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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 8, 1986)
Monday, September 8, 1986AThe Battalion/Page 3 State and Local nd special session starts today egislators colled bock to tockle $3.5 billion budget deficit ON$ OXGff ARE *eTs pe r wm Al ST1N (AP) — State legislators 10 didn't succeed at balancing the et in a month-long special ses- ire headed back to the Capitol try again. the first time since 1969, the nor has called back-to-back sessions in a bid to balance a state budget showing a $3.5 billion deficit. In their first try, lawmakers failed to agree on much. The House passed a bill to cut spending by $740 million. The Sen ate voted to cut only $418 million. The conference committee ap pointed to resolve those differences never did. The two chambers were even fur ther apart on the need to raise taxes. While senators and Gov. Mark White said yes, House members said no. The Texas Constitution says tax S77?A/*/N^ DCCfMS «5o WN£tr rime victims want lawmakers *«L S f a y OU f Q f compensation fund AUSTIN (AP) — Crime victims want state legis- UjlLLltyf, T f * alors t0 ^ ee P c heir hands off a special fund collected ' convicted criminals as compensation for vio- 1 say ‘Shame on you* to any elected official who ts to take that money and further victimize peo- whose lives have been shattered,” Donya With- Jpoon of Fort Worth said Saturday at a gathering if representatives of crime victim organizations at ■ ijthe Capitol. ^ I^IMEhe and representatives of groups in Fort Worth, v ,4 Li Dallas, Austin, Harlingen, Waco. Marker Heights, F.l ^^'Boand Lubbock met Saturday to plan demands on ■ B^1987 Legislature. y Participants were outspoken against tentative Hves to cut S2 million in state money for adminis- B Htion of the attorney general's fund that compen- Hes crime victims for expenses and lost wages carded by violent crimes. I U kh Crime Victims Compensation fund is fi ll isk hictvt pinced from fines paid by convicted felons, my shirt alter B it is even more shameful and more horrible that 1 maniacs flew; the people elected to represent and protect you take could feel theiB “ the money that is set up to help you go on living your lives and bury the loved ones,” Witherspoon told about 50 people gathered at the Capitol, most of them carrying black balloons. “I say that fund was set up and solely supported by fines imposed on convicted criminals and there are no tax monies involved,” she said. “It is strictly money from criminals.” Bob Stearns of Austin, chairman of People Against Violent Crimes, said the compensation fund had paid $8.9 million to crime victims the past year. “It has helped a lot of victims through a lot of very, very tough times,” Stearns said. Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle told the approximately 50 representatives of crime vic tims groups that “it is our responsibility to change government and make it do its job.” “We are here to bring back the concept of shame to crime,” Earle said. “Most of all, we want a society where we can go to the store late at night, where our wives and female relatives can walk the streets with out the fear that now affects us.” legislation must start in the House, so no tax bill ever surfaced. Within 30 minutes of the Legis lature’s adjournment last Thursday, White called them back. In doing so, he repeated his recommendation for a 1.125-cent, one-year sales tax in crease combined with spending cuts. That thorny tax issue, made even touchier by the closeness of the No vember elections, still hasn’t been re solved. But White and legislative leaders sound optimistic. “Things are moving in the right direction,” White said. “We’re closer to a solution now than we were 30 days ago.” Lt. Gov. Bill Hobby, who unsuc cessfully pushed for a permanent tax increase to balance the budget, said he remains hopeful. “Although it did not produce the desired results all in one session, substantial progress was made,” Hobby said. “And I have high hopes for the session beginning Monday.” House Speaker Gib Lewis, D-Fort Worth, said he will support a tax in crease if the Senate approves budget cuts and money-saving cash manage ment programs he believes would keep state checks from bouncing. At that point, if a tax still is needed, Lewis said he would vote for “You get your bottom line, you make your cuts where you can make them, you try to pass whatever pro posals you can to infuse monies into the state treasury,” he said. “Once you’ve done that, if that leaves a shortage, then you go to taxes.” Ferntastic Photo by John Makely Prospective plant owners look through the selection al a plant sale sponsored by the Floriculture Ornamental Horticulture Club Satur day. A time exposure was used to create the blurred effect. spokes. Fora occurred sofas o realize hows A&M vocal group gives more than opportunity to sing bought about | By Heidi Kemp nd totally limtl * Reporter i wise cheerful' Being a member of the Singing v bikers right i:B ts means more than the chance hem tumblitii: Ipg; it means the opportunity to , , ( avel, meet new people and estab- , Ha fellowship with other mem- tmalisuc betwH Jeff c„x, the organization’s te influenceol Hjdent.says. distances, bea Kirk White, public relations offi- tappens whet) erffor the Singing Cadets, says the ale group, established in 1894 as the Glee Club, performs for A3yM Mothers’ clubs, private organizations and the Association of Former Sing ing Cadets. White says the group performs lo cally in the fall and travels in the spring. In addition to doing major tours and national telecasts, he says, the Singing Cadets also have recorded nine albums in the past 27 years. In the last 20 years, the Singing >retty sight. SI ike is mangle n the kneecap calk the nexjth) g ugly scabs tit \s of getting adi’i enough of this 1 a use no matter' tinue to actlilei ’ with their life n’t include niw fie abomination orcycle. rMATIOfMAL □ RGAIMIZ ATlOfSJ FOR WOrVlEM NEW STUDENTS UNDERGRADS GRAD STUDENTS FACULTY Join us in our 1st meeting Tues., Sept. 9 at 7pm in Rudder Room 501 a senior join nnist for The 'no IL »Be a Part of Promoting Awareness of Women’s Issues on Campus and Beyond. IMPROVE: EDUCATION, CAREERS, HEALTH CARE COMBAT: SEXUAL ASSAULT & HARASSMENT, RACISM are more than | or traditional I have more than [ est the major | Jde fails to hie can defend 1 ' I te. mis, nor can — an attainmee 1 nal existenceof icy have no' help us between look at the le whether we ■ t he benefit of lership that STUDENT Y mie traditions for generation 1 here boast noli s that thosew# d the wisdom of thy tradition in' a IT reserves the the author's iiiif (! her of the writer. icecream extravaganza THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 11 Rumjer fountain STUDENT Y: A GREAT WAY TO GET INVOLVED ! \ \ Cadets have been invited to the White House and performed on the Ed Sullivan and Mike Douglas tele vision shows, he says. Earlier this year the Singing Ca dets performed in various Texas Sesquicentennial celebrations, Cox says. The performances included a March 2 concert at Washington-on- the-Brazos and an April 21 produc tion at the San Jacinto battleground. Last year the group had 41 per formances. Of these performances, 18 were local, 21 were throughout the state and two were in Louisiana, Cox says. This fall the Singing Cadets will perform with the Symphonic Band and Miss Texas A&M in a special show, “Texas A&M Celebrates the Sesquicentennial,” Cox says. The Singing Cadets also will have a Christmas concert Dec. 7 with the Women’s Chorus, the Century Sing ers and the Reveliers. This year the two-hour perfor mance will be divided into two parts. The first will concentrate on upbeat religious songs and folk songs and the second will be a tribute to George and Ira Gershwin, Gox says. The Singing Cadets will begin the spring semester with a 10-day tour in West Texas with stops in Brown- wood, Abilene, Midland and several other cities. The director of the Singing Ca dets, Robert L. Boone, says the group travels to a different area of Texas each year. Last year the group traveled to south-central Texas. White says the group has only 35 members returning because most of last year’s members graduated. The group is recruiting 40 new members. Wholesale Diamonds for Aggie Rings .05 pts .06 pts .07 pts .08 pts .10 pts .13 pts .15 pts .17 pts .20 pts .25 pts Buy your diamond from us and 24 hours later we will have it set in your Aggie Ring Our Price 29 95 33 00 38°° 41 00 63°° 88°° 11T° 125 00 165 00 245°° Compare at 65°° 70°° 80°° 95°° 135°° 165 00 195 00 215 00 300°° 450 00 TEXAS C®m EXCHANGE 404 University Drive E. 3202 A Texas College Station Bryan (across from Interurban) (across from El Chico) 846-8905 779-7662