Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 6, 2001)
Politics jesday, November 6, 2001 THE BATTALION Page 3B duatii wait for their g ceremonies: ion of the a. ill, a senior;' itizens urged to vote today city council supports Proposition Nos. 2, 15 By Elizabeth Raines THE BATTALION said she im ing their Aggie J to them, and yic\ cause wheres; are you’re in a dr for ; ceremom v tes will hurl ig of a newi adt suggests volved by & ough comir /ities. College Station City ncil is urging residents of I what sets County to vote for two other school: pro ositions that will be includ- Romeand: ed i today’s statewide election, ing their AggierjBProposition No. 15 and |position No. 2, both of which "designed to further funding Texas state roads, are being have instant, '®ported by the Transportation said. “That i'• e l' ence f° r the 21st Century :ial aboutA4.i» x - 21 ) — a statewide coali- don’thave" V c 'ties and counties to jrove the level of roads in Teas. The College Station City Soincil belomis to TEX-21. ^ creates B) additional funding meth od for highways — the Texas Mrbility Fund and the Toll Act. The Texas bility Fund will allow for lids to be issued to supple- ain thing tkBnt the current Texas est is to builBghway “pay as you go” skills, andgeiMthod. by allowing the Texas re you can > Timsportation Commission to issue bonds that will go into a special account to help roads to be built. “Currently, only 36 percent of the highways needed are being built,” said Ron Silvia, member of the council. “The [Texas Department of Transportation] needs funding.” The second part of proposi tion No. 15, the Toll Equity Act, allows for toll roads to built with a mixture of state tax and toll revenue. “The Toll Equity Act allows the state to help by giving money for the initial startup of toll roads and toll revenue to fin ish it,” Silvia said. Proposition No. 2 provides money for roads to be built in colonias, which are residential subdivisions outside the city limits but not big enough to be cities. Silvia said that typically these colonias are impoverished and do not have adequate roads. ”If we don’t do something now then the situation the roads will deteriorate even fur ther,” Silvia said. He said that Texas has more than 800 colonias and 2,000 roads that need to be built or fixed. Kelley Cole, public commu nications director for College Station said new roads in colo nias would provide access for emergency medical services, school buses, mail and other necessary services. We, as a city coun cil, are giving our support in hopes that voters will vote 'yes' —Ron Sylvia CS city council member College Station Mayor Lynn Mcllaney said in a special edito rial in The Bryan-CoIIege Station Eagle that she joined the TEX-21 two years ago when Dell Computers announced that it was going to ship 10,000 jobs to Tennessee because Texas was not committed to providing the needed infrastructure. Mcllhaney said that besides having the roads built, the best thing about propositions No. 2 and No. 15 is “that we can have these roads now without raising taxes.” Silvia said that the road situ ation has become critical because 70 percent of traffic generated by the North America Trade Agreement (NAFTA) runs through Texas. “We need better highways and more of them,” Silvia said. “This may not solve the prob lem, but it will sure help.” Silvia said the city council showed its support through a resolution passed unanimously at its Oct. 25 meeting. “We, as a city council, are giving our support in hopes that voters will vote ‘yes,’ ” Silvia said. ion,” NiedeJ _ Election affects Harris county AUSTIN (AP) — Nineteen proposed ^H^^^Bistitutional amendments are on the Tuesday. The challenge for state ,, ^■tc'm'ls is getting voters to the polls to in on them. Voter interest is typically low in a tevvkle election when there are no people lining for state office. |"Every now and then we have some- fng that will really put the numbers up re" such as past propositions legaliz- [g a state lottery or gambling on horse Nt:o<THEBATTA. t | cm 8' Elizabeth Hanshaw Winn, \egal division director for the Texas Secretary of State’s Office. S But no single issue on the Tuesday ballot g Visattracled that level of attention. Voter turnout statewide is projected to be plow 10 percent. Early voting in the 15 most populous counties was only 1.9 percent, ■cording to the Secretary of State’s Office. I In Houston and Austin, where there Jre mayoral races Tuesday, local can- Sidates and issues could figure deci sively in statewide balloting on the proposed constitutional amendments. Turnout in Harris County is expected to be above 25 percent. Besides selecting a new mayor, voters there are being asked about the fate of light rail and whether the city of Houston should be banned in the future from deciding to offer health benefits to the same- sex and domestic partners of city employees. Proposed constitutional amendments that have grabbed some attention include a proposition that would authorize $175 million in bonds for building roads in colonias along the Texas-Mexico border and one that would create the Texas Mobility Fund, which could lead to new types of funding for road construction. Republican Gov. Rick Perry has campaigned for both proposals. Perry cites the state’s population growth and increased traffic because of the North American Free Trade Agreement as reasons to branch out from the state’s traditional “pay-as-you-go” method of building highways. Proposition 8 would authorize $850 mil lion for repairs and maintenance at 13 state agencies, including the Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife, which would put some of the money toward restoration of the San Jacinto Battleground. Proposition 7 would allow the Veterans Land Board to sell up to $500 million in bonds to finance additional home mort gage loans to veterans and to operate and improve veterans’ cemeteries. Some propositions are aimed at fixing a local problem or providing a local tax break. Case in point: Proposition 3. It would authorize the Legislature to exempt green coffee and raw cocoa held in Harris County from property taxes. This would allow the county to qualify as an exchange port for coffee by the New York Board of Trade. With the voter turnout anticipated in Houston, this amendment could be one of the biggest vote-getters on the statewide ballot. semester When the I es, fees anti f clicking of J 51s ter, youl registration 3 your Net) ms 801 and Django Walker (son of Jerry Jeff) MarSr David Manders iiDuEj Miller amciii 186 Asp on Campus Corner in Normal ok (1 Block North of the Stadium) • "Oklahoma's Live Musk Capitol"* (405)321-7765 You can’t k for blocks hrough th£ tions. and phone of Classes: the MSC uilding on uctions are the Wet) '•tamu.edtil strar’s Weh rar/. or have ig 2002 by egistration , from Sam published U Wings over America Model R/C Jets & Giant Aircraft Rally November 10-11, 2001 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. 55 Hearne Municipal Airport General admission^ *4/person (kids<i2 free, students 1/2 price) • Concessions on site • RV’s & campers welcome (no Tio< • Plus: big birds, motorcycles, antique cars, experimental planes+ For info contact: Roger R Wagner rpwagner@aol.com (979) 778-WING (9464) Aggieland DU’s 2001 Banquet November 15 th at 7:00 RM. at the Brazos Center Tickets at Burdett and Sons (near Academy) or at Champion Firearms ww w. tam u d u. o rg Located Beliind Chicken Oil Co. CASH BAR & CATERING AVAILABLE PRIVATE PARTIES BANQUETS RECEPTIONS 260-7555 The Texas A&M University Student Media Board is accepting applications for Editor • The Battalion — Including radio and online editions — Spring 2002 (The spring editor will serve from Jan. 7 through May 10, 2002) Qualifications for editor in chief of The Battalion are: • Be a Texas A&M student in good standing with the University and enrolled in at least six credit hours (4 if a graduate student) during the term of office (unless fewer credits are required to graduate); • Have at least a 2.00 cumulative grade point ratio (3.00 if a graduate student) and at least a 2.00 grade point ratio (3.00 if a graduate student) in the semester immediately prior to the appointment, the semester of appointment and semester during the term of office. In order for this provision to be met, at least six hours (4 if a graduate student) must have been taken for that semester; • Have completed JOUR 301 (Mass Communication, Law and Society), or equivalent; • Have at least one year experience in a responsible editorial position on The Battalion or comparable daily college newspaper, -OR- Have at least one year editorial experience on a commercial newspaper, -OR- Have completed at least 12 hours journalism, including JOUR 203 and 303 (Media Writing I and II), and JOUR 304 (Editing for the Mass Media), or equivalent. Application forms should be picked up and returned to Francia Cagle, Student Media business coordinator, in room 014A Reed McDonald Building. Deadline for submitting application: noon Monday, November 12, 2001. Applicants will be interviewed during the Student Media Board Meeting beginning at 10 a.m. Friday, November 16, in room 221F Reed McDonald. An Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer Committed to Diversity. I Congratulations Graduating Seniors! Bring this ad in for a free gift when you order announcements or purchase a cap & gown. ROTHER'S BOOKSTORES A Date Night Only s 25.00 per couple Appetizer, 2 salads, 2 entrees, & a dessert to share at CENARE Italian Restaurant * Only Tuesdays and Wednesdays No coupon needed I 404 University Dr. hhi ■ n 696-7311 If you missed our College Station Mixer, please visit our Houston headquarters. Employment Open House Saturday, November 10, 2001 10 a.m.- 1 p.m. 6700 Hollister * Software Support * Software Installation * Windows Development * Technical Writing * Consulting * Programming * Spanish Translating Sales Training Networking Come by and meet with our employees to discuss these opportunities! DCS is a 31-year strong firm with over 1900 employees. We have never laid off or downsized and remain strong today. This is a come and go event and refreshments are provided. We offer salary plus full benefits including paid medical, dental & vision insurance, 401k matching, direct deposit and semi-annual performance reviews. For directions or more information, please call our Recruiting department or visit our website. Positions available in Houston, College Station and regionally throughout the United States. EOE. Universal Computer Systems, Inc. Ad # 1424 979-595-2609 www.universalcomputersys.com Excellence in Products & People GO! MISSIONS CONFERENCE 2001 th Tuesday November G> 6irace &ib\e C-burcb 1:00 - lOrOOpm 3 ^reaKout se&ftton&/G topi£fc to choose from booths sponsored b>{ mission organisations THEE FREE FREE PURPOSE “To create a greater awareness of various foreign mission opportunities & help send more A&M students to the nations.” ISLAM 101 An Intro to Islam presents WHO IS Wednesday, 7 th November 7:00 PM @ MSC 027 Sponsored by Muslim Student’s Association