Page 2/The Battalion/Monday, March 4, 1985
OPINION
Help small farmers:
buy all their farms
By ART BUCHWALD
Columnist for The Los Angeles Times Syndicate
“I meant to. But since it was them j
end I decided to relax and dig fend
■'T-T "" li"l< ' ICIMII ill- 11.11 ii - ill (Inuii iiii;I'
President Reagan, in last week s radio wash m horse and sit w i th l ,
address, said the government has done ca jj
everything it can for the farmer. It is
now time for others to pitch in and do
more, “from officials at the state level to
banks, private groups and individuals in
the community.”
the bugs don’t get your corn, thesul
I wasn’t quite sure what I, as an indi- zero temperatures don’t freeze yourii
vidual, could do to help the farmer, so I matoes, your cows don’t get pnemont
drove out to Culpeper, Va. the dollar gets weaker and the Russi
“Hi, Farmer Brown, Presidem Rea- are starving to death
gan told me I should pitch in and help
you. What exactly can I do?”
“I’ll let you have the farm real cheap
“How much money can I make?”
“You can make a bundle — provide |
‘You can buy my farm.”
‘I don’t know much about farming.
Small town life has its advantages
“Shucks, there’s nothing to it. All you
have to do is get up at 5, milk the cows,
feed the hogs, and see how many chick
ens died in the night from the frost. Any
fool can do that.”
An article on
the editorial page
of a recent issue of
the Houston Post
suggested that
Texas A&M
should annex the
University of
Houston. The UH
professor who
wrote the article
Loren Steffy
claimed that the addition of UH to the
Texas A&M System would give the Ag
gies a foothold in Houston and give UH
Permanent University Fund benefits.
I had little interest in the article itself,
but the author referred to College Sta
tion with such flattering terms as “corn
patch,” “briar patch” and several other
metaphors denoting rural backward
ness.
Over the weekend I had the distinct
“pleasure” of driving to Houston to at
tend a wedding. The wedding was won
derful, most weddings are, but the drive
to Clear Lake City brought the Post arti
cle to mind. The term “corn patch” also
popped into my head as I avoided a po
tential accident, dodged the ten-foot-
deep ravines in the middle of 1-45 and
was exposed to the automotive courtesy
of the average Houston motorist.
I recalled the numerous times I had
heard fellow students complaining
about College Station being dull, tiny,
uncultured and devoid of life except for
A&M. Compared to Houston, College
Station may be lacking in excitement,
but the “small-town” atmosphere does
have its advantages. The other morning
at 2:30 a.m., for example, I walked from
my apartment to the 7-1J and returned
home without being robbed, raped or
murdered.
I can hop in my car and drive where
ver I want without worrying about
bumper-to-bumper rush-hour traffic at
any given hour, and I have most of the
potholes on the major streets mem
orized. I can also roll down my window
and inhale relatively clean air as op
posed to the lung-coating aroma that
usually infests a large city.
True, I can’t shop in Neiman-Mar-
cus; I can’t eat at Bennihana’s; I can’t
catch a flight to Bolivia; and I can’t ad
mire the sun setting behind College Sta
tion’s skyscrapers.
Houston, you can have your fancy
stores, your pollution, your big build
ings, your nightclubs, your crime, your
Ku Klux Klan rallies, your crowded
streets, and your teeth-gnashing motor
ists.
I’ll just sit back in my corn patch and
watch the sun set on the horizon and
maybe later I’ll drive down the road and
smile at a the driver ahead of me who
wants in my lane, knowing that it really
doesn’t matter if he gets one car length
ahead.
“After you till the soil, plant your
seed, spread fertilizer, spray for bugs
and dig furrows for irrigation.”
Loren Steffy is a sophomore journa
lism major and a weekly columnist for
The Battalion.
“Dave Stockman says the reason you
farmers owe so much money to the
banks is you keep speculating in land
and buying new equipment to make
windfall profits at the expense of the
American taxpayer.”
“Dave’s a good old boy, but he knows
as much about farming as he does about
drawing up a balanced budget.”
“It wasn’t just Stockman. President
Reagan said the same thing.The reason
you’re in so much trouble is you bet on
inflation and you were wrong. Didn’t
you hear him Saturday morning?”
LETTERS:
Sully’s Symposium not
‘predictably boring’
EDITOR:
In response to your Feb. 19 editorial
questioning the thought put into this se
mester’s Sully’s Symposium, I must ad
mit that I am not sure if you understand
the framework around which the forum
was designed. From its inception, the fo
rum undertook to obtain the views and
philosophies of as many students as pos
sible whose influence and activities had
an impact on campus life. Inviting Da
vid Aders, student body president to re
spond to questions about the impact of
the Zentgraff settlement, minority re
cruitment, and the GSS issues did not in
my mind turn out to be “predictably bo-
ring.”
many people’s parents visit during Par
ent’s Weekend and enjoy all of the festi
vities? Yes, that too is coordinated by
Student Government.
How many couples that participated
in the Big Kiss realized that Student
Government was the main instigator of
this event? Does anybody know some
one who received free blood from Bra
zos County, thanks to all the blood do
nated in the Blood Drive? Again, this
was coordinated by Student Govern
ment. *
Attendance at Women’s
Week disappointing
Did anybody realize we sponsored a
4-day national Student Government con
ference, COSGA ’85, for over 250 stu
dent leaders from all across the nation?
How many people will participate in the
Big Event, and how many people will be
helped out by this service? This, too, is
sponsored by Student Government.
Sully’s Symposium is not and was
never meant to be closed to dry public
relations speeches. Any individual wish
ing to speak or make a suggestion for an
upcoming forum is encouraged to drop
by the Lambda Sigma office, on the sec
ond floor of the Pavillion. Lambda
Sigma is and has been trying to get the
true “movers and shakers” of this uni
versity. Last semester the Corps com
mander, representatives of Black
Awareness, and many other organiza
tions discussed their respective con
cerns. This semester, Lambda Sigma
has already set as goals getting H.R.
“Bum” Bright and President Vandiver
to speak at upcoming forums. Definitely
not the path of least resistance.
Bill Emshoff
Well, I think I have gotten my point
across, even though I could go on and
on. Many of these events are taken for
granted. People just think they some
how get done. Well, thanks to'Student
Government things do get done, con
trary to what The Battalion thinks.
Batt staff should learn
to ‘do unto others...’
EDITOR.
, I have often wondered, as I have read
all of your adverse articles about Stu
dent Government, if anybody realizes
all of the good this organization does.
I wonder when people attend Aggie
Muster, and are in awe of all that goes
on, if they realize the whole ceremony is
put on by Student Government. How
iLis a shame that all of this election
controversy has been made up! For any
one to believe that Student Government
controls who runs for office is absurd.
(For your information, the only things
that are checked are the candidates’s
grades and his/her standing in the Uni
versity.) But thanks to the “power of the
press” and ignorance of The Battalion
Editorial Board, people believe trash
like this! Laura Madia happens to be a
very credible person, and along with
Jim Collins, has done a fantastic job with
the Election Commission. It is too bad
the Editorial Board took all of her com
ments out of context and had to drag
her name through the mud. In many
people’s opinions, your cartoon printed
on Feb.23, was tasteless and extremely
inconsiderate!
It is sad to think that an important
lesson in life has passed the Editorial
Board by, and that lesson is to treat oth
ers only as you would have them treat
yourself. Think about it!
Cliff Dugosh, ’86
accompanied by 35 signatures
EDITOR:
What does it take to get at least fifty
people to come hear an incredibly
wealthy business person speak on suc
cess strategies, especially if that person
is a female? What about a brown bag
luncheon on interviewing do’s and
don’ts, a great performance by the
Women’s Chorus, a style show, or a
speech on the early women’s movement
by Dr. Sara Alpern? All of these events
were part of the second annual A&M
Women’s Week held the week of Feb.
18. They were free of charge and open
to the public.
However, having barely twenty-five
people attend Lyn Noble’s speech was
embarrassing when the faculty mem
bers outnumbered the students. I know
that last week may have been bad for
many because of tests; yet, I still feel the
attendance was quite low for a student
population of 33,859 in which about
14,000 are women. So why did we have
an attendance problem?
You cannot blame it on the public re
lations when both Aggie Women and
Women In Communication sponsored
it. Besides the usual flyer distribution
and decorating of the MSC kiosk and
backboard, we put a notice in the “A-
round Tow r n,” bought a Battalion ad
and had two articles printed in The Bat
talion. We even mailed and delivered
300 special invitations to women student
leaders, faculty, corp officers and soro
rities.
We are interested in learning and dis
cussing relevant topics such as lead
ership training, career planning and
choices, health, safety, family, and
dressing for success. We offer field trips
to Houston or Dallas that allow students
to meet women executives in a variety of
professions. We act as a support group
which can connect you to the right peo
ple for solving personal and academic
problems. Also, men are encouraged to
join because men need to know how to
work side by side with women.
Just twenty years ago women were
admitted as students at A&M. They
never dreamed that women today
would be entering career fields and
leadership positions that were tradition
ally off limits to them. The days of
women attending A&M for an “Mrs.”
degree are long gone (at least they
should be). Obtaining a college degree is
only half the story; the other half is be
coming involved to learn about people
and skills that you do not get in the
classroom.
Connie Rogers
Class of’87
All not as pleased
with A-1 service as KK
EDITOR:
This letter is in response to the article
published in The Battalion on Monday,
February 25, 1985 entitled “Wiatt: no
viable alternatives to towing for campus
police.” Director of Traffic and Security
Bob Wiatt was quoted as saying, “It is a
good feeling for students to know that
even if their car is being towed, it is be
ing taken care of.”
I would like to say that I do not share
this “good feeling” that other students
may have about the A-1 wrecker service
and in fact my Jeep, which was towed
just recently, was not properly taken
care of. Being a four-wheel drive vehi
cle, it has a front and rear transmission
which are both supposed to be disen
gaged before being towed to prevent
damage to the drive train. When I went
to pick up my Jeep at the A-1 lot I found
only the rear transmission had been dis
engaged. It seems to me that a company
that has towed as many vehicles as A-1
should know the correct way to tow all
types of vehicles and I can only hope
that no permanent damage has been
done to my Jeep.
I am in favor of the proposed “boot”
or lock on the base of the wheel rather
than a tow-away policy. These devices
would eliminate the tow-away cost for
the student as well as other problems
such as in my case. Since A&M receives
no money form the wrecker service,
why not use the “boot” device? The
money collected from this practice
could go toward building more parking
facilities which would help eliminate the
parking shortages here at Texas A&M.
Pat Parker, ’86
“You don’t make it sound like mikj
fun."
“It’s a lot of fun, if you’re a gaml)lg|
What other business offers you a chan
to bet your house on the crap tablf ok I
a year?”
“The people in Washington sayilKl
reason you farmers are living on it! I
edge is that you’re always producing^
much food and the taxpayers are stud
with the bill.”
“When do you get to play golf or ten
nis?”
“Don’t you ever get into town?”
“Sure. You get to go once, maybe
twice a week, to meet with your banker
and explain to him why you can’t meet
the payments on you loan.”
“I can’t quarrel with that. We’rejin
dumb people who know how to gro
things, but we don’t know how ton®
ket them. The ideal situation for Anw
ica is if we farmers didn’t grow et
food and made everyone pay throuji
the nose. Then instead of the taxpaye
having to give us price supports«
could charge him $15 for a poundd
potatoes. I’m sure those smart fellowsc
Washington will be able to figure out
way of causing a food shortage in tin
country so we could get a fair pricefot
our crops. You should buy my farm no*
while it’s dirt cheap. Then when Wash
ington works out a plan there willbeu
few farms left you can get $6 for a quae
of raw milk on the open market.”
“It sounds tempting. But I’m notsun
I want to be a farmer. Even if you malt
a lot of money it doesn’t sound like you
have much time to enjoy it. Isn't that
some other way I can help you?”
“Well, if you’re going back to Was!
ington you can take this corn cobwi
you and tell Dave Stockman to stick iti
his ear.”
T he Battalion
USPS 045 360
Member of
Texas Press Association
Southwest Journalism Conference
The Battalion Editorial Board
Brigid Brockman, Editor
Shelley Hoekstra, Managing Editor
Ed Cassavoy, City Editor
Kellie Dworaczyk, News Editor
Michelle Powe, Editorial Page Editor
Travis Tingle, Sports Editor
The Battalion Staff
Assistant City Editors
Kari Fluegel, Rhonda Snider
Assistant News Editors
Cami Brown, John Haliett, Kay Mallett
Assistant Sports Editor
Charean Williams
Entertainment Editors
Shawn Behlen, Leigh-Ellen Clark
Staff Writers Cathie Anderson,
Brandon Berry, Dainah Bullard,
Ann Cervenka, Michael Crawford,
Kirsten Dietz, Patti Flint,
Patrice Koranek, Trent Leopold,
Sarah Oates, Jerry Oslin,
Tricia Parker, Lynn Rae Povec
Copy Editors Jan Perry, Kelley Smith
Make-up Editors Karen Bloch,
Karla Martin
Columnists Kevin Inda, Loren Steffy
Editorial Cartoonist Mike Lane
Sports Cartoonist Dale Smith
Copy Writer Cathy Bennett
Photo Editor Katherine Hurt
Photographers Anthony Casper,
Wayne Grabein, Bill Hughes, Frank Irwin,
John Makely, Peter Rocha, Dean Saito
Editorial Policy
The Battalion is a non-profit, self-supporting newspaper
operated as a community service to Texas A&M and
Bryan-College Station.
Opinions expressed in The Battalion are those of the
Editorial Board or the author, and do not necessarily rep
resent the opinions of'Texas A&-M administrators, faculty
or the Board of Regents.
v newspaper,
students in reporting, editing and photography classes
within the Department of Communications.
Letters Policy
Letters to the Editor should not exceed ’WO Hindi in
length. The editorial stnfl'reserves the right to edit letters
for style and length but will make every effort to liiniiiniiii
the author's intent. Each letter must Ire signed and must
include the address and telephone nuinltct ol the writer.
The Battaliot, is published Monday through frith)
during Texas A&M regular semesters, except lot holithy
and examination periods. Mail subscriptions are flli.7:,
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Our address: The Battalion, 216 Reed McDonald
Building, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX
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vertising: (409) 845-2611.
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POS TMASTER: Send address changes to fhe D,iit,il-
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77843
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