Page 2AThe BattaliorvTuesday, October 1, 1985 Opinion Come out of closet with CASH “Charge it, is a four letter word.” Those were the first words I heard at the opening of the CASH meet ing. CASH stands for Credit Abus ers’ Self Help. My wife and I were at tending the meet ing at the invita tion of a friend. John Halleft Around the room were posters and banners proclaiming “Leave home with out it” and “Only the Lord saves more than those who pay cash.” The gather ing loosely resembled an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting with a few excep tions. When a member was recognized, he would walk up to the podium that served as a make-shift altar. “Do you know me?” asked a man in a Pierre Cardin running suit. “No,” responded the audience. “My name is Frank.” “Hi, Frank,” replied the chorus. “I’m a charg-a-holic, ... I haven’t used any plastic in three weeks.” At this point the meeting began to re semble a fundamental Christian church service with cries of “No plastic!” and “Cash only!” Once the crowd started to quiet down, Frank began with his testimonial: “It all started back in my junior year in college. . . . One of the campus clubs was distributing credit card applications to raise money, so I decided to fill one out and try my luck. I forgot all about it for several weeks until a friend received The Battalion USPS 045 360 Member of Texas Press Association Southwest Journalism Conference The Battalion Editorial Board Rhonda Snider, Editor Michelle Powe, Managing Editor Loren Steffy, Opinion Page Editor Karen Bloch, City Editor John Hallett, Kay Mallett, News Editors Travis Tingle, Sports Editor The Battalion Staff Assistant City Editors Kirsten Dietz, Jerry Oslin Assistant News Editors Cathie Anderson, Jan Perry Assistant Sports Editor....Charean Williams Entertainment Editors Cathy Reily , Walter Smith Art Director... Wayne Grabein Make-up Editor .Ed Cassavoy Copy Editors Rebecca Adair, Mike Davis, Sarah Oates, Brad Whitten Editorial Policy The Battalion is a non-profit, self-supporting newspa per 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. The Battalion also serves as a laboratory newspaper for students in reporting, editing and photography classes within the Department of Communications. Associated Press is entitled exclusively to the use for re production of all news dispatches credited to it. Rights of reptoduction of all other matter herein reserved. The Battalion is published Monday through Friday dur ing Texas A&M regular semesters, except for holiday and examination periods. Mail subscriptions are $16.75 per se mester, $33.25 per school year and $35 per full year. Ad vertising rates furnished on request. Our address: The Battalion, 216 Reed McDonald Building, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843. Second class postage paid at College Station, TX 77843. his first card in the mail. The bank gave him a $750 limit for starters. “Naturally, he was anxious to use it so we headed to the mall where he pro ceeded to buy, buy, buy. Afterwards, he took me to dinner atid proudly charged it when the bill came. . . . “My card didn’t come for another four weeks. Meanwhile, I anticipated its arrival. I found myself reading all the advertisements that came to my post of fice box, the ones I used to throw out before. By the time I got my card I al ready had thought of a hundred ways to spend my limit. “My first card had a limit of $500 and naturally I was disappointed — I had expected a $750 limit just like my friend. But somehow I managed to pull myself together and head for the near est sporting goods store to buy some new tennis clothes. I didn’t really need any but I figured, why not? I didn’t have any grand illusions that new clothes would miraculously trans form me into Boris Becker’s clone. Af ter all, it’s not how you play, it’s how you look and let me tell you after I got done buying, I looked mahvelous. “When the first bill came, I couldn’t pay it all off so I just paid the minimum due. I wasn’t worried about my balance, I didn’t know any better. It wasn’t long before I reached my limit. “Well, that first card had whet my ap petite, so I applied for two more cards. The minimum due on the first card was only $30, so I decided I wouldn’t have any problem with a few more. Little did I realize how long it would take to pay off the balance on three cards at 20 per cent interest. “By the time I graduated I had 10 credit cards and was what you might call a functional charg-a-holic. I was able to make the payments, but barely. Three days after I paid the minimum due, I was at the bank getting a cash advance so I could get by until the end of the month. It became a vicious cycle. “Things really got bad a couple of years ago during the recession. Money got tight and I began to miss payments. Most of my creditors gave time to make good on my debts, the others enforced the fine print in the credit agreement and demanded payment on the entire balance. At this point my family tried to persuade to seek help. I refused. “It wasn’t until my wife left me for my boss — who had an excellent credit rat ing —- that I began to realize I was sick. I had gotten so that I fought off depres sion by going on spending binges. It wasn’t easy but I Finally had to admit to my friends and family that, yes, I was a credit abuser... . “And I still am. Credit abuse is a sick ness that doesn’t go away. We must avoid credit like recovered alcoholics must avoid alcohol, reformed gamblers must avoid gambling and recovered smokers must avoid cigarettes. “Now I avoid business luncheons where credit might be used. I let my sec ond wife do most of the shopping. With me it’s strictly cash only and my life’s better for it.” Well, after hearing such a moving speech I began to feel guilty. Though my problems certainly weren’t as mo mentous as Frank’s I realized I might be a latent credit abuser — I sometimes bought things on credit I really didn’t need. Now was the time to come out of the closet. The president of CASH stepped up to the podium and lead the congrega tion in a heart-warming rendition of “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” while CASH officers began tak ing what looked like offerings. When the plate got closer to our aisle I realized they were taking credit cards from re- pentent abusers. I reached into pocket for my billfold and began to unload my credit cards but before I could drop them in the plate my wife grabbed the cards from my hands. “Not on your life!” she screamed. John Hallett is a senior political sci ence major, a columnist and News Edi tor for The Battalion. Mail Call Letters to the Editor should not exceed 300 words in length. The editorial staff reserves right to edit letters for style and length but will make every effort to maintain theautkis tent. Each letter must be signed and must include the address and telephone number# writer. A8 ge ed Big Kiss explained EDITOR: After reading the letter from Neil Harrison in the Sept. 24th issue, I feel it is necessary to reply to insin uations in his letter. Harrison was an employee of KKYS Radio during the Big Kiss and knows fully well that the air time was donated by us as a public service. The MDA and the Corps of Cadets handled all of the money. I highly resent the insinuation that $3,000 was spent on advertising as stated by Harrison. The money was spent on T-shirts which were given away commem orating the event. I do not know if the MDA purchased advertising in The Battalion, The Eagle, etc., but 1 do know that they did not purchase advertising on KKYS or KBTX-TV, both of whom donated untold amounts of free advertising to this cause. While a disgruntled employee who has been terminated is hard to control, we sincerely want the facts to be brought out in reference to the Big Kiss. I am sure that unnamed radio station mentioned, where Harrison now works, would have done the promotion for free (as we did). I do not know how many Ag gies would show up for the Big KTAM, though. According to our knowledge, no body was admitted free, nor will they be admitted free next February when we will hold the 2nd annual Big Kiss for MDA. Barry Turner President KKYS-FM 105 Don’t ignore rape EDITOR: I would like to thank Michael For- bush for his informative, thought- provoking letter. Rape is such a hush-hush subject on this campus; in the police reports, I have never seen anything of where or when rapes occur. Yet girls know it happens because posters and flyers automatically are up in dorm halls about date rape or an escort service. If no rapes sup posedly occur on this campus, then why are these posters put up — for preventive measures? Why should preventive measures be taken if sup posedly no rapes occur? Sure, I’ve heard of rapes happen ing, but when and where? Things as such should not be kept a secret just to protect the reputation of the Uni versity. It seems that such a serious subject should be publicized directly such as to where and when they oc cur — not just flyers or speakers coming to give speeches about rape. No names have to be published in police reports, if the rapes are re ported, just the fact of when and where they happen so girls will know for certain these things do happen at A&M and not just hear about it by rumors. I am concerned about this crime, and I’m sure others are, too. So why keep rape such a hush-hush subject? Lisa Battles ’87 Not a logical chop EDITOR: A woman must see a gynecologist at least once a year to check for va rious complications. These compli cations include: cysts, breast cancer, cancer of the ovaries and other parts of her reproductive system, various infections that can cause infertility, such as vaginitis, pelvic inflamma tory disease, and chlamydia. The lat ter two are difficult to detect without testing. There are about 11,000 woman students at A&M. There are 12 months in a year. So, approximately 900 woman students need to see a gynecologist in a month. And there are four weeks of five working days in a month. Thus, approximately 45 woman students need to see a gyne cologist each day at A&M. ByJ Unfortunately, this needed str; ice is not provided at this so-alf world-class University. OnegynttJ logist comes one day every n| weeks and can see only eight or nil patients each visit. And this is without even toudd on the health issue of birth conirti; Some the nati and ever vide coll idve edj other sti Accor cation o As stated in the article of “Health Center Eliminates Sow Services,” for a basic exam, a prim physician charges $45 and Planned Parenthood’s rates artt creasing. compam 3tea a cited ab( the Univ tl So what’s a woman todoifi can’t afford the alternatives? Ami she gets raped on campus, whoa examine her? Maybe this wasn'ii “logical place to chop,” as Claii Goswick, director of the A.P.Bee Health Center, so quaintly desdt this act of discrimination. tot con their pet “If a > gram, hi nave 12 related t Hey, Goswick, what areyoug® to say to the youne woman «i couldn’t afford the alternatives^ whose university hospital, to nk she has paid for medical service the health center fee, would notp her an exam because you leftist hire a gynecologist? “Oh, you’ve got cancer? 1 you’re dying? Gee, sorry to hei Maybe you’ll get lucky in yourc life and come back as a privile male like me!” tion,’’ si the co-o what giv ge" ; ' Scott science agrees. “It’s tl Sodoma of colleg rience gi Yates goal of works or Stuile to schoc school - terms, f gradual i operati' which n Stc Georgette Nicolaides Human, congrats a” EDITOR: Congratulations to man for writing the letter I shotnj have written. I, too, was very dl fended by the chauvanisdc coc] merits made at yell practice. Tliiiij my first semester as an Aggie aaj not wanting to be a “two percentfj I decided to go to the first yell pnvj tice. 1 was having a good time nil one yell leader started telling sefij jokes about a woman doing herM manly duty” and then “let’sgof- there and make Northeast Louisiaj look like a bunch of women." AUS1 tor of tl isociati fakiry in of about Laune H an< ^ ‘dt workers. I “In th growth, The majority of the crowd pJ ceeded to “whoop” and clapafel the yell leader’s insipid remarks,!! worst of all, many of the womenpi! sent were “whooping” and clappi® as well. Why would any woffll cheer at such blatantly sexist [| marks? Hats off to those womentlij did not “whoop” and clap. I do:I know if this first yell practice wast! tirely indicative of Aggie spirit,kl if sexism is an Aggie tradition! think I’ll remain a “two percenter 1 Pamela Plotkin I Gays shouldn't Ik punished for AIDS EDITOR: In response to “The Sodomy Prevents the Spread of Disease'il ridiculous to generalize andasstfl that all homosexual conduct is fl sponsible for the spread of A1H>| Should we penalize monogaM homosexual couples who pose*| threat of spreading a sexual distil or homosexuals who are freeoffl AIDS virus simply to place Mj for a disease which, by matter I chance, spread from the Afel heterosexual community and bff‘J its onslaught among the Ameridl homosexual community? Heterosexual acts also can spit?! disease. Using the rationalethatl !: | mosexual conduct spreads distil and should be illegal, heterosew comprise a much greater sharti the population and, consequentljl much greater risk of spreading! acquiring a sexually-transmitte(l