The Battalion
OPINION :
Friday, February 23,1990 Opinion Page Editor Ellen Hobbs 845-31
Reunification threatens economy
Hip hooray
for absentee
voting box
It took too much time and too much
effort to get it, but Brazos County has
finally placed an absentee voting box on
the Fexas A&M campus,
The idea of a box on campus has
been brought up and shot down with
regularity over the years. It became a
more heated issue when the state
legislature relaxed the rules so that
anyone could vote absentee, without any
special reason. (Some people now
prefer the term “extended voting.”)
The battle lines are defined basically
by party affiliation, with the
Republicans trying to get the box on
campus and Democrats swearing that
would never happen. The Republicans
say that what they are really concerned
with is getting more people to vote.
“The whole purpose was to
encourage more voter participation,”
Brazos Valley Republican Party
Chairman Rodger Lewis said in
December. Reading between the lines, I
get “encourage more Republican voter
participation.” This would be especially
important to the Republicans for the
1990 primaries, which fall during
A&M’s spring break.
»The best way to deal with it is to give
you (students) an absentee poll here on
campus,” Lewis said.
The Democrats say that their
opposition to the on-campus site is not
based on partisanship, but fairness.
Former Brazos County Democratic
Party Chairman Ron Cay said that a site
at A&M is unfair to rural, handicapped
and elderly voters Wfto will have to
contend with A&M’s crowds and
parking problems. That would be a
valid point, il A&M were the only
absentee voting site. It’s not. Besides the
polling site on campus (in the MSC),
voters can go to the Brazos County
Courthouse, Ben Milam Elementary
School on Ridgedale Street or College
Station school district’s administration
office on Welsh Street, And anyone can
vote at any absentee site, regardless of
the precinct in which you are registered.
Another objection is that a site on
campus would discriminate against
members of minority groups. But that
argument loses its validity when you
consider that an on-campus site is
convenient not only for students, but
also workers, and fexas A&M is the
largest employer of minorities in the
area.
The main concern with where to
place polling sites is how to get the most
people to vote, period. I’m not a
Republican or a Democrat, but I realize
that a campus voting site will result in
more Republican votes. But that’s life.
It’s wrong to make it harder for some to
vote just because you don’t particularly
like the way they vote or who they vote
for.
I think the United States eventually
should go to a system where all polling
sites are open for at least a week, maybe
even two weeks, and absolutely no
returns are announced until every last
vote has been counted. That would
increase voter turnout dramatically, and
reduce the influence of the networks,
who often “project” winners with less
than one percent of the vote counted,
thus discouraging some voters.
But radical changes like that are way
down the road. Until then, a voting box
here on campus is a good idea. Now go
use it.
Scot Walker is a senior journalism
major.
We shouldn’t worry about German
reunification. Then again, maybe we
should.
To clarify, the world should not
worry that a united Germany will be a
threat to world peace. But we should
worry about the economic threat it
poses.
A reunified Germany may seem scary
to many citizens of the world who
remember or who have studied the
tragedies of World War 1 and World
War II. Yet, the new Germany would
not exist under the same conditions as
did Wilhelm’s or Hitler’s Germanics.
Before World War I. Europe was
much more political and imperialist
than modern Europe. The nations of
Europe were in constant rivalry, always
trying to gain power and always
prepared for conflict.
Modern Europe is much more
complacent. With the coming European
Gommunity, 12 of Europe’s nations will
economically become one. It would be
diff icult and unnecessary to try to
overpower countries with which
Germany shares such a bond.
In World War II, Germany’s
escapades were almost a direct result of
the devastation of the first World War
combined with Hitler’s charismatic
leadership and incredible timing. A
Hitler could not take hold of Germany
in its present state. There is just too
much democracy and too many human
rights in both Germanics.
Few or none of the conditions that
Timm
Doolen
Columnist
helped start the two World Wars exist in
Germany today. There is no reason for
anyone to think Germany will become a
crazed nation again and seek world
domination. Military and economic
power is too decentralized in the
modern world, and the political climate
is different as well. Four decades of
democracy have tainted the Germans'
thirst for conquest, arid the possibility of
another charismatic leader taking over
is unlikely.
The biggest upset (on a world scale) a
united Germany could manage is in
international sports competitions like
the Olympics. The two sports
superpowers when combined will
probably be a more formidable
opponent than the Soviet Uriion or the
United States could even hope to be.
On a more meaningful level, a
reunified Germany could become an
economic giant, especially with the
coming of the European communit y.
Using current figures, the two
Germanics combined export more than
any other country in the world. Then
combined balance of trade is second
only to Japan's.
The infusion of cheap labor from
East Germany into the well-established
industries of West Germany is a scary
thought. Germany’s strength is
exporting manufactured goods, and
with so many Eastern European
markets opening up, it could mean big
bucks for the German econonn.
Of course a united Germay would
have to overcome the temporary
problems of East Germany’s poor
economy, stagnant industries and low -
valued currency. But after a few years
of economic building, the united
Germany could become the strongest
member of the European community,
and could rival Japan as an economic
superpower It’s ironic that the two big
losers of World War II would tin n out
to be t he top economic leaders of thc
world a half-century later.
As a modern democratic nation, a
reunified Germany poses no threat to
world peace. Germany does, however,
pose a threat to the United States’
economic position with respect to the
world and Europe.
The reunification of Germany w as
decided in November when the Berlin
wall crumbled into souvenirs. We need
to be aware that there w ill be a united
Germany, and begin preparing for the
economic consequences.
Timm Doolen is a junior computer
science major.
SIX MILLION GOOD REASONS
Two-percenter, head to Highway6
In response to Marcus Johnson’s let
ter belittling Texas A&M, I would like
to make a few comments.
1) A&M and tu are not the only major
rivals around. Have you ever heard of
Army-Navy? Alabama-Auburn? USC-
UCLA? Try walking around on one of
these campuses with a rival’s emblem.
Don’t act like A&M is uniquely imma
ture in this attitude. (By the way, rivalry
doesn't necessarily mean hate for an
other school, but a deeper love of your
own school.)
2) Aggies hiring Aggies does not
mean that the Aggie is unqualified nor
does it mean that graduates from an
other university won’t be hired by an
Aggie. Stop searching for a reason to
condemn a bond that is a century old —-
a bond of friendship, nostalgia and
pride that comes with attending this fine
institution. But vou wouldn’t under-
Cristen M
Van Vleet
Reader’s Opinion
stand that. Don’t you lose any sleep
about getting hired for being an Aggie.
It won’t happen.
3) Granted, A&M is not the most
open-minded school in the nation.
A&M is different. A&M is unique, with
our traditions, our Corps of Cadets and
our 12th Man — you know, students
who actually support A&M! 1 just don’t
understand who someone who is so irri
tated by these qualities would attend this
school. No, A&M is not open-minded.
Claude E.
Mounce
Columnist
But being chided, hated and belittled In
“fellow Aggies’ like you, Johnson, is not
going to open any minds. Why don't
you try being helpful and persuasive
with your ideas with your ideas instead
o f b la tan tly rude ?
4) As for the Corps — people, stop
losing sweat and tear s over the Corps of
Cadets. You can’t beat ’em, you don’t
want to join Tm, so just leave them
alone.
Oh, and 1 think I will tell you High
way 6 runs both Ways (being the narr ow
minded Aggie that I am.). Now that
you’ve been told so main times, why
don’t you try seeing if it works?
Cristen M. Van Vleet is a sophomore
psychology major.
Traditions
grow, changl
with culture
The dictionary defines tradition as
the passing on of a cultural aspectfe
one genei ation to the next.
As an organization grows,some
traditions i emain, others fadeaway;
sometimes new ones spring up.Eveni
I exas A&M we see our traditions
beginning to reflect the cultureofa
genei ation. Some changes are Irani
of the evolution from a small, all-malt
agi it uh m e and militai v-oneijted
t ollege to a lar ge, coeducational
II aditional university.
Some traditions are so firmly
entrenched, they will probablynevei
change.
The Iwelfth Man and standing it [
football games. Notice, however,tin
lecenth some student seats have tat
set aside tor sitters.
Gig ’em, football yells and school
songs. Some have wondered whattk
bee k a i a net k is and howcomeeva
students outside the College of
Agi it ulture are still tarmers. Sotneol
the l\ i it s have changed torhymewil
■'fexas \Ml rather than Texas
AMC.”
Aggie Muster. (.rowingratlierthi
declining.
Male yell leaders. I hesepositions
piobublv neverwill be open to fern!
II they wa re, sell leaders mightbecj
i heei leadei s, and besides thevcoii
pei form that ritual that yell leaders!
vv hen a I ield goal or point aftei
torn hih >w n is attempted. Whatisit
thev re doing anyway?
t.u. not a capital idea.
Some tr aditions are beginningto
fade.
Silver 1 aps. A tine tradition,but
spar sidy attended.
MSC grass. A probable victim of
progiess and MS( i-Ruddei expand
Hazing and saying “howdy.”0iif
due to common sense and theotlm
apathy.
Spring break. Originally set up,r
time foi students to go home andf
with spring plowing. It’s just amp
time bcfoi e educators and students
realize a week ol leisure isaluxurvi
l<>ngei affordable.
New ti aditions come slowly andi
without loud wailing, gnashing of te
and sometimes lawsuits.
Women in the student body,Coi|
Aggie Band and Ross Volunteers,
f .enerallv ai cepted even if oneoftli
didn t gel a polite handshake fromi
A&M pi < sideiu at graduation,
Campus fraternities and sororitie
Mighty hard I oi Mime Ags to stoma.
Gay student organizations.Thel
at ci piance <if tins still hangsinthe
balance.
I he way football and basketball
coaches are fired. A relatively ness
tradition that seems to be really car
on.
1 i aditions come and go. lustful
change to meet die demands of
progress. I lighway six will alwaysn:'
both ways, but soon will be a
divided expressway.,
1 he Spirit of Aggieland won
but it may change a little!
Claude E. Mounce is a lecturerit
Department of Agricultural
Engineering.
Adventures In Cartooning
by Don Atkinson I
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News Editors
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Fredrick D. Joe, Art Director
Mary-Lynne Rice, Lifestyles Editor
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