THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS Gas Decontrol, PACs and a Candidate 111• By MORRIS AMITAY WASHINGTON — A major piece of domestic legislation now before the Congress could have impact on U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East in the next few years much as OPEC's prob- lems are beginning to do right now. This is the Ad- ministration's proposal to deregulate natural gas prices. Few subjects are as com- plicated, with so many commentators offering their own version of what is fact or fiction. But some fundamentals should be 111 kept in mind by those who want to see greater U.S. energy independence and freedom from oil blackmail. 111 First, oil and gas prices, production and use are linked together and com- pete with each other and other forms of energy. Sec- ond, under current controls, the emphasis became on • producing the most expen- • sive gas, a situation which obviously should be changed. The solution, which the Administration intends by this legislation, is to eventually decontrol all natural gas prices, while attempting to cushion the consumer from any short-term price in- creases. If the decontrol of oil prices in 1981 — leading to falling oil prices and declin- ing imports — is a guide, de- control of natural gas should also provide similar benefits. With U.S. oil imports at a record 11-year low last month (1.8 million barrels per day for the week ending Feb. 25), we would be put- ting another nail in the cof- fin of the Arab oil weapon by producing even more natural gas. This outcome should be kept in mind as the gas deregulation pro- posal is debated and dis- 400 BACK IN THE SADDLE AGAIN ABBE A. LEVI OPTICIAN GOOD GLASSES Div. of Fanab Inc. 25900 Greenfield, 101 Kristen Bldg. CORNER GREENFIELD AND LINCOLN Phone 967-0790 MON. thru THURS. 9:30 to 4:30 HOURS FRIDAY 9:30 to 1:00 SUNDAY 10:00 to 1:00 P.M. Closed Saturday TUNE-UP _ SPECIAL $3. g13* I 1111111. 4,6,8 CYL. * Certain models excluded Guaranteed 6 months or 6,000 miles Includes Parts and Labor as us ow ow I Exp. 3-19-83 up NI • YOU GET: RESISTOR SPARK PLUGS, POINTS, CONDENSER • AT NO EXTRA COST IF NEEDED: ROTOR, PCV VALVE, GAS FILTER, DISTRIBUTOR CAP, 3 IGNITION WIRES (GUARANTEED) • THEN WE SET DWELL AND TIMING, BALANCE AND ADJUST CARBURETOR FOR BEST GAS MILEAGE, ROAD TEST ON DYNO- MOMETERS. • FULLY GUARANTEED: 6 MONTHS OR 6,000 MILES ON ALL LISTED PARTS, 4, 6, a 8 CYL. (CERTAIN MODELS EXCLUDED). APPOINT- MENTS OPTIONAL • OVER 1,000,000 TUNE-UPS NATIONWIDE • TAKES APPROX. 45 MINUTES OIL, FILTER & LUBE $12.88 with Tune-Up 8 A.M.-8 P.M. MON.-FRI. — 8 A.M.-5 P.M. SAT. • Precision ne HAZEL PARK 3994536, ROYAL OAK 549-020(i SOUTHFIELD 353-9260• cussed in the days ahead. * * * A curious debate topic has cropped up recently at meet- ings of Jewish organiza- tions — should there be "Jewish" Political Action Committees (PACs)? By posing this question, a judgment is being made that the creation of such PACs per se might be "wrong." Given their legal- ity under the Federal Elec-- tion Campaign laws, the limits placed on their con- tributions ($5,000 per can- didate per election); and the fact that there are almost 4,000 registered PACs of every stripe and persuasion — the answer to the above should be obvious. Yes, there should be — and more. The small number of locally-based "pro- Israel" PACs scattered around the country is certainly not a threat to the democratic process and represents only a fraction of Jewish politi- cal giving. On the contrary, if American Jews failed to use every legitimate means at their disposal to express their opinions, gain access to elected officials and seek to exert their influence, they would be remiss in their obligations both as American citizens and as Jews. Perhaps a more appropri- ate subject of debate in the Jewish community today should be — "How can we encourage more Jewish political activity, including the support of pro-Israel PACs?" * * * Another potential Demo- cratic nominee for the Presidency has emerged — Senator Dale Bumpers of Arkansas. Bumpers first gained the attention (and the gratitude) of the Jewish community by defeating Is- rael's most prominent critic in the Senate, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Rela- tions Committee, William Fulbright, in a 1974 pri- mary contest. Since then, Bumpers has had a fine record of support on the issue of foreign aid, but voted in favor of the Saudi F-15 sale, while saying no to the AWACS three years later. More recently, however, Bumpers has been both publicly and privately critical of Is- rael's actions in Lebanon in a more visible role than most of his colleagues. These more recent ex- pressions by Bumpers have marred his previous overall positive record, and are cause for concern since the Senator, who serves on the Senate's Appropriations and Energy and Natural Resources Committees, has not been active in foreign policy issues. Some observers feel that the interest he is displaying for attaining national office is actually motivated by his desire to be the Vice Presidential nominee. If it is entirely too early to pre- dict who will gain the top spot, it is even more foolhardy to guess the run- ning mate, a hurried choice usually left to the Presidential nominee and then rubber-stamped by the convention. Friday, March 18, 1983 15 Yad Vashem Offers Seminar for Teaching the Holocaust JERUSALEM — A teacher's institute on the -Holocaust will be offered by Yad Vashem this summer in conjunction with the Na- tional Institute on the Holocaust. The purpose of the course is to give qualified partici- pants a thorough introduc- tion to the subject which will equip them with histor- ical information, conceptual frameworks and teaching methods. The Hebrew University will offer up to six credits for the course, which will be compacted into a three- and-a-half week schedule. For information on the seminar, write to Teaching the Holocaust, Yad Vashem Education Department, P.O. Box 3477, Jerusalem, Israel 91034. , • Jewelry Designers & Manufacturers of Original & Unusual Creations • Authorized Appraisers • Estate Liquidators 31313 N orthwestern Farmington Hills Mon. — Sat. 9:30 — 5:30 851-7333 REPEAT OF A SELLOUT . It is impossible for that man to despair who remem- bers that his Helper is om- nipotent. —Jeremy Taylor :*4 OWNING 60Sit LESS THAN RENTING Ails, Add New Features To Your Phone Service And Enhance Your Decor As You SAVE MONEY AT THE SAME TIME 1 Ask About Our TELEPHONE PARTIES 352-8288 1 c:Allip- ry UNE.