The Battalion
ESTATE & LOCAL
Tuesday, October 9,1990
* Wright disagrees with budget plan
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DALLAS (AP) — Former House
Speaker Jim Wright says Congress is
ties)', working the budget all wrong.
If he were still in Washington,
Wright would have been no part of
the package of spending cuts and tax
increases the House rejected, he told
e Dallas Times Herald in a tele
phone interview.
He also said he would oppose a
Mia® budget process that includes prior
approval from the president.
In the wake of a $500 billion defi
cit-cutting package recently rejected
by the House, frustrated congress
man, especially those from Texas,
are muttering that such problems
would never have arisen if the iron-
willed Wright were still in charge.
The House’s failure to pass the
package prompted President Bush’s
decision to shut down the federal
government Saturday until a deal he
can accept is assembled.
Careful not to criticize current
House Speaker Tom Foley and
Are
League of Women Voters formally cancels
debate between gubernatorial candidates
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Former House speaker thinks
deficit-cutting package is unfair
House Majority Leader Richard Ge
phardt directly, Wright said the
failed package was unfair.
“I could not have supported it,”
said Wright who served in the House
for 34 years. “It was manifestly un
fair, putting a disproportionate bur
den on low-income and middle-in
come people. I thought on balance it
was a bad bargain.”
Wright also said spending and tax
bills are supposed to originate in the
House and that budget resolutions
need no acceptance from the White
House.
“It seems to me that the process
has wandered too far afield from the
constitutional and legal guidelines
established for spending and tax
priorities,” he said. “You don’t go
and get the president’s permission.
You do it.”
Conceding that Capitol Hill has
been wary of raising taxes and cut
ting spending, Wright said that with
a little leadership, both Congress
and the American people can find
the strength to make tough decisions
and sacrifice for a greater good.
“Nobody has made a strong case
to the American people that there is
a (deficit) problem and that there is
fair, demonstrable and equitable way
of paying for it,” Wright said.
He said several of his former col
leagues called him last week “quite
distressed that such an unfair pack
age was emerging, and Congress was
being forced to yield to a president
with an almost religious devotion to
the idea that rich people shouldn’t
be taxed.”
One of Wright’s first tasks in
Washington in 1956 was to lead a
delegation to tell President Dwight
Eisenhower that the country needed
more tax money for the interstate
highway.
Although he was nervous to make
such a pitch to Eisenhower, Wright
said the president understood and
said: “If you think you can sell that
to the American people, go right
ahead.”
“God, what we could do with that
kind of straightforward position in
the White House today,” Wright
said.
Aston Hall residents
evacuated due to fire
Residents evacuated Aston
Hall after a fire was reported
Sunday in a first-floor custodial
trash chute.
University Police Department
officials received a call at about
4:15 p.m. and dispatched the Col
lege Station Fire Department to
the scene.
Lt. Cabrina Scott of the Uni
versity Police Department says
the cause of the fire is unknown.
A police investigation will not be
conducted at this time.
Aston Hall residents were al
lowed to return to their rooms af
ter about an hour.
Scott says the resident directors
and advisers did a good job of
evacuating the dormitory.
“Everything appeared to go off
without a hitch,” she says.
No report has been made of
student property damage.
Commandperformance
Singing Cadets tune up
to entertain Bush in Dallas
Texas A&M’s Singing Cadets are
tuning up for a command perfor
mance for President Bush.
The
i group
of ente
ird”
bti
ur( l* AUSTIN (AP) — The League of Women Vot
ers on Monday formally canceled plans for an
?ct. 30 deba.ce between gubernatorial candidates
Clayton Williams and Ann Richards, saying Wil
liams wouldn’t commit to it.
‘k cakes two co debate, and without his coop
eration the show cannot go on,” said Diane Sheri
dan, head of the league’s Texas Education Fund.
Williams, the Republican nominee, has said he
won’t debate Richards unless the Democrat signs
?pledge to stop all negative television advertis-
in 8’
Richards spokesman Bill Cryer said Williams
first should agree to debate. He also said Rich-
nc f® ards doesn’t trust Williams to keep his side of a
pledge against negative TV ads.
As an example, Cryer pointed to a Monday
news release from Williams’ campaign that com
pared Richards to unsuccessful Democratic pres
idential candidate Mike Dukakis.
Like Dukakis, Richards is a captive of liberals
and special interest groups,” the release charged.
Among others, it says Richards is supported by
will provide a half-
'tainment during an
Oct. 15 banquet for Bush and Re
publican gubernatorial candidate
Clayton Williams at the Hyatt Con
vention Center in Dallas.
room.
Robert Boone, vocal music coordi
nator, says the song first was per
formed by the Singing Cadets for
Bush during his visit to A&M for
May 1990’s commencement.
“We’re also going to do about 30
minutes of patriotic material,”
Boone adds.
“left-wing Hollywood liberals,” the Gay and Les
bian Caucus, Wall Street brokerage houses, Na
tional Organization for Women President Molly
Yard and death row inmates.
“The average person is who they’re missing on
that list — the average Tex.an earning an average
wage, doing a good job keeping home and family
together, as opposed to Clayton Williams and his
big money friends, his insurance pals,” Cryer
said.
He called the comparison with Dukakis “ridic
ulous” and the news release “completely neg
ative. It shows the complete hypocrisy of their
campaign.”
Williams spokesman Gordon Hensley said,
“We don’t view this as negative. We view this as
truth in advertising.”
In other political developments Monday:
• Republican lieutenant governor candidate
Rob Mosbacher asked rival Bob Bullock to specif
ically outline an income tax plan, saying the
Democrat left the door open to such a levy in a
Saturday debate.
“Not only will I close the door on an income
tax, I’ll nail it shut,” Mosbacher said.
Rafe Greenlee, Bullock’s press secretary, said
Bullock has consistently said he’s opposed to a
state income tax.
However, he said, “Bullock doesn’t want to
start ruling things out before we’ve had a chance
to study everything ... He’s not making any stu
pid, rhetorical campaign promises.”
• Republican attorney general candidate J.E.
“Buster” Brown charged that his Democratic op
ponent, Dan Morales, apparently violated an
ethics rule of the State Bar of Texas by allowing
his name to be listed on the letterhead of a law
firm.
Morales lists no income from the law firm,
with which he holds the title “Of Counsel.” Mo
rales, of San Antonio, says he’s provided free le
gal services to his constituents since being elected
to the Texas House.
The president requested the The performance will be one of
group sing his favorite song “God 40 appearances the Singing Cadets
Bless the U.S.A” as he enters the will make this year.
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Doy
Wednesday
■ife
MV
presents
Marc Price
Come see what's become of Skippy from
"Family Ties". Check out his anti-gimmick
stand-up comedy geared for college students.
Dale
October 10
Time
8:00 p.m.
Location
Rudder Auditorium
Look for the PONTIAC EXCITEMENT CENTER
and check out the latest PONTIAC cars. Win
tickets, t-shirts and enter a sweepstakes for a
chance to win o PONTIAC Sunbird Convertible.
G/WAC
PONTIAC.