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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 15, 1992)
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Council t; '' 0n ' WiUii aufhorij funds for; ontracttoi ' c >fy usle a nee reft ■mited nii; tes for titj e contrito; tions. ouncil dch iesday,C« er submis ge drafted imitteesti t Ryan’s j ents wnacoru wise atR rs Bruxvoi ie Peace E; ed to acs d notappi d suggest! in. m’t have: ’ifeofoib he Mitels ? corporaii owned as ands CeiS ive directi ipdaints soi nosing ail g artists to make me vestment >r low cloi 't sayiif te Clintw campaif ark. : ing aboil vill be de ,e workei )n was us t attentioi raft states r ar, whid ious cam- -erythioS ion off 01 a serious r took Ws id attend- 7 T ?w yf l w L *v r Vf i n$ H1.-00 .5:0® 39:00 j9:00 35:00 The Battalion Vol. 92 No. 12 (8 pages) ‘Serving Texas A&M Since 1893’ Tuesday, September 15, 1992 Gore stresses job security on campaign trail THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ARLINGTON — Democratic vice pres idential candidate A1 Gore emphasized protecting jobs Monday during a campaign stop in Tarrant County to counter recent visits to Texas by President Bush and his wife. Gore told about 300 workers at Bell Heli copter Textron, which jointly develops the V-22 Osprey with Boe ing Helicopter, that Re publicans have opposed the tilt-rotor aircraft "tooth-and-nail," threatening jobs in Tarrant County. "The only time they start worrying about your jobs is when their jobs are on the line," said Gore, who was flanked by Democratic Reps. Martin Frost and Pete Geren. The Pentagon, after skirmishing with Congress for years over the controversial V-22, announced recently it would free up money that it had been holding back from the program. The Tennessee law maker, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, dismissed the move as an election year flip-flop. "Whenever I hear George Bush say the principal issue in this election is whether or not he can be trusted, I think of the his tory of his statements and actions with re spect to the tilt-rotor technology," he said. Gore said the Bush administration has overlooked the domestic applications for the Osprey, which he said has the possi bility of "untying the knots in America's air transportation system." "In air corridors of 500 miles or less, one of the major problems we face today is congestion, long waiting times for lim ited runway space . . .," Gore said. "This technology holds the promise of solving those backup problems." Antonio Morelli, 58, a worker at the Defense Plant Representative Office at Bell, didn't buy it. "It was a good speech, but I don't be lieve the words (politicians) say," he said. "Don't you know? It's a political year." Gore said he anticipates reduction in military spending no matter who is elect ed in November. He said the skills of dis placed workers could be used to improve the nation's transportation and communi cations industry. Rep. Joe Barton, R-En- nis, held a news conference across the street to attack proposed Democratic de fense cuts. "These defense cuts in the Clinton-Gore budget are unspecified," he said. "We need to know where they're going to make those cuts." The Gore swing through Fort Worth and later to Lubbock was quickly arranged last week to counter recent vis its by Bush and his wife to Tarrant Coun ty. The area has been pummeled by the expected closure of Carswell Air Force Base and layoffs at the Fort Worth Gener al Dynamics plant. Gore said America's economic perfor mance under the Bush administration is the worst since the Great Depression. "We thought that we got rid of the Hollywood approach when Ronald Rea gan left," he said. "Well George Bush has made a movie. He calls it, 'Honey, I Shrunk the Econo my.'" Texas, with its 32 electoral votes, is crucial to both candidates. The latest polls show both candidates in a tight race here. Gore President refuses to sign endangered species pact THE ASSOCIATED PRESS COLVILLE, Wash. — President Bush battled De mocrat Bill Clinton for votes in the Pacific Northwest on Monday, declaring environ mental laws should be changed to "make people more important than owls." Bush vowed not to sign an ex tension of the Endangered Species Act unless it's rewritten to give more emphasis to economic priori ties and timber harvesting. Clinton maintained that he was the candidate who could best pro mote economic development while Clinton at the same time preserving the en vironment. "I know that you can be pro-growth and pro-en vironment," the Democratic nominee told a crowd in Portland, Oregon. Bush told a cheering audience at a lumber compa ny near the Canadian border that the balance be tween the environment and jobs has been lost. "It is time to make people more important than owls," he said. "It's time to put the mills back to work." Bush delivered his promise on a trip through tim ber -and spotted-owl country of Washington and Oregon, accusing Clinton of favoring the environ ment rather than jobs. Thousands of timber workers have lost their jobs because of protection of the owl and an industry slump. Clinton maintains that the Republicans are asking voters to make a false choice between jobs and the environment. "Bush gave us neither. We think you can have both," said Bruce Reed, one of Clinton's domestic policy advisers. "The choice is be tween George Bush and jobs." Clinton traveled to Eugene, Ore., where he was visiting with five families whose lives have been affected by changes in the timber industry. He has called for a summit on the spotted owl — an idea that Bush Bush derided as "false hope." "No more studies, let's change the law," Bush said. "My opponent will not fight to change the law to restore balance." The 19-year-old Endangered Species Act has pro tected more than 500 animals and plants, including the bald eagle, grizzly bear, peregrine falcon and whooping crane. The Fish and Wildlife Service declared the north ern spotted owl a threatened species in June 1990, citing excessive logging of old-growth forests as a threat to its survival. Logging of the Northwest's na tional forests has come to a virtual standstill as feder al courts have found government harvesting prac tices to be in violation of U.S. environmental laws. Iniki costs islands $1 billion in damages, governor says THE ASSOCIATED PRESS LIHUE, Hawaii — Military police cleared roads of palm fronds, telephone poles and roof shingles Monday, and residents whose homes were smashed by nature's whim wondered when their lives might return to normal. Hurricane Iniki had turned the tropical paradise of Kauai topsy-turvy, and an approaching storm threatened to add to the disorder. Neighboring islands in the Hawaiian chain were ferrying in field kitchens and portable showers, bulldozers and generators, engineers and carpen ters. Limited phone service was restored for some of Kauai's 52,000 residents. About half the island had running water. And electrical power was expected to be restored to the largest town of Lihue by next Monday. "I'm really surprised at the speed at which they are doing it," said Hawaii Civil Defense Planner Glenn Soma. "They have so much aloha spirit from the other islands, people sending in equipment, sup plies, everything else. It's incredible." Iniki, the most powerful hurricane to hit Hawaii this century, roared across the lightly populated western end of Kauai on Friday, leveling sugar plantations and churning up the eastern and south ern shore where most people live, and where luxury hotels and tourist bungalows abound. Federal officials said 10,000 of the island's 21,000 homes were badly damaged by sustained wind of 130 mph and 160 mph gusts. Most of the 70 hotels sustained serious damage. More than 7,000 people were crowded into shelters. The hurricane was blamed for at least three deaths, including one in a town east of Honolulu on Oahu Island, which lies across the 80-mile-wide Kauai Channel. About 100 people were injured. The Coast Guard searched between Kauai and Niihau, a small neighboring island that sustained only minor damage, for two people reported aboard a sailboat that sank as Iniki hit. A 50-year-old Kauai man who also was on the boat was rescued Satur day after clinging to an ice chest for 21 hours. Authorities said later that the search was sus pended indefinitely. Federal and state officials planned to begin ground surveys of the damage, which Gov. John Waihee estimated at $1 billion. Oahu escaped the worst of the storm, with an es timated $2.5 million damage to 163 private build ings. Moderate rain from a tropical depression south of the islands was forecast to reach Kauai by mid day, along with 10-25 mph wind. The only danger was that "we may get a little wet," said Civil Defense Vice Director Roy Price. Heavy showers caused minor flooding on Hawaii Island's eastern coast early Monday. Federal disaster officials directed a round-the- clock airlift of supplies. More than 800 members of the National Guard were brought in to assist. Full electrical service could take about four months to restore, but 60 percent of the lines should be working within a week. Soma said. Chuck Johnson, Moses Hall Crew Chief, of the hair on his head. Johnson said the first sharpens an axe in preparation for the first cut classes will be held on Tuesday and Bonfire cut on Sept. 26. A sophomore business Wednesday of this week at 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. at major from Mansfield, Johnson has a "M” cut out the Grove. Bush to fight Congress on budget THE ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON— President Bush, primed for a showdown with Congress over spending, will veto any congressional appropriation "that goes one penny above his request," Vice President Dan Quayle said. "If Congress doesn't think he's going to veto it, go ahead, George Mitchell/send these bills down there above die president's budget, and we'll veto them," Quayle said on ABC's "This Week With David Brinkley." Mitchell, the Senate Majority Leader, earlier on NBC's "Meet the Press" accused Bush of "incon sistency/' "Here's the President going around the country doling Out a billion here, a billion there, a billion there, the Maine Democrat said. "Meantime back in the Capitol, the House of Representatives has appropriated $13 billion less than the president has requested and now we see in the front page of the paper that the president is talking about some way to rein in spending." Attorney blames students for parking violations By REAGON CLAMON Reporter of THE BATTALION If there is a natural enemy to the col lege student, some believe it would have to be the tow truck. Year after year, an gry students lash out at what they feel to Be unfair practices on the part of towing companies and local businesses who tem porarily destroy their lives with one phone call. Most cases, however, turn out to in volve more confusion than con, according to Rick Powell, an attorney at the Texas A&M Student Attorney's office. Students usually don't actively seek out signs that might denote a parking place as restricted, said Powell, nor do they anticipate the bloodthirsty tactics of 'a business that runs entirely on cash. "Usually it's the student's fault," Pow ell said. "The student shouldn't have parked there and they knew it. They lose a lot in court because of it." Powell said the few cases that have had merit involve the business not mark ing the parking area properly. "The best argument is that the signs weren't up where they are supposed to be," Powell said. "Then the students have a Case." Powell said wrecker services are cash oriented, and they sometimes cross the line between ethical and unethical prac tices. "They hide behind cars and around the side of buildings and wait for students to leave their cars," Powell said. "They want to tow. They make a lot of money and they're towing as fast as they can." Powell said some students complain towing companies have damaged their vehicles in the process of impounding it. "They can break power door locks to get in the car," Powell said. "Sometimes parts of the car are torn off. Sometimes transmissions are ruined when front- wheel drive vehicles are towed wrong." These complaints are hard to prove, however. "The tow truck people claim that it's not their fault. . .that they didn't do it," Powell said. "If nobody saw it, there are no witnesses. "They'll swear that it's not their fault. They're professionals." Powell said students do try to prove towing companies are guilty of damaging their cars, rarely ever receive compensa tion. "It is so hard to get money out of these companies," Powell said. "They don't just pull out their wallet and give away their money." Extravagant storage expense is another common complaint, said Larry Lightfoot, executive director of the Brazos County Better Business Bureau. "Many towing companies charge a storage fee from midnight to midnight," Lightfoot said. "If the car is towed at night, say around eleven, the student may not find out till around one. Then, the towing company will charge for two days of stor age." The Better Business Bureau offers arbi tration between consumers and business es, and Lightfoot said this is a good idea for students who have disagreements with wrecker companies. Powell had a special message for visi tors to business on Northgate. "Northgate is the worst," Powell said. "You're taking a risk every time you dri ve your car there." The best advice for students, Powell said, is to keep their eyes open for wreck er signs. "They need to be looking for signs," Powell said. "If they can't find a sign, they need to ask merchants if they tow. Students never seem to do this."