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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 30, 1982)
talion Serving the University community * 76 No. 22 USPS 045360 18 Pages College Station, Texas Thursday, September 30, 1982 leagan calls all elections referendum’ ■ United Press International ICHMOND, Va. — President gan Wednesday depicted the fall ■ctions as a referendum on his poli- s, saying voters must choose be- ;en restoring the economy or ibarking on another Democratic inge like the one which left us with lay’s pounding economic han- er.” “The choice that the American vo- shave this year is just as important jthe one they had two years ago,” igan said in remarks prepared for epublican Party rally. “It is a clear choice about the kind oiiation we will be — whether we will cclitinue our sure and steady course to put America back on track or ”ether we will slide backward into ther economic binge like the one lich left us with today’s pounding nomic hangover.” Reagan delivered one of his most ing attacks to date on Democrats lamed for “decades of overin- gence” which, he said, produced a ated bureaucracy, excessive gov- ment regulation and double-digit ation. he attack came during a brief trip Richmond that included a speech to several thousand GOP supporters and a $500-a-person reception for Rep. Paul Tnble, the Republican nominee for the Senate. In the Nov. 2 congressional elec tions, Reagan said, “the American people will be asked to reaffirm our difficult course toward national re newal. The vote of every citizen will matter and every ounce of individual commitment will count.” Reagan — who at a televised news conference Tuesday acknowledged unemployment may hit a post- Depression high of 10 percent — con ceded the path to recovery would be “arduous and long,” but admonished his critics: “To those who are faint-hearted and unsure, I have this message: If you’re afraid of the future, then stand aside. The people of this country are ready to move again.” The theme was the same Reagan has used in recent campaign appear ances, but the sharpened tone marked a rise in the level of the rhe toric he has used in taking the offen sive against Democratic charges his policies have prolonged the recession and led to some of the highest unem ployment since the Depression. breeder reactor rets Senate nod United Press International VASHINGTON — The Senate ;ed 49-48 Wednesday to continue ding the controversial Clinch Riv- | breeder reactor, a project oppo- ts charge is a “technological tur- ” that will cost taxpayers $9 billion. The vote came on a rider to the tinning resolution for fiscal year which is needed to fund the eral government past midnight ight. The unsuccessful amend- nt, by Sens. Gordon Humphrey, .H., and Dale Bumpers, D-Ark., ght to eliminate funding for the nch River project. Humphrey said the reactor was ginally estimated to cost $600 mil- n, but “huge cost overruns” have iced the actual cost at nearly $9 bil- i. “It is an obsolete technology,” bmpers said, adding that when the factor is completed in 1999 the tech- Jlogy will be 16 years out of date, fou’ll have a technological turkey on lur hands when it is completed. |Woman assaulted near East Kyle A Texas A&M University stu dent was assaulted in Parking- Annex 46 at 9:20 a.m. Wednesday, University Police said. Officials did not disclose the woman’s name. The woman was walking through the faculty parking lot by East Kyle when a white man in his 20s asked her for help because he was having car trouble, police said. He then pulled out a switch blade and opened his door trying to pull her into the car, police said. The woman kicked him and ran into G. Rollie White Coliseum and called the police. The woman was not injured, police said. University Police are looking for a white male in his 20s, driving a late model white Mustang. Clowning with the cadets , \ f i i ^'»< * * '4 * " :: staff photo by Bill Schulz Silas DeRoma (left), a biology major, gets Red Skelton’s autograph on his cap Wednesday night in Duncan Hall. Skelton joined cadets at their Fish Dinner to get a taste of life in the Corps. He has been on campus this week, touring the University and learning about campus life; he will perform Friday night in G. Rollie White Coliseum. DeRoma is a sophomore from Canyon County, Calif. “It’s fine to have a pork barrel (pro ject) on occasion. But this goes far beyond the bounds of reason.” Supporters, led by Senate Republi can leader Howard Baker of Tennes see, noted $1.3 billion already has been spent on the project, which is one-third completed. They argued that the nation needs the new technol ogy for the next century. “I think it would be foolhardy in the extreme to withdraw from this,” Baker said. The vote on the amendment was held open 12 minutes longer than usual, but opponents of the reactor could not rally enough support for their side. Anti-breeder forces made their move in the Senate after failing last week to have the full House cast a separate, yes-or-no vote on whether to continue the project. Last year, the Senate came within two votes — 46-48 — of terminating funding for the program. Mexico forces property sale United Press International MEXICO CITY — The Mexican government Wednesday began a program to sell off billions of dollars worth of U.S. real estate purchased by its citizens during the oil boom years. A decree published Tuesday in the federal registry and effective Wednesday sets up a government bank trust that is responsible for sell ing off foreign property held by Mex icans. Budget Ministry legal adviser Jose Manuel Villagordoa in a television in terview Tuesday said Mexican citizens can turn over deeds to their foreign property and the government will sell the real estate on the foreign market. The owners will receive the equiva lent of the sale price in Mexican pesos, and the government will keep foreign exchange from the sales, Villagordoa told Mexico City’s Channel 2 news. He said the program, in which par ticipation by Mexican property own ers is voluntary, is aimed at ending a problem outlined by President Jose Lopez Portillo in his Sept. 1 state of the nation address. The president lashed out at Mex icans who had been buying expensive U.S. real estate, sapping the nation of needed funds. He estimated that property in the United States owned by Mexicans was worth $25 billion. The amount of property held in other foreign countries is believed to be relatively small. Lopez Portillo did not mention real estate in any other nation. Officials have said the massive flight of capital into U.S. real estate mainly took place in 1980, 1981 and the early part of this year as Mexicans earned big salaries during the oil boom years. When Villagordoa was asked what would happen if a Mexican property owner did not accept the price obtained by government salesmen, he said that owner could instruct officials to stop the transaction. But he warned that the Mexican property owner “could find himself in a difficult situation” if he balked at “taking advantage” of the govern ment’s program. It was impossible to determine what reception the new program would have among Mexicans owning foreign property. Published reports have shown some government lead ers are big holders of U.$. real estate. Funding hangs on compromise United Press International WASHINGTON — With the gov ernment due to run out of funds at midnight, Senate-House negotiators must reach a compromise on an in terim money measure today that can quickly win the approval of Congress and President Reagan. During a nonstop 13-hour session Wednesday, the Republican-led Sen ate rejected several controversial amendments to the money measure — called a “continuing resolution” — including a Democratic attempt to create a $1 billion emergency jobs program, then approved the con tinuing resolution on a 72-26 vote. The House passed a similar resolu tion Sept. 22. But to avert a government shut down Friday, the beginning of the fis cal year, a joint Senate-House confer ence committee still must resolve the differences between the two mea sures and submit the compromise to the House and Senate for final approval. Also, the president must sign it. A stopgap measure is necessary be cause Congress has enacted only one of the 13 regular appropriations bills for the new fiscal year, yet it plans to begin a two-month recess Friday to campaign for the Nov. 2 congression al elections. Both resolutions would fund the government until midDecember. Congress intends to return for a lame-duck session Nov. 29 to com plete work on the necessary approp riations bills. Just before final passage, the Sen ate voted, 60-37, to kill an amend ment by Sen. Edward Kennedy, D- Mass., to create a temporary $ 1 billion emergency program to put 200,000 people to work repairing the nation’s roads and bridges. The tabling of the Kennedy amendment erased the last major ob stacle to passage of the stopgap fund ing measure. Minutes after final passage, the Senate joined the House in approving a $46.8 billion appropriations bill for the Department of Housing and Urban Development, making it the first 1983 funding bill to pass Con gress. In the marathon session the Senate: —Killed, 50-46, a rider by Sen. Ernest Hollings, D-S.C., to eliminate $988 million in funds for building five MX missiles until it is decided where to put the weapons. —Rejected, 51-47, an amendment by Sen. Howard Metzenbaum, D- Ohio, that would have kept several states from losing 13 weeks of federal unemployment benefits when eligi bility requirements are tightened. —Voted, 49-48, against a rider to eliminate federal funding for the Clinch River breeder nuclear reactor in Tennessee. —Killed an amendment by Sen. Jesse Helms, R-N.C., that would have prevented labor unions from using compulsory dues of their members for political action committees. The Senate moved slowly at first. At mid-afternoon, Republican leader Howard Baker held up several yellow sheets of legal-size paper listing dozens of amendments still to be brought up and told his colleagues: . “This is a full year’s work!” khmidt government still expected to fall West German party official resigns United Press International BONN, West Germany — The gen- leral secretary of the Free Democratic iParty resigned Wednesday to protest Ithe party’s decision to oust Chancellor iHelmut Schmidt and replace him jwith Christian Democratic leader [Helmut Kohl. The resignation of Guenter [Verheugen, who acted as the party’s Ibusiness manager, reflected the deep ■division in the small liberal party |caused by the decision to desert 'chmidt and form a new coalition |with the Christian Democrats. But the division was not expected |to save Schmidt. A no-confidence motion to end his ’fight-year rule was handed to mem- [bers of the Bundestag, the lower house of parliament to be voted on Friday. It was almost certain to pass. “This is a difficult time for the country and we must do our duty,” Kohl, 52, said Tuesday. Verhuegen, who became general secretary in November 1978, said in a letter to party leader Hans-Dietrich Genscher he could not remain in office after the decision to support Kohl taken by the Free Democratic members of parliament Tuesday. A majority of parliament members of the Free Democrat Party, which split Schmidt’s coalition when they withdrew Sept. 17, agreed in a secret ballot to support Kohl in his “con structive vote of no confidence.” The ballot came after eight hours of heated discussion that reflected the deep split within the Free Democrat Party over its desertion of Schmidt. The motion was handed to Bun destag Speaker Richard Stuecklen Tuesday for distribution Wednesday so all 497 members of parliament can consider it 48 hours before the vote takes place Friday, as required by the constitution. “The Bundestag expresses its lack of confidence in Federal Chancellor Helmut Schmidt and elects as his suc cessor the member of parliament Dr. Helmut Kohl as Federal Chancellor of the Federal Republic of West Ger many,” it said. “The federal president is re quested to dismiss Federal Chancellor Helmut Schmidt.” Schmidt was expected to appeal to parliament not to withdraw its sup port, but his plea was thought unlike ly to sway enough of the 53 members of the small but pivotal Free Demo crat Party in his favor. The Free Democrat vote was 34 in favor of supporting Kohl and 18 against, with two abstentions. It was enough for Kohl, who needed a mini mum of 23 votes to gain a majority in parliament, and said he would pro ceed with Friday’s vote. Free Democrat Leader Hans- Dietrich Genscher, who faced stiff opposition in his party over his deci sion to support Kohl, said the opposi tion leader could count on the Free Democrat votes on Friday. The support of 33 Free Democrats will give Kohl 259 votes in the 497- seat house — 10 more than a majority. Schmidt’s Social Democrats have 215 seats. One of the Free Democrats, who represents West Berlin, has no parliament vote. Friday’s vote was expected to end the eight-year chancellorship of Schmidt who took over when Willy Brandt resigned May 6, 1974 in the aftermath of a spy scandal. Schmidt was reelected in 1976 and 1980. The new government was not ex pected to introduce major changes in West German foreign policy but probably will try for closer ties with the United States. inside Classified 8 National 9 Opinions 2 Sports 15 State 4 Whatsup 11 forecast Today’s Forecast: High in the low 90s, low in the mid 70s. Partly cloudy skies.