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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 29, 1984)
Page 2/The Battalion/Monday, October 29, 1984 Opinion - Why is Reagan always smiling? When I see President Ronald Rea gan constantly smiling, I have to won- der why. T he federal deficit, almost Reader’s Forum $700 BILLION under the Reagan ad- Reader ’ s Forum ministration, is much greater that the D ^ ’ c combined annual federal deficits of all deader S rorum administrations since World War II! — Even David Stockman, director of Reagan’s own Office of Management and Budget, disputes the claim that economic growth can reduce Reagan’s record defictis. Instead, Stockman concedes that 80 percent of the downward revision in projected deficits are in fact due to a combination of tax increases and spending cuts enacted by Congress. If it had not been for these policy changes, $201) billion annual deficits would, in Stockman’s words, “stretch as far as the eye can see.” According to Reagan, the deficit will “vanish” due to lower unemployment, lower inflation, and higher corporate profits. The f acts, however, disagree. In the first place, any gains in revenue are offset by sharply higher interest rates that cost the government bil lions of dollars in additional debt-service costs. It’s no secret that real interest rates (interest rates less the inflation rate) are the highest in U.S. history and are caused by federal bor rowing to finance Reagan’s deficits. Secondly, the explosion in corporate profits have done little to reduce the red ink. This is because those profits are protected by tax shelters and depreciation deductions stem ming f rom the rapid rise in plant and equipment spending. Third, Reagan seemingly doesn’t realize that tax reve nues spring from the total dollar value of the nation’s out put. Lower inflation estimates also means the government can expect a sharp reduction in tax revenues, thereby in creasing deficit projections. I can, however, understand the President’s difficulty in keeping a straight face when he defines his “High growth scenario” that will eliminate the deficits. This scenario fore casts a 2 percent unemployment rate, a 3.5 percent inflation rate, and a 5 percent interest rate on treasury bills by 1989! It also assumes the economy will boom, uninterupted by re cession, even faster in the 1980’s than the record expansion of 19(il-b9. Using more commonly accepted assumptions, the Congressional Budget Office projects annual deficits to reach $263 billion by 1989. Please, Mr. Reagan, don’t be offended if I don’t smile. Mike Burton Class of ’80 LETTERS: By Peat. M; Touche ! Panic from Tc spoke 1 that aff e Chinese students not converting Aggies EDITOR: I’ve been reading about the recent mass-hysteria concerning, you guessed it, the Cay Student Sevices. After going over my own thoughts. I’ve decided to put in my two cents. First, Recogniton: It seems to me that the Hometown Clubs, OCA, Organiza tion of Arab Students, Aggie Women, Malasians in Aggieland, etc. all provide the same kinds of services that CSS wishes to provide. T hey are just another special interest group. I think the idea that CSSTs trying to “promote” homosexuality is ludicrous — is the Chinese Student Association trying to get people to become Chinese? I would think that if A&M stopped wasting money and let them be an orga nization, CSS would just become an other club in a “cast of thousands.” Secondly, more than half of the peo- ple who are now so scared of the CSS would never have even heard about it if the school had recognized them from the beginning. I really find it hard to be lieve that you all have time to worry about a lifestyle with which you proba bly rarely come into contact. I’m not sure if you all are paranoid that you’ll “catch it,” get attacked, or if you actually believe that if CSS isn’t rec ognized, the homosexuals will disap pear. And I also can’t believe that you find it so difficult to handle. Did you really expect to be sheltered from it all of your life? Were you trying to pretend that homosexuality didn’t exist? Welcome to the real world. Betty Byrd Class of ’87 Joining the 20th century EDITOR: Dear Rod Arnold: Lighten up, Ag. Why don’t you climb down from your high horse and look at T exas A&M? You really think the Corps is CREAT. Even if I don’t agree, I can understand how you feel. It is only fit ting that a member of the largest frater nity at Texas A&M should be just as en thusiastic about his “brotherhood” as the members of smaller, non-recog- nized fraternities. What 1 cannot understand, however, is your belief that all traditons are sa cred and none are to be broken. If tradi tions at Texas A&M were never broken, all students here would be in the Corps, and you would have no one to bitch at. If traditions at Texas A&M were never broken, Kristen Haas, Kelli T homerson, and Analisa Vinson would not be stu dents here at all unless they had sex- change operations, and you would have no one to commend. If traditions at Texas A&M were never broken, this school would presently be an insignifi cant little college, consisting only a bunch of guys going to class in soldier suits, rather than a fine university, boasting a 36,000 member student body and aspiring for world c lass status. So, lighten up, Rod. The people here whom you’d like to ship off to Austin aren’t trying to destroy every tradition at Texas A&M. They’ve merely decided to join the twentieth century. Try it sometime. Joe Knight Class of’87 A rousing blow against intolerance EDITOR: HURRAH! A rousing blow for intol erance and closed minds was struck Wednesday 24 Oct. ’84. 1 am referring to the letter by Rod Arnold. Yessir, Yes- sir, I also believe that we should get rid of everybody who doesn’t hold our che rished traditional beliefs. I, in fact, think that instead of shipping all of our liber als, antitraditionalists and other 2 per centers to Austin, we should shoot them all and bury the bodies in a mass grave at the bonfire site; we could then con gratulate ourselves on obliterating the menace once and for all. I hope my meaning is clear: with Ar nold’s attitudes prevailing on this cam pus, this college will never attain World University Status (WUS). V Correct me if I’m wrong Arnold, but isn’t a UNIVER SITY supposed to be an institution ded icated to freedom of speech, tolerance and a free exchange of cultures, and ideas? With attitudes like yours rep resenting Texas A&M, Arnold, it is-my belief that this university will f orever re main a small, provincial, backwater school simply dedicated to football. Michael J. Traubert, ’86 Ernest W. Hartt, ’85 yvonne G. DeGraw, ’87 Margaret A. Mitchell, ’88 accompanied by six signatures Stilltrying to cash Texas A&M checks EDITOR: I just received my add/drop supple mental fees from the TA.MU Fiscal Dept. I quickly endorsed the check and went over to the Coke Building to get it cashed, but to riiy surprise they said, “Sorry, we issued you that check, but we can’t cash it for you. You’ll have to take it to your local bank and get it cashed.” I promptly replied, “I don’t have a local bank.” She said, “ Then you can cash it at First Bank Bryan, all the way down T exas Ave.” What is this? When I decided to pay my fees I didn’t ask TAMU t) go all the way to my hometown to gel their money. Why should I have to go to theirs? Not everyone has ready access to off campus “downtown Bryan.” I think this is a poor way of doing business, and that something should be done about it, fast! Before I get Marvin Zindler on the case. Jay Hendley, ’86 Ken Hendrickson, ’87 Jeff Blagg, ’86 Eric Wellington, ’88 Females in band won’t hurt football EDITOR: Re: Regent McKenzie's opinion that allowing female band members would akin to letting them play on the football team, maybe we could make a great band greater, and who knows what might happen to the quality of the foot ball team. John Natowitz Class of’87 Colombia fights drug abuse, image EDITOR: On Tuesday, the 23rd of October, Brandon Berry, reporter of The Battal ion, published an article about Patricia Gonzalez and Susie Faccini, two of the most outstanding A&M golf players. Patricia and Susie are both from Colom bia. Susie and Patricia are both members of the (Colombian Students Association. As president of the association I want to thank Berry for the article he wrote about the Colombian golf duo. I also want to thank A&M women’s golf coach Kitty Holley for giving them both an op portunity to succeed in golf. I would also want to express some thing that came to my mind the moment I started to read the article. There are indeed many other ways of intoducing our country than this: “To most people, a ‘Colombian Con nection’ conjures up visions of shady dealings and illegal substances. But for T exas A&M women’s golf coach Kitty I lolley, Colombia has given her a special type of Colombian gold.” If Mr. Berry wants to write an article about Patricia’s and Susie’s merits and values in golf he should not start the ar ticle the way he did. Drugs are as illegal in Colonlbia as they are in the U.S., and we are fighting very hard to finish that problem. I sincerely hope that in the future Berry or any other person omit these kind of ref erences. Juan Pablo Aljure President, Colombia Student Associa tion Cadet dismissal on the right track EDITOR: Congratulations to Bill Kibler and the University for a job well done - the dis missal of three junior cadets implicated in the hazing death of Bruce Dean Goodrich on August 30. I am glad to find the University felt it imperative to effect some type of disciplinary action against these cadets, even though hazing appears to be committed by a host of others on this campus. This ex ample may serve to warn others of the possible punishment they may face if they chose to break a university regula tion, whether it be hazing or otherwise. To those who insist that the three ju nior cadets should not be punished for something in which others may have taken part in at one time'or another, I ask you to think about this: T he next time you are speeding down Highway 6 along with a line of other cars and one of those drivers is pulled over by the DPS while committing the same infrac tion you are, count yourself lucky. You might even learn from the experience. Brian Koontz Class of ’86 Education at A&M combats ignorance EDITOR: In 1981, I vowed that I would not leave Texas A&M without writing a let ter to the editor. When I came here as a sophomore, the conservative views of Texas A&M fit neatly into the narrow mindedness that my parents worked 19 years to instill in me. However, in order to graduate I was liffl lii: required to take courses in theioct cihcs. 1 was a hostile studenor; gued with my professors,beaustfl thing I was learning forcedmeto my eyes and to realize thatnotew had it as good as 1 did. 1 began evaluating the views majority of students at A&M. l<K)king into a mirror, andl what 1 saw. I saw prejudiceandfc ination and selfishness for the fill and I knew it was wrong. Buiri all, I saw ignorance. Since then, I have re-evaliatJ| entire value system and ray ill thinking. I am becoming a more? and accepting and informed petsti eryday. I’ve learned to accept! people who are different than help them if necessary rather make judgments. You may say that 1 am btffi more liberal but 1 call it grottijl This has been a painful butenliib ing experience for me. LifewdI easier when I lived in ignorant! H never want to return tothewii to think (or didn’t think before). | Thank you, A&M for provifcl with an education that I wouldl been able to obtain anywhereelst. I Becky Stieber Class of’85 The Battalion CJSPS 045 360 Member of Texas Press Association ; Sou th west Journalism Conferee In memoriam Bill Robinson, 1962-1984,Ediw The Battalion Editorial Bon- Stephanie Ross, Editor I Patrice Koranek, ManagingEd* 1 1 Shelley Hoekstra.CityEdiw I Brigid Brockman, News Ed* 1 * I Donn Friedman, EditorialPajd^l Bonnie Langford, Newst(lil (), I Ed Cassavoy, Sports Editor I editorial Policy I he Ihiti.ilion is ;i non-profil, self-wpixMitl ,l 'jM o/jcrated ns n community service to Tctf Bryan-Collcffe Station. Opinions expressed in I he Battalion rt’K Editorial Hoard or the author, anddonom^jj resent the opinions of Texas A&M adminst!# tn the Board of Regents. 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