BMmmm
Wednesday, April 7,1993
The Battalion
Page 9
Deficit America's
biggest problem
Picture the economy as being a plant, a
green plant that develops leaves and
grows in response to light. Then picture
mammoth federal deficits as being a
bright light.
This is how our economy responds to
the deficit. As the federal deficit endures
in its presence, our economy develops
around it as though it were a light shin
ing on a plant. People's welfare and jobs
become dependent on the deficit remain
ing present. Without the federal deficit,
people would suffer.
This is the problem. Our federal
deficit is so big that our economy has be
come dependent on it. Yet, the deficit's
continued presence endangers the future
welfare of society. We are stuck, so to
speak, between a rock and a hard place.
Now, let's look at North America's
young peoples' interest in the affair.
Without big progress made on reducing
the deficit, you stand to inherit "Dust on
the Street" for a country in your lifetime.
Your future welfare therefore depends on
Americans reducing and eliminating the
deficit today.
But older Americans are different. Un
like you, they can plan to be dead and
one before the deficit problem comes
ome to roost. They are interested in
having the deficit remain while they are
dependent on it.
We have different interests than older
people! This is what I am saying. Our in
terests are not the same. This is true be
cause the lifetime experiences we will
have if the deficit problem is not solved
are different!
This is the simple logic I utilize in ana
lyzing our situation. It should not be
above the heads of self-respecting college
students to understand me. You live in a
country that has a problem threatening to
you, and you do so in the company of
people having different interests than
you.
Without organizing for a fight, you
stand to be defined as losers, losers of all
time. You will inherit a third world coun
try to live in. This is what continuecT
deficit spending on a mammoth scale
threatens to do to you.
Young people should, thOrefoYe/Uot be
so pre-occupied with studies and social
life. A problem demanding remedy is
presenting itself. It is called "deficit
spending" by the federal government.
My desire is to win young people's at
tention to these arguments. If you per
sonally could help me in this regard by
discussing this article with your col
leagues, I would be appreciative.
Joseph C. Kinney
Houston, Texas
Students shouldn't
have to fund library
In response to the Battalion's editorial
on voting "yes" to the library referen
dum, I must say that I disagree. I am not
questioning that the upkeep of the library
is an important issue, but rather where
should the money come from? I agree
that $15 is not a lot compared to the other
fees, but who says the other fees are rea
sonable? Instead of the students having
to pay more, why not "trim the fat" of the
other fees and re-allocate these funds to
the library?
Besides, I was always under the im
pression that the upkeep of the Universi
ty "Facilities" in the General Use Fee In
cluded the library building.
Darrin Deutsch
Class of '93
Dispelling negative
myths about Corps
As a former member of the Corps of
Cadets and the cadet court, I feel obliged
to respond to a few misconceptions un
covered in Kristi Hamilton's letter on
March 29. I am shocked that an A&M
student would level such powerful and
unsubstantiated generalizations concern
ing the Corps and its disciplinary system
as a result of the actions of an individual.
I hope her views represent only a small
percentage of the students enrolled at
Texas A&M. However, with the bad
press the Corps has received throughout
the past year I am not surprised that these
misconceptions do exist.
First and most important, the tens of
thousands of former cadets, and the pre
sent men and women of the Corps as a
whole, have never and will never con
done crimes, especially those as violent
and serious as rape. One example of the
Corps' efforts to create a safe campus is
the guard room cadet escorts which have
been provided for close to a decade -
with little publicity.
Second, the cadet court is not empow
ered by the state, federal or military judi
cial systems to sentence a corps member.
The cadet court's task is simply to review
accusations towards a cadet to determine
if he/she acted in a manner unbecoming
a cadet. After reaching a decision the
court makes a disciplinary recommenda
tion to the Commandant, who has the au
thority to expel a cadet only from the
Corps. University officials must decide to
expel a student from Texas A&M, and
any formal charges must be filed with the
police if an accused person is to be tried
in a court of law - a basic concept of the
U.S. judicial system that's Hamilton
doesn't seem to have a grasp of.
Finally, if attention were focused on
the many beneficial activities, such as the
annual March to the Brazos benefitting
The March of Dimes, Silver Taps, march-
ins, and even the B.Q.'s performances, in
stead of the unfounded perceptions of the
misinformed, perhaps then the Corps
would receive the respect it deserves as
the Keepers of the Aggie Spirit.
James A. Thomas
Graduate Student
Fish Day mars image
of Corps of Cadets
It is my opinion that the Corps of
Cadets have lost all dignity on days like
fish day. Their behavior is not one that
upholds the honor and tradition of the
Corps of Cadets.
I have worked at Duncan Dining hall
for the past few years and have seen these
so-called cadets act worse than animals
on fish day. This willful destruction of
property and the trashing of the dining
hall goes far beyond the call of duty. The
time a money that is spent each year to
clean up the place cost more than a few
minutes pleasure that the corps has at this
time. Do we or would we allow such be
havior to take place in our classrooms? I
would say not. It would be in the interest
of the University hierarchy to come to
fish day at Duncan and experience for
themselves the honor and tradition of the
corps.
Name withheld for job security
Health hazards of
drugs exaggerated
The recent editorial concerning the po
tential legalization of marijuana was well
thought out and extremely reasonable. It
contained, however, two glaring factual
errors.
The first was the assertion that LSD
has the "potential to kill immediately."
This is entirely untrue. Acid is, physio
logically speaking, the safest recreational
drug in the world. This is because the
user does an incredibly minute amount of
the drug, less than the surface area of the
tip of a safety pin. LSD does no more
harm to the human body than chocolate
does and is as physically addictive as
chewing gum. There is, of course, the
possibility of obtaining a "bad batch" and
dying as a result of using it. This would
not be a possibility, however, were the
drug legalized and regulated. The myths
concerning the short-term psychological
effects of LSD are ridiculous and wide
spread. Few if any have ever harmed
themselves or anyone else as a direct re
sult of using it. The long-term effects are
not entirely clear, but scientists generally
suspect that there are none, other than the
occasional "flashback."
The second error in the editorial was
the statement that marijuana "can cause
heart disease and lung cancer." There is
no concrete evidence that suggests this is
so. No link between pot and the afore
mentioned diseases has been found. This
does not mean that no such link exists.
But if it does, it is not glaringly obvious,
as is the case with tobacco, and therefore
marijuana is not as great a risk.
I am not advocating the use of either of
these drugs. When abused, like all drugs,
they have the potential to wreck lives.
But in a free society people should have
the right to make their own decisions
about their own lives, based upon accu
rate impartially presented information.
John Thompson
Class of '94
Students angry over
attack on gay poem
• First of all, let me congratulate the
mighty fascists of the P.C. thought police,
who try so hard to be the liberal version
of '1984' and would be surely admired by
Hitler for their ability to censor people's
thoughts and speech.
Let me also state that I am neither a
student at Texas A&M, nor a member of
its College Republican club. I was simply
a guest who chose to entertain a few peo
ple who think the same way that I do. I
am referring to the poem that I circulated
at last week's College Republicans meet
ing.
Why didn't the reporter report on
something involving the candidates who
were present - something that more di
rectly concerns Texas A&M?
For instance, Jimmy Stathatos seemed
to have been making some very cutting
comments at the podium that sounded
like a ruthless attack upon Jason Ar-
baugh. He lost my respect immediately.
Then, Jason Arbaugh stormed out of the
room, with an angry look on his face, and
mouthed what appeared to be a few vul
garities, while raising his right hand just
as he cleared the doorway, and I believe
that'he "shot the finger" at his opponent.
Instead of reporting something like this.
The Battalion reported on an obscurely
presented last-page poem that was in
tended to be read by people who, I had
reason to believe, agree with me about an
issue. I dare say that with regards to re
porting on "events" of the meeting (like
politicians lambasting and shooting fin
gers, and such), Kevin Lindstrom seems
to have failed at this.
Also, why didn't The Battalion print
the title of the poem, 'President Clinton's
Queen Berets'? Also, even if Kim Rettig,
the reported President of the Gay and
Lesbian Student Services, is or is not a les
bian, that she, along with demonstrative
ly immature people such as Arbaugh and
Stathatos, is being held up as a judge of
my character is ludicrous. More Ags are
probably against PC and against homo
sexuals and maybe that is why The Bat
talion accidentally forgot to print that I
used to be a College Republican club
chairman ( you know, a position of au
thority). They did make sure to present
me as only a former member from anoth
er university and gave a copy of the letter
and the poem (stapled together) to coun
cilman Jim Gardner, who only seemed of
fended about my cutting remarks about
democrats in the letter. Yet, he denied
even being aware of the poem??
Mark G. Clements
Owner MGC Information Services
• I see the next victim of the political
correctness and gay movement is now the
College Republicans. Now all the uproar
is over a gay-insulting poem that was cir
culated at their last meeting.
Since when is it a crime to make fun of!
a group or have an opinion on a certain
matter ? The poem sounds pretty funny
to me and because I think it's funny does
not show my "immaturity," as Kim Rettig-
has said. Also a poem like the one circu
lated does not help facilitate "ignorance"
and "fear," as Rettig also expressed. My
opinion of gays is not from ignorance; it
is from what I know is right and moral!
The gay lifestyle is sick and disgusting
and I don't tolerate that kind of behavior!
I encourage Mark Clements not to cave
in to the GLSS and compromise his feel
ings on this issue by giving a public apol
ogy - it will probably be demanded.
Now I'm sure letters will be written in
telling me that I am "close-minded" and
"insensitive." Well, I say let them come,
because this is how I feel and I am not
"close-minded" and "insensitive" be
cause I don't tolerate the gay lifestyle. It
is wrong and immoral and that is that.-
There are no in-betweens!
Brandon West
Class of'96,
Editoriols oppeoring in The Battalion reflect the views of the
editorial board. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of
other Battalion staff members, the Texas A&M student body ,
regents, administration, faculty or staff.
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