Slouch By Jim Earle
“Ever since I’ve been wearing this shirt, I’ve been getting these
spooky feelings. ”
Defending sound educatin
“Will you take off for grammar or
spelling or stuff like that?”
That question was asked, not in a high
school class, but in a junior-level course
here last week. Several people in the class
were unwilling, or unable, to write a
grammatically correct paper for it.
Perhaps that’s not surprising. Univer
sities today are not the centers of learning
that they once were.
A few decades ago, university students
were all exposed to the classics — which
meant learning Latin and, often, Greek;
they were made to study English and
American literature; they had to learn a
foreign language; they studied philoso
phy and mathematics. They did all this in
addition to mastering their field.
Things have changed. We’re told that
subjects like engineering have become
too complex to allow students much time
for the liberal arts or, indeed, for any
thing other than engineering. You need
only check the degree plans listed in the
Texas A&M University catalog to see
that, in many majors, only three or six
hours are set aside for electives: social
studies and humanities included.
Three or six hours do not give a stu
dent much time to explore Western cul
ture; most of it unavoidably will be
ignored.
And so, for many students, the classics
are completely foreign. Many of us take
one sophomore-level literature course
daniel
puckett
and few students are required to take any
foreign language course at all.
•The result is predictable, though I
doubt many people gave it much thought
in the heyday of requirement-dropping.
We have engineers who can’t write a sent
ence in English — much less French or
Spanish; scientists who know nothing of
the world outside our borders; chemists
who can synthesize polyester but can’t
understand why this Shakespeare guy is
so well-regarded.
Rather than producing men and
women with a wider view of the world —
an objective of the old-fashioned univer
sity education — we succeed instead in
narrowing people, shutting off vast areas
of their lives so that they can take one
more course in their major field. And
while we train our students for their
careers, we give them nothing for the
hours they must spend away from the
office.
For while the liberal arts often have
been condemned as irrelevant,!
phy, psychology, anthropology,
the rest of the liberal disciplines;
cisely those fields which bettereqs
live. They give us insight intooit
and each other; they help us a
cate with each other; they tell us,
about the w/jat of humanity, but
out the why.
Certainly, technology has adi
far beyond its level at the turn
century, and that obviously means
greater time now must be spent
ing it. Perhaps four years is too
time for technology majors tostuii
thing but technology. And perhaps
thening the time necessary for
laureate to five years is impractit
But it is a shame that, in
teaching as a university should,wtl
find ourselves functioning asfl
school: a place where a specifics
nothing else, is acquired. Anditist
a shame that more and moreofoj
duates are denied a chance toe
their own culture, since, fori
them, this will be the last chancethj
have to be exposed to, and tutor®
non-technological achievementst
civilization.
Bracket creep —
problem for Heidi
by Art Buchwald
* Heidi Schultz wasn’t feeling well so
she went to see her family accountant.
“What seems to be the trouble,
Heidi?” her CPA asked her.
“I worked all week, and then to earn
more money I worked overtime, and I
have less to show for it than I did before.”
The CPA took an X-ray of Heidi’s
paycheck and as soon as it was developed,
he held the picture up to the light.
“Hmmmn,” he said as Heidi watched
him nervously. “Just as I thought.”
“What is it?” Heidi asked.
The CPA sat down in his leather chair
and said gently, “There is no way to break
this to you easily, Heidi, but you’re suf
fering from ‘bracket creep.’”
“What’s bracket creep?” she wanted to
know.
“It was a very rare IRS disease a few
years ago, but I’ve seen a lot of it lately.
What happens is that the more money
you make, the higher bracket you’re put
into, and the more taxes they take out of
your check. That’s why you feel so lousy.”
Heidi said: “I don’t understand. I
thought the more money you made the
better off you felt.”
“That was before bracket creep be
came so prevalent. Let me show you,” the
CPA said, holding up a chart. “You made
this amount of money last week, which
would have required you to pay this
amount of taxes. The figure looks puny
but at least it was healthy. Now you work
ed overtime for four days, so that pushed
you up to another bracket. They with
held a higher percentage of taxes and
Social Security, so while you gross income
looks good, your net is sick.”
“But isn’t President Reagan’s tax cut
supposed to take care of people like me?”
“It originally was. But no one had
heard about bracket creep when it was
approved. A tax cut can’t cure you be
cause it doesn’t attack inflation or sche
duled Social Security increases. Bracket
creep is insidious because the harder you
work the more your taxes hurt you.”
Heidi said, “How can you be so sure I
have it?”
“Let’s talk about symptoms. When you
get your paycheck do you cry a lot?”
“All the time?”
“And do you get angry at the people in
the upper wage scales who pay less taxes
than you do?”
“I’m angry right now.”
“And do you feel that life is unfair
because the longer you work the less you
have to show for it?”
“Uh, huh.”
“Then I’m afraid, dear Heidi, you
have it.”
“What can I do about it?”
“I’d like to put you into a tax shelter for
a few weeks, but people like you don’t get
any relief from it. Your X-rays show
you’re not deductible so I can’t prescribe
a three-martini lunch. You have no tax
losses to fight the creep, and without de
pendents I’m afraid a tax cut won’t re
lieve the pain.”
Tears rolled down Heidi’s cheeks.
“Does that mean as far as my income
goes, I’m terminal?” Heidi asked.
“No, I didn’t say that. Bracket creep
doesn’t kill. It just causes a lot of pain.”
“What can I do?”
The CPA took out his prescription
pad. “I’m going to put you on a strict
work diet. First, you have to change your
habits, so no matter how tempting it
sounds, you won’t do any overtime. If
anyone offers you a bonus, refuse it. If
you’re tempted to earn extra money at
another job, call a friend so she can talk
you out of it. And every time you get your
paycheck take two aspirin.”
The CPA escorted Heidi to the door.
“Thank you,” Heidi said. “If it hadn’t
been for you I don’t think I would have
slept tonight.”
The CPA patted her on the shoulder.
“You can pay my secretary on the way
out.”
The Battalion
USPS 045 360
Member of
Texas Press Association
Southwest Journalism Conference
Editor ' Diana Sultenfuss
City Editor Bernie Fette
Sports Editor Frank L. Christlieb
News Editors
Tracey Buchanan, Daniel Puckett
Diane Yount
Staff Writers Cyndy Davis, Susan Dittman,
Terry Duran, Colette Hutchings,.
Hope E. Paasch, Joe Tindel Jr.,
Rebeca Zimmermann
Copy Editors Gary Barker, Carol Templin
Cartoonist Scott McCullar
Photographers .... David Fisher, Octavio Garcia
John Ryan,
The Battalion is published three times a week —
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday — during Texas
A&M’s summer semesters, except for holiday and ex
amination periods, when it is published only on Wednes
days. Mail subscriptions are $16.75 per semester, $33.25
per school year and $35 per full year. Advertising rates
furnished on request.
Our address: The Battalion, 216 Reed McDonald
Building, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX
77843.
Letters Policy
Letters to the Editor should not exceed 300 words in
length, and are subject to being cut if they are longer.
The editorial staff reserves the right to edit letters for
style and length, but will make every effort to maintain
the author’s intent. Each letter must also be signed, show
the address and phone number of the writer.
Columns and guest editorials are also welcome, and
are not subject to the same length constraints as letters.
Address all inquiries and correspondence to: Editor,
The Battalion, 216 Reed McDonald, Texas A&M Uni
versity, College Station, TX 77843, or phone (713) 845-
2611.
Editorial Policy
The Battalion is a non-profit, self-supporting news
paper operated as a community service to Texas A&M
University and Bryan-College Station. Opinions ex
pressed in The Battalion are those of the editor or the
author, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of
Texas A&M University administrators or faculty mem
bers, or of the Board of Regents.
The Battalion also serves as a laboratory newspaper
for students in reporting, editing and photography clas
ses within the Department of Communications.
Questions or comments concerning any editorial mat
ter should be directed to the editor.
United Press International is entitled exclusively to
the use for reproduction of all news dispatches credited
to it. Rights of reproduction of all other matter herein
reserved.
Second class postage paid at College Sution, TX
77843.
rsee t
the f
a fiv
ond flc
lestron
ipe.
The b
const:
PSSL.BOTTR CHECK THOSE TiCKErs WE HAVE fiSR THE®
Booms a
TSixteei
jpnently
pini and
Salvadoran guerrilla intervie
I Housr
If an American journalist were to in
terview a Salvadoran guerrilla leader, it
might go something like this:
“Senor Duartez, in America, our gov
ernment has emphatically led us to be
lieve that the revolution in El Salvador is
nothing more than a Russian plot or de
sign. Is this the case?”
Duartez: “Mr. Kegan, in my country
most of us are poor and hungry peasants.
And for as long as any of us can remem
ber, our various governments have forc
ibly maintained this status quo. Impris
onment, torture and execution have
been the rewards meted out to us for
complaining.
behrooz
moghaddam
ancellc
T'ed for
think of our revolution. _ —.
“Today, I’m afraid the ans«iP> c hhei
drastically changed. First, we are(B ertnar i-J
a* v
munist or leftist for even thinking*
“It is true that most were satisfied with
limiting their resistance to the dinner
table. But, many were not and have re
sorted to active rebellion. So, you see, it is
our plot to revolt. As for the Soviets, we
gladly accept their military means with
which we carry on the struggle.
“For the most part, one can term what
is happening as demand-side revolution:
our demand is their supply.”
Kegan: “Then, in that case, why have
you turned to the Soviets for assistance
and not to others?”
Duartez: “Well, once we conceptually
opted to revolt, we were left with the
practical problem of implementation.
The United States would not help us.
Western Europe would not help us. And
all the countries allied to these two would
not help us. The Soviet Union and Cuba
did. We did not have many alternatives.”
Kegan: “But don’t you see that in the
process Soviet goals of thrusting U.S. in
terests in Central America are furth
ered?”
Duartez: “Of course, you are right.
But why should we be concerned about
your interests. Your government is sup
plying weapons to our enemy in San Sal
vador. As such, should we not welcome
the prospect of frustrating Washington?
“Nevertheless, we do not necessarily
enjoy being in the middle of a superpow
er conflict. It only prolongs the struggle
for us.”
Kegan: “Switching over to theory,
does all this mean you have adopted Mar-
xist-Leninist doctrine as your political di
rection, and that this is after all a com
munist revolution. And if so, should we
expect a domino effect to sweep through
Central America?”
Duartez: “You know, Mr. Kegan, 200
years ago your countryman had just suc
cessfully revolted against the British
monarchy. I have always wondered what
an American from that period would
[view th<
revolting. And secondly, we are to be j^| |
in order to save democracy. We.sitf q ous ‘ t
above all Salvadorians. And thedpBhmidt’s
you fear so much is nationalist, not#hich ini
munist. ‘Secretary
|hultz.
“On the other hand, I would nol'l Mayor
to give you the impression thatconi*an Ami
ism has no hope in El Salvador, evenpd abou
secondary influence. Capitalism ifP tar ies
part of the world is equated with thefl^ted
rors of dictatorships. American
tional complicity in Allende’s overtl»‘ v esc ' a y-
in Chile is the only picture
enterprise we have. Consequent!'f
philosophy which appears to contrail
is naturally attractive. We see tlii*!
around the world.”
Kegan: “As my last question,"!
you think will bring an end to the civil
in El Salvador?”
Duartez: “Well, Mr. Kegan, onet
tragedies we face is that once a peop
pushed to arms, rarely do they pud
down without perceived victory, t’1
governmental gesture, whether sit 11 ]
or not, is suspected to be a trap.
“A peaceful solution as suchisn 1
inconceivable. Yet I can tell yout
substantive change is pursued
peasants are no longer peasants,
my compatriots will eventually dieo f; ,
our people close their doors to us.0®m seve
wise, we will win.”
Unit
aust
^es fa C(
{cense a
Foholi<
°n fine
wing l
A he
uthwe
u °r law
ck to
u dedT
fy. who
l 0re a n