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Opinion
Wednesday, June 26, 1991
The Battalion
Page 5
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High-speed rail:
The whole story hasn't been told
O
ne of the most
in was | I fascinating aspects of journalism is the
lersanii goal of objectivity. Journalists are
so. Hen expected, for the most part, to research
s Leag« news stories and report the facts to the
ath on; general public in an unbiased manner.
Unfortunately, this expectation
good pi sometimes leaves the readers without a
1. "Wen clear understanding of the issues at
am,e)» ; stake.
Pty' Case in point: last Friday's news
story concerning Southwest Airlines
r basek court challenge of the legitimacy of the
no dot Texas High Speed Rail Authority
work, franchise agreement with the French-
the amt based Texas TGV. Under the franchise
taping; agreement, TGV will construct and
ball, ji operate a high-speed rail system
between the major cities or Texas. The
lay todi first link joining Dallas and Houston is
S/" Byi expected to be operating by 1998. For
real wy those of you who missed this small but
significant item. Southwest is basing an
i, Byinp appeal to the franchise on the
liis degt argument that Authority members
ig train were potentially influenced by a trip to
y plamt Europe on the tab of TGV.
Southwest Airlines contends that the
High Speed Rail Authority members
should not have been in the position to
influenced by the bidders for the $6
illion project. Not only is Southwest
Airlines seeking a rehearing, but so is
wap Texas FasTrac, the German firm that
’Vas ap i os t the bid to the French.
This is what the objective journalism
gave ms. Now here's the scoop: the
Authority members also took a trip to
Germany to view the FasTrac system,
compliments of the German bidder. So,
although FasTrac provided the same
otentially-influencing trip to the
~ "SRA members as the French did,
the German firm is challenging the
franchise award because Texas TGV
on the lucrative contract. Are you
following their line of thinking? It goes
“ e this: If we don't get the franchise,
ell then nobody's going to build a rail
system in this state.
ellatio! The hypocrisy doeph*t stop there,
siblefc though. Southwest Airlines, which
ssentit
"Ever since the 100-mile-per-
hour train moved closer to real
ity, Southwest Airlines has en
gaged in a public relations cam
paign to kill high-speed rail in
Texas forever."
Trey Jacobson
Columnist
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originally contended that authority
members should not be influenced,
should take a closer look at its own
practices. Doesn't Southwest Airlines,
like all major corporations, have
several lobbyist at its beck and call?
d don't you think that those
obbyists spend time in the nation's
apital, as well as many other state
apitals, including Austin, trying to do
xactly what it's accusing Texas TGV of
jy and doing: influencing people with
mcem policymaking powers?
Diials. And the hypocrisy goes on ... If you
Aggie can think back a few months, you
r Plays might remember that Southwest
Airlines was making waves across the
state by asserting that the high-speed
in sta ra il system would require taxpayer
, e Shi subsidies, perhaps as high as $1 billion.
Now, that kind of money caught a lot
of attention, since this state is in a fiscal
nch. However, this issue should be
examined in a broader context.
The airline's claim about taxpayer
assistance may be true. But is
Southwest Airlines, or any airline for
that matter, in a position to complain?
Is it not the airlines that fill up the
airports of this country, which
taxpayers have provided? Sure, it is
easy for Southwest Airlines to balk at
the costs taxpayers might bear for the
railroad, but have they ever
complained about the tax subsidies the
airlines enjoy? Certainly not.
What we have here is a case of two
losers complaining to the only
sympathetic ear they can find: the court
system. Sure, $1 billion does sound like
a lot of taxpayer money for a private
transportation system. But wouldn't
that money directly return to benefit
the taxpayers? Compare this
investment to another that our
purportedly wise legislators have
made: the Superconducting Super
Collider.
Heck, what good are we ever going
to see come about from the $1 billion
state commitment to the supercollider?
Will that money ever be recouped? Will
it ever help our children's education?
Or our highways? Will that money go
to help you visit your relatives in Dallas
or Houston? Or will that money help
you and that special person in your life
be carried away to San Antonio for the
weekend? Answer to all: no.
Anyone who has ever visited train-
crazed Europe realizes the value, ease
and pleasure that fast-moving trains
could provide to this state. Not only
does the possibility for traveling across
state exist, but so does the possibility of
an expanded rail system to all portions
of the Lone Star State. Just think, if
College Station is fortunate enough to
get a high-speed rail stop (as the
system is currently planned), a person
could commute to Houston from here.
Talk about redefining urban sprawl!
Heck, you could go to the library in
Dallas and come back on the same
evening. Just think about the Ring
Dance possibilities for the future ...
But nooo ... Ever since the 100-mile-
per-hour train moved closer to reality.
Southwest Airlines has engaged in a
public relations campaign to kill high
speed rail in Texas forever. Can we
blame them? Although this columnist
has no empirical evidence to this effect,
it seems likely that a highly integrated
high-speed rail system in Texas could
seriously impact the airline's profits.
But are the profits for a single, albeit
Texas-based, airline so much of a
concern as to stop the trains for all 17
million residents of this state? I think
not.
The high-speed rail franchise was
awarded to Texas TGV over three
weeks ago. Hey, Southwest Airlines
and Texas FasTrac! Quit your whining
and let the citizens of this state have
what they want: high-speed rail. And
get out of the way of the Fligh-Speed
Rail Authority, for the trains are
pulling out of the station of
imagination and on to the track of
future. All-a-board, y'all!
Trey Jacobson is a graduate student in
public administration.
Mail Calls
interested in hearing from its readers and welcomes all lettei
Please indude name, classification, address and phone number on all letters. The editor reserves
die right to edit letters for style and length. Because of limited space, shorter letters have a better
chance of appearing. There is, however, no guarantee letters will appear. Letters may be brought
to 216 Reed McDonald or sent to Campus Mail Stop 1111.
In defense of the automobile Advice on buying tropical birds
EDITOR:
In Wednesday's issue of The Battalion, Tim Truesdale
noted that gas stations' prices do not reflect the total cost of
gasoline in this country. He then goes on to tout public
transportation and berate "inefficient automobile usage." I
would like to present a contrary view to a few points he
raised.
Tim claims the national highway system has cost the
cities grievously. He speaks of the wealthy abandoning the
city in favor of the suburbs. I would like to know what he
would have the populace do, crowd into greater and
greater rat warrens of the New York and East Coast mod
els? The proportion of rural Americans has steadily fallen
since the Depression. All the harbingers of doom tell us
small-town America is dying. There are no jobs, no oppor
tunities, no future left in the backwaters; the only hope for
the young are the urban centers. It seems Tim would have
us all packed shoulder to shoulder in highrise apartment
clusters. It might benefit him to look at the psychological
studies that have shown animals do not function well in
such supremely high densities. Rats cramped in too-
crowded a space become violent and depressed. Humans
do the same. The flight to the suburbs is not a symptom of
the "poison of the highways" but rather an act of self-pres
ervation.
Tim further claims that the use of the automobile has
killed contact between diverse peoples. I invite Tim to ex
amine the United States before the advent of the auto
mobile. Today the automobile allows a degree of mobility
unthinkable to our forefathers.
My central concern though is with individual freedom.
When you have a personal vehicle you are not limited to
going where someone else wishes to go when someone
else would like to go there. The Supreme Court has re
cently ruled that the police may search and seize on public
transportation without warrant or probable cause. They
regularly institute checkpoints claiming to be searching for
drunken drivers or some other popular cause, ignoring the
Constitution. I fully suppport public transportation, but
not at the expense of private transportation.
R. Michael Litchfeld '91
EDITOR:
I wish to thank Battalion columnist Michael Worsham
for the advice and addresses that people can write to in or
der to help protect the rainforests. It is true that deforesta
tion is severely endangering most of the tropical birds.
However, I disagree that people should not consider buy
ing a bird as a pet. These birds, particularly parrots, are ex
tremely intelligent, affectionate companions. Living with a
bird can only convince someone to save these wonderful
creatures and their habitat. Here is some responsible infor
mation for anyone interested in pet birds or their conserva
tion:
□ Don't buy smuggled birds. Many birds are captured
in their wild habitat and smuggled into the United States
illegally, avoiding quarantine regulations. Smuggling
brings disease, disrupts the wild population of the species
and contributes to the destruction of nesting sites. Re
cently, over 100 baby birds died when a smuggling deal
went "bad" in South Texas. By the time the birds were
passed by the authorities, they had been without food for
two days. The survivors are here at Texas A&M where
they are in a program that plans for their release.
□ Buy only a domestically raised bird. There are breed
ers in the local area and throughout the country who raise
domestically bred birds. Often you can finish hand feeding
a baby if you buy it young enough, but learn how before
you fry. Don't buy from pet shops because they usually
keep the birds in crowded cages and feed inadequate diets.
□ Before you buy, read! Inform yourself about the care
of birds before you buy one. Bird talk magazine is packed
with information on care and conservation. Barrens pub
lishes some excellent books, such as "The New Parrot
Handbook," which explains general care and nutrition.
□ Join your local bird club. The Brazos Valley Caged
Bird Club is active locally. Contact Kathy Everett at 822-
0763 for information.
□ Consult an avian veterinarian. Birds need special
care.
Chryseis Fox
graduate student
John Borin '92
Let's have a community service program at A&M
I
cam
Hint jl . stand corrected. A
couple of weeks ago I went into a tirade
^ about the absence of official problem
identification at Texas A&M. In a June
5 column, I ranted and raved about the
y lack of a standard for what a "world-
class" university should be trying to
achieve.
| According to Monday's (June 24)
l Bryan-College Station Eagle,
; University President William Mobley
\‘ appointed a Task Force on Multiple
t Missions to verbalize a long-range
J mission statement for the University,
p = After 17 months, the Committee has
|r ‘ submitted its report.
The group "identifies six specific
missions of the University:
) undergraduate education, graduate
• / and professional education,
■"C scholarship and research, public
service and work with the A&M system
xjAl agencies."
The report recognizes the
5A 1, interrelatedness of these elements.
--i C That is, no one area can be enhanced
I Without benefits spilling over into the
/ : Other areas. Similarly, no one area can
| Suffer without the other areas
j Suffering.
Sometimes, when faculty members
Tim
Truesdale
Columnist
get together to produce this type of
document, the resulting
recommendations don't match
students' concerns. Fortunately, this
was not the case this time.
One of the most voiced (and very
legitimate) complaints about schools
excelling in research is that teaching
responsibilities are neglected. This
problem is particularly accentuated in
undergraduate classes. Who cares if
your professor is the foremost expert
on the topic, but can't express herself,
or is unavailable outside of class?
To solve this problem, the report
recommends the University
"encourage greater one-on-one contact
between faculty and students and give
detailed attention to the improvement
of learning and teaching procedures
that affect quality."
The Task Force also calls for a
"comprehensive revitalization" of
campus libraries, improvement of
"support services to free quality time
for faculty to pursue mission goals"
and the establishment of a "learning
skills center that assesses student
progress in ... skills that will promote
learning."
These are wonderful ideas that will
benefit every student on this campus.
But frankly, this report could not nave
come out at a worse time from a
financial perspective. Many of the
recommendations require huge
budgets. And in case you haven't been
watching lately, state funding has not
been exactly floating around.
Although these recommendations
are outstanding, the practicality of the
situation requires many of them to be
shelved until the current temporary
fiscal crisis comes to an end. In my
opinion, this disappointment turns out
to be the beauty of the situation.
There are other missions and
recommendations that are far less
costly, but which need more immediate
attention. The Task Force identifies the
University's public service mission as
"the channel through which A&M can
contribute directly to the improvement
of society other than through formal
teaching and scholarship."
Unfortunately, "this was described as
the least understood of the University's
missions."
I'm not a historian of universities,
but I would guess that many schools
were established to produce
knowledgeable citizens, not scholar
S ocialists. Why can't we have both?
in we say that, in the development of
the whole person, refining reading and
writing skills is any more important
than refining a sense of civic
responsibility?
I realize that many students, and
probably a good number of faculty,
have never ventured into certain areas
of Bryan and College Station. WE
HAVE A THIRD WORLD SITUATION
HERE.
T
X hi
he interesting thing is that the
task force also calls for programs to
"increase the sensitivity and
understanding of diversity and
pluralism among students, staff,
faculty and administrators." But
diversity and pluralism are not
understood by sitting around in ivory
towers and listening to speeches.
I have a proposal that will very
inexpensively accomplish both the
public service mission and the diversity
exposure recommendations of the task
force.
Create a Community Service League
that directs students into concrete
community service experiences. The
University of Southern California and
Rutgers University have well-
developed programs that have proved
successful.
Right here in Texas, Baylor
University is developing a program
that expects over 2000 students to
participate by the 1992-1993 school
year. This is a voluntary program, but
is integrated into the student's field of
study. Each professor will be required
to attend a summer seminar to
encourage integration of classroom
learning with the service program.
I believe the Task Force on Multiple
Missions is correct in seeking a balance
between academic and non-academic
missions. In order to accomplish non-
academic missions, the University
should push students to look outside
its sacred walls to the "real world."
Tim Truesdale is a graduate student in
urban planning.