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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 15, 1997)
The Battalion T01N ax doomsday iggies avoid unnecessary taxes Columnist Glenn Janik Sophomore political science major loday marks a stressful and terrifying day Imillions of Amer- ns. Income taxes due, and it is leonce again to ‘is e money to ag nty-headed bu rnt ucrats in Wash- fia ton, D.C., only to (t eive nothing of |eti isequence in re- n. Meanwhile, in ;ieland, many students live " ^entire day without noticing long arm of Uncle Sam ching into their pockets. ■Though the problem of tax- 0 ®Jn America existed long be- :the Boston Tea Party, the al amount citizens pay to lls higher than ever. How- |r,with the help of a power- |former Aggie, the publicans in Congress de- oped a plan to reduce tax- ^nd put more money i the hands of Texas KM students in need. Most students don’t ^nd their days wor- ng about tax- I Only 30 jits of the Ice of a lebird’s ijlrrito is bn;: led, and feed pss z s p$l to less a ker tax tee ifhen flying a .A. The te opinion on taxes is:\s long as the money is going to do lomething good, people ffin’tmind paying. Unfortu- ‘ tely, this opinion has nded Aggies to the tax toffs students endure. When the income tax s instituted in 1909, :es ranged from 1 per- htto 7 percent, and [nost all Americans ire exempt from fil- E. Today, even Ag- is working part pe at McDon- Ts for mini- rm wage owe, dmust pay, :ome tax of 15 28 percent. Fortunately, the publican Party devel- ied a series of plans to re- ove all income taxes on Ag- is, and prevent taxes from ing too high when students art making a living in the al world." The first plan by the Republi- is comes from Congressman ck Armey of Texas. Armey has oposed a “flat tax” system. The (tax plan would reduce the tax ttn to the size of a post card and iuce the rate of taxes to a single low percentage. The plan also would exempt the first $21,000 of an Aggie’s income from tax ation. This means most student workers, teach ing assistants and even some entry-level profes sors would have their taxes reduced to nil. After eliminating taxes on the poorest Americans, congress man and former Aggie Joe Barton introduced M3 i Vy/ ;\S a bill to help prevent taxes from being raised again by the federal government. Barton’s bill re quires a two-thirds super-ma jority to raise taxes. This means Republicans and Democrats would have to collaborate to get enough votes to raise taxes. Given the perpetual state of partisan bickering, taxes would have very little chance of being raised. The Republicans also of fered another proposal to cut taxes for Aggies when they begin their careers. The plan, articulated by Speaker Newt Gingrich last week, would eliminate the capital gains tax. This is a tax all citizen must pay when they make a profit from selling stock or property. Businesses also must pay this tax. By getting rid of capital gains (like the economic power houses of Germany and Hong Kong) not only could Americans sell stock without penal ty, but businesses would pay fewer taxes, passing savings to consumers by lowering prices. The common lib- eral or Democratic response to these plans to cut taxes is: Less taxes means less money for gov ernment to oper ate. How ever, this answer is not accu rate. When former President Ronald Reagan cut taxes in 1982, the total amount of rev enue for gov ernment dou bled. When people have more money in their pockets, the gov ernment always will receive enough money. Students at A&M work hard to become in telligent, pro ductive members of society. There is no reason for the government to steal the small amount of money most Aggies earn. If the tax plans of the Republi cans pass, students will have more money to buy groceries, pay credit card bills, purchase books and eat at the Chicken. Mark Twain said the only two unavoidable in life are death and taxes. With the help of the Republican party, Aggies could begin to avoid one of those dilemmas. Mail 'ALL onformity at A&M (suits in confusion In response to Travis Chow’s April 'h column: I'll concede there are many in- iduals who harbor racist ideolo- s (by no means unique to this iversity). However, I take per- lal exception to the implication hCamp promotes this type of ckward thinking. As a two-time counselor, lean fwith complete and total cer- nty that Fish Camp is a time ten superficial differences are s t aside in order to focus on tet can and should bind every 1e together. Chow sets up a scenario in which free-thinking high schoolers are “transformed” into boot-wearing, beer-drinking, Rebel flag-toting bigots sometime during their freshman year. I contend that coming to Texas A&M, of all places, actually has broadened my appreciation for people who come from different backgrounds. I also believe I am not a rare exception. If conformity were so strong, there would be no non-regs, Greeks, African-Americans or women here at A&M. If the “confor mity” of wearing boots or cutting my hair short makes others feel ex cluded from part of the Aggie expe rience, I apologize. I’m sure the local bar owners meant to offend no one with their “country” decorations. I encourage Chow and anyone else who feels left out of the equa tion here in Aggieland to stop fo cusing on the negative people who will never accept someone who doesn’t look like they do. I believe that we, especially those of us involved in Fish Camp, welcome everyone to A&M on the merit of their character. I do not wish to debate point for point with Chow’s column, but I will say that many stereotypes he believes about student life at Texas A&M University are not true. I would also bet many problems on the campuses of the University of Washington and Georgia Tech will never arise here. I am saddened that many stu dents like Chow dream of better campuses elsewhere due to the ac tions of a few people. I invite all who feel this way to attend Muster or Sil ver Taps, and then think about how much more they would be accepted anywhere else. Nathan Brown Class of’99 Page 11 Tuesday • April 15, 1997 Majors create group rules I t takes more than just the right books and the right schedule to claim a major at Texas A&M. Students actually don’t belong to a college when they hit the pound sign and hear the fa miliar “You have a to tal of fourteen hours.” There are unwrit ten rules of conduct and appearance not mentioned in the Undergraduate Catalog. For example, it takes more than a coveted T-shirt to belong to the College of Engineering. With these students, the pencil is everything. Purchasing a cheap mechan ical pencil could mean the dif ference between acceptance and rejection, and unenlight ened majors will stare at their neighbor’s Parker with undeni able pencil envy. The “accepted” pencil of choice costs no less than $20, and it never gets jammed with lead. It also features a built-in state-of-the-art eraser, but the student knows actually using this eraser would be a travesty. To complete the ensemble, the student must have a separate eraser, preferably the clicking, phallic-symbol type. For students who are in the College of Liberal Arts, certain attire is crucial. Every “cool” English major carries a satchel. This isn’t your everyday JCPenney earlybird special. This satchel has a history, and no two are alike. Ask the owner and he or she probably will say it was found on a deserted path in the heart of Borneo, with unauthored poems sewn into the lining. Needless to say, most students still are carrying their humble Jansports, waiting for that elusive satchel. English majors who have at tained “satchel status” also must adopt a fitting code of conduct. Envied by their peers, they kick back in an upper-lev- el Milton class, taking no notes, simply absorbing the words of the professor into memory. As their peers highlight furiously in their used pa perback from Rother’s, they read calmly from their leather- bound rare edition of Paradise Lost, recovered from a burning library in Montecchio years before their parents were born. And being caught with Cliff’s Notes is equivalent to using that built-in state-of- the-art eraser. Prepare to de scend slowly through the cir cles of hell. Aside from owning the ap propriate writing utensils and sporting the proper bag, an thropology majors have only one concern: hair. For men, the absence of beard growth is acceptable only if the overall hairstyle is unkempt and out of control. To wear both a beard and unruly hair indicates high status among these men — with dreds marking the chief tain of the society. Chieftains also wear hiking boots that could weather a 200-mile trek through the heart of the Australian out back. And their clothes are camouflaged in case they are unexpectedly thrust into an aboriginal wilderness. Although it takes a few se mesters to pick up on these subtle manner isms, once rec ognized, a walk through the A&M campus can be an in triguing observation. Students in every major are guilty of con forming to standards of style and appearance. Unless they’re journalism majors, in which case you can never tell. Night News Editor Helen Clancy Junior English major There are unwritten rules of conduct and appearance not mentioned in the Undergraduate Catalog. Legislation aims to hinder Corps F or many years the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets has contributed to our nation’s armed forces by training quality leaders. A new proposal by the Army’s Assistant Sec retary for Manpower and Reserve would place A&M’s Corps program on the same level with less rigor ous ROTC programs through out the nation. Currently, graduates from six senior military colleges, includ ing A&M, receive priority as signment in the Army. The new proposal would end this status. Many Corps members ob ject to less disciplined ROTC programs receiving the same status as A&M. Sen. Phil Gramm has been campaigning against the Army proposal. At a recent press conference, Gramm said, “We are never going to accept the premise that some one wearing a uniform once a week for an hour is receiving equivalent training to some one who is [wearing one] sev en days a week, 24 hours a day in the Corps.” The Corps and other senior military college programs pre viously have received priority status because of their pro grams’ intensity. Members of . .Is# ■ L W I H ' ** Columnist most RO J c P r °-, grams take one class a week to satisfy pro gram requirements. This standard varies from-the Corps, which requires cadets take multiple military science courses and live in a more mili- Dave Johnston tary-style environ- Junior ment than the typical mathematics major college student. Though the Corps has experienced problems rang ing from declining enrollment to hazing allegations, it still impos es a high standard of discipline on its members. Corps members have an es tablished history of outstand ing service in the armed forces. The organization also has been able to instill a unique combi nation of discipline and leader ship ability in members, earn ing a reputation for producing quality officers. ROTC programs at such schools as the University of Houston cannot make the same claim. A&M has produced more Army officers than any other school except West Point. Corps members put a considerable amount of time and effort into their duties. The proposed mili tary change would make Corps membership less appealing, possibly affecting enrollment. In recent remarks, Gramm said, “I believe it takes a unique person to be part of the military.” ROTC programs with weekly formations or low standards of discipline do not give clear rep resentations of milit-ary duty. These programs do not provide the same level of military preparation the Corps does, and therefore should not re ceive equal consideration from the Army. The majority of Corps mem bers do not enlist in the armed forces, so the proposal might not alter the program radically. However, with its priority-as signment status threatened, the Corps must work to improve a deteriorating campus image. It should strive to train ethical leaders who will be beneficial to the A&M campus regardless of future plans. If the Army carries out this proposal, A&M and the Corps could suffer. By removing one of the features that makes the Corps unique, the University could be affected, but it might be years before its impact could be measured. Fortunately, Gramm, Kevin Brady and other legislators around the nation are dedicat ed to preventing this proposal from going into effect. As long as the Corps provides good- willed service to A&M and the Bryan-College Station commu nity, its status as an institution always will be safe.