The J-TAC (Stephenville, Tex.), Vol. 146, No. 2, Ed. 1 Thursday, September 9, 1993 Page: 2 of 6
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If IT!
I ll get you now or
I'll get you later
4 J-TAC Editorial
President Clinton and Vice President A1 Gore are pushing a plan to
streamline the federal government and make it more cost effective and
friendlier.
The plan called Reinvesting Government is based on the facts from Gore's
By Kevin Gentry
and honey support programs.
We can assume that we are all in favor of saving the estimated $108 billion
over five years the plan proposes and making our government more user
friendly thirough changing the way the government does business is certainly
a step in the right direction.
But as students and consumers of government services we are going to need
to take note, of the elimination of 252,000 jobs that must disappear to
accomplish this designed overhaul of a government that seems to have grown
fat and calloused to its citizens.
As an agriculturally oriented group it may test our metal to see farm
disappear. Tej
subsidies
Texas must tighten up along with the other 49. To close
app<
29,000 federal civilian facilities across the country it will surely get some in
Texas. NASA has been targeted as being in need of reorganization. The closing of several U.S.
agriculture department field offices in Texas and consolidation of "border functions" of several
agencies into the immigration and naturalization service will hit Texas in the job market too.
Nothing that reduces government is easy to accomplish. The only way to have less bureaucracy
is to have less government. However, it is time to take advantage of the peaceful overtones in the
world and bring the deficit down as much as possible while we can. Vice President Gore said, "I
really believe the political environment has changed very dramatically." He predicted that
lawmakers would be far more interested in joining the bandwagon than in protecting the programs
of a privileged few."
The federal deficit must be reduced or we, the future professionals, will have to pay and pay
more and more taxes to cover the interest, much less, the principle. Therefore, we should be
concerned; and we should take note of the jobs and areas affected. It could cause us to check our
major and our career goals. But it's a working idea whose time has come. Like the commercial says
of wear and tear in engines," I'll get you now or I'll get you later."
Response to Joe Candler
i
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DJLLAS^COWBOYS
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1 Dear Editor:
The wonderful thing about the 1st Amend-
ment is that it allows people to freely express
their opinions. A drawback of unrestricted
' press freedom, however, is that childish dia-
tribes like those of Joe Candler in last week's
J-TAC are given equal forum with those who
prefer to use reason and self-discipline to
argue their case. As a student at TSU, I am
compelled to comment on what was tanta-
mount to throwing fecal matter against a
wall to see what would stick.
I know absolutely nothing about the is-
sues involved with the building of the new
Student Center. Afterreading Mr. Candler's
column, I would venture that none of the
cither students who read it do either.
- Talk about damning with faint praise! In
one paragraph, Mr. Candler extols the vir-
tues of the faculty. He then throws barbs at
unnamed deans, department heads and the
administration with vague assertions of a
lack of "service to the students". It sounds as
though he or one of his friends got their
feelings hurt when things didn't go their
way. So, he makes a sweeping indictment of
the faculty and the administration, seeking to
undermine the confidence of the students in
the institution.
Perhaps it takes an adult student who has
done something in life other than go to school,
supported by Mom and Dad, to have an
appreciation for the job that is done by the
adults at Tarleton. Throughout my two and
,a half years of graduate study, every faculty
member with whom I had contact was thor-
oughly professional and concerned about the
students who truly put forth an effort to
acquire knowledge and commit themselves
to scholarship. All the professors in the
Social Sciences department, the graduate
dean, as well as faculty of other departments
that I had occasion to deal with were exem-
plary.
I think the salient point here is to focus on
those students who put forth an effort. Per-
haps the unattributed professor's comment
that "Some of them would not be a loss" if
they dropped a course is insensitive, but it is
notentirely inaccurate. In my graduate classes
"piggybacked" on undergraduate sections, I
observed students who couldn't put forth a
coherent argument based on fact and reason,
letting their emotions drive their intellect.
Mr. Candler asserts that "the loss of one
student is too much". I submit that students
who expect to be spoon fed information like
they were in high school don't belong in
college. If they drop a class because they
don't want to work too hard, it's no loss to
scholarship.
Mr. Candler's arguments are instructive
of the type of "me first" attitude inculcated
by the Values Clarification curriculum in the
public schools today. The underlying phi-
losophy of Values Clarification is that right
and wrong are purely relative based upon
what the individual perceives as best. Con-
sequently, teachers-are cautioned not to be
judgmental and, thus, risk damaging a
student's self-esteem.
Mr. Candler's character assassination of
Dr. McCabe and the nebulous "administra-
tion" simply displays a glaring lack of char-
acter in the accuser. It is highly irresponsible
to make allegations of fiduciary misconduct
without providing facts upon.which to sup-
port the allegations. It should, however,
come as no surprise, given'the absence of
moral instruction in the public schools.
In his book Why Johnny Can'tTell Right
from Wrong. Dr. William Kilpatrick, a pro-
fessor Education at Boston College, details
how the ideologhy of Swiss philosopher
Jean Jacques Rousseau came to permeate
American education in the 1960s. Classical
thought on how to maintain a harmonious
society rested on the training of young people
in what Socrates termed the four cardinal
virtues: Prudence (Wisdom), Justice, Cour-
age, and Temperance (Self-discipline). Ha-
bituation of these virtues ensured that young
people entered adulthood with the capacity
to control themselves and their impulsive
desires, to respect others, and to appreciate
the need to sometimes sacrifice personal
wants for the good of the whole. The "flower
children" of the 60s rebelled against such
dogma, internalizing Rousseau's message.
The leading philosopher of the Romantic
era, Rousseau stood classical moral instruc-
tion on its head, teaching that the "self' is the
most important consideration. In his treatise
"Confessions" Rousseau states, "What could
your miseries have in common with mine?
My situation is unique, unheard of since the
beginning of time..." "The person who can
love me as I can love is still to be born."
"Show me abetter man than me, a heart more
loving, more tender, more sensitive..." "...if
there were a single enlightened government
in Europe, it would have erected a statue to
me."
Such apreoccupation with "I Want - There-
fore, I Need" manifests itself in the values
neutral instruction underlying public educa-
tion today. However, don't take Dr.
Kilpatrick's word for it The TSU Education
Department will confirm that the teachings
of Rousseau, Socrates, and John Dewey un-
derlie the education curriculum. The flower
children are now the teachers and professors
of teachers and today's students are the chil-
dren of the flower children. It's no wonder
that some members of this generation have
little respect for others. Their parents and
teachers helped them achieve moral illit-
eracy.
Harvard psychologistLawreneeKohlberg
introduced Values Clarification in 1966.
Modeled on the Socratic dialogue, Kohlberg
maintained that children were capable of
reasoning their way to making the right
choices between right and wrong! The
Socratic dialogue provided a way of drawing
out ideas without imposing values or moral-
izing. The fallacy in this argument is that
Socratic dialogue is not appropriate for chil-
dren. In Book VII of Plato's "Republic",
Socrates' foremost pupil stated that it was to
be reserved for mature people over the age of
thirty. "One great precaution," said Plato,
"is not to let students taste of argument while
they are young" - the danger being that they
would develop a taste for argument rather
than a taste for truth. Young minds, like
young puppies, said Plato, would only "pull
and tear at arguments."
The theories of John Dewey, "Father of
American Education", who sought to "de-
mocratize" the classroom were adopted by
Vladimir Uich Lenin in the Soviet Union
after the second Russian Revolution. Throw-
ing out the old methods of discipline, grades,
and homework were thought to better enable
students to "reason" their way to living in a
good, collectivist society.
In the 1930's, after parents complained
that their children were no learning, Joseph
Stalin threw out the Dewey curriculum and
Soviet schools returned to the philosophy
espoused in the old Russian proverb "repeti-
tion is the mother of knowledge". Repetition
leads to habituation. Today, Russia boasts
one of the highest literacy rates in the world.
Additionally, the knowledge that there are
absolutes of right and wrong enabled .the
Russian people to finally recognize the in-
sidious nature of Communism and over-
throw their masters.
The example Mr. Candler gives of stu-
dents in the Financial Aid Office favoring
their friends ahead of those standing in line
is a perfect example of their having failed to
be taught right from wrong at home and
having it reinforced at school, as was the
practice during my childhood. To indict the
administration for the actions of those stu-
dents in ludicrous.
The only worthwhile thing that Mr. Can-
dler advocates is for students to SPEAK
OUT! That is precisely what I am doing.
However, one should ensure that the argu-
ments presented are based on fact and rea-
son, not simply a temper tantrum.
I have no doubt that some may criticize
my position as that of a moralizer, seeking^o
impose my views on others. I plead guilty!
I will not stand silently by while a petulant
child who has evidently not learned common
decency and rational discourse seeks to un-
dermine a fine institution. As a final com-
ment, the plagiarism of Dr. Kilpatrick's work
committed herein is done with his full knowl-
edge and approval.
-Richard Beil
Golf cures bad attitude
Some people become obsessed with the
game of golf.
That may be understandable to you, but my
opinion of golf had always been that it was
a lazy-man's sport, that is until I decided to
learn the game.
My boyfriend, who is no more because of
this dirty, four-letter word that sucked up his
time and money, wanted me to learn to play
so I could play in golf tournaments'with him.
That all sounded well and good, until we broke up and I was stuck with a 7:30 a.m. class,
my bad attitude, and an unnecessary P.E. credit.
The worst part was getting up early. I was tempted to drop the course, but then decided
I didn't want to be called a quitter. No one had ever asked me to play golf before and I was
sure I would look dorky.
Golf is not just for fat old people who drive golf carts around and drink beer all day because
they have nothing better to do. It is the hardest game I've ever learned to play. It takes a
mentally healthy person to play golf and not lose their temper and throw their golf clubs into
the water. It takes concentration, patience and tons of practice. It's a sport you can play the
rest of your life. :
To my surprise I actually enjoyed the class. I made new friends and had a great time. I
even looked forward to going to the golf course everyday.
Then I made the mistake of telling my brother I thought I was a half-way decent golf player.
My brother, who knows how to shoot down my ego better than anyone, asked me to play
nine holes with him. After we finished he remarked, in his kindest voice, "Jacque, I think
you need to go back to the driving range."
Okay, so I'm not Nancy Lopez yet.
My point to all this is that no matter how negative, self-conscious or insecure you may
feel about learning something new and different, you'll never be sorry you at least tried.
You may find some hidden talents.
Jacque Rogers is the Features Editor of the J-TAC.
Editor in Chief
Brig Lopez III
Managing Editor
Keith Ordeneaux
Photo Editor
Marc Parks
Sports Editor
Roderick Richardson
Editorial Cartoonist
Kevin Gentry
Adviser
Charlie Reynolds
Ad Coordinator
Joe Candler
Features Editor
Jacque Rogers
Circulation
Jesse Lunas
Staff Writers
Karman Edgar
Shelly Cockerham
Tony Farago
Rhonda Moore
Susan Richie
Charles Crittenden
Denise Bradford
The J-TAC is published on Thursdays during the regular
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The J-TAC (Stephenville, Tex.), Vol. 146, No. 2, Ed. 1 Thursday, September 9, 1993, newspaper, September 9, 1993; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth141805/m1/2/?q=music: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Tarleton State University.