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Opinion
THE BATTALION
Friday, April 19, 2002
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EDITORIAL
Delay’s Remarks
House Majority Whip Tom Delay is a respected Republican
congressman who exercised terrible judgment in comments he
made that questioned if Texas A&M is truly a conservative uni
versity. It is disheartening that an official who represents the
state would criticize two of Texas' most prestigious universities
o appeal to his audience.
"You know, Texas A&M used to be a conservative university,"
Delay said. "It's lost all of its conservatism and it's renounced its
traditions."
Delay should visit the University and see for himself before
making brash comments, especially anything dealing with the
controversial topic of traditions. There is much heated debate
among current and former Aggies regarding the role of Aggie tra
ditions in the future. For Delay, who has minimal ties to A&M, to
declare that A&M has renounced its traditions is absurd.
Furthermore,by implying that sex on campus is what makes
A&M not welcoming to Christians, Delay shows his unfamiliarity
of A&M. Contrary to his comments, A&M indeed has a welcom
ing atmosphere for Christians, as it strives to be an institution
where students of all backgrounds, religions and races are wel
come.
Despite Delay's opinion that it is time to "throw the P.C. out
and bring God in," A&M remains a conservative campus.
His comments were out of line and his defense that the com
ments were taken out of context is a stretch.
Fellow republican congressman Kevin Brady defended Delay's
comments and said that it was "underhanded" that Delay's
comments were taped and released.
As a public official, Delay needs to reminded that he repre
sents all Texans all of the time, not just when it is convenient for
him. His call for people to write legislators in hopes for change
is fine. But it was completely unnecessary and inappropriate for
him to single out A&M and Baylor.
THE BATTALION
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EDITORIAL BOARD
In need of a miracle
High malpractice premiums hurting Texas doctors
Editor in Chief Mariano CASTILLO
Managing Editor
Brian Ruff
Member
Melissa Bedsole
Opinion Editor
Cayi a Carr
Member
Jonathan Jones
News Editor
Sommer Bunce
Member
Jennifer Lozano
News Editor
Brandie Lifftck
Member
Kelln Zimmer
1STONE HCTlffi
The Battalion encourages letters to the editor. Letters must be 200 words or less
3nd include 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 submit
ted in person at 014 Reed McDonald with a valid student ID. Letters also may be
mailed to: 014 Reed McDonald, MS 1111, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX
7784 3-1 1 1 1. Fax: (979) 845-2647 Email: mailcall@thebatt.com
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ADRIAN CALCANEO •THE BATTALION
GEORGE DEUTSCH
ov. Rick
-Perry has
many fans
among his con
stituents, but very
few doctors can be
counted among
them. Physicians across Texas steadily are being
robbed as a result of Perry’s politics, but the governor
refuses to address the soaring liability insurance pre
miums of the sue-happy South in a timely fashion.
Because of Perry’s inactivity, doctors are going
bankrupt and striking, patients are losing the best
available care, and Texas is faced with a medical
industry that is about to implode. Maybe Perry never
gets sick.
How can doctors be expected to provide meticu
lous medical care when many cannot afford to
insure themselves? Short of practicing from their
basements, they cannot.
According to The Dallas Morning News, Texas
physicians face a 30 to 60 percent increase in insurance
premiums — the minimum they must pay if sued —
for the 2002 cycle alone. Imagine the results in five
years if this horrific trend is allowed to continue.
Make no mistake; a problem this big will adversely
affect the entire state’s medical care.
Where does the ill-gotten insurance money go?
Greed-driven insurance companies get it and end up
shelling out a much smaller portion to their lawsuit-
abusing clientele. However, the 2002 malpractice
premium increase is by no means indicative of a pro
portional increase in claims or continual doctor
incompetence, which makes the insurance companies’
actions seem all the more illegal.
While many people may not care if several hundred
“fat-cat” physicians whine about increasing insur
ance costs, they should. The more unhappy doctors
are, the poorer the quality of medical care in the
state will be, and everyone, at some point in their
life, needs a doctor. It is in the best interests of the
residents of Texas to get this issue resolved.
The power to change all this, or at least initiate
the processes to encourage change, essentially lies
with Perry. Physicians as well as Republicans and
Democrats across the state are encouraging him to
call a special session to address the issue swiftly,
and Perry should heed their advice.
But Perry has made every effort not to help these
doctors in spite of the building tension. He claims
that a special session would not work because the
77th Legislature already has voted down bills on
medical liability.
Even those who once opposed the doctors’
strikes, like Sen. Eddie Lucio, D-Brownsville, are
angry with Perry and want him to stop wasting time.
That was then, and this is now. Increasingly more
elected officials and physicians are growing frantic
about the industry’s troubling fiscal matters. How is
Perry so sure a special session will not work if he
will not call one?
George Deutsch is a junior
journalism major.
Airport security goes too far
I
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think they ^
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MAIL CALL
Student leaders
should speak up
tor cookies
trates and noblemen to speak
up for the plebians. Get off your
soapbox of unfilled promises
and delve into the problems of
the students.
I
it
Too many acts of aggression
a §ainst the student body by
the administrators, professors
and workers of this University
have taken place in my four
y e ars. I am petitioning a call to
the student leaders of this
campus because this latest
° n e will not stand.
Now don’t get me wrong, I am
a fan of Sbisa. “Sbisa,” a shrewd
young philosopher once told me,
's a haven”, and I would tend to
a iree. This daily dining facility is
a safe place for one and all, and
they will greet you with open
ar ms and a plethora of food.
, When you break Sbisa down to
'ts core competencies it can be
as nurturing as mother’s milk.
However, I must complain about
the lack of chocolate chip cook-
les - Students prefer these to any
°ther manner of cookie provid
ed- Yet, they refuse to realign the
cookie distribution patterns to
match those of the students.
And my insatiable appetite for
warm delicious Mrs. Fields
chocolate chip cookies goes
unrequited.
So | am petitioning the Zac
^oventries, Yell leaders,
Senators, and other magis-
Andrew Edwards
Class of 2002
Vision 2020 causes
A&M traditions to
change
In response to Richard Bray's
April 18 column:
A&M's traditions didn't come
out of nowhere. They were creat
ed by the culture and people
who have made A&M what it is
today. To say that the culture
can change and the traditions
will stand fast is foolish. Our tra
ditions are not immovable nor
incorruptible; Bonfire made this
painfully evident.
I applaud any efforts to
improve A&M academically, but
to purposely try to change the
type of people who go here will
inevitably change what made
A&M great in the first place.
Shane Zercher
Class of 2001
Security officers forced hoy to drink stream water
A fter Sept. 11, air
port security was
revolutionized.
Every aspect of security
was tightened, including
what passengers can bring
onto an airplane. But air
port security went too far when they
asked a passenger to drink tainted water.
Elliot Gosko, a 14-year-old traveling
from Colorado to Pennsylvania, was carry
ing a bottle of stream water with him, when
airport security stopped him. According to
CNN, officers searched his bags several
times and then asked Gosko to drink the
water in the bottle. Gosko began to feel ill
shortly after and is suspected to have giar-
dia, a microorganism found in untreated
water. CNN said George Gosko, Elliot
Gosko’s father, believes security measures
were taken too far.
Airport security goes too far when it
exceeds the norms of behavior necessary
for people to enjoy their flight. In Elliot's
case, security officers focused their atten
tion upon a young teen simply trying to
get home. By searching and questioning
passengers, security officials appear to
be doing their job. However, the system
that airport security uses is an inefficient
irritation. Airports use random searches
to regulate what passengers carry,
including those who do not pose a threat.
According to CNN, George Gosko
was amazed that his son was
even suspected as a bio-ter
rorist. While security is
attacking harmless travelers,
true hazards are being over
looked.
Airport security turns the
average passenger into a suspected crimi
nal. Travelers go through numerous X-
ray machines and personal searches. The
contents of their bags are viewed so
many times that their right to privacy
diminishes. Travelers are humiliated as
their belongings are laid on a table for
everyone to see. If airports are insistent
Airport security goes too
far when it exceeds the
norms of behavior neces
sary for people to enjoy
their flight.
on baggage checks, they need to establish
a respectful way to do it.
Traveling is stressful to many passen
gers, especially when they are forced to
go through added security. Travelers are
given no choice when confronted with
security measures. According to CNN,
Elliot Gosko drank the water because he
felt he had no choice. As a teenager
traveling alone, he was not aware of his
rights and was not informed of them by
security officials.
After Sept. 11, passengers are required
to drink from open containers they are
taking on an airplane to show that they
are not dangerous. CNN said security
officials never asked Elliot Gosko about
the contents of the bottle.
Airports need to provide a safe trip
for their passengers. However, security
measures should not alienate passen
gers. Other security efforts can provide
safety results and avoid subjecting pas
sengers to embarrassing practices.
According to Daily Local News,
national identification cards can help
airports regulate passengers.
Background checks can give security an
insight on passengers and are more
effective than random searches in identi
fying hazardous travelers. Clearly, Elliot
was treated unfairly. Airport security eas
ily could have helped the boy and
explained the threat he posed, instead of
allowing him to make an uninformed
decision. There comes a point when we
lose our freedom in regulations that are
supposed to protect us.
Airport security clearly crossed the
line when it forced Elliot Gosko to
drink stream water. According to CNN,
George Gosko said he just wants securi
ty to tell his son that they were wrong
Andi Baca is a senior
journalism major.
ANDIBACA
ona,