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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 29, 1997)
Opinion Page IB Tuesday • April 29, 1997 •ality of immigration Ides behind shadow mythology, ignorance ligrants make 110 percent of nerica’s popula- , the largest per- age in 50 years, [year, the number en cards 127 percent ithe year before, action, groups tas the Federa- Ifor American Im- Columnist Travis Chow Computer science immigration groups’ claims. However, the growing number of foreign freeloaders and criminals is a le gitimate concern. Instead of pointing fingers at productive individuals, the na tion should reform its immigration laws to address the spe- [ration Reform are graduate student ci ^ ic p ro bl e ms. ing for a morato- on immigration. The immigrant hysteria Ipped up by some politi- ishas even helped lead to creation of hate groups small militias targeting ligrants as the sole cause enation’s problems, heir claims are just plain mg, but they stress an im am point. America should open its arms to individu- ho do not believe in per- lal responsibility. The na- should tighten its laws borders to protect Ameri- s against foreign freeload- and criminals. 'irstof all, a myth about im- tion must be dispelled, idea immigrants drain the lie coffers simply does not e facts. iccording to U.S. Census a, the United States spends less money per capita on igrants than it does on na- -born people, and immi- nts contribute more in tax liars than they receive in Ifare benefits. A 1992 Busi- sWeek cover story reported migrants pay $90 billion in es and only collect $5 bil- nin welfare annually. Many reasons exist for the economic uncertainties mg U.S. workers today, but migrants do not deserve the Ime. In 1994, The Federal serve Bank reported small sinesses started by immi- mts and their combined rchasing power created 23 freent of the new jobs avail- jle that year. The myth that an immigra- >n moratorium will have eco- >mic, environmental and social mefits for Americans ignores etrue cause of our problems, teremedy for the declining liv- g standards Americans face ex- sin progressive policies, not ilitical scapegoating. Politi cs don’t want to face the ilding anger concerning de- ing living standards and gov- ment aid reform. Their poli- $, not immigrants, create the lemmas average working class npie face. Opposing immigration on e whole is faulty and coun terproductive. Immigration is, deed, beneficial for America's onomy, regardless of anti- To begin with, we should keep illegal aliens out. The Population Reference Bureau reports 90 percent of immigrant criminals are ille gal aliens. In other words, most of the crime is commit ted by illegal aliens, not legal alien residents. People should keep in mind this sharp dis tinction between lawful and unlawful immigrants. In 1993, Operation “Hold the Line” demonstrated the in fluence of illegal immigration on crime rate along the Texas border. After placing 400 agents along a 20-mile stretch south of El Paso, theft in down town dropped 40 percent, while citywide crime de creased 29 percent. Further, illegal aliens should not get a dime from the gov ernment. Their mere presence is a crime to society, not to mention their freeloading. Each year about 6,000 aliens cross into Texas to give birth in El Paso hospitals, making their U.S.-born children citizens which are eligible for a suite of federal welfare benefits. The only difference between this loophole and alien smuggling is the womb. Those who are legally granted residency but choose a life of petty crimes or wel fare have no excuse. Immi grants who do not pull their own weight should be deport ed immediately with no ap peals. They had the chance and blew it. It is the immi grants' personal responsibility to “make it” once they take the gamble. Even without marketable skills, earnestness and hard work are enough to live comfortably. There's no room for sympathy here. Immigration reform must encourage personal responsi bility and get alien residents off the safety net — even if the consequences seem heartless at times. This way, many immigration problems can be resolved without clos ing the nation's doors to tal ent and diversity. America should concentrate on cracking down on the spe cific issues and not condemn immigration on the whole, which actually helps boost the national economy. Masters of militia Students hold paranoid beliefs about A&M w I n his opening statement last week at the Oklahoma City Federal Building bombing trial, Stephen Jones, defense lawyer for Timothy McVeigh, addressed the extreme views found in McVeigh’s writings. “Much of his (McVeigh’s) writ ing and literature was extreme, but millions of other Americans fear and mistrust the govern ment,” he said. Jones’ statement identifies the peculiar legacy of the ’90s — a growing mistrust of a government which guarantees personal liberty. While many will casually attribute this para noia to militia groups, X-Files fanatics, con spiracy theorists and assorted wackos, its origins are much closer to home. Widely held student beliefs at Texas A&M mirror the fears of militia groups. Fear and mistrust of the government begins with mis trust of the administration here at A&M. These beliefs make Aggies the militia mem bers of the future. No, most students do not believe special government forces lurk in black helicopters waiting for the command to seize the nation and place it under martial law. However, many students do hold similar irra tional and paranoid beliefs about administration on campus. Consider commonly held beliefs about Parking Traffic and Trans portation Services. PTTS, often called “the parking Nazis,” is the most reviled department on cam pus. Students actually say PTTS targets them as easy sources of in come. Students attribute all kinds of evil to this department and its employees. Tom Williams, Director of PTTS, said PTTS concentrates on doing its job well to benefit A&M. “The nature of our job is such that I doubt there are very few people who thank us for writing a parking violation,” Williams said. The word “service” is included in the department’s title with good reason. PTTS does a diffi cult and unpopular job. There is only a finite amount of area on campus available for parking. This area must be well regu lated. Without PTTS, parking lots would degrade into parking anarchy, inconve niencing everyone who drives on campus. PTTS officers have not sold their souls to the devil. The de partment does not hoard student park ing spots to force stu dents to park illegally to generate ticket rev enue. Likewise, PTTS of ficers do not hide in bushes waiting for stu dents to fall into their parking traps. Residence halls on cam pus are another area where students say they are tar geted by the University. Resident advisers working within these halls often fair poorly in pub lic opinion. Many students assume RAs exist to make their lives miser- Columnist John Lemons Electrical engineering graduate student able. The misconception is that RAs are merely plain-clothed po lice officers who wander the halls looking for policy violations. This “us against them” mentality is un fortunate and unnecessary. RAs within residence halls are a valuable source of information and guidance. They exist as a service — not a hindrance to residents. One last organization which students are paranoid about is the Board of Regents. Students com plain this group is out of touch with campus, and that it milks them them for all the money they have. However, of all the campus conspiracy theories, the beliefs surrounding the Board of Regents hold most truth. Ironi cally, the truth in these stories is rooted in student behavior. If the Board is out of touch with stu dents, it is because students do not voice their concerns to the Board. Before meet ings, regents hold an open house for stu dents. These open house events are poorly attended. Most students cannot even name one member of the Board. Indeed, A&M is run by a star chamber, one which has been appointed and endorsed by the students themselves. But A&M is not out to get students, and neither is the U.S. government. This type of poorly-thought-out para noia reflects badly on the intellect of students. The University’s administra tion occasionally may be bureaucratic, slow or even inept, but it works in the best interests of students. A&M’s students should be proud of themselves. They can no longer be accused of being redneck, back- wood, ignorant hicks. No, the Ag gies of the ’90s are future, radical conspiracy-minded extremists. It’s time to start stockpiling weapons. Congratulations students, you’re members of the largest organized mili tia in America — the Re public of Texas A&M. O T M S P I II 7/$ 7/ ew government proposal overlooks definition of volunteering nr R oss Perot isn’t the only one rambling on about “volun teers” these days. Most everyone with some ontact to the outside world has iard about Bill Clinton and A1 lore’s “Service Summit” in adelphia, which wraps up to- iy. Joined by well-meaning, but sguided, individuals such as a Colin Powell and Barbara sh, Clinton donned a ridicu- jus-looking cap and painted 'ersome inner-city graffiti (no rd as to whether he used Sher- Dan-Williams’ new “WhiteWater.”) Dedicat ed to the premise that Americans are selfish nd lazy, with no intentions of helping their fellow man, the “Service Summit” promotes the oxymoronic ideas of “mandatory volun- ering" and “paid volunteers.” Aware that taxpayers are growing cynical of the traditional liberal method of solving problems, which is throwing taxpayer mon- 0)’ at it, Clinton and Gore have stumbled Ipon the more modern, liberal cure-all for he 21st century—throwing taxpayer- [inded, compulsory “volunteers” at it. Bill and A1 can hire all the mandatory vol unteers they want, but in the end it does Columnist Donny Ferguson Sophomore political science major nothing to address the real issues facing America. Our problems exist, not because there are not enough volunteers, but because there is too much government. The Green Berets of Clinton’s “volunteer army” are his much- glorified reading coaches. Ignor ing that teachers are paid to teach children to read, he has promised a force of a million vol unteers to go into schools and teach America’s children to read (presumably leaving teachers free to resume their NEA-man- dated duties of condom distribution and diversity awareness training). Rather than draw the ire of leftist teachers’ unions, such as the National Education Asso ciation by proposing the real solution to illit eracy, he licks his finger, sticks it into the wind and passes the buck to the “paid volunteers.” The real solution doesn’t lie in another government program, more spending and more bureaucracy. After all, these govern ment volunteers must be regulated some how. It is no coincidence that the quality of American education rapidly deteriorated after so-called teachers’ unions seized con trol of schools through a federal Depart ment of Education. Volunteers won’t con quer illiteracy, but abolishing the depart ment and adopting national school choice and school voucher programs will. Children aren’t reading, not because they are sitting in their classrooms des perately waiting for the volunteers, but because Clinton and Gore’s philosophy on education is a complete failure. Children are illit erate because the three Rs have been replaced by the three Hs — hand out condoms, hammer Western culture and hustle government de pendency. For example, instead of teaching children about our heritage, textbooks now teach kids about left-wing pop stars. In one history text, colonial patriot Ethan Allan is ignored while lesbian singer Joan Baez is featured. Another states “some people feel China’s economic progress is worth its sacrifice of individual freedom.” Some schools even teach “creative spelling,” in which teach- Bill and Al can hire all the mandatory volunteers they want, but in the end it does nothing to address the real issues facing America. ers are warned not to correct a child’s poor spelling, because doing so would damage his self-esteem. Teachers are told to ap preciate the child’s creativity (or more ac curately, bad education). These atrocities are imposed on inno cent children by the spaced-out NEA crowd. Abolishing their DOE, and not recruiting a volunteer army is the only way to bring sanity and literacy back to American education. Getting government out of education will do more per tax dollar than paying volunteers. One year of public education costs over twice per stu dent as much as per student as a year of pri vate education ($5,000- $6,000 for public schools compared to an average of $2,000 for private schools). Not only is the privatization of education more cost effective, private schools give a more superior education than public schools. School choice and school voucher pro grams prove, time after time, that children score higher in a school freed from the left- handed grip of the DOE than in a liberal school system. The overwhelming success of these programs in places like Milwaukee and inner-city Harlem prove school choice and school vouchers for the poor, not volunteers, will guarantee America’s children a quality education. Instead, the Clinton/Gore White House vetoed school vouchers for poor African-American children in inner-city Washington. They also have publicly stated their opposition to this program designed to give the poor a top-notch education. The passage of school vouchers and choice legislation would spell doom for the ultra-liberal teachers’ unions which poured millions into Democratic campaign coffers. Rather than listen to the pleas of poor chil dren and the overwhelming majority of Americans who want choice in schools and vouchers, Clinton and Gore listen to their wallets. Their volunteer army to supposedly combat illiteracy is nothing more than a shameless attempt to cover up a shoddy ed ucation record. Clinton and Gore’s Service Summit is only a celebration of demagoguery. Ameri cans should volunteer their time and ef forts to make their communities a better place to live, but it shouldn’t take a govern ment mandate and a taxpayer-subsidized paycheck to do it.