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Opinion
The Battalion
Page 9 • Tuesday, February 25,
Bobin Hood' challenged
T he Texas Constitution
guarantees all citizens an
equal opportunity to
receive a proper education. This
guarantee is what led to the
Texas Supreme Court decision in
the Edgewood ISO v. Kirby case
in 1989, and eventually to the
implementation of Senate Bill 7,
also known as the “Robin Hood”
law, in 1993, according to the Center for
Public Policy Priorities. The Robin Hood
law allows the state to redistribute prop
erty tax revenues from wealthy school
districts to poor ones.
The Robin Hood law has been chal
lenged in the court system several times
since its implementation, and has always
been upheld, according to The
Associated Press. Now it is being chal
lenged by a coalition of wealthy school
districts that claim the law violates the
state constitution by creating a statewide
property tax, an argument that has been
struck down in the past.
While the state school funding formu
la is far from perfect and has caused
budgetary problems for some wealthy
school districts, it has worked for mil
lions of Texas children, giving them edu
cational resources ranging from com
puters to up-to-date textbooks, and
should be kept in place until the leg
islature finds a better alternative.
According to the Fort Worth
Star-Telegram, the law states that dis
tricts are classified as wealthy if the
value of their tax rolls divided by the
number of students enrolled is greater
than $305,000. Any operating revenue
that surpasses this threshold is recap
tured by the state and redistributed to
property-poor districts. The Austin
American-Statesman reports that 118
districts are considered rich and,
therefore, must transfer approximately
$970 million to the other 916 districts
tot teach nearly 90 percent of the stu
dents in the state. This money makes
mp amere 4 percent of the total $25.8
billion spent on education each year.
This system has caused some
of the wealthy districts to cut
back on extracurricular opportu
nities and to charge students cer
tain “activity fees." The frustra
tion of wealthy districts forced to
cut programs is understandable;
however, the programs that are
eliminated are programs that
poorer districts could never have
dreamed of having in the first place.
The real problem with state funding of
education is that there is not enough. The
state must come up with more ways to
raise money for education instead of rely
ing solely on property taxes, which have
gone through the roof. Until that happens,
this program is the only hope for many
poor Texas schools.
The Robin Hood plan is not necessar
ily the best way to fund education;
there may be better ways out
there. However, another plan
must be decided on before the
current one is ousted.
It may be flawed, but at least it's a sys
tem. Getting rid of Robin Hood without a
clear alternative is simply dangerous.
Jenelle Wilson is a senior
political science major.
BECKY MAIDEN
THE BATTALION
EDITORIAL
Rec fee frivolous
No need for fee hike in economic crisis
Students, former students, and others connected to Texas A&M
are commonly referred to as the Aggie family. In times of eco
nomic hardship, even the largest of families must remember to
live within their means. However, while households around the
state are becoming more frugal in these tough times, adminis
trators have demanded a spending spree with the Aggie family
picking up the tab.
The Department of Recreational Sports is pushing for an
untimely and unnecessary fee increase. Wednesday and
Thursday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at campus polling locations and
at vote.tamu.edu, students may vote on whether to approve a
new $10 per semester fee hike. A&M administrators have taken
it for granted for too long that students can bear the cost of
every new upgrade, enlargement, expansion or modification
they desire.
The proposed fee increase would complement the Student
Recreation Center's current $5 million budget surplus and would
go toward expansion of the weight room and Penberthy facili
ties. Also proposed is a wage increase for student employees
and the addition of a full-time coordinator to handle risk-man
agement. Another $10 fee increase is slated for 2006.
While the Rec Center is a nicety for students who use it, the
financial viability of educational programs and students should
not be jeopardized just to expand an exisiting facility.
Maintenance and upkeep are genuine uses of fee money, but
neither are at stake without this increase. Every student should
exercise his power to be heard by casting a ballot and saying no
to frivolous fee increases.
THE BATTALION
EDITORIAL BOARD
Editor in Chief
Managing Editor
Opinion Editor
News Editor
Brandie Liffick
Sommer Bunge
George Deutsch
Sarah Walch
Asst. News
Member
Member
Member
Melissa Sullivan
Rolando Garcia
Matt Maddox
Brieanne Porter
The Battalion encourages letters to the editor. Letters must be 200 words or
less and 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
77843-1111. Fax: (979) 845-2647 Email: mailcall@thebatt.com. No attachments.
Interest in Middle Eastern oil decreasing
Facing a potential war, the United States should look to Russia for alternatives
T he recently climbing gas prices
may only be foreshadowing the
extreme stress a possible war with
Iraq could put on the economy, and, in
particular, oil prices. Right now the rise
in gas prices is attributed to war panic,
and a strike by oil producers in
Venezuela, the world’s fifth leading
exporter of oil. However, should conflict
become intense in Iraq and the surround
ing region, it would most likely restrain oil ship
ments, a problem since almost a fourth of oil
imported to the United States in 2001 originated
from the Middle East, according to the Energy
Information Administration’s Web site.
Despite the obvious pressure on Iraq and the
surrounding Persian Gulf region due to a possi
ble war, the United States continues to import the
majority of its oil from such sources. What is
needed is not peaceful relations with neighboring
countries, cooperation with Iraqi oil companies,
or a decrease in United States oil consumption,
although that wouldn’t hurt. The United States
needs to dramatically decrease its invested inter
est in Middle Eastern nations’ oil sup
plies and focus on alternative oil sources.
Russia, which is the world’s second
largest oil producer, only delivers a small
fraction of its oil to
the United States. a
The reason behind
this is certainly not a
lack of demand, but
complications trans
porting oil to the United
States from Russia, accord
ing to the Energy
Information Administration’s
Web site.
By supporting the
Russian oil effort, Americans
will not only be lowering the
prices they are paying for
gas, but they will be refusing to support the
economies of countries who are our enemies.
As of now, Russia utilizes a number of long
distance pipes to transport oil from Russia to var
ious countries in Western Europe. The problem is
that Russia has no straightforward way to ship oil
to the United States. However, a deepwater oil
terminal at Murmansk has been suggested that
would enable Russian oil to reach the United
States. The mere suggestion,
however, will not get oil to
the United States or lower
our prices, and in reality a
strong effort is needed to
encourage this act to actual
ly occur. If businesses do
invest in the Russian oil
market, tensions due to
Middle Eastern conflicts will
ease.
Furthermore, if the
United States did engage in
a closer business relation
ship with Russia, it would
not only benefit Americans, but Russia as well.
Russia’s oil industry, which has been struggling
to catch up to technological advances that
occuned before the fall of the Soviet Union, has
made recent strides in producing and refining oil,
but there are still more advancements to be made,
according to Peter Valko, associate professor of
petroleum engineering.
“Russia exports more than it used to because
of capital investment, and since the fall of the
Soviet Union, exports have been steadily increas
ing. Before trade can increase with the United
States, you need political stability in Russia,”
Valko said.
To build this political stability, financial
investments must be made in Russia, as well as
other countries that are secondary oil sources for
the United States. Nigeria, South America, and
Mexico all have multitudes of oil reserves not
being pumped to their capacity because the
United State’s oil needs are already being met
by the Middle East. By making plans now to
invest in Russian oil as well as other global
sources, the United States will protect itself
from possible problems that could arise due to
conflict with Iraq.
Sara Foley is a sophomore
journalism major.
SARA
FOLEY
By supporting the
Russian oil effort, Americans
will not only be lowering the
prices they are paying for
gas, but they will be refusing
to support the economies of
countries who are our
n
enemies.
Political disasters leave
Bush vulnerable at polls
\n response to Nathan Rogers' Feb.
24 column:
In the immediate days following
9/11, our nation came together in a
spirit of unity to defeat terrorism. But
shortly after, George W. Bush opened
his mouth and continued his divisive,
partisan rhetoric for his own political
gain.
As his current plummeting public
approval rating suggests. President
Bush is out of touch with American
priorities and values and is making
himself more vulnerable to a
Democratic victory in 2004.
President Bush has failed to give
economic relief to the working fami
lies of America. He has failed to pro
vide states with the necessary
resources to adequately fund home
land security. He has failed to protect
our environment from his friends
who wish to pollute it.
He has failed to present us with a
consistent foreign policy toward all
nations who support terrorism, not
just Iraq. He has also failed to sup
port women's and minority rights,
allowing radical religious zealots to
determine the future of equal oppor
tunity.
In short, President Bush's actions
speak louder than his grammatically
incorrect words. We Democrats have
many qualified candidates who rep
resent the true face of America, and
who fight for ordinary Americans, not
just for corporate executives and reli
gious fundamentalists.
Jonathan Steed
President, Aggie Democrats
Class of 2004
MAIL CALL
Column portrayed
Lowry Mays poorly
In response to Collins Ezeanyim's
Feb. 24 column:
Although I agree that Clear Channel
Communications is developing a
monopoly, I do not agree with the way
Lowry Mays was portrayed.
Aggies do not hiss other Aggies, or
has The Battalion forgotten this long
standing Aggie tradition of respect?
Lowry Mays is a former student of
this university, graduating in 1957 with
a degree in Petroleum Engineering.
Not only has he served on the Board
of Regents, but he has received many
awards from this university including
the Distinguished Alumni Award. He is
also the benefactor of the Lowry Mays
College of Business.
Mr. Mays is an outstanding Aggie,
something not mentioned by this arti
cle. Even amid the controversy created
by his company, please remember that
he is an Aggie first.
John Boehm
Class of 2005
Urging countries to
side with war inhumane
In response to a Feb. 24 page 1
article:
I am appalled to learn from the arti
cle "Officials urge countries to side
with U.S." that the U.S. has resorted to
holding hostage the citizens of
Angola, Guinea, and Cameroon to
secure their governments' vote for the
upcoming U.N. resolution authorizing
war with Iraq.
It is one thing to present a convinc
ing case for war, but threats only
strengthen the perception in many
countries that the U.S. is a bully.
I can only speculate what our officials
mean by "paying a heavy price" for not
supporting the U.N. resolution, but I
hope it does not include withholding
humanitarian or other foreign aids to
these countries.
How can we present ourselves as a
just and compassionate nation, the
sole superpower no less, if we poten
tially jeopardize the survival of deprived
people in third world countries in order
to gain their support for a cause that
will cost more lives?
Kenny Kwong
Class of 2001
The Battalion encourages letters to the edi
tor. Letters must be 200 words or less and
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 submitted 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 77843-
1111. Fax: (979) 845-2647 Email: mailcall@the-
batt.com. Attachments are not accepted.