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Opinion
mrsday, March 26,1992
The Battalion
Page 11
S associatioi
at the Cave
tyim at 845-9355,
GiATION
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m - to 10:30 p m
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The Battalion Editorial Board
DOUGLAS PILS, Editor in Chief
The
Battalion
BRIDGET HARROW, Managing Editor
BRIAN BONEY, Opinion Editor
JASON MORRIS, Night News Editor
MORGAN JUDAY, Night News Editor
MACK HARRISON, City Editor
KARL STOLLEIS, Photo Editor
SCOTT WUDEL, Sports Editor
ROB NEWBERRY, Lifestyles Editor
The following opinions are a consensus of The Battalion opinion staff and senior editors.
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51.
Back to reality
Congressional perquisites must go
'K STUDElii
The House Bank scandal points to a
larger problem in our House of
:E . Dimchor^' R e P resentatives ' though. Its members
r the 1993 SBs l^ ave to ° man y P er ks-
Department I Congress has yet again found itself
ie Department fin a scandal. This time it is not the
ns due March 2|exclusive fault of the Republicans or
the Democrats. It is the fault of the
politicians and the system. And no one
is exempt. Even the congressman who
represents Texas A&M's district. Jack
Fields, has been found to have written
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Congress has shown itself to be not
only out of touch with many of their
constituents in terms of policy, but also
lifestyle. Congressional members are
given services ranging from medical
care to gasoline, to parking, to franking
privileges; all free courtesy of the
taxpayer.
The House cannot call itself the
people's representatives with a straight
face. It is time for Congress to put itself
Call Felicia|on a more even footing with the rest of
the nation. While various legislators
and committees have called on
America to streamline and buckle
down, they themselves have proven
unwilling to do so.
At a time when the deficit is soaring
over $3 trillion and Congress is
submitted to Tb battling Bush over tax increases, the
io later than thn
?d run dale. M
ie number oi I:
Ip is a Mr .
ts and ac~\ l ‘
:ome, fitM
entry wdruii
jwsroom at Mi-
lawmakers saw no problem in using
$44.7 million in franking privileges last
year, $30 million in the last half alone.
It is no coincidence that these mailings
were sent out just as campaigning for
this years primaries was starting.
If our elected officials on Capitol
Hill had to pay 29 cents per letter they
mailed and $1.15 per gallon of gas they
used, they may be less likely to burden
the average citizen with escalating
rates and taxes.
It is unfair of the people to expect
Congress to balance our ailing
economy when Congressmen cannot
balance their own checkbooks. Of
course. Congress has another way
around that. Its members give
themselves a pay raise.
It is time for Congress, specifically
the House of Representatives, to re
examine the perks and privileges its
members have so graciously given
themselves. It is time for Congress
members to quit making excuses and
playing with their power as well as the
taxpayers money. It is time for Jack
Fields and the other members of
Congress to get in line with the
average citizen — in terms of pay and
privilege.
Maybe then they will understand
the problems of their constituents.
r, ;
I
No compromise
State deserves control of its prisons
?ss
Texas Attorney General Dan
Morales has taken a sensible stance in
regard to the negotiations between
state officials and lawyers representing
[inmates in the Ruiz prison-reform
i lawsuit. Acceptance of a deal
supported by Texas Board of Criminal
'aves, Strom' 1 Justice Chairman Selden Hale would
radiationis®jresult in a permanent injunction setting
id is the end population caps on Texas prisons and
ave ovens, would mean continued federal
's no singular supervision and management of our
ecific cause, ['prison system.
k Adding insult to injury is the
said she 1 inclusion within the compromise of
ight be asi « u t ra g eous p rov i s i ons f or inmate
jX ) f.Jrerequisites, such as color televisions.
d tWould be inconceivably unjust to
Ul1 'hlp eerni ’ 1 ° rce tbe same citizens and taxpayers
sSI 1 L ° victimized by these criminals to pay for
T "That's P r i so n luxuries. Attorney General
been ruledtijj 0ra i es rightly refused his assent to
Pis criminal-coddling joke of a
settlement.
I There has been speculation that
Morales took his position in order to
5 s
make political gains. Some observers
seem to think that he is trying to
position himself to the right of Gov.
Ann Richards on law and order to
facilitate a run for the governor's seat
in the next election. In this case, such
speculation is irrelevant. Morales is
doing the right thing, period.
It is true that accepting the out of
court settlement of the Ruiz lawsuit
would free up prison space in the short
term. However, those 2,000 prison beds
would hardly be worth the continued
federal micromanagement of Texas
prisons, caps on inmate populations
and acceptance of terms providing
amenities for convicts.
It can only be hoped that Gov.
Richards will not take Morales'
criticism of her appointee, Selden Hale,
personally, and that she will instead
throw her support behind the attorney
general.
It would be far better that Texas take
its chances in court than submit to this
fundamentally flawed compromise.
AAM&UUBS
THB FEcvftP
Looking back
Senior offers perspective from one who's through with school
Michael
Quinn
Sullivan
I t hardly seems possible. In only a
few short weeks, I will join the
rank-and-file of former students.
No longer will I be a "college
student." I will be a member of
society. (Know of any jobs out there?
I'm available for the next 40 years.)
However, there
are certain things
I have found to be
true during my
career at "ATM,"
and in life in
general. Life isn't
always as difficult
as everyone says,
but it usually is.
Here they are,
take 'em or leave
'em:
The first, and
most important,
truth can be
found in the Book of John, "God so
loved the world that He gave His
only Son, that whoever believes in
Him will have life everlasting." It is a
free, unconditional love, not a love
like that exemplified by Tilton,
Swaggert and company. All it takes is
faith, not money or promises. Just
faith.
In a race, in order for there to be a
winner there must be a loser. In life,
everyone can win, the only ones who
lose are those who don't try.
Always strive to be the best at
what you do because someone has to
be!
And if at first you don't succeed,
ask someone for help or else you will
just waste your time.
Physics tells us that in nature,
energy is neither created nor
destroyed and that for every action,
there is an equal and opposite
reaction. Both are true in our lives.
What we put in, we get out; whether
it be love, friendship, or even hate.
If you can't look in the mirror and
say, ^Hey, that's a great person," then
you can't expect anyone else too,
either.
If you have time to complain, you
have time to do something about it!
It's funny how we never really get
to know ourselves until we do
something we're really ashamed of.
If failure is such a great feature,
why do we make it such a negative
thing?
People say "Don't burn your
bridges," but having no escape routes
makes for a better life.
And sure, taking the road less
traveled can make a lot of difference.
But if you don't like what you are
doing, and don't believe in yourself,
it won't matter if you're on Interstate
45 or FM 105.
Do not judge yourself based on
others views. Judge yourself based on
your own views.
Greatness is a state of mind, not a
state of being.
It doesn't matter what you are, it
matters what you think you are.
Just as what "is" is not nearly as
important as what people think "is."
Before we try to change the world,
let's try to change ourselves.
Good luck is looking for a silver
needle in a haystack and finding the
straws are actually slivers of gold.
Logic tells us a bird in hand is
worth two in the bush. But it is more
fun, and potentially more rewarding,
to jump after the two in bush.
People are born into wealth, status
and influence. People are also bom
into poverty, pain and suffering.
Education is the great equalizer.
Education is not there to give the
answers to life's many questions,
only to give the tools necessary for
discovering them.
Physical beauty — or a lack of—
can be looked over. Ignorance can
not.
It is not always fair to judge people
based on their past performance, but
if the shoe fits ...
After my sophomore year, I
worked at a local grocery store,
carrying out sacks. One day, as I was
helping an elderly lady out, we
passed an older couple whom she
knew. When we were out of earshot
she said, "That's so sad, he's only got
a few months to live. Cancer." I made
some inane comment about how sad
it was. She looked at me and said,
"Son, let me give you some advice.
When you grow old your hair and
teeth fall out, your hearing leaves
you, your body plays games with
your mind and vice versa. It's not
fun. And dying isn't any better. But it
won't matter if you have lived your
life to the fullest. Do what's right,
have fun and no regrets."
The more I think about it, the lady
was right. Don't I want to say I lived?
Do things now while we still can,
there may not be a second chance. It
was the biggest tip I received all
summer.
Be involved. Whether in one
activity or many, do something
outside of class. Extracurricular
activities offer a chance at leadership,
learning and, most importantly,
relaxation.
Finally, dare to dream. The world
is a better place because along the
way people said, "But why not do it
this way?"
Just something to think about over
the weekend.
Sullivan is a senior
English major
Haitian policy
shows our bigotry
The Bush Administration's decision to forcibly
' e nd back to Haiti over 15,000 Haitian refugees
^eking asylum from their bloody militarist
Haitian government is both violent and racist.
Unknown thousands of Haitians have been killed,
ortured, raped, maimed, terrorized and made
homeless by the violent Haitian military ever
■’Wee it took over in the September 1990 coup. The
’jsn administration's decision to force these
refugees to return to Haiti against their will is a
JKely death sentence for each of the 15,000
.gees. fact, those who had been forcibly
^turned by the U.S. government and have
Reaped a second time have reported that
^turnees are systematically persecuted,
—^ Ur derpd and tortured. The Bush
Gnunistration's forcible return of these refugees
oe’s w i 65 tbe Statue of Liberty a sham. Perhaps her
tockExcM' , eJc onnng of the huddled masses should be
- ariged to say "Tired and hungry? Too bad!
yl only take you if you have enough money
ouse Q power to make it worthwhile!"
k ai u 1 rtbermor e, we Americans must ask
; n y 011 can r, ^Ives how much our brutal treatment of these
; fountain aitians has to do with the fact that they happen
. p e °) a ck Latin Americans. What if 15,000 white
orma Radians had escaped Canada after a military
U P and were being held temporarily in Detroit?
Would we as a country or would the Bush
administration as a ruling regime simply send
these Canadians back to their death? The Bush
administraton makes us wonder: Should the
Statue of Liberty be changed altogether into the
Statue of Bigotry?
At the very least, Haitian refugees should be
allowed to reside outside of Haiti until the
rightful Aristide government can be put back to
power in Haiti.
Irwin Tang
Class of '92
Get apartheid facts
right in editorials
I am writing this letter in response to the
Battalion's editorial "Apartheid's End" in the
March 24 newspaper. It's wonderful that South
African events are justifiably getting press time,
but if you're going to print it, get it right.
From July 1990 to May of the following year I
was a Rotary exchange student to Ladysmith,
Natal, Republic of South Africa. I find fault with
the article's use of the word "Afrikaner" for the
general white population. In South Africa,
approximately 60percent of the white population
speaks Afrikaans. Forty percent spaek English as
their first language. The Afkrikaans-speaking
population is the only one that can be legitimately
called Afrikaners. English speakers are termed
English even though they have had encestors
living in South Africa virtually since white people
first began living there.
My point is that there is considerable animosity
between the English-speaking white population
and the Afrikaans-speaking white population.
They are separate facets of their society. To group
all white South Africans together as Afrikaners is
unfair and wrong, and both would take offense
at it.
To call South Africa one of the most racist and
segegated countries in the world is also, I believe,
unfair. I know I am courting a backlash, but this is
from first hand experience. The number of people
I came into contact with in South Africa that
encouraged the continuation of apartheid can be
counted on one hand.
The article also implied that the Afrikaner
militants fear losing power. In reality, those that
support apartheid are a minority of even the
Afrikaans population. They don't have the power
now, so how could they lose it?
F.W. de Klerk is a man with guts. He is
attempting to lead his country to a democracy. It
will not be easy. But the people of Souh Africa
realize that it must be done. They don't deserve
our condemnation. The American media
treatment of their situation does.
Erin Marshall
Class of '95
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