$ Page 2/The Battalion/Wednesday, August 24,1983 Medi here Commission to study hunger in America Government invents new wheel to spin by Arnold Sawislak United Press International WASHINGTON — With the excep tion of “waste, fraud and abuse” and its own red tape, it is hard to think of a s bee practice: trying to mute criticism of fore ign aid by changing the name of the program or the agency that doles out the money.) In any case, all of those commissions, subject has been studied more often by the government than hunger. So when President Reagan announced recently he had appointed a new commission to study hunger in the United States, it came like a breath of used air for anyone who has been watch ing Washington for any length of time. Starting with John Kennedy, almost every president has ordered up studies of hunger, poverty, welfare dependency or some other problem that amounts to the same thing under another name. ( The different labels affixed to these studies is similar to another Washington If all goes as expected, the new group eventually will report to the president, and the same old procedure will ensue. committees and task forces eventually reached conclusions, the White House usually announced that the problem was being addressed, and in a few cases even declared it was on the way to solution. If all goes as expected, the new group eventually will report to the president, and the same old procedure will ensue. At this point, it may be asked, to mix a couple of metaphors, whether the admi nistration is not just inventing a new wheel to spin. The answer is “no” if the political justi fication for all these studies of the same general subject is understood. To begin, the government is not as dumb as it sometimes seems. Almost surely, it already knows how much hun ger exists in the United States. With a couple of telephone calls to the Agriculture and the Health and Human Services departments, the president should be able to get a pretty good pic ture of the situation along with a list of possible solutions. But information isn’t always what presidents want from study commissions. First, they want to demonstrate con cern with a problem that affects voters. In this case, the sympathetic well-fed as well as the hungry. Ibere is nothing like appointment of a blue-ribbon, non partisan, distinguished panel of experts to show that the president is aware of a problem. Secondly, they usually try to pick com mission members who will arrive at what There is nothing like appoint ment of a blue-ribbon, non partisan, distinguished panel of experts to show that the presi dent is aware of a problem. political scientists call “political truth” — conclusions that coincide with the presi dent’s views on the subject. In these cases, one ol the purposes of the commissionistliati vide an “impartial” outside sourtti recommendations the presideni.j The report, by the way, needJ the administration isdoingagtxd the best one that can bedoneontkij lem. It can call for a radicalneJ ture, if that is what the presideml] cided is needed. Finally, a study commissionij the president from the initialreri its recommendations just in caseiis] osals outrage the public,orworseij president. If the report is what thepia wants and isn’t being pelted wnk] eggs, there is plenty of White by Anne M. h Battalion Re] Because of bett better general hea proved medical tei rapid population g ablv half the peop on earth are alive t< Don Self, Texas A professor of hur medicine. ■ “Before the tur tiny, nature tool whether a physicia or not,” Self says, physicians have m their disposal to from taking its coi HBut where sho draw the line on k son alive? time tunity for the White House tons whole project appear to be ontt brilliant idea. Guess who. I “Each case h nuances to it and I lythat the line ougl where the patient \ drawn,” Self says. ■ “Sometimes it i: noi to do what hes. But for the a general rule of t Jns should, and part do, carry out K’d by Kelley Battalion ■Two new degre department nam an option na approved by tl Council now i approval by Chai Hansen, the Texa oard of Regent: Coordinating Bo; The Academi Wednesday apprc ihment of two ograms — a PI pblogy with a: chaeology and ; :al science. The proposal icsting the and torate program si and for rchaeologists, Jained in nautic and the other sen lions within ; Bmstantly The Battalion USPS 045 360 Member ot Texas Press Association Southwest Journalism Conference Editor Hope E. 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Our address: The Battalion, 216 Reed McDonald Building, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843. 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 Station, TX 77843. sting master’s It takes guts to reduce the deficit fogram in an Ijexas A&M Unit structured to pro this new directio “Considering I by Mary Beth Franklin United Press International In June, Congress took the First step to linimize the deficit by passing a budget ^solution calling for $73 billion in un- WASHINGTON —When members of Congress left town Aug. 4 for an ex tended summer recess, they left a num ber of unanswered questions to haunt the halls of the Capitol Hill in their absence. The biggest one is what to do about the federal deficit that is projected to top a record $200 billion this year, and re main near that level for at least the next three years. Everyone knows how to do it: cut spending and raise taxes. But Congress and the White House are playing a game of chicken over the issue, each daring the other to make the first move. No one seems to have the guts for the challenge in the dawn of a pres idential election season. President Reagan had an idea. Although he opposed any tax increases in 1984 or 1985, he has proposed a $46 billion revenue increase in 1986 by im- E osing a surtax on income and a $5 a arrel oil import fee. But his White House and Treasury Department lieute nants never pursued the issue. minimize resolution calling specified taxes and $12.3 in spending cuts over the next three years. But the resolution was merely a bluep rint, and meaningless unless Congress approves implementing legislation, which it has not. economy are the ones accutely affected r.Bh by interest rates, like housing. Big deficits means the government must crowd out private borrowers in the credit markets to finance its red-ink spending. Despite the better-than-expected eco- unic news in recent months, interest Consequently, the nation’s homebuil ders are scared and are mobilizing their members during the recess to lobby members of Congress on their home turf. our present mas and our past expi Ways and Means Committee Gk W can offer a s Dan Rostenkowski, D-Ill., faces a f™ quandry. He believes Reagans! make the first move to reduce his high budget deficit. To demonstrate the extent S| problem, Rostenkowski held a ogram within Courses to be loctorate pre lected from gr r level undergi in related discip Despite the better-than- expected economic news in re cent months, interest rates re main high and could choke off recovery. In an emergency mailing to its mem- " ' T ‘ ’ As ' ' bers Aug. 8, the National Association of of Home Buiders said, “It is vitally im portant that you contact both of you U.S. senators and your U.S. representative and the president during the August congressional recess demanding that they reduce government spending to re duce the federal deficit in order to lower mortgage interest rates.” on July 20 to determine if thered support for tax increases. J u 1 lie general consensus on the® ^ 1 | the White House and at the(FedeiBL/d,XJL