Op: <ion
Page 11:
Monday • September 16, 1996;
Generation Gap
ocial security breeds greed
ice drop;
:wo field goals,
idler finished 16-o
ds before he wasrti
e McNair with SdJ
k led the Oilers ml
( atehes for 64 yard:l rename( j today, Social Security would
e ense t its Dartl 1QSt j-,0 called “social insecurity.”
kit occupies an increasing portion of
!ral expenditures, the benefit program
aving less and less money for other
ral programs.
: a compromise is not reached soon to
ess its rapid growth in beneficiaries,
al Security will become difficult to
ain, and it will be our generation who
bear the costs.
fith the average life expectancy grow-
the financial burden of this program is
cted to increase.
ccording to research done by econo-
Eli Ginzberg, 50 workers paid taxes to
aerense cna its part
:ized by coach left!
py play in last week's
over Jacksonville.
:ly got the raes
ig on the Ravens fa
d helping the Oilers
ftime lead,
inny Testaverde thro
terception in thefii
Ravens games b
threw two in the
half and the Oilers!
him pay bothtr
Chandler
Wycheck wit
yard touche u t three workers provided for each beneficiary in
pass
Lewis’ first I
5 gone in the game,
a 27-yard interceji
by Marcus Robere
r connected withl
1-yard TD pass with!
in the first period,
lavens had 40 total):
n’t cross midfield in
arter. Testaverde, i
?d 25 of 40 for 217)1
i on the scoreboardw
touchdown pass
Jackson with 5:21 got
id quarter,
didn’t score again ii
Je hit defensive!
Arvie, who lined upi
with a 1-yard touchdf
port each beneficiary of Social Security in 1945.
and by the year 2035, this number is expected
ecrease to two workers per beneficiary. This
ins that each worker will be shouldering more of
burden to provide for each recipient,
is frustrating to hear our national leaders talk
uthow they would like to balance the budget, yet
them do nothing to curb the growing portion of
ral expenditures that Social Security occupies,
awmakers in Washington, D.C. are more than
ire of the crisis awaiting us. According to the
1.16 issue of Newsweek, after co-chairing the
bipartisan entitlements commission, Sen.
iKerrey, found that America will not be able to
even the “crudest, bare-bones government” in
near future unless Social Security and
dicare are brought under control.
And the result of the committee’s report? The
ate will try to form another bipartisan committee
ookat the issue sometime next year.
On the surface, the Senate’s procrastination in
:07 to go in thegaffi|d res sing the Social Security crisis may seem to
m from a conflict of partisan interests.
However, at the root of the issue lies not a partisan
nflict, but a conflict in generations. More impor-
itly, there is a misunderstanding in each genera-
e said. "I gotmycham n’sattitude toward the welfare of the other.
; Unfortunately, it is only the older
Columnist generations that have sufficiently voiced
their worries.
Because it will be we who pay the taxes
and receive much less in return, our gener
ation should be just as vocal in expressing
our concern for Social Security
The potential backlash of the elderly
community against Social Security reform
causes a politician’s knees td shake a little.
In a country where our representatives
are elected by the people, taking a stand on
potentially divisive issues, such as Social
Security, spells out reelection woes for those
who have devoted their careers to politics.
But the younger generations of
Americans should be just as adamant in pressur
ing their representatives to address the dilemma
of Social Security now and not when it is political
ly more convenient.
In their quest for a financially secure future, how
ever, young Americans should keep in mind what the
elderly have contributed to this country in the past.
No, they may not be around when Social Security
is no longer functional. But they aren’t dead yet, and
many have spent their lives paying a tax in which
they were promised a benefits program in return.
This issue is too
Jenni Howard
Senior economics
and international
studies major
nee.
ittitude is to workli:
work hard I can gel
I I did a good job. Sta)
uilt my confidence.
Each age group has equally important concerns,
leyounger generations are concerned about what
Iff said Wells made a ft ^ he Jeff of the taxes they pay today. The older gen-
lct ! ations are concerned about what has happened to
played a solid m ,#e taxes they paid yesterday,
iaiti. “She dvdsomep
it made a difference,
ime of the show si
1 middle blockers
handling.’’
Hi said that four mail
a long tournament,
its did a good jok
h rough fatigue,
played the same
the majority of
rbelli said. “Theystai
igns of fatigue. But
e job of believing
: they’re tired butknt
a n’t be tired.”
* ^ critical to our
nation’s livelihood
to put off for a
future generation
to deal with.
Rather than a
bipartisan group, a
bigenerational
group composed
of citizens repre
senting all view
points should be
formed. If young
Americans, while
voicing their concern, showed Congress there could
be a middle ground, perhaps it would be more eager
to address the Social Security crisis.
It may be difficult to get past the question of
"What’s in it for me?” but it is necessary if we hope to
curb the growth and complexity of Social Security
before it becomes truly uncontrollable.
At the root of
the [social secu
rity] issue lies
not a partisan
conflict, but a
conflict in
generations.
en
record
three assise
one game,
said that
games ag
Missouri
Kansas
provided
momentum
help the
win the next
“We go
e playing our best
lys improve on kee;
of play up,” Koop
ould help us
/ when we play SMI
WtAie
S provides many
nefits to users
late in the secondli) Regarding Heather Pace’s Sept.
nd Blalack, whoarei 'olumn.
e Aggie Soccer Com] Vhen I read Pace’s article
WCISI was concerned with
she felt about CIS, in partic-
the Help Desk workers,
do agree that VM is not very
to use. I personally think
CIS should get rid of it. But
tt concerns me is that if she is
ingso much trouble with it,
doesn't she switch to a dif-
nt system to use e-mail? A&M
three other system that are
home games ^ better to use, and I am sure
Help Desk would be kind
to help switch her e-mail.
Vhat annoyed me was her
ement that CIS employees
veno clue.” With the amount
kstems CIS has to offer, it is
ossible for every Help Desk
ker to know everything. It
Id be nice to have all the
ers right away, but unfortu-
Hy it might take a walk across
ipus or an extra phone call to
he information you want.
Eric Nelsen
Class of ’98
ilbrook uses
[ulty reasoning
maiding Shannon Halhrook’s
'•10 column.
lome response is required
puse of the many false state-
jits contained in Halbrook’s
Jitnn.
Jalbrook complains that “the
jege Republicans is a bit too
|ssive with those darn fliers.”
s advisor to the College
ttbliCans, I urged the CRs to
tease the number of fliers
let than to engage in whining
tie Battalion about a problem
[has become epidemic,
s soon as we put up any fliers,
tal extremists who do not
pve in free speech destroy,
jiceand remove our fliers. We
Idistribute fewer fliers if people
[stop removing them,
palbrook speaks of “our racially
condescending flier of two years
ago.” Wrong! The fliers were not
racist. They denounced racism,
but they were misread by the
media who reported parts of the
fliers out of context.
Another charge leveled is: “The
College Republicans is well known
for its ability to bury other groups
by its sheer size. Democratic
groups on campus, for instant,
have never had a chance against
the GOP juggernaut.”
Twenty years ago I advised all
14 members of the College
Republicans as we confronted
hundreds of College Democrats.
We decided then to present a bet
ter product and to dramatically
increase our publicity efforts.
Richard Stadelmann
Advisor to College Republicans
Greek life provides
little for members
Regarding Sean McAlister's
Sept. 12 column.
I think McAlister should have
thought again before he wrote
his column about fraternities.
He stated fraternities were
formed to “focus primarily on
scholarship, athletics, and
brotherhood.”
Obviously, times change
because I have friends in frater
nities and all they mention is
the parties, not philanthropy or
pledgeship.
I guess since I do not plan to
join a fraternity, I am not “a cut
above the rest," as McAlister
states.
Being in a club does not make
one person better than another.
The truth of the matter is that fra
ternities tend to separate them
selves from non-Greeks.
With such elitist attitudes,
how can they expect to be
looked at positively at A&M?
I have one question for
McAlister: If fraternities are so
great, why does he need to write
a recruiting speech in The
Battalion?
If I wanted to pay money to
wear letters on my chest, I
The Battalion encourages letters to the
editor. Letters must be 300 words or fewer
and include the author’s name, class, and
phone number.
The opinion editor reserves the right to
edit letters for length, style, and accuracy.
Letters may be submitted in person at 013
Reed McDonald with a valid student ID. Let
ters may also be mailed to:
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For more details on letter policy, please call
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opinion editor.
Just add spice to
D
run
Columnist
Shannon Halbrook
Junior English major
espite their similar names,
family values and TV’s
family hour have nothing
in common.
Maybe it’s
time presi
dential can
didate Ross
Perot tried
to capitalize
on it.
Daniel
Becker, a
Republican
running for
a Georgia
seat in the
U.S. House of Representatives,
made a commercial of which he
was pretty proud — a graphic
depiction of an aborted fetus —
and sent it to a local TV station.
The station chose to bury the
ad in the late evening. But Becker
didn’t want his message to be lost
on the vote-rich elementary
school market that has to go to
bed at 8:30p.m., so he took his
case to a federal appeals court.
The court ruled in Becker’s
favor, striking down a previous
FCC ruling that allowed stations to
determine for themselves when to
air political campaign commer
cials. The ruling reiterated the law
that broadcast media stations are
required to allow candidates for
office “reasonable access” to radio
and TV time, no matter how offen
sive their commercials are.
Well, good for Becker. Now he
can show as many fetuses — or
any other offensive things — as he
wants to show on TV
But presidential candidate
Ross Perot can take advantage
of this ruling better than any
one. He has said repeatedly that
his campaign battles will be
waged over the airwaves. He’s
aired five half-hour infomercials
this year — he even announced
his running mate on one.
“This whole campaign... is
Aod WAlf b BtaWSH.
SjfFM, svcKm
Soon© wwfl'S
being run differently from other
candidates,” the lucky VP choice,
Pat Choate, has said. “Although
many people make fun of these
infomercials, Ross Perot can
explain an issue so people can
understand it.”
Ah yes, his colorful graphs,
charts and bumpkinisms make
Perot a lot of fun. But, to actual
ly hear his message, people have
to watch him.
According to Nielsen numbers,
Perot’s first infomercial in 1992
captured the attention of 11.2 mil
lion households and came in 32nd
among 90 programs. But this year,
his first infomercial hit rock-bot
tom when it aired Sept. 1. It tied
for 104th among 107 programs
and was watched by fewer than 2
million households.
Obviously, Perot needs to
jazz up his message. And,
thanks to Daniel Becker and
this appeals court ruling, he
can do it offensively.
On Saturday night around
10:30, most Americans were either
out getting plastered or in the din
ing room playing Deluxe Scrabble
with their families. But Perot was
emoting his heart out in a taped
infomercial entided “Made in the
USA... Again.”
It was neither the most exciting
of infomercials nor the best of
time slots. Some parts of the
infomercial were almost as offen
sive as an aborted fetus. An
African-American fellow named
Dick Toliver drew a pretty sick
comparison between Ross Perot
and Martin Luther King Jr.
The trouble is Perot has no
opinion on abortion or any other
topic that doesn’t have to do with
NAFTA, GATT, international trade ]
or graphic patriotism. It’s hard to
think of controversial visuals
except charts with offensive colors.
Perhaps Perot could show a blue- ;
shirted, yellow-hard-hatted worker
being bloodily and nastily emshed
by a big piece of cardboard shaped
like Mexico.
At least people would watch.
There’s something vaguely Monty
Python-esque about the image.
Perot may still be in the race,
but only nominally. To advance his
campaign, he has to take his love
for seeing himself on TV and com
bine it with a little offensive flair.
Anything else fails to reflect the
spirit of American politics.
would buy a Texas A&M shirt.
Those who are a cut above
the rest are the ones smart
enough to realize they do not
need a hypocritical organization
to be successful in life and have
great friends.
Matthew K. Zeve
Class of ’99
Minor errs with
parking solutions
Regarding David Minor’s Sept.
13 column.
I just thought that someone
should let Minor know that we
have a walkway for students to
cross between East and West
Campus when a train is passing
through.
Oops, I forgot, that involves a
little extra walking so why don’t
we just increase the local taxes
to pay for a costly relocation of
the railroad tracks?
Also, carpooling is a great
idea; however, implementing a
carpool parking lot would
require having manned booths
at all entrances to ensure that
carpools are being used.
We have all seen the long lines
for pay parking around the cam
pus, this proposal would just add
to that particular problem.
Not to mention that car pool
ing for college students is a diffi
cult task unless one student
doesn’t mind waiting a couple of
hours for his or her carpool
buddy to get out of class.
Don’t get me wrong — David
Minor had some excellent ideas
(i.e. abolishing the on-campus
driving), but sometimes we need
to think about all of the factors
involved.
Justin Trice
Graduate Student
Columbus -visits Anterica
Man lands
on the moon
Li OR courts black voters
Editorial Roundup
(AP)—A sampling of editorial
opinion from Texas newspapers:
San Antonio Express-News on
state ethics policy:
Gov. George W. Bush’s move to
restrict lobbying activities of for
mer employees puts him in a class
by himself. He is the first Texas
governor to do so. That shouldn’t
be lost on state legislators.
Bush last week announced he
will limit the lobbying activities of
staff members who leave his
administration. The tough new
policy also prohibits senior staff
members from working in the
governor’s office if their spouses
are registered lobbyists.
The governor joins a handful of
state officials who also seem to
understand that the perception of
influence-peddling is unaccept
able. House Speaker Pete Laney
and Lt. Gov. Bob Bullock have
similar policies in place.
Surely other legislators can see
the need to follow Bush’s lead.
They now are free to work as lob
byists as soon as they leave office.
As such, the perception lingers
that former lawmakers would
enjoy greater access to the
Statehouse. Does anyone really
believe they don’t?
The public, meanwhile, is left
to wonder if the lobbyists will
cross the line between a perceived
conflict of interest and a real one.
The Legislature in 1991 passed
an ethics law barring former
members of state boards and
commissions and former high-
level state agency employees from
representing clients before their
former boards or agencies during
the first two years after leaving
their state jobs.
A glaring omission leaves law
makers untouched. That should
be remedied.
Amarillo Globe-News on White
House ethics:
Why should Americans be sur
prised any more when they read
about scandals surrounding key
players in the Clinton administra
tion or in the president’s re-elec
tion campaign?
Richard Morris, the married
architect of the president’s “family
values” message, has quit amid
allegations that he conducted a
year-long affair with a
Washington, D.C., hooker.
Susan McDougal, convicted
in the complicated Whitewater
land deal involving President
and Mrs. Clinton, now has been
cited for contempt for refusing
to tell a grand jury whether the
president lied under oath during
the Little Rock, Ark., trial. She
plans to go to jail.
The late Commerce Secretary
Ron Brown was under investiga
tion at the time of his death about
his dealings with Vietnamese
businessmen and whether they,
too, violated federal ethics laws.
Housing Secretary Henry
Cisneros, once a rising political
star in Texas, admitted to making
payments to a former mistress.
And we've had congressional
investigations into matters relat
ing to the White House travel
office and the egregious mishan
dling of FBI files by White House
personnel.
Yet polls continue to show that
character doesn’t seem to matter
in this election. In the eyes of mil
lions of Americans, the economy
concerns them most.
Granted, the economy is doing
well. But no president should
embrace all the credit during good
times, or accept all the blame dur
ing the bad times.
Meanwhile, the character issue
continues to burble along virtual
ly unnoticed.
Well, we should notice it. We
should be concerned — if not
surprised — by the seemingly
ever-growing list of ethical ques
tions that continue to dog this
White House.
This, remember, is an adminis
tration that promised us the
cleanest ethical standard any of us
ever has seen.
Does the White House
deserve the burning scrutiny it
so far seems to be evading? Yes.
The president himself invited it
by making a vow he’s been
unable to keep.