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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 11, 1992)
er 11,1992 es to play. 04 when with 3:07 who were 2 in their to Utah, ee throws re 33 of 36 22 of 23 in d Person 1 seal Min- mg - playoffs ' came on lead. Two ore Rober- sley pitch t complet- lly. The 7- a 3-1 lead the play- s. lis major ith Cleve- 2.60 ERA, i Memori- California :raded to season, he ox pitcher games. in. led a char- ce to pre- <vith their n though hes. Poly-SLO, ok inward back and ,s a result, ts second it needs it i, we got I put into Zal Poly," nk it (the ?p for us." spoke of ■ of many s suffered ly Aggies istance in Poly man- n out. urselves in . "(When 1 had to sit elves. We went ?eno) and 1 JATED IN | TTHGATE . 16-4135 egular ly item ■ • value I E ! 2 ning, im pon $39) of service STATION an, DDs es, DDS : SW Pkwy. 578 : II ,1993 Opinion Wednesday, November 11,1992 The Battalion Page 7 V eTErANs i •jay NOVEMBER 11, 1992 A day to remember Crime and punishment explored Drug war diverts attention from real crimes, causes I n the last ten years spending on criminal justice has risen twice as fast as health care spending. In this light, it is curious that all of the candidates in the recent presidential race advocated more of the same: harsher penalties, more police and more prisons. In a sense, many conservative thinkers are on to something with harsher penalties. Both harsher penalties and a judiciary willing to hand them down increase the cost of committing crime and decrease the incentive to commit crimes. Liberal thinkers are also on to something. Increasing the benefits of not committing crimes likewise decreases the incentive to commit crime. So the concern with poverty and crime is not without basis. Then why is the crime rate skyrocketing, despite all of the money and bullets being directed at this problem? Perhaps it is because so much of the "war on crime" is being misdirected into the war on drugs. Discussing crime in America has become impossible without referring to the so-called drug problem. The "war on drugs" misuses metaphor. In no sense is this a war on drugs. It is a war on human beings. After Ronald Reagan left office, more American citizens were in federal prison for drug crimes than were in federal prison for all other crimes. By 1995,it has been estimated that 67 percent of all convicts will be imprisoned for drug crimes. The problem with drugs is that they are illegal. While drugs are sometimes associated with crime, as is alcohol, drugs are neither a necessary nor sufficient cause of crime. Since people pay large sums of money to get drugs, sup pliers take great risks to gamer the profits that illegal drugs generate. The two great crime waves of this century were both associated with prohibition of some type. In the 1920s, it was alcohol prohibition. Now, it is "drug" prohi bition. Both also brought more potent drugs into the mar ket. Prohibition in the 1920s generated alcohol ten times more potent than pre-prohibition alcohol. In addition, pro hibition alcohol was often adulterated with toxins. Be tween 1974 and 1984, the percentage of THC —the active ingredient in marijuana — increased eight times. Further, a more potent form of cocaine, crack, has also appeared. And like alcohol prohibition, many drugs today are adul terated with toxins. Both prohibitions this century also spawned gangs that have fought for territory to sell their substances. After the repeal of alcohol prohibition, liquor sellers stopped staking out their territory with drive-by shootings. Neither the increase of more potent drugs nor the growth of gangs were present when these drugs were pre viously legal in America — even the Declaration of Inde pendence was written upon hemp, or marijuana, paper. It is a symptom of the perversity and paranoia of the times when it is legal to carry a loaded gun about but not an empty syringe. It is time to re-legalize drugs. Aborting the drug war and the persecution of drug users, would release more resources for the real crime problems facing America. Crimes that matter, crimes with victims, need more stringent punishments. I do not pretend to know the opti mum punishment for murder, but it seems that the actual number of years served for murder, about six years, is laughable. Is that really a disincentive for murder? There needs to be a reasonable amount of certainty that those con victed of crimes such as murder and rape serve more strin gent sentences. This should not be taken to mean that I support the death penalty. The economics of the effect of income level upon crime appears impeccable. As income levels increase, the oppor tunity costs of crime are increased. Therefore in a given so ciety, crime would tend to decrease, everything else held constant, as income increased. Economic progress for the impoverished is imperative to give an incentive for non crime. Diverting efforts from the war on drugs to the war on crime will focus energies where they are more needed. In creasing the costs of crime and increasing the benefits of noncrime will bring the crime rate down. Dickerson is a sophomore economics major MATTHEW DICKERSON Columnist Editorial Waste not, want not Attention saves money and earth The natural environment is erod ing, and students at Texas A&M can do something about it. Unlike the depletion of the ozone layer, water shortages and electrici ty costs are ecological concerns which, though less universal, hit a little closer to home. Students living in dorms and some apartments pay a flat fee for utilities like water and electricity. This flat fee encourages students to i use unlimited amounts of the utili ties without paying one cent extra I for the excess. Many students never I realize that wasted water and elec- j tricity exert a cost on the environ- : ment as well as on bank accounts. Too often, students leave lights on or water running simply because it's convenient. A phone rings and the ensuing conversation lasts for an hour, while the shower water continues to run. Classes start in ten minutes, and the student runs late to class disregard ing the light, the fan, the radio, the computer, and the desk lamp which remain on. The scenario seems overblown, but students do it all the time. Students can make a difference by taking a few seconds to turn off appliances when not in use. Water should be run only when needed and turned off if something occurs to delay the user. A little thought makes a big dif ference. An ounce of prevention could be worth a gallon of water. Texas A&M is considered one of the most conservative campuses in the world; maybe it's time to leam how to conserve. Americans need not fear new president The votes are in; the decision has been made; and Bill Clinton is now the president of the United States. I look at the faces of the people around me and see happiness, anger, disappointment and hope. For some reason too, amongst the faces of so many, I see fear. They fear the future, what it holds for America and what will happen now that there is a Democrat in the White House. All that they remember of the Democrats in office is pain and despair. They can only remember the sad hap penings of that time. Why are you afraid? You forget that it is not the president who makes the rules but us, the people of America. The president is an embodiment of the beliefs of the people of America. He Will do what the people feel is better. We cannot let him know how we feel if We continue to act alone. We must unite together as Americans, and let him know what is up. We must always remember that we are not Aggies or t-sips. Democrats or Republicans, Corps turds or non-regs. We are citizens of the United States of America, united under the beliefs of a free nation. So through this letter I hope that I have turned some fear into faith. Now that we move into a new era of politics, I wish to leave the peo ple of America with this one quote that I have learned so very well. "Per Uni- tatem Vis" — "Through Unity, Strength." John R. Bianchi Class of '94 Twelfth Man lost against Louisville I am writing this letter to say some thing to the Texas A&M Twelfth Man that I never thought I'd have to say — Shame on you! Last Saturday at the Louisville game, I got a lump in my throat and a tear in my eye as I looked out on the student body from my seat on the alumni side. Was it the Aggie Band's beautiful ren dition of our school song that tugged at my heartstrings? Was it the brilliance of the Aggie football team that stirred me so? No it was the paltry attendance on your side of the stadium. Where were you? Our team is 9-0 and number four in the nation. The national champi onship is within our grasp. We have something that hasn't happened in decades. Yet all this is irrelevant. You are the Twelfth Man on the team, and you didn't show up to your own game. Don't tell me you watched it on TV. Everyone knows that nothing compares to "being there." Let me remind you that the student side of Kyle Field is in full view of our players' bench. What kind of message are you sending them? That you 're only there for the "really important games"? I also noticed the flood of students leaving late in the third quarter, once the game was in the bag. There was a time when only t-sips did that. Did you even know that had we been outscored, the game would have been followed by yell practice? Or has the Aggie dominance on the field for the last few years spoiled you? For what it's worth, you missed a great game. The 48,000 that were and I will con tinue to turn out in full force for the rest of the season. A lot of us already have hotel reservations in Dallas for the Jan. 1. Hope you can make it. E. King Gill was ready to play for his team once. Where were you? Keith W. Johnson Class of'91 MSC a memorial, not a shopping mall This letter is addressed to the orga nizers of the clothing sale on Tuesday in the MSC. MSC does not stand for Main Shopping Center. Remember, the MSC is a memorial to the Aggies who have given their lives in past wars. The shopping mall is a good place to buy clothes. The MSC is a good place to pay respects for those who have made the final sacrifice for you and your country. Certainly you don't think that I would buy clothes at a cemetery just because the price was right. Next time, think about a more appropriate setting at which to display and sell your goods. Matthew Michaels Class of'93 Where is the line drawn on tolerance? In response to David B. Nash Ill's letter, I must question the reference source used for his assertions. As a Christian, my reference is the Bible, which tells me that homosexuality, bes tiality, necrophilia and pedophilia are all wrong. Having the Bible as a reference point is how I base my beliefs. Mr. Nash, where do your beliefs come from? What tells you what is right and wrong? And who are you to say that homosexuality is OK, but the others are not? Does some inner voice tell you? I believe tlv point trying to be made by Zeke and Owen is, "Where is the line drawn?" What is to prevent fathers from com ing forth and claiming their rights to have sex with their daughters because they have their daughters' "consent"? I have seen a daughter give her consent, so do not think it can't happen. I also do not believe that Zeke and Owen's intolerance for homosexuality can be called bigotry. if you have the right to be gay, then others have the right to believe you are wrong. Shiloh Green Class of'96 Editorials appearing In The Battalion reflect the views Of the opinion page staff and ecfitor in chief only. They do not represent, in any way, the opinions of reporters, staff, or editors of other sections of the newspaper. Columns, guest columns, and Mafl Call Herns express the opinions of the authors only. The Battalion encourages letters to the editor and wHt print as many as space allows in the Mail Cali section Letters must be 300 words or less and include author's name, Social Security number, class, and phone number We reserve the right to edit letters for length, style, and accuracy. Letters should be addressed to: The Battalion - Mail CaH 013 Reed McDonald /Mat) stop 1111 Texas A&M University Cottage Station, TX 77843