Friday, September 6, IQSSAThe Battalion/Page 7b
Election to be held Nov. 5
Water plan gain support
Associated Press
AUSTIN — A key Hispanic
group Wednesday threw its support
behind the proposed $1.4 billion
statewide water plan, saying it is cru-
dal for continued growth and offers
adequate environmental safeguards.
“In light of the federal retreat
from funding water-related projects,
it’s important that we in Texas take
care of our own future water needs,"
said Ruben Bonilla, chairman of
Mexican American Democrats of
Texas.
Joining Bonilla were stale Reps.
Hugo Berlanga, D-Corpus Christi,
and A1 Luna, D-Houston. Berlanga,
speaker pro tern of the Texas
House, predicted the water plan will
pass with widespread support from
Hispanics and others.
“I think the support is going to be
there for us to be successful, Ber
langa said. "You’re going to see the
continuation of bipartisanship. I
think you’ll see an all-out effort.”
He said predictions of a low voter
turnout for the Nov. 5 election may
be wrong. Because of water ration- 1
ing and other problems in more
than 200 cities this summer and last,
Berlanga said the public is well
aware of the issue.
The water plan is being presented
as two constitutional amendments
on the fall ballot. Voter approval is
required for the plan to take effect.
Proposition 1 would authorize
$980 million in state bonds to raise
money for construction of reser
voirs, pipelines, treatment plants
The water plan is being
presented as two constitu
tional amendments on the
fall ballot. Voter approval
is required for the plan to
take effect.
and flood-control projects. It would
create a $250 million insurance fund
to guarantee water bonds issued by
cities and other political subdivi
sions.
Proposition 2 would authorize
$200 million in bonds for low-inter
est loans to farmers to purchase wa
ter-saving irrigation equipment.
Bonilla said his 7,500-member
group will seek some of the $1.25
million the plan’s backers are raising
and would use the money for radio
and television ads and a get-out-the-
vote drive.
Luna, chairman of the Mexican
American Legislative Caucus, said
he expected many Hispanic lawmak
ers to campaign actively for the plan.
Berlanga also voicea unhappiness
with the Audubon Society, which on
Tuesday announced its opposition
to the plan. The group said the plan
fails to adequately protect the envi
ronment and opens up water devel
opment to political deal-making.
“It’s most unfortunate they took
that position,” he said. “We went out
of our way in the legislative process
to accommodate every environmen
tal group.
“It took us quite a while to ever
get the Audubon Society to contrib
ute and to provide input in the nego
tiations on the plan.
“We’re at the crossroads. If we’re
going to continue to prosper, if
we’re going to continue to have the
type of educational programs we
want, it is extremely crucial that the
voters approve Propositions 1 and 2
come November,” Berlanga said.
Voters will decide a total of 14
proposed constitutional amend
ments.
Venezuelan economy hurt
by ‘a taste for easy money’
Associated Press
CARACAS, Venezuela — Last
year, Venezuelans, now in the midst
of their worst economic crisis in
years, spent some $923 million play
ing the horses, and on lotteries and
other forms of gambling.
The amount equals 6 percent of
all of Venezuela’s foreign earnings
per year, or $57.7 per capita in this
country of 16 million.
“We are still running after easy
wealth,” says writer and social critic
Arturo Uslar Pietri.
Every Thursday afternoon and
Sunday morning, long lines of Vene
zuelans can be seen in major cities
and small towns alike waiting to get
their tickets stamped for “5 and 6,"
the national horse-playing game.
With as little as 45 cents and quite
a good deal of luck, a gambler could
make up to $615,000 if his ticket
turns out to be the only winner.
“I would be settled for life,” says
Angel Pena, a 36-year-old bricklayer
who once won $ 185 in the “5 and 6,”
and regularly plays horses, lotteries
and “terminales” (an illegal lottery
where people win if the number they
bought is the same as the last two
digits of some national lotteries).
The major newspapers and radio
stations regularly announce the “5
and 6” and lottery winners, and once
in a while there is a rather romantic
story about the poor shoemaker or
office boy who will be “settled for
life."
According to Uslar Pietri, the oil-
boom of the ’70s fostered in Venezu
elans a taste for easy money, and
changed people’s mentality about
traditional values such as hard work
and resourcefulness.
“We came to believe that wealth
was not dependent on time, dedica
tion, skills or hard work. That
change of mentality brought about
the idea that wealth was something
produced by luck, by chance,” he
says.
Although Venezuela got an enor
mous wealth of petrodollars, critics
say that about 80 percent of the pop
ulation lives in extreme poverty,
mostly in “rancherios” — shanty
towns on the hills surrounding ma
jor cities.
Horses, lottery and “terminales”
players come mainly from these
slums, and many consider gambling
the only way out of “downstairs” —
poverty.
Lately, the lines of gamblers also
include the middle-class people who
no longer can spend weekend holi
days in Miami or the nearby Dutch
islands of Aruba and Curacao, or re
place their American-make cars ev
ery year.
A Caracas psychiatrist, Jose Man
uel Vails, says “The oil-boom created
an artificial country, with artificial
values based upon money.
“Those who didn’t have strong
personal values got caught in the
whirlwind, trapped in tne money
game, and now that things are diffi
cult buy lottery tickets to keep the il
lusion going.”
Lottery vendors regularly ap
proach customers in restaurants and
other public places. And some news
papers regularly publish a list of
“chancy numbers for today,” along
with the more traditional horo
scopes. Horse-race magazines are on
sale in every newsstand in the coun
try, some even using computer-
made forecasts.
Both lotteries and the “5 and 6”
are run by the government, and a
share of the profits goes to welfare
programs.
702 UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE STATION,
TEXAS
THE VILLAGE
SHOPPING CENTER
OPEN
11:00 AM TO MIDNITE
MON. THRU SAT.
100% BEEF PATTIES
dROUND FRESH DAILY
25% OFF i
ANY PURCHASE j
EXCEPT BEER I
W/COUPON
TO GQJ3RDE_RS_PHON846^9224_^ j
PHI
KAPPA
TAU
FRATERNITY
FALL RUSH
00
01
<
‘LATE NIGHT ” PARTY
FRIDAY, SEPT. 6
Treehouse Apts. 8 pm
PIZZA PARTY
TUESDAY , SEPT. lO
The Flying Tomato
HAPPY HOUR
THURSDAY , SEPT. 12
Ar-rphyr
LUAU EXTRAVAGANZA
SATURDAY , SEPT. 14
Treehouse Village 8 pm
it.
w
**71 HTttf* 1
FAJITA PARTY
SUNDAY , SEPT. 15
for more info, contact-.
Dave 764 - 6924
Kelly 260-2183
if.
m
*ZT| h TtV"
ACCELERATED PVT COURSE
• 40 hours <£1 CaA
• Approx. 4 weeks 4) A w J vf
BRAZOS AIRCRAFT
846-7749
DN THE SIDE OF
TEXAS ASM
THE BROADWAY BARGAIN:
Buy 4
Great Broadway Performances
and get ,
BRIGADOON
FREE!
MSC Town Hall/Broadway announces the Broadway Bargain -- the best deal on a great
Broadway season at Texas A&M. Don’t miss this special chance to reserve the best seats in the
house. Save up to S20 over single ticket prices. And see “Brigadoon” free!
Time is limited and so are seats. Reserve your season tickets today!
I
NOISES
OFF
SIDE SIDE
SONDHEIM
ppgactai
MSC/TOWN HALL
BROADWAY
MSC Town Hall / Broadway 1985-86 Season Ticket Order
CHECK ONE: (j NEW ORDER RENEWAL
MAMF SEATING PREFERENCE: Same Seats * Section Row Seat *'s
Explain Seating Preference: 1st Choice.
APT #
$72 50 $c0 00
Regular
Sr5 50 1 $54 00
Town Hall Broad*
Payment Visa
five great shows at one low pru
Check (to MSC Town Hall)
PHONE » CARD NUMBER / EXPIRATION DATE t ARDHOLDERS NAME
Mail order form and payment to: MSC Box Office • TAMU • P.O. Box J-l •
College Station, TX 77844. If you have any questions please call the MSC 5ox
Office, Monday thru Friday between 8:30 a.rh and 4:30 p m,_at {4Q9l-845-1234
Graduating Engineers
Fall 1985 & Spring 1986
Speny in Albuquerque,
will be on campus
Thursday, September 12
See Eric Giershick.
A career with Sperry will make real use of the time and
energyyou've put into the last fouryears. The result: We
both profit. The more innovative our engineers, the more
opportunities they create for themselves. We appreciate
that. After all that's what makes us a growing company.
We're looking for B.S. graduates in electrical engineer
ing. You may be involved in:
Electronic Engineering
Design and development of microprocessor based digi
tal hardware, or analog circuitry for use in electronics.
Applications include: CRT display systems, flight control
systems, flight reference systems and helicopter avionics
systems.
Systems Engineering
Avionics system analysis and design, emphasising
hardware and software integration. Applications include.
Aircraft control law development, optimization of al
gorithms for aircraft performance, systems specifications
design, flight dynamics and real-time operation.
Software Engineering
Creation, development and modification of software for
real-time control. Applications include: Flight control, mul
tiplex systems, production support equipment and valida
tion and verification equipment.
Interested? If so, let's get together. We'd like to talk
to you about our business and the Albuquerque lifestyle
that offers you a vacation climate and outdoor recreation
year-round.
Investigate the opportunities at Sperry by visiting with
us in our display booth during the Career Day on campus.
We'll fill you in on our competitive salary and comprehen
sive benefits. If you are unable to see us on campus, please
send your resume to Eric Giershick, P.O. Box 9200, Al
buquerque, NM 87119.
Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer
U S. citizenship is required