le Battalion
O
PINION
Page 11 • Wednesday, April 14, 1999
For richer or poorer
Fax code levies ‘marriage tax' on couples, should
>e changed to avoid penalizing for holy matrimony
—face it: getting married is all about — 1111 WB* ried does not mean they should receive a tax penalty.
H fnoney. From the small fortune the After all, aren’t there enough penalties to getting mar-
lace it: getting married is all about
■Hgfnoney. From the small fortune the
^potential groom plunks down for
e diamond engagement ring to the
tormous sum spent on the actual wed-
ngland reception, marriage starts off
a reason to waste money.
And thanks to the United States tax code,
■page continues to be a reason to waste
onev, long after the actual nuptials.
Over 21 million couples in America
Manisha
PAREKH
, e victims of what some call the “marriage tax.” The mar-
■' ige tax affects unions in which both partners earn ap-
oximately the same amount of money.
Because the the income tax is based on how much in
line a person earns and the marital status of that person,
married couple that earns $31,500 per person ends up
tying an extra $1,271 dollars, altogether, in comparison
a single person who makes $31,500.
Does that sound fair? Not at all.
The problems began when Connecticut businesswoman
ivien Kellems lobbied Congress in 1969 to end the extra
x unmarried women had to pay.
Noting the number women who were unmarried after
'orld War II due to the shortage of potential husbands,
roberw jliems asked, “What do you do if you can’t get a hus-
tnd? Should you be taxed?”
No, but then again, a woman should not be taxed if she
)es get a husband.
In an effort to stem the unfair penalty tax faced by un
armed women. Congress ended up coming up with a dif-
rent problem: the marriage tax. Currently, a single per-
jn jj intakes a higher standard deduction (tax exemption for
ipporting himself or herself) than each member of a mar-
sdlcouple does.
Yes, many people have said that when two people get
arried they become one unit, does that really translate
'er to the tax code?
Married people are just as entitled to their income as
l 'Pae people are. Just because two people are brave to
(idflflka a giant, courageous leap forward and get legally mar-
iffenseii
nersare
have to
g leadii
hers
s future
till
nands
aateWt
ried does not mean they should receive a tax penalty.
After all, aren’t there enough penalties to getting mar
ried as it is?
Furthermore, while the original tax change was meant
to help women, it also ended up hurting women. In some
cases, the woman’s added income causes the couple to
fall in a higher tax bracket — one they would not be in if
they were single.
The solution is clear: end the marriage tax. Currently, a
bill is making its way through Congress to do just that.
Some members of Congress are opposed to this bill be
cause, if passed, it would reduce tax revenue an estimated
$144 billion over five years. This reduction has some con
gressional members up in arms.
And while $144 billion is not pocket change, one thing
must be kept in mind: that money belongs to the taxpay
ers, not the government.
And according to U.S. Senator John Ashcroft of Mis
souri, the amount reduced from the federal budget adds
up to less than one-third of the projected budget surplus
es for the next five years. How can the government lay
claim to money that it does not even need?
That money belongs to the married couples who are
being unfairly charged for not staying single. The govern
ment has no claim to it, and it is only right for lawmakers
to change the tax code to keep married couples from be
ing penalized.
It is obvious the tax code is in need of serious reform.
From various loopholes to the Internal Revenue Service,
there are numerous problems that need to be fixed. The
marriage tax, however, is one problem that can be taken
care of without too much red tape and headaches, so why
not start there?
Marriage is about two people forming a bond and vow
ing to love and care for each other for eternity. It is a time
to reflect on the future and plan for happiness. It should
not be about pulling out the tax forms and figuring out
whether it actually pays to get married.
Manisha Parekh is a junior psychology
and journalism major.
MICHAEL WAGENER/The Battalion
signing d
sreWi
if Ail#
Line between community’s abstract art, citizen’s junk very thin
aptnealy. H as t week the division of
haveePM the City of College Station
of! Lj ordered the Community
it wit® nhancement Division pay a
di' (sit to my residence.
It seemed that I was in vio-
ition of a city ordinance
r hich states that inoperative
ehicles cannot be left in front
f ope’s residence for more
flan 45 days. The penalty for
lating this ordinance: a fine of $800
Zach
HALL
However, the Community Enhancement Officer
ould not believe me when I told her that this
as not a pile of junk in my front yard, collecting
ts, rust and raucous looks. Instead, it is what I
illfFailed Attempt at Ford Ranger Restoration/’
i other words, art. Personal art, but art nonethe-
!SS.
Officer Friendly still insisted that it was a pile
f trash and proceeded to write me the ticket,
owever, she did tell me that if I wanted to have
ly art registered and recognized by the City of
ollege Station that I should speak with the Parks
nd Recreation Department and The Arts Council
of the Brazos Valley. Apparently they handle all
the art in town.
Not wanting to give-in to the City of College
Station Community Enhancement Nazis, I decid
ed to head to the College Station Public Library to
do some research on both art and junk. I found
both topics on the same shelf.
Upon turning into the parking lot, I happened
to notice what appeared to be a pile of twisted
construction metal formed into the unrecogniz
able shape in front of the library.
I asked a librarian what it was, but she was
unable to give me an answer, saying that it was
put there by the city.
I was unable to find the information needed,
so I decided to go to the Bryan Public Library via
Texas Avenue.
Halfway to Bryan, at the intersection of New
Main and Texas, I noticed what appeared to be
aluminum stalagmites coming out of the ground.
A double take confirmed that it was indeed a pile
of something and must be related to the pile of
metal in front of the library.
Suddenly a curious ambiguity occurred to me.
My “Failed Attempt at Ford Ranger Restoration”
could not be deemed art because a city ordinance
to protect the community atmosphere and proper
ty tax value of my neighborhood said that it was
illegal. But similar scraps of metal placed around
town and deemed “abstract art” were not consid
ered illegal and, instead, were considered at
tempts at enhancing the public standard of living
and to broaden the public mind set.
Calls to both the Arts Council of the Brazos
Valley and the Parks and Recreation Department
confirmed that these were indeed “abstract”
works of art designed to enhance the community
atmosphere.
Being the fledgling artist that I am, I did not
dispute their contention that community art will
lead to greater community involvement in the
arts. The recent performance of “Les Miserables”
is testament to this.
However, when the only art that is displayed
around town on public land is abstract art, one
has to question whether the Arts Council and
Parks and Recreation Department are serving the
entire community’s interest.
After all, art is generally an expression of the
artist’s own emotions and thoughts, and not
everyone is going to enjoy or even like a certain
piece of art.
Therefore it is imperative that the Arts Council
and The Parks and Recreation Department make
strong efforts to balance the artistic view of the
community.
In fact, Dave Romei, executive director of the
Arts Council said that the Arts Council is respon
sive to the public input, and if the public de
manded more traditional art, the council would
comply. But he also said the responses to the Arts
Council’s “Calls For Art” have only yielded ab
stract art.
Therefore, it is imperative for other community
artists, like myself, or perhaps even those who
consider art evil to attend meetings or provide in
put to both the Arts Council of the Brazos Valley
and the Parks and Recreation Departments of Col
lege Station.
I have already made plans to attend the next
meeting; I see visions of “Failed Attempt at Ford
Ranger Restoration” gracing the headquarters in
front of the College Station Police Department.
Zach Hall is a senior philosophy major.
Graphic displeases
*Jatta//on reader
FILP 1 was very displeased to see
ie graphic published for the col-
“Can’t we all just get along?”
n Monday.
Is the artist of that picture a
i iember of the Corps of Cadets or
Clpistj a worshipper of that sector of
^ ur campus. There is no need for
picture that shows a cadet ap-
_ ^parently beating up on a non-reg.
I happen to be a happy non-reg
at wouldn't even consider being
member of the Corps of Cadets.
T j()|>r those that like the Corps, fine.
, adds a lot to our University, and
helps many of those people to
ucceed in life.
But seeing that picture while
Jading an article entitled “Can’t
all just get along?” doesn’t
lake sense. Poor choice of pie
ces, folks.
ts
Tim Comeaux
Class of ’99
/'car
t ran: :
r-raflii ;
1 Ho-
-I 'feting not matter
rf choice for Corps
In response to Christina Bar
ms' April 12 opinion column.
1 —ICC
J I was thoroughly intrigued by
hristina Barrows’ article on
orps and Non-Reg relations.
=,io/; in her article she states: “It is
cyt ' ot forced upon cadets to vote for
^ther cadets, it is a matter of
hoice.”
MAIL CALL
As the fiancee of a Corps mem
ber, I can trust most of the stories
I hear. Concerning elections, what
Barrows calls “a matter of choice”
simply is not true.
In fact after the run off candi
dates were announced, it was the
cadets who were in the run off,
along with their fellow cadet cam
paigners harassing other cadets
because, “They voted non-reg”
and thus were voting “against the
Corps."
So in essence, the choice for
cadets is simple: Vote for the guy
in uniform, or plan on an earful of
vicious comments. What sort of
choice is that?
Finally, the Corps is something
that makes Texas A&M University
unique. It, by far, does NOT define
our traditions. We could still honor
people at Muster (as they do all
over the world). Football games
would go on and we would still
show up.
I am not saying the Corps is al
together a bad thing, but we can
not hold our entire persona as a
world-class university upon them
either. If we as Aggies pride our
selves on being unique, then the
Corps makes up an aspect of
that. But as the slogan goes,
“Don’t let 5 percent make up 100
percent."
Just because the Corps is not
there, doesn’t mean it’s not “Ag
gie."
Lesley Ann Hadella
Class of ’01
Serbian actions do
not equal atrocities
In response to Lisa Foox’s Apr.
13 opinion column,
Ignorance must be bliss for
Lisa Foox and all of her followers.
The Serbian “atrocities” are noth
ing more than a group of people
protecting their country. Slobodan
Milosevic is not a “Hitleristic” fig
ure in any way and her presenta
tion of him being one is absurd.
He is a powerful man that is
protecting the interests of his
country and his people. Is there
something wrong with protecting
an investment? Absolutely not.
The United States and NATO
are jumping into this matter trying
to help, but all they are doing is
creating more problems there.
Yesterday, one of those many
million dollar bombs, blew up a
passenger train and killed 10
Serbs, but you did not mention
that. When the US went into
Bosnia, there were 650, 000
Serbs killed, but you did not men
tion that.
When 70,000 Serbs fought
300,000 Turks and they were all
slaughtered defending their coun
tries best interest, you failed to
mention that. When 430,000
Muslim Albanians get to leave a
country they tried to be liberated
from and only a very small number
are killed, you forgot to mention
that.
The odds are stacked against
you, Lisa, and any other people
that seem to side with you. The
media is failing to mention all of
these statistics because they do
not want the public to be in
formed of the wrongdoing that
our country is performing.
The government is covering
this up very well and making it
seem like a success, but it is a
failure, and has been from the
start. Why must the United States
invade and kill more people?
The Serbs have been outnum
bered many times before and
lost, but many unnecessary
deaths were involved. The Ser
bian society never backs down
from a challenge, and this is no
different.
Michael Palmer
Class of ’02
Kosovo conflict
calls for U.S. forces
In response to Zach Hall’s Apr. 5
opinion column.
I have one question: exactly how
biased against Clinton are you? I
am a hardline Republican myself,
but the problem with military action
in Kosovo is that we are not hitting
them enough. The 500,000 Albani
ans that have been forced out of
Kosovo are all the proof we need for
action.
The daily news features dozens
of Albanians with horror stories of
execution of prominent men in vil
lages, midnight raids where the
Serbs burn houses and steal pos
sessions, people fleeing the bomb
ing of their villages from long range
Serb artillery. This is the “concrete
proof” you say we do not have. Your
attitude was possessed by much of
the world during the execution of
the Jews in Nazi Germany.
And as for trying to blame the
Albanian exodus on the U.S.
bombs: you are a pawn of Milose-
vich and his hate machine. He is
Hitler on a smaller scale, but a
Hitler nonetheless.
We need to commit, take control
of Serbia, and then try and execute
Milosevich on war crimes. Your logic
is faulty, uninformed, and extremely
biased and you have apparently let
your hatred of the “gutless bastard”
Clinton overrun you’re own good
common sense.
Watch the news and hear the
stories of the fleeing Albanians and
then maybe you will see that Milo
sevich and his hate-mongers must
be obliterated.
Shea Trantham
Class of ’02
Abortion dissimilar
to penis amputation
In response to Demond Reid's
Apr. 8 opinion column.
Please spare us the future idi
otic ramblings of Demond Reid.
What Demond Reid failed to re
alize is that the issue is not what
women can do with their bodies,
but rather what can women do
with the bodies that are growing
inside their bodies.
A fetus is a different body with
a different DNA code, and remov
ing it is not the same as cutting
off your fingernails, or as Demond
so eloquently put it: “cutting off
your testicles.”
Aborting a fetus kills a person,
there is no other way to look at it.
I am embarrassed to see that this
article containing no thought, and
ghetto similes (ie. “Smacking a
woman upside the head”) was giv
en a half page.
The Battalion represents A&M
and we want to at least sound ed
ucated, and if these are the best
articles you have to choose from
then just leave the page blank
next time.
Aaron Otstott
Graduate Student
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