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.