Battalion
o PINION
Page 11 • Tuesday, September 28,1999
tNYA
McCain deserves media
, voter support
V hen
look-
__ ing
Bpen-
, alnost
4 B do not
BB the
iloyee to
“Do you
it fries
MARK
PASSWATERS
in
JtcaE 1
, a British
WpHat?" have a section men-
§ B qualifications,
ic rebels B may not be the case
ed the n ittie U.S. presidency, when
blicofOaj^K at people who have ei-
rom theirr 'entered the race for the
Theyalsoitidential office or who are
bombings: sidering it.
ssiancitiesw qualifications being
ives. Boked are experience and
efenseMrB 113 - George W. Bush has
d yesterda 16 “ n excellent job as gover-
Chechnv jof T exas > but only for one
nil the lastBfhat is still more experi-
jccording'B 1311 Elizabeth Dole, Steve
teencv 6 B or ^ at Buchanan, and
Bless Warren Beatty, Don-
IfBump or Cybill Shepard.
Be Democrats have “Mr.
^ment,” Al Gore, and his
lor the nomination, Bill
ty. Both of these experi-
■ gentlemen can put in-
Biacs in a coma.
i.Bis there no candidate out
he hearing. B w ith at least some experi-
?st 0 CI - l^Band passion needed to run
^Besident? There is at least
’talontrialfl |[js name is John McCain,
^Bepublican senator from
elected Mar?, iina.
Btbe media would pay at-
K’dtoem: ition to the man, they would
in criminalftBgnize he is not only a de
louse of Lon It person with good qualifi-
oi :o«anions, but he also has the rare
19f’-ivi)en*acter trait of courage.
hm?camefn®f is unfortunate that the cur-
jitemaoona/ c|t political flavor that the me-
redwavtel enjoys (with the exception
.Buchanan’s Reform Party
jvt) is vaniWa. Hours of cover-
'earc wasted waiting for oth-
d/dates to say something
kT^ljBsfance, when McCain lias
J ’■speaking his mind from
rt.
[Cain’s father was an ad
miral in the U.S. Navy, which
gave his son some advantages
most children do not get.
McCain graduated from the
prestigious Episcopal High
School in Alexandria, Va. and
the Naval Academy. Instead of
occupying a desk in the Penta
gon and resting on his father’s
laurels, McCain volunteered for
combat duty in Vietnam as a
fighter pilot.
He was shot down over
Hanoi and served six years as a
prisoner of war, repeatedly
turning down offers to be ex
changed by the North Viet
namese since his father was
chief of naval operations. Mc
Cain was the ranking officer in
the “Hanoi Hilton,’’ and he was
not going to abandon his post.
John McCain is
out there,
quietly
swimming
upstream.
During his appearance on
the “Tonight Show with Jay
Leno,” McCain was asked what
politician he most closely iden
tified with.
His joking answer was the
governor of Minnesota Jesse
Ventura. McCain, a former high
school and college wrestler,
noted that he had been “pinned
in the finest gymnasiums on
the east coast,” and that he had
been known to wear a flower
boa around the halls of the U.S.
Senate.
In a serious vein, he is
somewhat like Ventura in that
he has the same determination
to stick to his guns no matter
what popular opinion might
dictate. McCain is the sponsor
of the McCain-Feingold Cam
paign Finance Reform Bill,
which has angered the Republi
can leadership in Congress.
He has also repeatedly blast
ed the Clinton administration
for its’ involvement with Chi
nese fundraisers and the admin
istration’s poor treatment of the
military.
Unlike most politicians, Mc
Cain is not willing to compro
mise his core values. He is also
willing to admit his mistakes,
such as being involved in the
“Keating Five” scandal and, un
like some other candidates, ad
dressing the wild behavior of
his youth.
McCain has separated him
self from the rest of the field in
terms of qualifications and
commitment, and how has he
been rewarded for being differ
ent? His campaign has been
largely ignored by the media.
While candidates such as
Bush, Gore’and Bradley de
serve their share of attention,
McCain’s heroic service to his
country should at least get as
much press as Buchanan’s
crazy rantings that Adolf Hitler
should have been left alone to
deal with Joseph Stalin during
World War II.
His willingness to buck the
trend on campaign finance re
form should be noted by the
American people, especially
when candidates have'cajoled
foreign nationals for donations.
When the press sits around
and complains that all the can
didates are saying the same
thing and “Campaign 2000” is
boring, they have nobody to
blame but themselves. McCain
is out there, quietly swimming
upstream.
If courage, passion and ex
perience are something people
might be looking for, they
should be given the opportuni
ty to find out about McCain.
Maybe the media will give the
nation that chance and get
themselves out of the doldrums
in the process.
Mark Passwaters is a graduate
student in electrical engineering.
cesperson
ssued a ' 1 ■ I " 1 " 111111 "
rday lUCkMM'l
rwvwi
Can you spare a dime?
Philanthropists must contribute to important social ills
E very year, bil
lions of dol
lars pour into
universities, pri
vate schools and
museums, while
more important
social needs con
tinue to sit by the
wayside.
Perhaps it is
just the nature of philanthropy that
donations have a tendency to flow
from the rich to the well-estab
lished — that contributions tend to
end up in the coffers of alma
maters and museums rather than in
soup kitchens.
Donations often bypass the
needy social causes, like homeless
ness, disease research and worsen
ing economic disparity, and are in
stead given to institutions that
name buildings after donors.
While no institution, business or
museum has a large enough budget
to fulfill its yearly wish list, it
would be false to say there are not
more socially deserving groups in
desperate need of funds.
Because of the disproportionate
philanthropy, it can seem like the
days of social improvement through
generosity died with Andrew
Carnegie.
Perhaps it is true, as Peter Hall
was quoted in the New York Times
as saying, that “Philanthropy is, in
trinsically, not even-handed.”
It is hard to dispute the claim
made by Hall, a senior research
scholar at the Yale Divinity School,
when the unevenness of philan
thropic charity is witnessed in the
way many of the rich have distrib
uted their assets, giving faddishly
to popular charities or to causes
that are widely publicized.
Such indiscriminate giving ob
scures philanthropy’s true mean
ing — to increase the well-being of
humankind through charitable aid.
True philanthropy demands so
cial change, and giving should be
an informed decision. It is in soci
ety’s best interest for benefactors
to educate themselves about prob
lems more pressing than the need
for new football stadiums or pri
vate school vouchers.
Philanthropists obviously have
the right to distribute their money
as they see fit — being able, to
make important decisions is one
of the perks of having monetary
excess. However, if donors are in
tending to become true philan
thropists, the need for responsible
philanthropy should be the first
initiative, not something that is
done after one has given to popu
lar vanity causes.
For example, while AIDS re
search is continuously funded,
many have overlooked the most
deadly disease of all, tuberculosis
(TB). One in three people across the
globe is infected with TB, according
to the World Health Organization.
What is even more worrisome is
that a new strain of TB, multidrug-
resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), is
the cause of some cases of TB re
ported in New York, California and
Texas.
Poorly funded and negligently
managed, TB control projects are
the primary source of MDR-TB. It is
possible that if programs were bet
ter funded, these incurable cases of
MDR-TB would decrease.
Another problem is the lack of
technology in low-income areas.
The ramifications of being com
puter illiterate in the computer age
are a terrible burden to carry. How
ever, many children in low-income
areas will have to deal with this
problem. It is hard enough trying to
better one’s situation.
Imagine how much that is com
pounded when one was never al
lowed to learn the necessary skill
for socio-economic advancement.
Certainly helping to get low-in
come families access to technology is
more important than funding some
type of detrimental voucher pro
gram, or paying for another stadium.
Some have already started to re
turn to socially-conscious philan
thropy. In a recent endeavor to
spread some of their tremendous
wealth. Bill Gates and his wife,
Melinda, pooled their resources and
joined their separate charities into a
$17 billion charitable entity.
The new foundation has pledged
$1 billion in college scholarships to
the neediest high-school seniors
over 20 years. The $1 billion
amount broken down over a period
of 20 years means $50,000 per stu
dent, if the Gates’ pursue their goal
of subsidizing 1,000 students a
year. Such a scholarship program
has the power to benefit students
who would otherwise not have
made it to college, or if they did,
would be swimming in debt after
four years. The foundation’s first
contribution dwarfs all other dona
tions not only with the impressive
amount of money, but in the well-
thought out philanthropic effort.
The Gates’ donation should be a
catalyst, sparking other benefactors
to give to worthy and viable causes.
Bill and Melinda Gates will have to
lead the way for other philan
thropists. Instead of donating to pet
causes, would-be philanthropists
should take on pressing issues.
Most donors will not be able to
attempt the large pledges the Gates
couple has promised.
However, present philanthropy
should focus more on the conse
quences of donations, not the sums
of money. The benefits of philan
thropy can be great indeed if the
donations go to where they are
needed most.
Beverly Mireles is a junior
microbiology major:
itudents should choose careers with care
finding the ideal ca
ll reer can be as hard as
I finding a good park-
[space in time for class.
First, commuting stu-
Dts have to gamble on
hieh parking lot will
re an empty spot.
Ilext comes an even
Iger decision: Do they
te the first space that comes around?
tlew students learning to park would
|e a lot of heartache if they sought ad-
e from expert seniors on parking strate-
is before joining the hunt.
■In the same way, the pains of hunting
Ian ideal career can be lessened by seek-
g the advice of experts. (Do not ask se-
rs, though, because they will be too
sy waiting for a parking space.)
Certainly, one expert to avoid at all costs
the job projections list released by the
xas Workforce Commission.
The list predicts what occupations will
dw the most by 2006. For that matter,
bid any list predicting the “fastest-grow-
K jobs. ”
First, such lists can often be misleading.
Second, and more important, no one
should base his or her career choice on
what jobs are going to be most available.
Dr. Glen Payne, associate director for
placement in the Career Center at Texas
A&M, said he helps students look at their
natural interests when choosing careers.
This is a better method of choosing a ca
reer than a job projections list.
“I often use a two-question diagnostic
tool when talking with students,” he said.
“The object is to find out what this person
naturally likes and then look into those
kind of careers that utilize their natural
traits.”
Students can also gauge their potential
interests by taking a written test offered by
the Student Counseling Service.
Once students find the type of job that
may match their interests, the next step is
to meet people already working in the field,
Payne said.
Students can do this through intern
ships, co-ops, career fairs on campus, or
special corporate presentations offered by
businesses visiting A&M.
The Career Center can be a great re
source for finding such opportunities.
Another source of expert advice may be
found in the Bible. Students who use the
Bible believe that “many are the plans in a
man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose
that prevails” (Proverbs 19:21).
If a student thinks God’s plans prevail in
the end, then it only makes sense that he or
she should consult God first when search
ing for the ideal career.
Choosing a career involves more than
using a projections list to find a job field
with a lot of open positions, or picking a^
prestigious company known for paying
good salaries.
The ideal career would combine a stu
dent’s natural interests with the chance to
make a lasting, positive impact on other
people’s lives.
But finding such a career can be as hard
as'finding a parking spot on campus that is
far away from busy birds.
That is why God is the best expert to
consult when picking careers. He knows
the best parking spaces because he built
the parking lot.
Stephanie Dube is a journalism
graduate student.
MAIL CALL
Most student loan
deals worthwhile
In response to Jeff Webb’s Sept. 27
column.
Webb’s column on student
loans and personal responsibility
missed several important facts
about student loans.
The overwhelming majority of
students pay their student loans
with no problem.
The idea of sending bills for
school costs, room and board to
the government to insure that stu
dent loans are used strictly for ed
ucational expenses would increase
the costs of loans.
This extra step and the paper
work it would require would not be
worth the effort.
Besides, all student loan funds
are first presented to the Universi
ty to ensure all academic expens
es are taken care of before stu
dents receive one penny.
The federal student loan pro
gram does not cost the taxpayer
money every year.
The millions of students who
have been presented with the op
portunity to obtain a degree makes
the student loan program well
worth the cost.
Additionally, the tax base built
from these millions of college grad
uates makes the whole system
worthwhile.
Gregg C. Baird
Vice president,
Aggieland Credit Union
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