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AI.LEN WINTER
Parking Solutions?
Parking problems, the long time nemesis of the student
commuter, seem to be getting worse around here.
Every quarter, we can count on the parking woe of the
auto owning student as being the A-l gripe on campus. This
quarter is no different, except that complaints seem more
frequent.
Since the early quarter fine collection fiasco occurred at
the police department, students have been increasingly
aware that traffic codes exist. Thus far, a promise of more
rigid enforcement of the code is all that has greeted student
complaints. But increased distribution of the codes and
more enforcement of the rules is not the answer to this
problem.
With more cars than parking spaces in any given area,
the result has to be that someone loses. Campus ticket
writers make sure it’s the student.
Parking in available faculty spaces isn’t the answer
either. Ticket writers make sure of that too.
Opening more parking spaces, even by eliminating all
zone restrictions, may be the solution. But implementing
solutions seems to be far from the collective mind of the
powers that be.
As we said, it’s about the same score every quarter.
Complaints are still many. Solutions are still none.
Council Action
The Carrollton city council took the proper step Monday
night in adopting the beer and wine ordinance for the town.
Despite the emotional and Scriptural thunderings of the
church based opposition, we see the ordinance and the
ensuing tax revenues as a good measure for the city.
We believe those who spoke against the law had a right to
their opinions. And while no one appreciates being con
signed to “eternal damnation,” we believe those who spoke
for the law had a right to their opinions too.
The matter was settled in a fair, albeit earthbound.
manner and the affirmative opinion won. That’s another bit
of light we trust the opposition can see.
\ : *
With the Democratic sweep of
(he Congressional elections this
week, our government may be
in more trouble than it already
is. If the current economic
situation develops into a full
blown depression. the
Democrats will wipe the
Republican party off the
political landscape by 1976.
Next year we’ll be in the
embarrassing predicament of
Having a President in power
with a Congress that is ready,
willing, and able to block any
action he might take. Indeed, on
a straight party line vote the
Democrats will be able to im
pose legislation with impunity
over the President’s veto.
This situation will in some
respects be better than the
present one. At least one
branch of government will be
able to take some action without
being negated by the other.
(!();)
Charles Autrey
A Return to One Party?
For the past several years the
government has been ef
lectively deadlocked with the
President being unable to get
his own legislative programs
passed and the Congress unable
to override the Presidential
vetoes of their programs. But
the future problem is one of
accountability.
For the next two years, the
Democrats will be able to run
the government from Capitol
Hill without having to directly
accept responsibility for their
actions. If anything goes wrong,
the electorate will more than
likely blame it on Ford, who is
visible, rather than on the
Congressional leaders who can
always blame it on someone
else. This situation could set the
stage for a period of legislative
tyranny that would make
Radical Reconstruction look
,AREYSM ' TH
Carey Smith
It's beginning to look a lot like
Christmas. It always does, as
soon as we blow the candles out
of our Halloween pumpkins.
The commercials have started
in full force, decorations are
on display, and students are
looking for holiday jobs.
I have a feeling though, that
this year Christmas is going to
be different. Instead of the
usual jingling pockets, about all
that is going to jingle are the
bells.And that might be good,
because we just might
rediscover the true meaning of
Christmas, something that has
been forgotten for a long time.
For once Americans will be so
Jack Anderson
A House In Disorder
a
WASHINGTON - In this
election week, perhaps the
voters should be reminded
they have a long way to go
before they clean up Capitol
Hill. Congress has spent
millions of dollars investigat
ing Watergate, but it still has
not set its own house in order.
A spot check investigation
has turned up these continu
ing abuses:
The Constitution forbids
acceptance of any and ail
foreign gifts. Nonetheless, in
this session of Congress
alone, we have uncovered
more than 100 such illegal
trips by the nation's law
makers and their aides.
The free mail privilege,
by law', is restricted to offi
cial business only New stan
dards have been adopted to
make congressional newslet
ters less of a promotion piece
for the members. Yet we
have found numerous
newsletters which violate
like playtime. And there is little
in their record to indicate that
the new powers will act any
more in the public interest than
their predecessors.
A Democratic Presidential
victory in 1976 would practically
assure one-party rule on a
national scale, a system
Georgians are particularly
familiar with on the state level.
Of the twenty or so statewide
offices filled by this election,
only five of them were contested
by Republicans. In most cases
voters in Georgia merely
confirmed what a handful of
party professionals have chosen
for them at the state con
vention.
With the Democrats as suc
cessful this year on a national
scale as they were in Georgia a
hundred years ago, the 1980
Presidential Ballot may only
have to be half its present size.
No Electric Angels
busy trying to make enough to
afford a Christmas dinner, they
will forget about aluminum
trees and electric angels.
Perhaps the most sought after
gifts this year will be those
made by the giver’s hands, not
something he worked his
fingers to the bone and paid
through the nose for.
I am not a masochist, I’ll
regret giving up some of the
glitter and glow that comes with
the holiday season as much as
anyone else, if we must do so.
And if economics are the way
they are in a month and a
half. I too, will be affected by
the look on disappointed
even these minimal restric
tions.
Federal law prohibits
soliciting or accepting cam
paign contributions on
federal property. This is one
statute that most congress
men know quite well. Yet
representatives of labor
unions and other special in
terest groups regularly drop
off campaign contributions
on Capitol Hill. In addition, a
number of lawmakers use
their congressional offices to
send out political contribu
tion mailings.
One reason congressmen so
freely flout campaign laws,
apparently, is that the
Justice Dept, has refused to
enforce them
Since the original cam
paign spending law was
adopted in 1971. the Clerk of
the House and the Secretary
of the Senate have forwarded
nearly 10.000 apparent viola
tions to the Justice Dept, for
investigation and possible
prosecution. Some 1.800 inci-
FRANKLY SPEAKING... by phil frank
'■IT? EITHER A HALLOWEEN HOLCOVER I
OR WE'RE IM fr’R OWE HELLUVA |
FLAP SESSION!!'
children's faces when they don ’t
get as great a visit from “Santa
Claus”as they expected
Christmas during economic
turbulence is a sad, but in
sightfull thing, my parents say.
They also say that living
through a holiday season when
people resort to finding hap
piness in the true meaning of
the festivities is a beautiful
thing, though.
Gifts for under-privileged
children have been affected by
inflation as much as plastic
reindeers. Perhaps this year it
will be easier to decide
which sacrifices we are going to
have to make though .
dents have been repoted to
Justice this year alone.
So far. however, the Justice
Dept, has failed to act. In
deed. only a few attorneys
have been assigned to handle
reported violations.
Some of the complaints are
purely technical in nature: a
candidate filed a late report,
or a contributor was not pro
perly identified. Many other
cases, however, involve
serious infractions of the law,
including the acceptance of
illegal corporate contribu
tions. illegal expenditure of
personal funds and violations
of the general spending
limitations.
Washington Whirl: Ac
cording to US. narcotics
agents, a dope runner re
cently flew into Jamaica in
an amphibious plane to make
a pickup and paid his peasant
suppliers with counterfeit
money. On his next run. he
came in at night and the pea
sants put up landing flares in
a swamp full of alliga
tors.