F. t Clements says White shouldn't veto betting bill li.ii6.) lit.rs.4 S E P 10 1986 Clements would not reveal the By Sam Attlesey margin, but campaign insiders said and Kevin Merida that the Republican challenger was Staff Writers of The News more than 20 points ahead of the 1tGov. Mark White should not veto —1 Democratic incumbent in the poll. legislation legalizing pari-mutuel Wirthlin's poll was taken Aug. betting on horse and dog racing be- 23-24. It was a telephone survey of cause it would deprive Texans of 600 likely voters across the state he opportunity to vote on the issue, and has a margin of error of plus or former Republican Gov. Bill minus 4 percentage points. Clements says. . Clements said the poll refutes --'"Whether they are for it or claims by Democrats that White has against, the people of Texas are en- closed the gap because he has dem- titled to vote on that issue, and they want to vote on it," Clements said in an interview Monday night in Uvalde. — Clements, who is challenging White, repeated his call in Dallas Tuesday, stressing that he has no position on the legislation but that Texans should have the chance to votr...on it. -'"It's unfortunate that we have a C.::. governor crawfishing on this (par- ticular situation," Clements said during an appearance before the Dallas Council on World Aflalas.-- A measure authorizing betting on dog and horse races was ap- proved by the Texas Legislature during this summer's first special session, and it is awaiting action by the governor. White has told some legislative leaders that he may veto the bill. However, his press secretary, Ann Arnold, said Tuesday that the governor has not reached a deci- sion. "He is deliberating on it, review- ing it," she said. The bill calls for the betting pro- posal to be placed on the ballot in November 1987. - Clements also suggested to re- porters in Dallas that the Legisla- ture consider adjourning the cur- rent special session if they are at an impasse on how to solve the state's budget crisis. Asked if he were saying that leg- ' / islators should "give up and go home," Clements said, "I think that might be a solution. "If they don't come up with an agreement ... then why should the taxpayers put out a very expensive cost per day for these legislators to meet if they can't come to a conclu• sion?" Responding to Clements' com- ments, White campaign spokesman Mark McKinnon said, "Unless Bill Clements is willing to offer any so- lutions, he ought to go home." In other comments during the Monday interview, Clements said a new survey by his pollster, Richard Wirthlin of Washington, D.C., indi- cated he has a "comfortable" lead over White. the Legislature to solve the state's 'fiscal crisis. "All this nonsense that the White people and Democrats are putting out that he is a great hero and making progress with the spe- intend to discuss," said Clements, who had been criticized by some Democratic Party officials for own- ing stock in a company that does business with what they called a "terrorist" country. tther campaign develop- ments.. II White began another round of televison commercials, the first in a series of targeted regional spots. Aimed for rural areas around sJaortheast Texas and along the Gulf Coast, the new ads are set at'in oil refinery in Port Arthur and.. ,car dialership in Sulphur Springs. In both commercials, White, dressed casually in jeans an sport shirts, is shown talking to ."aver- age" workers about the need to pre- serve education reforms and fund- ing as the best way to assure "lobs for the future." "Education reform is tough, but we're a tough bunch in Texas and we're not in the habit of quitting. We're fighting for tommorow and we're winning," White says in one of the 60-second spots, produced by onstrated "courage" by convening media consultant Ray Strother of 2. 'Washington. • Officials of public television station KERA-TV (Channel rs) Said they are reconsidering the format for their traditional gubern4torial debate. he has no intentions of discussing his ownership of stock in Schlum- berger Ltd., the world's largest oil- well service firm, which does busi- ness with ribya through its foreign sudsidiary companies. "That is my private business and \ it has nothing to do with this elec- \ now is considering broadcasting tion," said Clements, who sold more taped one-on-one interviews with than $32 million worth of the stock both candidates rather than the de- earlier this summer after resigning bate. from the company's board of direc- tors. "Everybody knows I have an in- vestment there, and whether I sell It or keep it or sell part of it, I don't cial session is nothing more than White had agreed to a Ocf.'23 de- baloney," said Clements. bate, but the Clements campaign The former governor also said-- refused that date because of a prior campaign appearance. Station offi- cials had said they would hold the forum anyway with White and an empty chair. But KERA debate official Michel Regunberg said that the station "That's our thinking at the moment," said Ms. Regunberg. "We're commited to doing some- thing to have the views of both can- didates." CREDIT CARDS FROAcratregulationis a bad idea for several reasons •5 S 10 1986 For some time now, consumers have been complaining loudly about high fnterest rates and fees carried by credit cards; credit cards often carry interest charges 6 to 10 percent above the prime rate. However, that does not seem to have dissuaded Many credit card holders from making them a way of life. Still, unhappiness has led to demands for in- terest rate and fee controls, and some in Congress seem ready to go along. The idea of regulating credit card credit should be re- jected for a variety of reasons. • State Rep. Bill Hammond, R-Dallas, speak- ing to the American Bankers Association conference on credit cards being held in • Dallas this week, correctly pointed out that 1 when Texas capped credit card interest rates, the banks simply moved their opera- tions to other states. He fears that a move by the United States to do likewise would result ' in a booming Caribbean credit card indus- try. He is probably correct. 3 0 U.S. Rep. Steve Bartlett, R-Dallas, sug- gested before the same group that competi- tive pressures will bring both lower interest rates and better service and more options. Recent surveys have indicated that a lower interest rate would indeed play a major role in determining where a consumer's charge business was placed. Already, some move- ment down in interest rates has been no- ticed, and it is likely that when consumer interest loses its tax deductibility with the tax reform, interest rates will be forced even lower. The fact that credit cards have become a significant contributor to banks' incomes in these tough times has led to the introduction of hundreds of bank cards. There is no short- age of competition, and competition should eradicate whatever abuses exist. This is one time where the national interest is best scrvcd by government lzeeping its hands off.