Opinion
Tuesday, September 22,1992 The Battalion Page 9
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Editorial
Deficit disaster
Problem too important to ignore
As the American public stares
[blankly into the headlights of a
unaway deficit, the presidential
candidates appear nesitant to
address the issue amidst the
rhetoric of economics and family
values.
J Paramount among such economic
issues as joblessness and
competitiveness, deficits create a
umDer of problems for the national
iconomy. Deficit spending devours
apital that would otherwise go into
investment and job creation.
Governments, often tempted to
"monetize" the debt by devaluing
the dollar, attempt to pay back the
debt with "cheaper" dollars and
subsequently increase inflation.
President Bush continues to lay
blame for the deficit in the hands of
Congress. However, the president's
linsistence on pointing fingers at
Congress conveniently overlooks
the tact that neither Bush nor his
predecessor Ronald Reagan ever
sent a balanced budget to Congress.
Bush has become the biggest
domestic spender in the White
House since Kennedy.
The numbers are soberinj
Approaching $400 billion, the 19^2
budget deficit yields a price tag of
$1,600 for every person in the
nation.
Interest payments on the $2.7
trillion national debt cost $200
billion annually, making it the third-
largest category of federal spending.
American federal debt, which stood
at 26 percent of national income in
1981, now stands at 52 percent.
At the heart of the deficit problem
lie the entitlement programs such as
Social Security, Medicaid, and
federal deposit insurance. These are
legal obligations of the government
to pay benefits to qualified citizens.
They account for over 60 percent of
federal spending, up from a 10
percent of the budget 30 years ago.
Entitlements are growing faster
than the American economy:
between 1970 and 1990, real
spending increased by six percent
per year while the economy grew at
a measly rate of 2.7 percent. This is
the first year in our history that
government jobs outnumber
manufacturing jobs.
Enter the candidates: Bush and
Clinton. Both are proposing billions
of dollars in programs, spending
cuts, and deficit reductions in what
can only be called the occult
calculus of election-year politicking.
Both are loath to touch the rapidly
inflating entitlement programs.
A recent examination of the
candidates' fiscal proposals in the
Wall Street Journal found gigantic
budget gaps. Bush's proposals for
five years came up $440 billion
short. Clinton's proposals for four
years were $359 billion short. Just
now the candidates propose to
square these circles remains a
mystery.
However, as November looms in
the distance, overshadowing the
headlights of political hand-
wringing and promise-making, the
candidates will find themselves on a
collision course with the issue of
deficit spending.
As the public continues to vent its
anger over House members'
inability to balance their
checkbooks, the spotlight will turn
to the national checkbook and to the
leaders who write the bills..
Vice President Quayle would do
well today as he addresses the
university to broach the issue of the
twin evils of debt and deficit;
students whose future paychecks
will be down-payments on the
spending frenzies of today would
cfo well to broach the issue with
him.
Starting life over in the Year Zero
People must recognize that life indeed has purpose
"What is life for? To die? I am
afraid. Then I must live. But what
for? In order to die? I could not es
cape from that circle." —Leo Tolstoy
A newborn zebra stares intently
at its mother's pattern during
its first ten minutes of exis
tence as the means to ensure lifetime
identification.
We humans may take a bit longer,
but eventually we find ourselves
mesmerized by the hypnotic patterns
of television, alcohol, sports, sex,
pleasure-seeking and careerism.
It's high time to come down from
the clouds and get into the business
of finding out who we are — starting anew on the first day
of the Year Zero.
The first step is putting things in perspective. Just how
tenuous is our existence as individuals and as a part of the
human race? Did you know that in the spring of 1989 an
asteroid packing the power of 20,000 hydrogen bombs
missed colliding with the Earth by six minutes?
How horrifying! Our very lives hang by a thread! Such
cataclysmic bolts from the blue aside, there exists that eerie
thought in the back of our minds that our country and
planet are falling apart at an exponential rate. Hidden deep
in the psyche, this disturbing notion is something we dare
not dwell upon for too long. Exactly what are we afraid of?
Is it Ernest Hemingway's belief that "life is nothing but a
dirty trick, a journey from nothingness to nothingness?"
Or Jean Paul Sartre's notion that "man is absurd, but must
grimly act as if he were not?"
One countermeasure to such gloom and doom is to place
one's faith in human nature. Some will seek an anchor of
"God and salvation" in various forms, choosing to believe
that the man on his knees sees more than the
philosopher/existentialist on his tiptoes.
Our parents and grandparents had the Nazi Holocaust,
the 50 million deaths of World War II and the accompany
ing nuclear strike against Japan to teach them perspective.
Our generation has MTV.
The second step is realizing our place in time and space.
Did you realize that most 20th century Americans enjoy a
lifestyle the kings and emperors of the ancient world never
had? Ever consider that the average life expectancy in the
Middle Ages was a "Logan’s Run" of 30 years?
Why do we worry and stress over future careers that
may or may not materialize when more than 80 percent of
Americans claim to be unhappy with their careers? Why
do we have so many policemen who harass, teachers con
cerned more with research than with helping students, and
doctors in medicine for a buck? Then again, even the most
successful career will rarely be as fulfilling as one would
imagine. Ask any Hollywood star.
The third step is self actualization. Just what are we ca
pable of as individuals and as a society? Did you know
that Japan's invasion of Manchuria ultimately led 30 mil
lion Chinese to move 2,000 miles, literally carrying indus
trial and educational institutions on their backs to
Sinkiang?
These same Chinese then constructed the infamous
"Burma Road" with hand tools in 11 months. This after the
top engineering firms in the West said it would take eight
years to build the road — with the most modem equipment
and machinery.
Did you know that the technology now exists to "ter
raform" Mars into a planet capable of supporting life? Yet,
how can we bring such a dream to fruition when we are a
people who invariably settle for less in almost every area of
life?
The fourth step is acquiring vision. Did you know that
Roy Norton's "The Vanishing Fleets," written in 1907, pre
dicted Japan's sneak attack on America and the eventual
nuclear response of the United States? Are there any such
men and women left to guide us through the pitfalls of the
next century? Where will we find the fire to go on and con
vince ourselves that the future is worth living for?
Throughout the march of human history the future has
generally looked bleak. Yet our parents and grandparents
tell us that out of the deepest pits of darkness, a light will
eventually appear, and things will work out.
An example of this is the fact that over half of the Euro
pean Jews who survived the Holocaust were under the age
of 12.
Considering the purge they had endured and the collec
tive spirit of the nation of Israel they would forge, it seems
they were more like the zebras than we.
LoBaido is a doctoral student in educational technology
ANTHONY C.
LOBAIDO
Columnist
82nd YfflBORNE
6>3rd
INFANTRY
47th
EXPLANATION
Quayle should be
heard, not heckled
As a member of the opposition party
of the individual who will visit the
Texas A&M student body and the resi
dents of Brazos County, I would like to
encourage everyone to give the Vice
President the respect he deserves re
gardless of whether he reflects the
views of the American people or more
so some denomination of the multicul
tural American society.
I discussed Dan Quayle's visit with
several of the members of Aggie
Democrats, and it was concluded that
no vocalized, planned organizational
protest at Dan Quayle's speech would
come about as a result of any effort of
ours.
The prime reason behind this consid
eration was a Clinton/ Gore Rally and
town meeting in Waco the week before
school started.
In trying to learn more of the propos
als of Gov. Clinton and Senator Gore
and in the attempt to hear first-hand
the great American political stump
speeches, a vocal group that interrupt
ed the speech periodically made for an
unpleasant experience for everyone.
There were many people who want
ed to experience first hand what many
of us only get a glimpse of in classes
such as American Oratory or Political
Rhetoric. Vice President Quayle's visit
to our community is a once in a lifetime
chance for some people.
So that everyone has the opportunity
to hear the alternately guided concepts
of Dan Quayle, try not to act as did the
anti-Clinton, anti-change, anti-Gore in
dividuals heckling Hilary and Bill Clin
ton and Tipper and A1 Gore. By such
disruption one only hampers the open
and free discourse of ideas upon which
progress can be made.
Let the undecided voters hear
Quayle's speech undistracted so that it
may stand or ultimately fail by its merit
alone.
We need to hear everyone's ideas
and refrain from secret plans and dis
tractions from the issues such as the
economy, education and environment
so that people are defined by what they
propose rather than sullied by distor
tions from either side of the muddy
fence.
However, for those that do feel it
necessary to exercise the constitutional
ly endowed right of freedom of speech,
the dissenters should be given due re
spect. We must all remember that
Quayle is not visiting us as Vice Presi
dent of the United States, but on the
campaign trail as Mr. J. Danforth
Quayle.
I'd like to add a call to the other side
to restrain from the oft-recurring hubris
which deceptively uplifts humankind
only to let him/her fall so hard. Quayle
thinks he will have an overwhelmingly
warm reception.
It would not be a surprise to see sev
eral homemade signs showing displea
sure with the current administration or
in favor of Clinton given the fact that 31
percent of those who participated in the
March primaries voted in the Demo
cratic Party primary and the very
strong on-campus, pro-change/pro-
Perot people did not vote.
Do not let Quayle's visit to A&M be
your last interaction with the campaign.
Read the paper daily if you truly care to
do your duty as a citizen and concerned
member of society. And remember not
only to vote but to cast an intelligent
and thoroughly informed vote.
Keep hope alive for your future.
Patrick K. Gendron
Class of'94
President, Aggie Democrats
All Aggies should
show consideration
I would like to express my anger and
disappointment with my fellow Aggies
that disrupted the Hispanic Unity Rally
held on Thursday, Sept. 17. While the
folkloric dance was in progress, a group
of Aggies were throwing themselves in
Rudder Fountain and yelling Aggie
songs.
This is the sorriest form of showing
Aggie Spirit.
We are all Aggies and we all deserve
respect. These particular Aggies acted
rudely and showed little if no respect to
their fellow Aggies, who took much of
their time and effort to perform.
My only hope is that this was done
in ignorance instead of intentional dis
respect.
We must all have an appreciation for
each other, because we are all Aggies
united by the Spirit of Aggieland.
I would like to apologize to the
dancers on behalf of these rude Aggies.
I would also like to send my congratu
lations to the dancers and leaders of the
rally on an excellent presentation. I
hope that in the future no Aggie will
show such ignorant behavior.
Anamaria Salinas
Class of '96
Ain't no fans like the
fans in Aggieland
I would like to thank all of the stu
dents at Texas A&M for attending the
MSC Town Hall variety show. The
Town Hall staff is the finest student or
ganization I have ever worked with in
my 8 years performing in the college
market.
I hope the students at A&M realize
what fine organization the Town Hall
organization is. My only regret was
that I did not record my show ... the
A&M audience is the best!
David Naster
College Comedian of the Year
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