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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 23, 1998)
. . Kz?*7 JIifiureoi^^7'vZjw;Lti 1 Battalion inion Page 7 • Monday, November 23, 1998 bu snooze, you lose r oter turnout results from lack of free time, society’s general laziness, not political apathy s rate applies or!/^r 0 ( er turnout in the / 5 days at no tea / united States is, additionalinsefely admittedly, pitiful. Be percentage of eligi- le voters who care to t their ballots has jnetimes dwindled .P WANTED jvt n below 40 percent : Bing this decade. Insurance billing ^ . iiec Win tram ta.MRepresentative CALEB mcdaniel jemocracy has become jis needs cooks i-7633. isiruction. carpenir, aiefevy on the representatives and light on democracy. iment si^However, before political pundits de- !f 0 T nA S vlk FT«=B the apparent apathy of the voting »<i.4357. ■blic, other reasons for low participa- nhMexibi* wotm*! j n ti le polls ought to be considered. SitageMo'plrtlcS ‘1 i’ likely simple laziness lies at the root »sai reta stores s jf \merica’s turnout travesties. Couch- ftwantiotaikin: voters are not indifferent to the c«nptete«napptoB.irse of politics — they are just lazy as >8. Bryan, TX. ■ ou p ^te'y ^.in large part, this is due to the bureau- ' " X'tic complexity of the U.S. voter-regis- tpnonists. phieTTMtion process. As Texas A&M political mmeni at bloodiw-Bence professor Norman R. Luttbeg out in his book. Comparing the nrg cimstmasores $t( tt’s and Communities, “We have the aV At^ Her - nri()St restr ictive registration procedures of 101 or la* unni fcBy democracy. To vote we must register to do so before the registration rolls close, :oS6ca *ty P r ‘ or to ^ ie election.” ;onaiiionse**i ca ; 'p Many voters who are interested in vot- are simply not interested in register- , and the hassle of running two er- wwaccecwg- rands to cast one ballot keeps many I/cs location 3 ™* ^ t_ P a ced Americans from bothering ■—the entire ordeal. Ine help (or group ... (775-5175. J In many democracies, registration is ip build steel buiejllU ch easier. In Canada, for instance, reg- e.chevronaiii-'-jstrars go door-to-door before elections to Part-time enin; remind eligible voters to register. One ns apply. 696-7734 study suggests a system imitating the Appiy~?n pirsoiTwtiadian example could boost American _ voter turnout by 14 percent. Ming reps for nvB So before non-voting citizens are )ortunityforcreaiivs« n j ca ]| c i u bbed apathetic, measures advertising expeiWW / . . ^ . , ’ , , , nigh achiever Co should be considered that would make siudent.com Bgistration easier. Many voters do not mter position rwK:w c k the resolve to exercise their right to §4*2933 ahsH ^B 0 vote; they simply lack the motivation to wee rep nevaeo M { u \{in their duty to register. Measures —^S-^lilte the Motor Voter Law, which allows iior an appoinwem--people to register when they renew ry now hmrg del their driver’s licenses, have successfully iperson, n3 ;wa!!0 J) OS tPf| the number of registered vot- ai businessappto ers ^otor voter programs and registra- ii or on mam Irame 1 ® o o Send resume to Fif f ), Bryan, TX. 7780S L MAIL CALL BRAD GRAEBER/Tm: Battalion tion by mail have not been defeated by apathetic voters but by partisan politi cians scared of political disadvantage. Even those laws that have increased voter registration have failed to increase voter turnout, suggesting that registration is not the only thorn in voters’ sides. It is possible — perhaps even proba ble — this can be explained by voter laziness. Tracking down the correct precinct to cast a ballot can be as much of an odyssey as the search for the holy grail. Moreover, the sheer vol ume of primaries and local elections might exhaust the endurance of the av erage Joe or Jane. As Luttbeg writes, “Inasmuch as most of us live under many governmental ju risdictions — a city council, a school board, a county, a state and a nation, we can expect every four years to be asked to vote for as many as 100 officials in probably four elections and four more primaries. Citizens of many other democ racies have three officials representing them — a member of parliament, a city council member, and a mayor. Is exhaus tion, impatience or possibly uncertainty about who is in charge at the root of low er U.S. participation?” Good question. At the very least, a plausible suggestion. It is hard to say which is worse: vot ers who do not vote because they are disillusioned by government, or voters who do not vote because they will not get off their rear ends. However, before cynical “realists” conclude low turnout is a function of low political interest, se rious consideration should be given to other explanations. It is possible — just possible — voters care very much about who is elected and who is not. They believe in democratic ideals and are not averse to placing trust in the hands of government officials. But they are forever overwhelmed by the monolith of red tape standing between them and the ballot box. Tlirnout will not be encouraged by singing dirgeful tunes about political apa thy — it will be encouraged by cutting the tape. Caleb McDaniel is a sophomore - history major. benefits teens Joseph Regional!! s for entry-level . orking on the Beha^L m m Television show Health Sciences irking with adults in)| liable shifts IncW ,n response to Elizabeth Strait's il/fax a resume 1 10 JWoV. 13 Column." 1 woulcl first like to comment on org. E.o.t Elizabeth Strait’s assertion that ing to work weekei^rlhe Real World” portrays young tor inn, 2007TxA«® 0 p| e negatively and puts an irre- rsible stigma on our generation. I am confused because I seem remember a season in which a Inc. needs part# h. & secretary. Cal' : C.Sta. till Sunchase Tc.' wei Free!i_Earn fc ouse was literally changed by a ommate with AIDS. The immedi ate outcome was unfortunate but le overall difference his testimony ade was immense. Do you know ibw many teens sit down everyday jnd faithfully watch every episode? rid can you imagine what sort of fifference that could possibly have ade in their lives? Sure “The Real World” cast embers have their share of prob- ms. Everyone does. Maybe by ewing anti-social personalities we gin to examine our own relation- Good shapT^fhips and become more aware of ie world around us. also seem to recall the most cent season in which a very an- EDED self-destructive young man kuts. Pleasecag ,und a wa y to channel that anger i-SUNCHASE, ext 1 looking for sales R : ' n free trips I. Full-time. W " ^ LANEOUS e to anywhere in RCYCLE ', 3.9k miles, $1,$' ome bike, runsg (ei 521-6213. KONAL day. Talk one-o ,fl) <t.#3413. $3.99 P*' 1 9)645-8434. i dysfunctional due’- ion Services can I* 786-2121, Ext. 3)645-8434. ■TS an gelding; all ta 1 * ihund cross, I -STATE rough more positive interactions. The column depicted our gener- ion as a perfect place. In her own ay, Strait stereotyped America’s ens. In fact, “The Real World” lay be one of the best shows for ens when there seems like there n way Today!!no one out there having the Musl be 1 ^J ame identity crisis. It is time for us to clear our fixa- an on idealistic and fictitious oadcasts that people view as en- irtainment and stop denouncing lose which on the outside seem cats, Dogs uperficial but in fact may have very >iter-775-5755.influences. <AKC registered Please call (409 Amanda R. Prime Class of '01 zation that causes its member ship to commit pointless, harmful acts including hazing, and now, il licit homosexual activities. Virtually every semester there is some sort of scandal involving this organization. So many of these incidents are so far from the basic tenets of what the Corps was originally founded upon, and continues to espouse, that one re ally has to look at the leadership of the Corps for answers. It is the responsibility of the Commandant and his staff leader ship to be accountable for the shortcomings of the Corps. These people are career military officers and are specifically tasked with producing future mili tary officers, as well as leaders for state and nation. If bad things continually occur within the Corps of Cadets, then one would imagine the leadership would change the way it operates in an attempt to fix what is broken within the Corps. Having spent four years in the Corps of Cadets, I can safely say the Corps leadership philosophy is almost totally reactive and unre sponsive, almost to the point of being useless. If things are to change for the better within the Corps of Cadets then the leadership must get in volved in the day-to-day operation of the Corps. If they do not decide to be lead ers instead of crises managers, then they mock everything the Corps is supposed to stand for and are doing a great disservice to every person who has ever set foot on campus. Jeffrey K. Brackenridge Class of '99 Students must remember risks of alcohol use A LISA FOOX typical Ag gie’s week -end might include at least some form of al cohol use. However, if one considers all the reasons for drinking and all the arguments against alcohol use, it seems wis er to abstain from drinking to the point of intoxication. Perhaps one of the best rea sons for avoiding alcohol is per sonal safety. Unfortunately, what many people do not real ize is drinking is a depressant which removes the body’s nat ural inhibitions. When this hap pens, a quiet person is more likely to be loud and outgoing. It is not unheard of for people who are drinking to go home with someone they do not know and wake up someplace com pletely unfamiliar. It is all part of the college ex perience, right? Wrong. This scenario is dangerous. Students must realize if someone is drunk enough to forget who they are with, they might be drunk enough to end up in a dangerous situation — maybe even getting hurt or raped. More frighteningly, the person might not remember the event once the alcohol wears off. Further, as junior English ma jor Mandi Hennig said, “I don’t drink, not just because of reli gious reasons, but I just don’t see the point.” Frankly, there is no point to drinking. In American society, a large percentage of people use al cohol as a crutch or a safety net. They think with a beer in their sweaty palms, nothing can go wrong. They think that girl or boy will finally notice them, that group of people will finally be nice to them. But there is a name for depen dence on alcohol to function so cially. It is called alcoholism. Now this does not refer to those people who go out and have a beer over dinner. That is a matter of taste (and perhaps poor taste). The sickening, stomach-lurching, bitter flavor of beer is apparently something of an acquired taste. The occasional drink to unwind or the social drink is considered acceptable — as long as it does not grow into something more. However, when someone drinks every time he or she goes out, it only indicates one thing — a lack of maturity. The first year of college life, many freshmen seek out opportu nities to get drunk. But that phase is a sign of a youthful approach to life and one that indicates inexpe rience. Senior Corps commander Kelly Garrity said she used to go out and drink when she was younger. But then one day, “Ma turity just struck me,” and now she hardly ever drinks. That is what growing up is all about, recognizing the crutch that alcohol is and avoiding a depen dence on it. Alcohol use is an insidious thing. While it is OK to go out to dinner and have a beer or a glass of wine (within the law, of course), it is treading on thin ice. One beer might not lead to two, which might not lead to three beers, but it very well might. And that is a slippery slope that is leading social drinkers ever closer to the edge of alcoholism. A 1993 study by Southern Illi nois University shows more col lege-aged students are affected by alcohol abuse than any other age sector of society. Once alcohol abuse begins, it is difficult to stop. So if Joe Aggie is drinking to feel relaxed or comfortable or to get drunk, he should find another way. It is too dangerous to toy around with that one glass of beer. Lisa Foox is a senior journalism major. Republican chair Watts promises new party successes F DAVE JOHNSTON orps leadership ' Tnust take action Why does it seem like every me you open The Battalion you ead yet another article reporting ■MATES a.p. Huge bedfo^ -lie. $297.50/iwV com ^ tithe recurring follies of the ?3 ba ma?a O c U ucWl 0r PS Of CadetS? tinue Page What is endemic to this organi- The Battalion encourages letters to the ed itor. Letters must be 300 words or less and in clude 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 Mc Donald with a valid student ID. Letters may also be mailed to: The Battalion - Mail Call 013 Reed McDonald Texas A&M University College Station, TX 77843-1111 Campus Mail: 1111 Fax: (409) 845-2647 iorget the hype about Newt Gin grich’s departure from the House fo Representa tives. It is OK if you have never heard of the new speaker. Bob Liv ingston. The real news in the Republican House is the new chair of the Republican Conference, J.C. Watts. Watts, a representative from Oklahoma, is the kind of public servant this nation longs for. He is honest, bold and charismatic. Watts belongs in Washington be cause he possesses traits not nor mally found in the capitol city. Watts is certainly unique. He is the only black Republican in the House, he is the only black repre sentative who is not a member of the Congressional Black Caucus and he is the only politician who is not afraid of the media. Addressing a group of re porters, Watts once said he did not care what they wrote. He said he had a life before he went to Congress and he was not afraid to return to that life. This brand of frank confidence is rare inside the beltway. This is why Watts is a valuable asset to his party — and the nation. Fortunately, the Republicans have recognized Watts’ value and have quickly promoted him to prominent party positions. Last year, during his second term in Congress, Watts was se lected to deliver the Republican response to Clinton’s State of the Union address. Now r as he be gins his third term, Watts is the fourth-ranking member of the Republican leadership. Make no mistake, Watts is not a figurehead who is award ed visibility in order to court minority support. He is a strong leader with conservative values. Watts promotes family values. personal empowerment and small government. As younger generations be come more involved in politics, they are not content with stuffy political leaders who cannot com municate a useful message. Young voters are not afraid of something new. They will elect professional wrestlers as gover nors. Watts is able to meet the ex pectations of these voters without compromising his message. Too often the Republican par ty has applied the Barry Goldwa- ter theory of politics — “We have good ideas, we’re old and wise, vote for us.” Unfortunate ly, that strategy does not woo voters and does not persuade powerful decisionmakers. Watts employs the same meth ods that put Ronald Reagan in the White House. Both politicians will be remembered for strong visions and the powerful personas that shared that vision with the public. Watts is not just an effective politician, but an upstanding indi vidual who Americans can proud ly support. While late-night comedians joke about the vices exhibited by national legislators. Watts appears unable to garner any negative press. He is a wholesome Baptist minister with integrity. In a Dallas speech last year. Watts said, “My most important ti tle is not ‘honorable,’ or ‘Congress man,’ but ‘dad,’ and ‘husband.’” Indeed, those are his most im portant roles, but the Republicans should be thankful he has accepted a new role as conference chair. Other officials may bear greater responsibility or more prestige, but Watts bears the greatest potential. He has already risen from football player to the number four Republican repre sentative. There is no telling how much further he can go. Dave Johnston is a senior mathematics major.