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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 2, 1992)
Miller, Riggs stress trust in sheriff's race By REAGON CLAMON Reporter of THE BATTALION The two candidates for sheriff of Brazos County have empha sized trust throughout their cam paign — trust of themselves, and mistrust of their opponent. Lt. Bobby Riggs, head of the Bryan Police Department detec tive division and the challenger, has brought attention to incum bent Sheriff Ronnie Miller's 1990 gambling conviction as evidence of Miller's inability to serve a third term. "Myself, I would want some one who can be a role model," Riggs said. "He's been found guilty by his peers in court. I know it's on appeal, but I believe we need a role model that kids can follow." Miller was found guilty of gambling, a class C misdemeanor, and fined $1 by a Bryan jury in 1990. Miller is currently awaiting appeal. "Shoplifting is also a misde meanor," Riggs said. "I don't Riggs think people in our community want their elected officials break ing laws their sworn to uphold." Miller insists that he is being railroaded by Riggs' supporters. "What happened to the right of innocence, and the right to call witnesses and prove it in court," Miller said. "It's been two years. Capital murderers go to trial in a year. It's unreal." Miller said he was told by sev eral law enforcement officials that the gambling house in whch he was charged with playing dice at was totally legal, and that he was there only to get information for an investigation. Miller also said he had 12 witnesses that were pre pared to swear that he was telling the truth, but the court wouldn't allow it. "This is my reputation and my pride," Miller said. "When this is over, there's going to be some people embarrassed, and it's not going to be me." Miller said Brazos County vot ers should not trust Riggs with a $4.1 million sheriff's budget due to Riggs' financial inexperience. Miller said Brazos County des perately needs to create more space for its prisoners, and he has shown the experience to get it done right and get it done cheap. "We're back in a crisis situa tion," Riggs said. "We're going to have to build another wing on that jail, and it's going to cost $1.5 million to build it. Do you want to trust your tax money to some one with no experience?" Riggs said his administrative experience as head of the Bryan Police detective division at the Bryan Police Department has giv en him the background to work with a large budget. "I believe I have the manage ment ability to operate the office of sheriff," Riggs said. "It's been said that I have no ability to set a budget, but I do participate in the budget prepared for the investiga tive division." Riggs said his experience in budgeting has come from outside of law enforcement as well. "For about the past 10 years, I have been the treasurer and on the budget committee in my church," Riggs said. "I am a family man, so I guess I have to have budget skills." During the campaign, Riggs has pointed to a petition signed by 182 local criminal justice and law enforcement officials as a vote of confidence by his peers. Miller Miller said the petition is meaningless because it was passed around in the police de partment where Riggs works, and it doesn't represent all peace offi cers in the area. "There's 470 police officers and jailers, another 150 criminal justice officers," Miller said. "Take that number, divide it by the number that signed the petition(182), and you get 29 percent. Is that over whelming support? I'll take 71 percent any day." Miller also said several of the names on the petition were of offi cers he had fired or disciplined in the past. He said many of those people signed it just to spite him. Riggs disagrees. "I don't think there's any truth in that," he said. "I think the peo ple knew that I did not personally circulate the petition, and it stated up on the top what it was going to be used for — to be put in the pa per." Riggs said the officers who signed the petition believe in him and support him. "I have looked at it over the past few weeks and I know the people on there, and I think they know me," Riggs said. "They know me to be an honest trust worthy person they can work with." RANDY NICHOLS/The Battalion Students wait to vote early in the MSC Thursday afternoon. The last day for early voting was Friday. Election Day is Tuesday and polling places will be open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Third parties weigh in last Voter loyalty hampers smaller organizations, expert says By WILL HEALY Reporter of THE BATTAUON Despite voter discontent and the popularity of Ross Perot, third-party candidates will not play a ma jor role in the future of American politics, said Dr. George Edwards, the director of the Texas A&M Cen ter for Presidential Studies. Edwards said third-party candidates do not fare well in general elections for three reasons. First is attachments. Though party ties are not as strong as they were in the past, people are attached to the two (Republican and Democratic) parties, Ed wards said. Second, people do not like to waste their votes. America has a "winner take all" system in the elec toral college, and, according to Edwards, even if Per ot comes in second in the popular vote in every state, he will receive no electoral votes. This leaves little in centive for third parties, he said. The third reason for the ineffectiveness of third- party candidates is the narrow political spectrum in the United States. "We're a rarity among developed nations because we don't have a large leftist party, and that's an indi cator of a narrow political spectrum," said Edwards. "The differences among Americans in public policy are not nearly as great as differences among the Ital ians or French." John Kormylo, chairman of the Libertarian Party of Harris County, stressed the importance of the in fluence of third party candidates and said the Liber tarians could provide the swing vote in a general election. "If everyone who voted Libertarian in the (1990) governor's race voted Republican instead, the Re- I See Third party/Page 12 Bush, Clinton truant on education issue School debate mostly campaign rhetoric, professor says By BRANDI JORDAN Reporter of THE BATTAUON Underneath the recent hoopla surrounding the race for the presidency. President George Bush's and Gov. Bill Clinton's education plans have gone largely unmentioned beyond the standard political rhetoric. Dr. Bryan Jones, a political science professor at Texas A&M, explained the silence surrounding the education could be attributed to the fact that educa tion is a function of state and local agencies. "But, the candidates have to talk about it a little," Jones said. "In my day, it used to be campaign rhetoric about mom, baseball and apple-pie. Today, the rhetoric is shifted towards the economy, the deficit and education." . To satisfy the inquiries and ease the concerns of voters. Bush and Clinton have each addressed edu- cation, but the details about both of their plans have remained sketchy at best. Most of the informa tion concerning the ed ucation plans of the two major contenders for the presidency has been presented to voters in the form of printed campaign materials. Bush's education plan was printed in a brochure. The plan is titled 'America 2000.' Bush's plan calls for six education goals to be met nationwide. These six national edu cation goals include: • By the year 2000, all children in America will start school ready to learn. • By the year 2000, the high school graduation rate will increase to at least 90 percent. • By the year 2000, American students will leave grades four, eight and 12 having demonstrated com petency in challenging subject matter including Eng lish, mathematics, science, history and geography; and every school in America will ensure that all stu dents learn to use their minds well, so they may be prepared for responsible citizenship, further learning and productive employment in our modern econo my. • By the year 2000, U.S. students will be first in the world in science and mathematics achievement. • By the year 2000, every adult American will be literate and will possess the knowledge and skills necessary to compete in a global economy and exer cise the rights and responsibilities of citizenship. • By the year 2000, every school in America will be free of drugs and violence and will offer a disci plined environment conducive to learning. Phil Meuret, president of College Republicans, said Bush's 'America 2000' is the best possible plan, but conceded that Clinton's plan has merit. "Bush's plan is more reasonable," Meuret said. He's using the school system that's in place and re forming it. It simply will be more affordable. "(Voters) need to see what you can afford. See how much money's going to be available. From military cuts and elsewhere." Jones said, howev er, the main differ ences between the two candidates' education plans center around school choice, not cost. "Bush wants to is sue tax vouchers and allow parents to use the vouchers to choose between public, private and parochial schools," he said. "Clinton, though he believes in school choice, just wants choice within the same school districts." Another difference, Jones said, has been Clinton's National Service Trust Plan. Jones said the idea of a national service plan has been around since 1978 when Ted Kennedy introduced it as an alternative to the draft. "Clinton's plan involves pooling money into one college fund," Jones said. "Then, he'll tinker with the way students pay it back. They can either pay it back as a percentage of their income over an unde termined number of years or they can pay it back See Education/Page 12 "In my day, it used to be campaign rhetoric about mom, baseball and apple-pie. Today, the rhetoric is shifted towards the economy, the deficit and education." - Dr. Bryan Jones, A&M political science professor Debaters discuss media coverage By ERIK MERK Special to THE BATTAUON The media's coverage of this year's presidential candidates was the focus of a debate last Thurs day in the Memorial Student Cen ter. The debate, titled "America's Right to Know: Politics, Ethics, and the Media," was sponsored hy the Texas A&M Chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists in order to give voters an insight into what has been one of the most volatile elections in history. The debaters were Dr. Don Tomlinson, associate professor of journalism - media law, represent ing the media's position, and Dr. Charles Wiggins, professor of po litical science, representing the candidates, with Dr. Gary Halter, associate professor of political sci ence, serving as moderator. Points discussed were the fair ness and accuracy of the media coverage. Topics discussed includ ed the press' handling of the al leged Gennifer Flowers-Bill Clin ton affair and Ross Perot's accusa tions about Republicans possibly breaking up his daughter's wee ding last summer before he pulled out of the election in June; ethics of media support for a candidate, including editorial endorsement of candidates; a liberal or conserv ative bias in media coverage, in cluding the biases of large news bodies versus smaller news orga nizations; and what information should not be for public consump tion about the candidates. The topic that brought about the most discussion was the issue of the "new" media: talk shows like Larry King and Donahue, for mats that lack follow-up questions like MTV's "Choose or Lose" fo rums, and the general avoidance of the "traditional" media, such as "Meet the Press." See NABJ/Page 12 VOTER’S QUIDE Page 6-7 STILL UNDECIDED? Three Aggies endorse their presidential candidates. See Opinion, page 10 Expanded Mail Call, page 11