4
Wednesday, June M,|
estifies
ire plot
idnesday. June 14, 2000
THE BATTALION
id, Samuel Gonzales, 29,
villing to do the job forStj
23, Gonzales' cousin, isaci
friend after pleading guilt
rder, Gonzales said Rocha
>lan came from Blackthome
ntenced to 19 years in aFlon;
h school football starinUvj
dean jail after fleeing acros<
id last July 12 to face a first-t
rasota. His trial is scheduled
ucking the system
ggie Bucks program valuable, but
in need of security improvements
k
Ithough many
students con
sider the Aggie
licks debit card system
utors had Bellush family me the eighth wonder of
cene. 0 He modern world, the
's husband and father of feHnvenience of electron-
er heard of the murder om idcash does not come
by police. Bithout pitfalls.
he saw crime tapeacrosshiscl Last April, an incident occurred that
e nearby. Then he asked ifasHould have alerted students to one of the
■istians. "1 asked fhem to Jost dangerous drawbacks of the Aggie
testified. lard. Two employees of Applebee's Neigh-
e of Blackthorne's children: Iffhood Bar and Grill were arrested for and
home from school to find’# nfesseci to debit card abuse related to the
bloody kitchen floor with# xasA&M A S8 ie Bucks system. Essentially,
j^thi' two were caught double-swiping Aggie
" a sobbing Stevie Bellush l J ardsand takin 8 the additional revenue out
tape. She was 13 at the time, f the store ' s cash ' AU the while ' students
about how Blackthornem| ere “"wittingly Seated out of their pre-
, ,, , , ,, deposited money.
Jellush and he said hewislKfl J
■ This fraud serves as a primary example
of not only the inconsistencies that still exist
Hithin the Aggie Buck system, but also the
f Texas state schools were! f ced f° r students to be made aware of such
iucational Opportunity's pi Jravvbacks by the University,
eliminate all traces of a"sep| Unfortunately, students using their Ag-
education sy stem gie Bucks at locations other than campus
sal will help improve scho! Inding machines are still at risk of facing
mchilecture, constructaa -]si™lar incidents. Under the current system,
., „ vendors accepting the Aggie Card are not
11 improve the overall camp* r o
, ittquired to obtain a signed receipt of sale,
new and 1SU. h 1 ,
.. Because of the lack of this regulation,-some
■esident of Prairie View, saict'B . , . , ,
... Vendors do not even offer a receipt ot sale.
S to nd the effectsofsewbcH s nizi a McDonak1 . s drive _
id his people have beenvr ,, , . , .
1 r Jhrough window are, at times, verbally in-
iisit\ for t e past ’veyeanH^e^o^^ei!. new ^ggi e Bucks balance.
,P With an increasing number of local busi-
oroposal is a step in the Aggie Card, A&M
isity and he stands behiWlh should as part 0 f the debit sys-
yes said it must be appopriaf- k'tn, the requirement of a signed receipt to
rst - avoid further incidents. Students should be
m of Multi-Culfura/ Servia required to sign a receipt that would enable
funding is an opportunit;
y of programs at historiai
oposal is an "issue of choicf !
e choices," Scott said. 1
; like Prairie View andTSLij
to attend."
h state legislatures next
proposal, and then themont 1 ;
them to check the amount of the sale de
ducted from their account.
Moving to increase the transaction
security only addresses half of the
problem. Aggie Bucks and their conve
nience have become near and dear to
many students. However, few students
have developed a true concept of the
amount of cash they allot for their Ag
gie Bucks account, and even more have
had to learn the hard way just how
quickly that deposit can be spent.
Because Aggie Bucks are a fee op
tion, students can pawn off this ex
pense on their parents during registra
tion. Slipped in amidst tuition
expenses and endless other fees, Ag
gie Bucks fees are even passed off
by some students as the cost of at
tending college.
Even students who pay their
own tuition may fail to realize
that Aggie Bucks can easily be
come a substantial portion of
a fee statement. A hypotheti
cal student, enrolled in a class
during the first summer session,
might find 22 percent of the fee #
statement absorbed by $150 in Aggie Bucks.
Too many businesses accept the Aggie
Card for students to resist the temptation of
registering for more Aggie Bucks than nec
essary. Even students who purposefully
amass large sums of Aggie Bucks often have
trouble restraining themselves from rapidly
spending this electronic cash.
Because these funds are intangible, many
students find their deposits dwindling much
faster than expected. Supersizing that Extra
Value Meal seems-a trivial expense. Buying
dinner for a friend is no problem, so long as
the two go somewhere that accepts Aggie
Bucks. Even spontaneously purchasing a
few CDs does not seem so bad when "real"
cash is not being spent.
Aggie Bucks are the black hole of student
spending. Just as the lure of swiping a credit
card can be addictive, the swipe of a student
ID in a vending machine can too. After open
ing this Pandora's box of debit spending,
A&M could, at the very least, offer an infor
mation sheet on the hazards of a debit card.
It is hardly understandable how the Aggie
Card Website can tout the security of the
card without mentioning ways for students
KELSEY ROBERTS/The Battalion
to prevent fraud. The same site lists all the
vendors that accept the Aggie Card without
so much as a footnote concerning responsi
ble spending.
Each semester, Aggie Bucks become
more widely accepted in Bryan-College Sta
tion. It should be the responsibility of A&M
not only to enact more secure vendor regu
lations, but to also inform students of possi
ble Aggie Bucks drawbacks.
Elizabeth Kohl is a senior accounting major.
Ireenspan undermines investors financial stability
duate said the administrate
uld have more graduation®!
nies over several days.
"Maybe if they lump
is by colleges and giveeacli
n the investment world, the name
Alan Greenspan — synonymous with
interest-rate increases — is about as
pular as the word bankruptcy.
"You little piece of Greenspan,"
ivhy don't you take a long walk off a
short Greenspan," and "you son of a
[reenspan," are all phrases that could
ve recently been created by investors
find an outlet for the fury they hold for the not-so-popu-
chair of the Federal Reserve.
There should be no merciful tears shed for the harsh rep-
e a different day. If it is f>’ u Lition Greenspan has acquired. His callous demeanor, cou-
, I think they should trylokpkd with his poor judgment and seemingly indifferent atti-
m up " Cobb said hde toward the financial stability of the individual
Perry said it is important lot® 1 ) 6 ” 03 "' is to b ' arne - Greenspan has turned what was once
iversity to preserve the nll an immortal econom y into a cowardl y and beaten do g-
, , H ^ the past decade, the U.S. economy has grown at an un-
of commencement. „ , T, ^ . , u \. ,,,.
. n Jlecedented pace. The primary force behind this expansion
ommencement is rea .Bskeg,-, tb e robust labor market, which has a shortage of
ip\ timt and, as a fnculU Hj[ ec j workers needed to produce the goods and services
, it is really great to swstu qjnsumers demand. Companies are spurred to hire as never
ss the stage, see their hapf before. A direct result of this phenomenon has been an in- .
m their accomplishrrv crease in the amount of legal tender in circulation. Spending
ry said.
has increased, which, in turn, has reinforced the need for
|pre goods and services. The name of the game has been ac
celeration. To many people this is an ideal trend, an economic
utopia of sorts. However, as has been said before, all good
Tings must come to an end. Enter inflation, an innate charac-
:eristicof a booming economy. Simply stated, inflation is the
ticrease in the price of goods and services. Inflation is a con-
|n because it may increase more quickly than the economy.
Greenspan, apparently very proficient in introductory
economics, has labeled the threat of inflation his mortal en
emy and has dedicated himself to correcting the situation
at all costs. Normally, this diligence might be viewed as a
good trait for someone of such high influence. Unfortu
nately, in this circumstance, Greenspan's efforts to curb in
flation have resulted in a greater evil — namely the drop
off in the financial markets.
With each of Greenspan's recent five interest-rate increas
es, the stock market was brought to its knees to recover just
in time for the next blow. To Greenspan's credit, however, he
has been consistent in defending his position. The chair has
reiterated many times that rising inflation will ultimately dri
ve the economy into recession, which is much worse than the
short-term damage incurred by the stock market. Greenspan,
along with market analysts, has also given Americans reason
to believe that, once evidence of slowing inflation is demon
strated, the market will react by surging to previous highs.
Even Greenspan's most implacable enemies have to con
cede a little to his logic. However, lowering inflation while
causing only short-term losses for the stock market is a
tricky process, whicla has recently made a fool of Greenspan.
The interest-rate increases must be positioned relatively far
apart, and their magnitude must be calculated precisely. The
goal is to slow the acceleration of the economy — not to re
verse its direction. It is a brilliant theory, but as is evident by
numbers from this past week, Greenspan has succeeded not
only in slowing inflation, but also at halting the market's
progress so abruptly that certain sectors of the economy are
now struggling to make ends meet.
Beginning on May 29 and continuing, the playing out of
Greenspan's errors has been obvious, following the path of a
pre-drawn graph. Only, for Greenspan, it is the wrong graph.
After reports of rising unemployment came out this past
week, indicating declining inflation, the markets surged,
and, for the first time in what has seemed like an eternity,
the bulls were back... bad as ever. A half-hour into the trad
ing day, NASDAQ was up 200 points and the Dow was tag
ging along. Time magazine senior economist reporter
Bernard BaumohTs reaction reflected the upbeat sentiments
of many analysts when he said, "This is the kind of news
that could take some of the uncertainty out of the markets
and get stocks going up again."
That was then, this is now. After the frenzy that was Wall
Street, the numbers are telling a different story. The automo
bile, real estate, retail and technology sectors are down
sharply because their respective players have reported that
interest-rate increases are slowing business more than ex
pected, resulting in low earnings. The finger of blame is im
mediately pointed at the perch on the top of the financial
food chain that houses the awkward figure of Greenspan.
The logical answer to this illogical problem is, fortunate
ly, quite simple. The rate increases were too much, too soon.
And the worst might not even be over. The Fed is set to
meet in late June to discuss the possibility of implementing
yet another interest-rate increase this year. Due to the recent
events, however, the topic of this meeting should be to make
arrangements for Greenspan to enter the government's Wit
ness Protection Program.
Greenspan's misinterpretation of the economic pulse of
the market as well as his overkill reaction to inflation have
left Wall Street weakened.
Luke McMahan is a senior industrial engineering major.
Mail Call
Highway flower vital to
ecology, speeding not
In response to Jessica Crutcher’s June 13
column.
This is the 21st century and most
people realize man is not alone on this
planet — we share it with many other
creatures. The many animals and plants
on earth all contribute to each other’s
If one looked at at the reason why this
stretch of highway needs improvement it
is because people drive too fast. If the
people driving on that highway would not
do so at upwards of 85 mph then I can al
most guarantee you there would not be
so many accidents.
If they were not so stupid to think that
by hurling themselves down the road at
such speeds they will get where they are
going with significant time savings, so
many accidents would not occur. Then you
would not need to “improve” that stretch
of the highway, and then you could just
leave the wildflowers alone.
Charles Ake,
' Class of '93
The Battalion encourages letters to the editor. Let
ters must be 300 words or less and include the au
thor’s name, class and phone number.
The opinion editor reserves the right to edit letters
for length, style, and accuracy. Letters may be submit
ted in person at 014 Reed McDonald with a valid stu
dent 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
E-mail: battletters@hotmail.com
Page 5
Viewpoints
Wal-Mart gives logic
to social isolationism
F tom birth, people are taught not to be
the kind of person who avoids social
contact. In elementary school, those
who ignore this instruction become book
worms during recess and are called deroga
tory names such as dorks and nerds.
These “geeks” live in social isolation.
Understandably, most people work dili
gently to avoid being placed in these un
flattering categories by family and friends.
However, a place where everyone goes
could easily turn all people into social iso
lationists by choice — Wal-Mart.
It is the place everyone goes to at some
point because it sells everything and often
has lower prices. But one problem with Wal-
Mart is that, upon entering the store, a shop
per is faced with practically every possible
type of human being, each trying to hurry
through a shopping list.
Screaming, snotty-nosed kids abound,
affirming one’s resolve never to procre
ate. Their incessant screams add a touch
of “nails on a chalkboard” effect to the
Wal-Mart aisles. Then there are the elder
ly, who, though very sweet, seem to slow
down younger shoppers at every turn —
literally. Add in the Britney Spears-imitating
teens who yell down the aisle in their bub
ble-gum chatter while customers try to com
pare prices, and it is not surprising why peo
ple pay psychiatrists more than $100 an
hour for a little peace. The multitude of peo
ple in Wal-Mart at any given moment would
bewilder anyone. Most likely, however, it
would just annoy them, which leads those
who some call “dorks” to shop at Wal-Mart
in the wee hours of the morning.
In American culture, social isolation has
become a serious concern, as people try
to understand why some decide to live as
hermits. Though hermitism may not be
healthy, the Wal-Mart example can show
that not all attempts at social isolation are
caused by irregularity of the mind.
Americans are increasingly reverting to
shopping after hours or online instead of
facing the craziness of stores such as Wal-
mart. Instead of seeing such behavior as
abnormal, society should look upon these
shopping choices as not only sane, but
probably beneficial.
— Jill Riley
Denny’s restaurants
hinder family dinners
D enny’s, a restaurant better known for
its heart-dogging chili cheese dogs
than for promoting traditional values,
is making an effort to further the breakdown
of the American family dinner. The practice
that in the past graced Norman Rockwell’s
Saturday Evening Post covers is now being
taken for granted and wholly ignored at thou
sands of green and yellow restaurants..
The Denny’s restaurants have started a
program that offers children free Zoob
toys to play with during dinner. The Lego
like play pieces that come in a big ol’
bucket, like all the fat from a Moon Over
My Hammy, are meant to serve the double
purpose of entertaining kids while letting
parents relax and enjoy a quiet dinner.
The toys serve this purpose, but they
also kill the opportunity for families to
communicate in an old-fashioned, but im
portant, way. Somewhere Norman Rock
well just rolled over in his grave.
The devolution of family dinners has
been a slow occurrence. Over the past
50 years, the dynamics of family life
have changed to the point where every
one in the house has a different sched
ule and different dinner plans. However,
one last bastion of Rockwell-esque hap
piness is, ironically enough, restaurant.
While McDonald’s was meant for the
q u i c k-sto p, ye I l-at-y o u r-ch i I d re n-wh i le-e at-
ing style of supper, Denny’s, and restau
rant like it, could be the last place where
families are forced to sit together and be
connected by a booth, if not by love.
But no, the kids are way too loud, and
parents’ headaches are way too large for
families to eat, and more importantly,
talk together. Zoob is a distraction for
parents and kids —what they are dis
tracted from is the chance to have real,
face-to-face conversation.
Even with today’s fast-paced and
sometimes separated family, dinners are
still opportunities for parents and chil
dren to talk. Families that actually have
the chance to see each other in person
should take the opportunity the evening
meal provides. Instead of distracting the
children with colorful toy blocks, family
members could sit down and ask each
other about their days, about their lives or
why Denny’s serves so many things in
skillets. Denny’s did not start the fractur
ing of the traditional family dinner, but by
giving kids distracting toys, the restaurant
is killing one of an ever-decreasing group
of opportunities for families to get togeth
er and talk to one another. Norman would
not be pleased.
— Eric Dickens