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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 10, 1997)
JVISC FILM SOCIETY Now Showing: wregnroxiMBcsTaFntKxt Friday, April 11 j7:00 and 9:30pm \Top Gun (Free Movie: F.O.V. presents iDruken Master II jWed., April 6 at 6:00pm |Acad. Room 130 Tickets $2.50 in advance and $3.00 the night of the showing. All films shown in Rudder Theatre Complex. | Questions? Call the Aggie Cinema Hotline (847-8478). IA Persons with special needs call 845-1515 within 3 days of the showing. H'r* VVebsite: http://film.s.tamu.edu| PROFITABLE NUMBER! 845-0569 The Battalion Classified Advertising Come Hang With Us at 4.0 & GO Question: What sport has the biggest playing field? (First 5 to call with answer get free review!) Answer appears Thursday Last Thursday's answer: Americans choke on toothpicks more than anything else you can imagine. 846-TUTOR (88861 Look for our ads on M andGo.com ondays and Thursdays T1 TAMU Because today is mystery meat day. VISA TOGO 123« =3~! s38$ 3®! I! 1/52 ¥ 4CK1 K , iEfc'KEf T It's every vou vv/ant to be: © Visa U S A. Inc. 1997 Nation Page! Thursday • April 10, Decision urged on welfare privatization ► Phil Gramm pushes White House to quickly approve welfare privatization in Texas. WASHINGTON (AP) — The fed eral government’s consideration of a ground-breaking proposal to place Texas’ welfare operations in the hands of private industry is tak ing too long for some Texans, in cluding Sen. Phil Gramm. The Clinton administration had promised Texas a decision by March 31 on what amounts to the most far-reaching welfare privati zation plan yet advanced by any state. Failure to meet that deadline drew the ire of Gov. George W. Bush and now has prompted Gramm to wade into the fray. Amid signs that decision-making on the politically sensitive issue has been bumped from the Department of Health and Human Services up to the White House, Gramm fired off a letter Wednesday to White House chief of staff Erskine Bowles. “The state of Texas has been ex pecting a positive decision on this plan for several months, and I un derstand the approval is currently being withheld by your office," the Texas Republican wrote. “I urge you to approve the (Texas Integrated Enrollment Services) project with out further delay.” Noting that labor leaders have // been lobbying the White House reject the proposal, Gramm add-: “I certainly hope that you will permit anyone to inject politicsim § this policy decision.” The Texas request places I White I louse in a delicate situafe forcing the administration tok ance the concerns of its labor® stituency against President Clintii promise to give states newflexili to craft their own welfare reform Bowles informed the govern Wednesciay, after Bush had cal him unsuccessfully-three times as many days, that a decisioniscJnior “soon,” said Bush spokeswomi iurc| Karen Hughes. “Soon in Texas apparently doeslReia| mean the same tiling as soon inWas dies ington,” said Hughes, terming il fere governor “frustrated and somevt to fii incredulous” about the delay. HI IS spokesman MichaelKhftac fen said the White House haste wistl involved in discussions over;®hin| Texas proposal since early on, part because the plan cutsacnjso several federal agencies. “We are very optimistic thatftig will be able to provide a decision the state imminently, but thedtifdli sion-making is still under m Kliarfen said Wednesday. Th| Texas wants approval fromil ovei feds to establish a plan intended the | provide one-stop shopping fort sistance ranging from foodstami } cs and Medicaid to the Temporary) sistance for Needy Families gram, which replaced Aid to Fan lies with Dependent Children. Defense may step in on voting-rights cast WASHINGTON (AP) — The De fense Department will intervene if necessary in a West Texas voting- rights case challenging the right of military personnel to vote in local elections when stationed elsewhere. Defense Secretary William Co hen pledged the federal interven tion in a letter to Rep. Henry Bonil la. The San Antonio Republican made the letter public Wednesday. “The Defense Department and the Justice Department have agreed that our service members should not be held to a different standard than other absentee voters, and that the Justice Department will prompt ly participate in the case should it appear necessary to protect this im portant interest,” Cohen wrote. Bonilla termed Cohen’s pledge “a step in the right direction.” The victories last November of two Republicans in local Val Verde County races prompted lawsuits questioning the validity of some mail-in ballots cast by out-of-town military members. At issue is whether military per sonnel and their dependents, some of whom have never lived in Val Verde County or have been absent for years, should have the right to vote in local elections. Eight hundred mail-in ballots ditil cast almost entirely by military^ sonnel and their dependents* credited with giving the two Reps Means victory in local sheriff afi county commission races. A federal judge has barre&te . from taking office until rest'’ I questions are settled inastatei# filed by the Democratic losers# election against the Republican® ners. In addition, a federal protesting the election hasbeenH The winner in the county 0 missioner race, Murry KacheU nounced last week that he wonts vital cept the post, following lingeriij con troversy over his past mem's Sar ship in the Ku Klux Man. Texas has a flexible definitioni residency that depends largely® the voter’s intent. Servicemembe S t r( can apply for a mail-in ballot byso| plying a Texas address for a placet' voter plans to return to someday Mail-in ballot users canvotet local elections without aews] owning property at that address® even being registered to vote inti* county under current state law. Under a bill by Rep. Hugo Berk 1 ga, D-Corpus Christi, militaryp® sonnel would have to be register®- to vote in a county in order tot® ceive a full ballot that includes lot® and statewide elections. Where can you find an Iomega Zip drive for $60! ui 03 *} i| 6 jjaz; ji d *yvvMM The hot new auction site that'll turn you upside down Tke f Pre‘DentaCSociety zvouCd Citcc to congratuCate tfie fotfozving Piggies on tfieir admission into HentafScfoi for tHe Jatf of 1997 Marko Alanis Jennifer Opland Armita Anari Rene Pace Peggy Chang Simmi Patel Jason Daaboul Meredith Reaves Cheesta Daftarian Richard Rychetsky Lisa Hagler David Seghers ; Nathan Harris Mandy Shaw Mister Hunt Wendy Slovak Adam Kristoff Bill So A Dan Mallory Trey Thompson Partha Mukherji Kim Wells Tracie Multer Jason Zimmerma 11