an
' odd number of pumps, or that sell odd
' brands of gasoline.
There also is talk of having cars that
need gas display green flags while those
with full tanks would display red flags.
And it is likely that some form of max
imum purchase plan will be adopted to
encourage so-called “topping off.” Its
aim would be to discourage motorists
from driving around until their gas
gauges registered empty.
11 should be pointed out that none of
these contingency plans touches on the
basic cause of the emergency. Put into
simple terms, the root problem is that
there just aren’t enough consumers to
use up all the gasoline that is being pro
duced.
The only long-term solution, there
fore, would be measures to increase the
supply of consumers. Several suggestions
along this line have been offered.
One potential being eyed by oil com
panies is the vast contingent of joggers
visible in most urban areas.
Millions of prospective consumers
who are reluctant to jog under their own
power probably could be persuaded to
hit the road if a way were found to con
vert joggers to run on gasoline.
A great deal more research on gas-
powered jogging is needed, however.
Only experimental methods have been
tested to date, and they have proved woe
fully impractical.
Another possibility is the use of gaso
line to operate solar heating units. With
gasoline prices about to reach a dollar a
gallon, homes with gas-powered solar
heating units could become extremely
attractive investments.
The situation also calls for some sort of
consumer cartel, perhaps named OPUN,
short for Organization of Petroleum-
Using Nations. The group would meet
occasionally to agree on how much gaso
line member countries would burn.
It is clear that without some kind of
consumption-fixing arrangement, there
could be near chaos at the retail level.
And nobody w ants to see gasoline dealers
having to wait in line for customers.
By David S. Broder
WASHINGTON — Eight years ago
this spring, if one of them poked a head
out of the door, a crowd of reporters and
cameramen would gather. If he or she
jumped on an elevator in the Capitol, so
many people would follow' that the cable
was in danger of snapping.
They were the members of the House
Judiciary Committee, engaged in the his
toric task of preparing impeachment
charges against President Richard M.
Nixon. When they began their formal
hearings, a rapt nation watched.
So well did the committee members do
their work that at the end, rather than
face floor votes in the House and Senate
on the charges they prepared, Nixon res
igned. His disgrace was complete — if
less permanent than many of them sup
posed that August day.
But it is one of the ironies of history
that few of the 38 men and women who
served as Nixon’s jurors have seen their
own subsequent political careers flour
ish. Eight of the 38 were defeated for
re-election or in their bids for other
offices w ithin months of Nixon’s own de
parture. Six more have met with subse
quent political defeats and eight have re
tired — voluntarily or otherw ise.
The latest two casualties came just last
week, when Rep. Robert McClory (R-Ill.)
yielded his district without a fight to a
younger Republican redistricted into his
territory, and Rep. Tom Railsback (R-
111.) lost renomination to a conservative
challenger.
By the end of the year, not more than
13 of the 38 will be left in-Congress. Sens.
William S. Cohen (R-Maine) and Paul S.
Sarbanes (D-Md.) are the only members
of the impeachment crew who have been
able to move to the other side of the Capi
tol, and Sarbanes faces a fight for re-
election in November.
Eleven others are seeking re-election
to the House, among them four of the
five senior Democrats on the impeach
ment panel: Rodino and Reps. Jack
Brooks of Texas, Robert W. Kastenmeier
of Wisconsin and Don Edwards of Cali
fornia. Also still in the House are three
junior Democrats, Reps. John Conyers,
Jr., of Michigan, John F. Seiberling, Jr.,
of Ohio and Charles B. Rangel of New
York.
But by the end of this year not more
than four of the 17 Judiciary Republicans
will remain in the House: Reps. Hamil
ton Fish, Jr., of New York. Trent Lott of
Mississippi. Carlos J. Moorhead of Cali
fornia and Delbert L. Latta of Ohio.
Three of the alumni are on the bench.
William L. Hungate, a Missouri Demo
crat who retired in 1976, is a Federal
district judge. Harold V. Froehlich. one
of the Republicans defeated in 1974, is a
Wisconsin circuit judge. Rep. George E.
Danielson (D-Calif.) has just been picked
for the California court of appeals.
But the surprising thing is how-
ephemeral the Watergate fame proved to
be for most and how poor a springboard
that committee was to higher political
office.
Four Democrats have failed in ilitir
bids for the Senate: Walter Flowers in
Alabama, Ray Thorton in Arkansas.Eli
zabeth Holtzman in New York ;mi!
Wayne Owens in Utah.
Academia has claimed some of them
Driitan teaches law at Georgetown.
Thornton is president of Arkansas Suit
University at Jonesboro, and Barbara 1
Jordan, the Texas Democrat, is on ik
faculty of the University of Texas.
Republican Edward Hutchinson ol
Michigan and Deomocrat Harold II
Donohue of Massachusetts are retired
Flowers heads the Washington offucef
an energy f irm. Law prat ices provide tin
livelihoods for retired or defeated I)enn>-
crats Owens and James R. Mann o! Somli
Carolina and Republicans Charles f
Wiggins of California, David \V. Denni'
of Indiana, Wiley Mavne of Iowa, am!
Charles W. Sandman, Jr. and Joseph
Maraziti of New Jersey. M. Caldwell Bill-
ler of Virginai will join them after hi>
retirement at the end of this Congress.
But that employment is not available!.
Joshua Eilberg, the Pennsylvania Don.-
crat, who was defeated in 1978 andioir
victed of interest charges. 1 le w as dislw;
red by the Pennsylvania supreme comm
1979.
It is, on the whole, not an extraonlii
ary history. But that is not disturbing
Congress is a representative bodv. Ami
these Representatives — no better nr
worse than most, as their careers show -
stepped up and met their historic re'»|x.!
sibility admirably.
Slouch By Jim Earle
“It’s not that I don’t want to take notes,
accident ...”
Letters: Help set direction by voting in elections
Editor:
In recent weeks, I have been amazed
at all the discouraging remarks I have
heard about the Texas A&rM Student
Government. People have said that the
Student Government is inefficient, in
effective and inactive. I would like to
address this letter to those points.
As a former member of Muster Com
mittee. Who’s Who Selection Committee
and other University committees, and as
senator and Speaker Pro- Lem pore of the
Student Senate, I have seen all realms of
Student Government over the past two
years. I have devoted many hours to Stu-
dent Govenrment over this time period,
and on hearing this recent criticism I
asked myself of it had been all a waste of
time. I then examine the role of Student
Government over the past year.
Academic excellence is one thing that
the l niversit\ and its students strive for.
I he Academic Affairs Committee has
worked very hard over the past vear to
promote this. A University-wide quiz file
program was coordinated through this
committee, and a tutoring program for
use by all students was also initiated bv
this committee of Student Government.
Student services are also a concern to
Ixnh the student body and Student Gov
ernment. In the past year, the Student
Services Committee started a Dorm
Security Awareness Program in conjunc
tion with Residence Hall Association.
I he Student Ser\ ices Committee also in
itiated action which resulted in the instal
lation of additional equipment in the
campus weight room.
A et another area Student Government
deals with is community affairs. In the
past year, the External Affairs Commit
tee, working with the local Chamber of
Commerce and various businesses, has
improved community relations. In con
junction with the Chamber of Com
merce, Student Government is also seek
ing to place students on advisory boards
at local banks.
The committee is now working on a
plan to reduce congestion at Northgate
by having business entrances moved to
the rear. The second annual Conference
of Student Government Associations
sponsored by Student Government was a
great success. This regional conference
explored student oriented service issues
and how they may be improved at the
various universities.
Student Government has tried to keep
the student body more informed this
year through the “Aggie Connection,” a
supplement published in The Battalion
by Student Government about once a
month.
Student Government has addressed
issues this past year which are important
to students — issues pertaining to acade
mics, campus services, and the commun
ity relations — to name just a few areas.
If one feels these issues are insignifi
cant and that Student Government lacks
direction and effectiveness in handling
them, then criticism tow ard Student Gov-
enment is just. But the issues mentioned,
and many more the Student Government
researches and supports are for the im
provement of student life on campus and
throughout the community.
The direction that Student Govenr
ment takes will be determined by the vote
of you, the students. I encourage every- .
one to vote todav and tomorrow. I also
encourage everyone to support Student
Government and its activities throughout
the coming year.
Mike Wolff
Speaker Pro-Tempore
Texas A&M Student Senate
U.S. needs better navy
• Editor:
President Reagan is going to have to
make some compromises if he wants to
balance the budget. As it stands now it is
perceived the nation will have a stagger
ing deficit in excess of $91 billion.
While it is obvious that major spend
ing cuts in the military budget would not
be in the nation's best interest, cuts where
there is excess fat will do the job. This fat
is the money spent on nuclear armament.
The Pentagon would be wiser to spend
their money on bettering the navy rather
than trying to gain nuclear superioritv
over the Soviets, which is simplv non
sense. The sea is where the U.S. does a
great deal of its trading and it needs a
strong navy to protect its merchant ships.
The Soviet Union does virtually no
trading at all by sea. However, they have
a powerful navy that consists of over 900
battleships, heavy cruisers, and sub
marines. This would tend to signifv an
offensive move on the part of the Soviets
to deny the U.S. access to the sea. That
would be a horror story that would not be
very pleasant if brought to life. With this
in mind, we cannot stand idly by any
more.
By diverting attention away from nuc
lear buildup, the U.S. can have a ba
lanced budget and a better navv. kill;:,
two birds with one stone.
Richard John Gosselin *85
College Statkw
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