The J-TAC (Stephenville, Tex.), Vol. 152, No. 12, Ed. 1 Thursday, November 21, 1996 Page: 2 of 6
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Page 2
Texan Commentary■
J-TAC
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November 21,1996
It was a matter of degrees, dummy
Generation "X" voters
cast ballots for education
Chicago (CPS) - Students leaving the polls
Election Day said President Clinton's emphasis on
higher education issues throughout his campaign won
their votes.
Clinton was easily re-elected Nov. 5 with an over-
whelming majority of Electoral Collage votes, winning
379: votes to Dole's 159. To retain the presidency, 270
were needed. According to national exit polls,
Clinton's largest group of supporters were 18-to-29-
year-olds.
At DePaul University in Chicago, students who
voted, for Clinton said they supported the president
because he's in tune with their generation and cares
about education.
At the same time, many expressed frustration that
they didn't have better choices, citing concerns about
Clinton's character as the president begins a second
term in office.
Clinton's education proposals—a centerpiece of his
re-election bid—include a $l,5Q0-a-year tuition tax
credit for the first two years of college, called HOPE
scholarships, and a $10,000 tax deduction for college
tuition.
The president has based a lot of his campaign on his
proposals to help
students with
higher education
said David
Merkowitz,
director of the
American
Council on ^
Education in
Washington,
D.C.
In nearly ^ ft
every cam-
p a i g n
speech,
Clinton touted his campaign pro-
posals to promote access to higher education, said
Merkowitz.
On the other hand, the Dole campaign has not
addressed student aid as directly, he added.
Indeed, in their acceptance speeches Nov. 6, Clinton
and Vice President *A1 Gore told'cheering audiences
that their administration would pave the way for stu-
dents to pay for college.
Clinton said he would work to make higher educa-
tion possible for "every single 18-year-old willing to
work for it."
Gore said in its second term, the administration
would make higher education "open to all and afford-
able to all."
But despite Clinton's win, Republicans kept control
of the Senate and the House.
With the GOP setting the agenda, it could mean
more of the same bitter, partisan gridlock that twice
closed down the government down last year, predicted
some experts.
It also could mean Clinton can expect continued
attacks on some of his key education programs, includ-
ing the AmeriCorps national service program and
direct lending.
But the fact that Clinton and the GOP Congress
worked together on a number of pieces of legislation as
the election drew closer is a good sign. Both parties
will likely be jockeying for the high ground on educa-
tion.
We could expect Republicans to be coming in with
their own proposals. In one sense, college students are
in an advantageous position. Parties will be vying to
see who will do things for them.
In exit polls, young voters surveyed said Clinton is
more in touch with the 1990s and has a better vision for
the future.
Students said they voted for Clinton because they
are happy with the way things are and don't want any
changes.
That might best describe the attitude on many col-
lege campuses. Historically, college students have
failed to turn out in large numbers at the polls.
Experts predicted that 1996 would not be a record
year for young voter turnout, largely because of an
unexciting presidential race and a general disinterest in
politics.
Voters News Service, a collaboration of the major
television networks and the Associated Press, project
that 49 percent of the voting age population cast bal-
lots, which would make it the lowest voter turnout
since 1924.
Richard Semiatin, an American University political
science professor, estimated that the youth voter
turnout was down at least 8 percent since the last pres-
idential election. In 1992, a
record 46
percent
of regis-
t e r e d
young
voters
turned out
at the polls.
The low
turnout
came despite
record num-
bers of regis-
tered voters,
who signed up to
vote through electronic forms on the Internet, or
through the "motor voter" law.
If voting were mandatory, that might make more
people get out and vote, said Richard Hasen, and asso-
ciate law professor at the Chicago-Kent College of
Law.
While some governments—such as Australia and
Greece—don't heavily enforce the law people still fol-
low it.
But there's almost no chance of passing such a law
in the United States, he said.
We've lived in this country for so long [without a
mandatory law] that it would seem like a failure to the
democratic process, he said.
The other possibility is paying people tO vote. They
did that in ancient Athens, he said. They would corral
people to vote with a rope, then they later moved to
paying people. Also, social pressure might force
young people into voting. It used to be people would
go to recognize their neighbors, he said. Now it's
much more anonymous. The issue of low voter turnout
must move to the forefront, Hasen said.
We have to talk about what we're going to do about
it. The less radical solutions are not going to work.
As one student said, the price of freedom is eternal
vigilance. If you don't vote, you're not free.
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I
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Gridiron glory
You don't have to go home again
If Muhammad cannot go to the
mountain, we shall bring the moun-
tain to Muhammad—or in this case,
bring the Eagles to Justin.
At one point or another every
college student finds himself or
herself homesick for the simpler
days of high school—the lazy days
when one could get away with most
anything. The worst punishment
anyone had to worry about in my
high school was a paddling, or, at
the very most, being sent home to
watch "General Hospital" for a few
days. I remember an incident
involving a boring Spanish class
and a fetal pig head...
In college this is slightly differ-
ent. Along with morning soaps, the
enterprising student who manages
to get himself expelled also gets to
work at McDonalds or DQ for the
rest of his life. But I digress.
As I was saying, students get
homesick.
One way to get over this is,
obviously, to go home. That's the
true reason weekends were invent-
ed. (Well, for that and for fraterni-
ty parties.) While at home the lone-
some freshman can visit a high
school football game, getting a full
dose of high schoolness (and a
good reminder of why he was so
glad to get out).
Unfortunately for me, I missed
all the games my alma mater played
this season. Fortunately, I do have
a good memory and a keen sense of
what's better. As far as I know,
Dean Rusty Jergins has not once
called my mother to ask if I was
really sick. I can't say the same for
. my high school principal.
But apparently,- someone has
decided that I need to see a game,
because Saturday the mighty
Junction Eagles are coming to
Tarleton. , „
■. , They will be playing at 2 p.m. in
the Tarleton Memorial Stadium
against Nicona, a town near
Denton.
I'm not sure about Nicona, hav-
ing not gone to school there, but for
Junction, this game will be the far-
thest it has gotten in nine years.
They will be playiijg for Area.
Both teams are going into the
game 10-1.
The game might prove to be an
ego boost for a fellow JHS grad.
He was renamed "Junction" shortly
after becoming a Tarleton Texan,
and now only answers to that name.
I once over heard a conversation
that went like this:
Person A: "Hey, do you know
where Junction is? It's close to
Kerrville, isn't it?"
Person B: "What? I Didn't hear
you."
Person A: "WHERE"S JUNC-
TION?"
Person: C: "He went upstairs."
So, if you here cheers of "Yeah
Junction!" or see cheerleaders
decked out in black and gold with
the -narnp: "Juiiqtioii" spelled outon
their backs, it doesn't necessarily
mean that the guy from the third
floor of Ferguson has formed a fan
club for himself. It only means that
the Eagles have landed in Tarleton.
—Justin Wayne Beam
—Managing Editor
Letters to the Editor
Student questions
parking ticket revenue
Dear Editor,
I want to do some math! Last
week the Campus Police issued 432
tickets. The cost of one ticket for
one student is about $10~unless
you are late a week and then it is
$15. Problem-How much does the
Legal
matters
Texans list top 10 consumer complaints
Special to the J-TAC
In state fiscal year 1996, which
ended August 31, our Consumer
Protection Division received more
than 32,000 complaints—the most
ever.
That's the bad news. The good
news is that we mediated more than
19,200 of them. Best of all, one
category of complaints—telemar-
keting scams—fell from second
place to sixth place.
We at the Office of the Attorney
General have been actively
involved in public education and
have filed lawsuits against several
fraudulent telemarketing outfits.
We are very pleased to see this sig-
nificant drop in the number of com-
plaints about telemarketing fraud.
But this is no time to rest on our
laurels—the frauds continue. That
is why we would like to take advan-
tage of this opportunity to warn you
about this . year's most prevalent
problems. According to our
Consumer Protection Division, the
following ten categories include the
most common complaints in Texas
during the past year.
The Texas Top Ten
Listed in order by the number of
complaints received, the top ten
consumer categories are:
1. Direct mail advertising ser-
vices. Texans' number-one con-
sumer complaint deals with unso-
licited mail. The most common
problem involves fake prizes trum-
peted by lines like, "you are a win-
ner." All too often, the only winner
is the owner of the expensive 900
phone line.
2. Long-distance service com-
panies. Most complaints in this cat-
egory are about excessive pay-
phone charges and "slamming"
(long-distance carriers that switch
your phone service without your
knowledge.)
3. Debt collection agencies. We
all know that when we incur a debt,
we owe money and should pay the
creditor back. But all too many
Texans are illegally harassed by
unscrupulous bill collectors.
4. Used motor vehicle dealers.
While most used-car dealers are
honest business people, some pawn
off clunkers and junkmobiles. Your
best defense is knowledge and a
reliable mechanic who checks over
the car. The fact is that most used
cars are sold "as-is"—and no used
car is covered by the Lemon Law.
5. General automotive repair
shops. We receive numerous com-
plaints about bad repair work and
double billing,
6. Telemarketing companies.
Most telemarketing calls are legiti-
mate, but some are not. Telephone
offers of sweepstakes, "free" travel,
advance fee loans and others are all
too often telescams.
7. Landlord/Tenant dispute.
Common gripes include missing
deposit refunds, shoddy repair
work and unsafe living conditions.
8. New motor vehicle dealers.
Warranty problems and lemons top
this category.
9. Mortgage companies. You
may not realize it, but nearly all
mortgage notes are sold to another
company during the life of the loan.
That can cause problems if the
lender's payment records are inac-
curate or unexpected transfer fees
crop up.
10. Credit card companies. If
you have been laid off fjrom work,
the last thing you need is a hound-
ing creditor threatening you with
jail, garnished wages or worse.
Such threats are illegal.
For more information
In many cases, we can help
mediate disputes between cus-
tomers and business people—but
you must take some steps first. Call
us at 1-800-621-0508 to begin the
process.
Our office has a number of free
consumer brochures that give tips
on many of these common con-
sumer complaints. To receive a
copy, please write to: Research and
Legal Support, Office of the
Attorney General, P.O. Box 12548,
Austin, Texas 78711-2548. You
can ask for any of the following
brochures: Deceptive Trade
Practices Act, Telemarketing Fraud,
Debt Collection, Get Satisfaction,
Car Repair, Your Tenant Rights,
and Credit Cards and ATM Cards.
If you have a computer and
access to the Internet, you can also
find information at
http://www.oag.state.tx.us. In addi-"
Hon to our brochures, you can also'
find the text of past Legal Matters
columns under the "news" section.
Remember, your best defense
against con artists is an awareness
of how they work.
university make off of these tickets
a week, month and a school year?
Solution - (based on the average of
last week) $4,320 a week, $17,280
a month and $155,520 a year, not
including the summer sessions.
This is a lot of money they make
off of the students! (I would like to
know where this money is going
and why our parking lots, with this
kind of money coming in.) If the
ticket writer can get new computers
to write with, why can't the univer-
sity pave the lot so they don't have
to get their feet muddy- like the
rest of the student body does when
it rains?
Joseph L. Wingo
Sty is eyesore
Dear Editor,
As a student, I would like an
explanation for the mud puddle
created outside the bottom floor of
the Student Development Center.
I know that work for this sidewalk,
nthat leads to a brick wall, costs
money or at least labor to produce.
I wish this puddle could be put
to good use. Maybe the pigs from
the TSU Agriculture Farm would
like to come play in this mess.
Please tell me that the work
outside is not complete and that it
is just at a halt.
A concerned student
£S
Em
J-TAC
Editor-in-Chief
Charles Crittenden, Jr.
Advertising Manager
Jeriny Stovall
Managing Editor
Justin Wayne Beam
Associate Editor
Robert Benton
Sports Editor
Chris McBride
Photography Editor
Joey Wingoi
Advisor
Jaque Jebo
Staff Writers
Kisty Hoffman
Jeromya Beltman
Miles Sims |
Melissa Middleton
Kim Wade
The J-TAC is published every Thursday, except on student holidays
and examination periods. The editorials express the opinions of the
J-TAC staff. Other articles in the opinions section do not necessarily
express the views of this university or of this newspaper.
This is a non-profit organization. Bulk Rate USPS NO. 133.
Stephenville, Tx 76401
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The J-TAC (Stephenville, Tex.), Vol. 152, No. 12, Ed. 1 Thursday, November 21, 1996, newspaper, November 21, 1996; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth141889/m1/2/: accessed April 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Tarleton State University.