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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
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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<J
serve Board) is that we cannot®
annual $200 billion deficits — tltjL „ „ 1 1.
venues must lie increased aniH 1
spending must be reduced,” hesf
the start of the hearing.
“The political facts, However, rfj
ferent story. Bucking the forces old
— beginning with the president'
take an extraordinary act of
courage from Congress.”
rates remain high and could choke off
recovery. The result would be even high
er deficits and possibly a reversal of the
downward trend in unemployment and
inflation.
The most vulnerable sections of the
Senate Finance Committee Chairman
Robert Dole, R-Kan., has repeatedly ex
pressed his frustration with his congres
sional colleagues’ propensity for dump
ing the burden of reducing the deficit on
his taxwriting committee.
In the Democratic-controlled House,
Congress returns to work Se|
Prospects for decisive action on
ficit are meager.
Only a combination of public
and escalating interest rates will col 1
the lawmakers to do their duty
United Press I
I DALLAS —
“Jock Ewing Me
ship” granted
Methodist Univi
sode of the televi
las” prompted sc
to the school tha
of the program c
lish a genuine si
The schok
nded as a plot
son on “Dallas”
ing widow, Mis:
Getting ahead in media world
still depends upon good looks
Berry's World
it
by Dick West
United Press International
WASHINGTON — One of the nice
things about print journalism is that a
typewriter has no video capability.
Even with the video display terminals
now widely used in newsrooms, make-up
is superfluous.
Tnose of us who have nothing much
going for us except our good looks are
? |uickly written off as just another pretty
ace.
In theory, at least.
In practice, it doesn’t always work out
that way.
I’ll be frank to say I have never known
an attractive young woman to join the
Washington press corps without new
career opportunities soon opening up
for her.
I’m not saying it there has never been
a professional failure with sex appeal.
I’m just saying I am unaware of any ex
ceptions to the rule.
And meteoric rises have been com
mon enough to lead to the conclusion
that some of the reaction to the Christine
Craft case comes under the heading of
pious posturing.
Ms. Craft, 1 should explain for the
benefit of readers who may have had
their heads in the sand this summer, won
a $500,000 judgment against her em
ployer on grounds she was deemed un
suitable to continue as a television
anchorperson because of age and
appearance.
(The term “anchorperson,” inciden
tally, is almost always female in gender.
Male leads on TV news shows usually are
“anchormen.” Women occupying com
parable positions are identified as
anchor persons. ”
(So much for sexist terminology. Now
back to you, Chris.)
Life, as John Kennedy once observed,
is basically unfair. In particular, it is un
fair to homely reporters.
One can, without having a patrician
profile or noble brow, enjoy a certain suc
cess as a TV weatherman. (Or, as in the
case of distaff performers, weatherper-
sons.)
But there simply is no getting around
the fact that where socalled hard news is
concerned, beauty usually is a valuable
adjunct to brains.
And that condition prevails in the
print, as well as the electronic, medium.
I’m not implying that looks are every
thing. Even a Miss America might have
trouble landing a job as a cub reporter if
she were totally vacuous upstairs.
Furthermore, it is possible to write, or
report, so well that one’s words will be
printed even though one has crooked
teeth or some other physical blemish that
diminishes one’s attractiveness.
When it comes to push and shove,
however, and all other things being
approximately equal, a person who has
something to offer besides raw talent is
more likely to get ahead — anchor,
weather or otherwise.
That is the way it has always been, and
that is the way it is likely to remain.
Although one’s employer may be
strictly unisexual, news sources likely are
not.
I once asked a fetching young col
league if her sex was helpful to her in
getting news stories on Capitol Hill.
“Sure,” she replied, brightly and
forthrightly. “Isn’t yours?”
Anyway, my advice to a homely indi
vidual of either sex seeking a career in
journalism is to consider another line of
work.
Either that, or hire a good lawyer.
“Betterput these on, guyslfl
folks in the apartment abort
are into Jazzercise. ”
Tell
mi
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