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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 15, 1986)
Friday, August 15, 1986/The Battalion/Page 3 W0^0: : '.hk ,r onflict on tax-or-cut issue continues in Texas capital White presses proposed soles tax increase JUSTIN (AP) — Gov. Mark f hite enlisted the aid of former 6v, John Connally and two high- [»ered financiers Thursday to el|> turn up the heat on House pe tker Gib Lewis and press for his ilposed tax increase. ■oining Connally and White in the larden of the Governor’s Mansion Be Ben Love, chairman of Texas tBnmerce Bancshares, and Walter Vlischer Sr., a Houston developer Id airman of Allied Bancshares. ^^11 three said they supported j While’s call for a temporary sales tax ^■ease to help solve the state bud- d^get deficit. f R'onnally said, “I think the people oifexas are prepared for it. They Blei stand the crisis that we face.” Bewis, D-Fort Worth, has voiced ^ftrong opposition to any tax increase hov I Vithout mentioning the speaker tame, Connally said raising taxes ielp eliminate the projected $3.5 billion stale budget deficit is the re- raHnsible course. H‘We do need to cut ex})enses ev- leviiBwhere we can,” he said. “But it’s el\ tle ir to me that’s not going to be suf- finent,.. the sooner we face up to it, better.” ^■.ove and Mischer echoed Connal ly' 1 ) feelings about a tax hike. “®w‘We must pass this tax and be a Responsible people,” Love said. BWhite has proposed combining Wjmii SI.4 billion in spending reduc- rdjflns with a one-year sales tax in- noiiHease, which he said would raise about $810 million. White also downplayed sugges tions that the House speaker may prove to be a major stumbling block to his plan. He had only praise for Lewis. “I respect the speaker’s desire to try to find a way to avoid any tax in crease,” White said. “I’m satisfied that goal is unachievable without making those serious cuts in educa tion.” He said Lewis “has a more diffi cult task that I do” because he must deal with 149 other House members. Clements: State's income growing, new tax uneeded HOUSTON (AP) — Republi can gubernatorial candidate Bill Clements said Thursday that Texas tax revenues have grown $3 billion per year since 1982 and the state doesn’t need any new taxes. Speaking before about 250 members of the Southwest Chem ical Association, Clements also said Gov. Mark White should contact his Democrat colleagues in the U.S. House of Representa tives to protect the oil depletion allowance and the intangible dril ling fee provision. White has proposed a tempo rary sales tax increase to help cover an anticipated budget shortfall of $3.5 billion. “We do not need new taxes,” Clements said. “Revenues are ample. I’m opposed to the liberal Democratic philosophy of tax, tax, tax and spend, spend, spend.” Clements also said White has gone on a spending spree. Texas can avoid a budget shortfall by living within its revenues, he said. “Texas tax revenues are up 38 percent from January 1983 through January 1986,” Clem ents said. “And the first nine months this fiscal year, Texas rev enues are up 14.7 percent.” Addressing a question of how he would balance the budget, Clements said the governor’s of fice needs to organize its pro grams and either merge or elimi nate low priority programs. The former governor also crit icized White for not establishing a good working relationship with President Reagan, citing White’s absence at the recent oil summit meeting at the White House. News Briefs Msii Hammer murderer gets death penalty Plane crashes short of runway at Tulsa airport TULSA, Okla. (AP) — Six Texas men escaped serious injury Thurs day when their single-engine plane apparently ran out of fuel and crashed short of the runway at Tulsa International Airport, investigators said. Firefighters said the plane’s pilot, who was not immediately identified, apparently knew he was nearly out of fuel because they were notified by airport traffic controllers of a land ing emergency before the plane went down. The Rev. Rex Kyker, 64, of Aus tin was taken by helicopter ambu lance to St. Francis Hospital after the crash one mile north of the airport. Hospital officials said he was treated and released. Neil Hopkins, 51, of Austin was treated at the Hillcrest Medical Cen ter emergency room, officials there said. The four other men aboard went to St. Francis Hospital on Thursday afternoon and were being examined by doctors but were not believed to be seriously injured, hospital offi cials said. HOUSTON (AP) — Jurors de liberated about an hour Thurs day before recommending the death penalty for a 28-year-old carpenter convicted of capital murder in the claw-hammer slay ings of three people. Richard Gerry Drinkard was convicted Tuesday in State Dis- AUSTIN (AP) — University of Texas regents Thursday ap- roved gifts and pledges totaling 501,999 to establish the Walter Cronkite Regents Chair in Com munications at UT-Austin. The gifts and pledges will be matched with university funds AUSTIN (AP) — A consumer group Thursday criticized the Houston Lighting & Power Co. for what it said is the utility’s bid to wipe out the agency that rep resents residential and small busi ness consumers in utility rate cases. Brad Wiewel, president of the Texas Consumer Association, said the Office of Public Utility .Counsel has saved millions for trict Judge William T. Harmon’s court. The jury returned the death penalty verdict about 2:30 p.m. Thursday. No execution date was set Thursday. The jury deliberated two days before convicting Drinkard. UT approves pledges for Cronkite chair HL&P accused of sabotaging agency for a total of over $ 1 million. Of that sum, $358,000 will be used to increase the endowment to the DeWitt Reddick professorship, which will be rede signated as the DeWitt Reddick Regents Chair in Communica tion. Texas consumers. “HL&P is the only group up here really fighting this (counsel). It’s a kill, kill, kill situation. You see HL&P everywhere you turn,” Wiewel told a news conference. Wiewel said he wanted the Public Utility commission, which regulates utility companies, to de termine whether HL&P custom ers were paying for the lobbying activities. S. African vote proposal blasted DALLAS (AP) — The Rev. Allan Boesak said Thursday the South Af rican government’s proposal of a council to give moderate blacks a voice will not answer the problems of apartheid. “We don’t want to give you (the white minority government) advice.” Boesak said. “We want to use our vote so we can get you out of office.” He spoke at the National Association of Black Journalists meeting in Dal las. Boesak said he fears a bloody fu ture for his country if apartheid re mains in effect. South African President P.W. Botha has suggested an advisory body to express the views of moder ate blacks. Boesak said he would like to engage in dialogue with the gov ernment, but that will not be possible until black activists, such as Nelson Mandela, are released from prison. He did have some advice for Botha. “If I were he (Botha) I would pack my little bag and go to Paraguay while (Gen. Alfredo) Stroessner is still alive,” he said, referring to the authoritarian dictatorship in that country. Boesak, who advocates non-vio lent protest, is co-founder of the United Democratic Front. He faces a September trial date on charges of subversion. He said he is not allowed to speak directly about sanctions. isuJ i ir I Ian for panhandle nuclear waste dump set back by funding cuts prov kaiei B HEREFORD (AP) — Panhandle Iva: lawmakers and residents are cele- enonB-ating the setback handed the U.S. ous department of Energy in its plans iuselll)r a proposed nuclear waste dump readB ear *' iere ' ncnH ^ ie Senate Appropriations Com mittee on Wednesday voted to cut Binding for testing proposed dump sites in Deaf Smith County, Texas, and in two other states. “Reducing the funding is a good sign," Rep. Larry Combest, R-Lub- bock, said. “It’s another approach to putting the dump on hold. It’s hard to tell what will happen but with a unanimous committee vote, it will be hard to beat on the floor.” And George Drain, president of the Amarillo chapter of Serious Tex ans Against Nuclear Dumping said he was delighted. “It’s a step in the right direction,” he said. “I think the message they’re trying to send to the Department of Energy is to get their act in order.” The surprise Senate Gommittee vote followed back-room bargaining among the lawmakers. The panel re duced the proposed funding for the nuclear dump testing from $619 million to $380 million. Combest joined other congress men in offering a bill Wednesday that would force the DOE to begin the search for a dump site all over again. The bill is unlikely to come to a vote before the October adjourn ment, Combest said. But he said, “I think there are bet ter than 50-50 odds that no work will occur in Deaf Smith County in the next fiscal year.” Danny Smith, assistant director of the Governor’s nuclear waste pro gram office in Austin, said the vote “can’t do anything less than convince the Department of Energy that Con gress is carefully monitoring what they’re doing and is not at all satis fied,” he said. lOOliffl lake j ic testl oesfl 1 enj 0 )’ lyH hr.oi ■anASl ■ibef er ”t» We Buy Books Everyday Texas ASM Bookstore Hours: 7:45 - 6:00 Weekdays 9:00 - 5:00 Saturdays bookstore IN THE MEMORIAL STUDENT CEhfTER 't4 Sf. I sif !l A basketful of cash is better than a garage full of 'stuff' Have a garage or yard sale this week - Call 845-2611 'O CN ^ aC?o> '« 4*4 °y Last chance to CASH IN Southwest Village’s Summer Carnival Saturday, August 16. Will you be the lucky one to win? PRIZE: 10-speed Schwinn Touring Bike for just touring Southwest Village. 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