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The Battalion
THURSDAY
July 25, 1996
OPINIO
Page 5
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FTALION
iified
rising
Economic freedom
may reduce poverty
as/
dabfe
me?
the world’s
population
survives on
an income of
less than $2
a day, ac
cording to a
recent U.N.
survey.
The
wealthy are
becoming increasingly
wealthy, while the poor are
getting poorer.
The last time I opened the
New York Times, the results of
the survey were reflected
throughout the paper. I wasn’t
too surprised to read about
bushmen living in twig houses
in Botswana. After turning the
page, though, I learned that an
estimated 10,000 people live in
cages in Hong Kong, one of the
most developed economic centers
in the world.
Amidst these articles were
ads for jewelry from Tiffany’s
and watches from Movado,
making me wonder how it is
justifiable for some people to
have so much while others
have so little.
It would be easy to blame
poverty on capitalism; however,
disparities in wealth exist in the
United States because we have
destroyed much of the free en
terprise that made this country
a force to be reckoned with.
Today, so much is wasted in
the name of helping people. The
government seems to be con
vinced that it is easier to give
people free money than give the
poor the ability to earn their
own checks.
A welfare bill that just passed
the Senate would require people
to work for benefits and would
relinquish federal control of wel
fare programs to states.
However, although both
Congress and President Clin
ton see the benefits of chang
ing the structure of welfare,
the fact remains that both
sides are wary of commitment
during an election year.
Republicans are more con
cerned with tricking Clinton into
vetoing the bill to improve their
standing. On the other hand,
Clinton desperately needs to ful
fill a campaign promise by pass
ing welfare reform after vetoing
two previous Republican bills.
If other countries around the
world are any indication, less
government intervention in ar
eas such as welfare seems to
lead to a more commensurate di
vision of wealth.
The U.N. survey found that
Asian countries have some of the
most equitable societies even
without constant government in
tervention because of rampant
economic growth.
Our country has many
problems, but the answer is
not government control; it is
more initiatives for innovation
and development.
Government control over
business in the crpdle of free
enterprise has caused many
entrepreneurs to renounce
their citizenship to avoid pay
ing sizable portions of their in
comes to the government.
The economic freedom and
independence that made the
United States great in the first
place is losing its grasp. The
Pacific Rim, though, continues
to grow as the government
keeps its hands off what it
knows nothing about.
You wouldn’t want a politi
cal science professor teaching
your accounting class; why let
a partisan government inter
fere when it only wants to im
prove its standings during an
election year?
Heather Pace is a class of ’99
English major
Viewer voting won’t beautify pageant
F inally,
Miss
America
is starting to
show some
semblance of
American
democracy.
Officials
have an
nounced that,
for the first
time in histo
ry, TV viewers
will be able to phone in and cast
their vote for the winner of the
coveted crown when the pageant
airs Sept. 14. A 9 ) number will
be set up, a d fans will be able
to help select Jie five finalists
from a field of 10 semifinalists
for a 50-cent fee.
The seven-member judging
panel will still exist, of course;
viewers who call in their votes
will merely act as an eighth
judge on the panel.
Since its inception, the glitzy
pageant has chosen an up
standing young female virgin to
represent the people of the
United States. Her job, like
that of the vice president, is
one with little attention and
less responsibility.
She gets her picture taken
at some fund-raising dinner,
accepts an award at some
fund-raising dinner, and risks
showing a little too much
cleavage at some fund-raising
dinner. The pageant officials,
however, seem to feel it is only
fitting that she be chosen by a
popular vote.
But this change may be more
trouble than it’s worth.
Miss America 1996, Shawntel
Smith, said she thinks the
change will improve the pageant.
“The American people should
have a part in making the
choice,” she said.
She makes it sound so noble.
The trouble is, nobody really
takes the pageant seriously.
The candidates who draw at
tention and will probably cap
ture Americans’ votes are not
the glamorous specimens of the
American woman. They are the
ones with dresses so brightly
sequined you can’t look at
them. They are the ones with
more eye makeup than a fifth-
grade girl who just discovered
her big sister’s stash of L’Oreal.
If people don’t vote for the
tasteless woman, they’ll go for
the unconventional one. I don’t
know about anybody else, but I
would much rather cast my
vote for the less-than-perfect
candidate who taps out “The
Star-Spangled Banner” on the
spoons than a suntanned Cali
fornian who warbles “The Wind
Beneath My Wings.”
In short, voting for the
“proper” candidate is silly. Who
would want to blow a 50-cent
vote on just another beautiful-
yet-boring woman?
For us, voting will be more
fun. But for the officials, it’ll
backfire drastically. It’ll make
them glad they still have seven
judges to overrule the eighth one.
Also possible is the emergence
of childish mudslinging similar
to the one that sours the Ameri
can political scene.
For 76 years, everybody has
loved Miss America. No matter
what state, race or token physi
cal handicap, she has always
had white teeth, a clear com
plexion and a past free of em
barrassing incidents.
Or so we thought.
After a few years of this de
mocratic phone voting, we may
start to see candidates hiring
staff members to dig up dirt on
opponents and present it in
grainy black-and-white com
mercials. We’ll hear of horrible
backseat shenanigans and ille
gal acceptance of campaign con
tributions from Max Factor and
Oleg Cassini.
The messiness of politics
could easily intrude into the for
merly squeaky-clean world of the
Miss America pageant. It’ll kill
the pageant’s innocence.
Maybe this phone-voting
idea is more democratic — and
therefore more American. But
after what democracy has done
to American politics, is that a
good thing?
Shannon Halbrook is a
Class of’98 English major
dive
Insurance changes not worth getting sick over
I t was midnight on
a Sunday when I
woke my room
mate in a panic.
“Rick, wake up. I
have to go to the hos
pital. My lung is col
lapsing again.”
After a fast drive to
Columbia Medical
Center, the X-rays con
firmed it. I was told I
would need surgery as
soon as possible.
In the heat of the moment, I chose Co
lumbia Medical Center because I had
been there before and received excellent
care. The insurance I had and the health
plan I was on were not factors, and they
do not have to be for anyone else.
Scott & White’s recent decision to re
strict its health plan members to St.
Joseph Regional Health Center might
cause some anger, prompting people to
think the big brother of health care in the
Brazos Valley has forced its members
(9,000 of which are A&M faculty, staff
and graduate students) to go to a hospital
they don’t prefer. That’s certainly what I
thought. I myself see doctors at Scott &
White, yet prefer Columbia Medical Cen
ter when I need more serious care.
But, after investigating, I found out
that I can go wherever I want for health
care; and so can anyone else, even if he or
she is a faculty or staff member at A&M.
The key is that it depends on which
health care insurance plan you are on.
Health care providers like Scott &
White have been doing this kind of con
solidation for years. It makes sense for
the companies who do it, because it saves
them a lot of money to consolidate all
their resources to one hospital. Deny
Radefeld, executive director of the Scott
& White Health Plan, mentioned there
were several reasons for the move. “Con
solidation of resources, efficiency and cost
were the main factors in this decision,”
he said.
It also should be noted that Scott &
White is a non-profit organization, and
any money it saves will get passed on to
its customers.
As far as people working at A&M, fac
ulty, staff and graduate students basical
ly have three choices of health insurance
plans. They can choose P.C.A., which re
stricts its members to Columbia Medical
Center; they can choose Blue Cros^/Blue
Shield, which gives its members the
choice between the two hospitals, or they
can choose Scott & White, which now re
stricts its members to St. Joseph’s. As far
as the rest of us on campus, most of us
just use whatever health insurance plan
our parents use.
Granted, there is only one time a year
someone can change his or her health in
surance plan. But given the high quality
of health care in the Brazos Valley, if you
have to wait a few months to be able to
use the hospital of your choice, it should
n’t be that big of a deal.
People get all worked up about health
care consolidation thinking these greedy
companies are forcing people to see doc
tors and go to hospitals they don’t want
to. But the fact remains that, although it
is a business decision, most companies
take in consideration their patients when
making such a decision. Just because it’s
different from the way it has always been
done doesn’t mean it’s bad.
Health care providers know that
people can simply drop them and
change companies the next year if they
are unhappy with their health care.
Just as in any other business, the pow
er of competition keeps the quality of
health care high and the rate of price
increase relatively low.
What’s really important is that people
receive the best health care possible, no
matter who or how it is paid for. Just don’t
let some corporation make your health
care choices for you. Make the choice for
yourself to find a health insurance plan
that suits your needs and wants.
David Boldt is a Class of’97
marketing major
DAVID
BOLDT
Columnist
Second-class customers
can bank on paying fees
I n this day and age,
people need a bank
account to become
fully functioning play
ers in the financial
world. American banks
are taking unfair ad
vantage of this situa
tion by needling mem
bers with outrageous
service fees.
Unfortunately, the
only way to avoid bank
fees is to maintain a
minimum balance equal to the GNP of
France. Money doesn’t talk — it screams.
So banks don’t usually screw with their
wealthy customers.
I myself have an Express Account at a
place we’ll call Bank of the Nations.
A more appropriate name would be
the Banking Pariah Account, because my
bank considers me an untouchable. I
have to pay the bank $5 a month to hold
my money.
The account doesn’t gather interest,
and I gather the bank has no interest in
me. By the terms of the account, I must
conduct ail of my banking transactions at
a Bank of the Nations automated teller.
I am so poor I am not worthy of a hu
man teller’s attention. If I dare trouble a
bank employee with a deposit or with
drawal, Bank of the Nations charges me
an additional $4 Teller Service Fee.
Normally, this isn’t a problem. I am
fond of bank tellers, but I really don’t
enjoy talking to them any more or less
than I enjoy my playful rapport with
Taco Bell employees.
But last weekend, when both of the
bank’s ATM machines decided to vaca
tion in Brokenland, those of us who hold
Express Accounts found ourselves in dire
need of some human customer service.
Alas, my painful journey began as
soon as I drove into the motor bank.
“Could I have your account number?”
the teller asked.
“I don’t know my account number.
Could you just look up my name?” I asked.
“Your account number is printed on
your checks, sir,” he said.
“Well, I don’t have my checks. I’m
afraid that if I write one, y’all will charge
me a Check Fee. Look, I have to deposit
this paycheck, but both of the ATMs are
broken. I hope you aren’t going to charge
me the Teller Service Fee,” I said.
“I’m sorry, sir. There’s no way for us to
note that our ATMs are broken,” he con
fessed, although I suspect he wasn’t
telling the truth.
JEREMY
VALDEZ
Columnist
It’s times like this when I wish I had a
portable polygraph. My monthly bank
statement is so verbose, they can actual
ly tell me what color my boxer shorts are.
“C’mon, there has got to be some way
to tell the computer not to charge me. Or
maybe you could call a manager or some
thing,” I pleaded.
“Well, you might try calling Customer
Service. They might be able to void the
charge for you. Or you could just hold your
deposit until our ATMs are repaired.”
You have to admire the rosy outlook of
the bank teller. I wish I could spend a
day in his world. Unfortunately, we non
tellers must live in reality.
“If I wait until the ATMs are fixed, the
check I wrote yesterday is going to bounce
and y’all are going to charge me a Re
turned Check Fee. Look, the paycheck I’m
trying to deposit is only $20. How can you
charge me $4 just to deposit it?” I asked.
“Well, look at it this way, you still
come out $17 ahead,” he said.
“No, I come out $16 ahead. What’s
wrong with you? Can you subtract?
You’re not even a real teller! You’re just a
drive-through teller!” I started to rant.
Then the teller became defensive. “Oh,
I’m sorry; you’re right! Unfortunately,
you’ve just been charged our $10 Irate
Customer Fee!”
“OK, I apologize,” I said, backing
down. “It’s just that I feel as though I’m
entitled to a little service.”
“I’m sorry, Mr. Vasquez. A lot of our
customers have that misconception.
We’re here to service your money,” he
said. “Right now we’re ‘servicing’ you be
cause you don’t have any.”
“Well, when I get some. I’m going to
spend it on an exotic South American
muskrat who has a bad habit of spraying
bank lobbies,” I said, frustrated. “Thanks
for your help. Here’s a tip: invest in some
carpet cleaner.”
Certainly, Bank of the Nations isn’t
the only financial institution that abuses
customers with outrageous service fees.
In fact, the federal government is investi
gating the actions of several ATM net
works to see if their service charges
amount to price gouging.
But while I look for a better bank.
I’m trying come up with new and inven
tive ways to exact revenge on Bank of
the Nations. Unfortunately, I’m run
ning out of ideas.
I’m just gonna have to go with the
muskrat.
Jeremy Valdez is a Class of’96
chemical engineering major