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Eighty years of editorial freedom
Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan

Senator

Huber:

The

Right

on

Maynard St., Ann Arbor, Mich.

News Phone: 764-C552

Editorials printed in The Michigan Daily express the individual opinions of staff writers
or the editors. This must be noted in all reprints.

UESDAY, JANUARY 12, 1971

NIGHT EDITOR: DAVE CHUDWINI

.-.r..r.. _ ...,. .

The fallacies of

Nixon's economic policies

AFTER TWO years in office, President
Nixon and his advisers have begun to
understand that the economy is the prin-
cipal threat to the President s reelection
In 1972. Rising unemployment and infla-
tion rates, Nixon now realizes, have un-
dermined the confidence in the economy
of consumers and his friends in corpora-
tions and on Wall Street.
To help them revitalize sagging profits
while increasing production, the admin-
istration has announced changes in busi-
ness taxes. Allowances for depreciation
of equipment will be increased. Previously
businesses could claim a half-year's write
off (a deduction of the cost before cal-
culating taxes) for machinery used dur-
ing any fraction 'of a year. Now they will
be able to get a half-year's depreciation
for any use and a full year's depreciation
for more than six months of use. Also,
the period during which businesses may
write off the cost of machinery will be
reduced by 20 per cent.
This decision, which does not require
Congressional approval, shows the Presi-
dent's strong desire to help business while
ignoring the public. From the tax reduc-
tions, businessmen are expected to save
$2.6 billion in taxes this year and just
over $4 billion by 1976. Administration
spokesmen explain the current action is
not a tax cut, but a deferral of tax pay-
ments to later years.
However, by the time businessmen get
around to paying their delayed taxes in-
flation will probably have substantially
reduced the value of the dollars they
give the government. Despite its efforts,
the administration has failed to signifi-
cantly stem inflation. Monthly rises in
the consumer price index have varied
from a .3 per cent, to .6 per cent wi'thout
a clear trend.
MEANWHILE THE public will be forced
to suffer. No reduction in personal
income taxes has been proposed. Infla-
Editorial Staff
MARTIN A. HIRSCHMAN, Editor,
STUART GANNES JUDY SARASOHN
Editorial Director Managing Editor
NADINE COHODAS Feature Editor
JIM NEUBACHERA ..Editoria Page Editor
ARB BER............Associate Managing Editor
LGAU7RIE HARRIS ...... . Arts Editor
JUDY KAHN Personnel Director
DANIEL ZWERDLING......... Magazine Editor
ROBERT CONROW........ .. Books Editor
JIM JUDKIS ........... Photography Editor
EDITORIAL NIGHT EDITORS: Jim Beattie, Lindsay
Chaney, Steve Koppman Pat Mahoney. Rick Peroff.
NIGHT EDITORS: Jim Beattie, Dave Chudwin, Steve
Koppman, Robert Kraftowitz, Larry Lempert, Lynn
Weiner.
DAY EDITORS: Rose Berstein, Mark Dillen, S a r a
Fitzgerald, Art Lerner, Jim MFerson, Jonathan
Miler. Hannah Morrison. Bob Schreiner, W. E.
Schrock.
EDITORIAL NIGHT EDITORS: Jim Beattie, Lindsay
Cwey, Steve Koppman, Pat Mahoney, Rick
Perloff.-
COPY EDITORS: Tammy Jacobs, Hester Pulling, Carla
Rapoport.
ASSISTANT NIGHT EDITORS: Juanita Anderson
AnitaCrone, Linda Dreeben, Alan Lenhoff, Mike
McCarthy, Zack Schiller, John Shamraj, Geri Sprung,
Kristin Ringstrom Gene Robinson, Chuck Wilbur,
Edward Zimmerman.
Sports Staff
ERIC SIEGEL, Sports Editor
PAT ATKINS. Executive Sports Editor
PHIL HERTZ Associate Sports Editor
LEE KIRK....... ...,.Associate Sports Editor
}TILL DINNER .. Contributing Sports Editor
SPORTS NIGHT EDITORS: William Aterman Jared
E. Clark, Richard Cornfeld. Terri Fouchey James
Kevra, Elliot Legow, Morton Noveck. Alan Shack-
elford.

tion is likely to continue. Even worse,
consumers will be forced to live with the
pollution of corporations that the' gov-
ernment is reluctant to control.
Last Friday, John M. Burns III, a Jus-
tice-Department attorney who prosecuted
General Motors for water pollution last
year, was fired without any explanation.
Apparently, the company's pressure had,
persuaded the government to give it a
break. When thsey first heard about the
federal suit, GM officials protested to
the Justice Department that they had
been negotiating with local authorities
for two years about discharges from the
company's Tarrytown, New York plant on
the Hudson River.
After prosecution began, a Justice De-
partment lawyer was sent to New York
to work with the U.S. attorney's office in
negotiations with GM counsel. On Satur-
day, the day after Burns was dismissed,
the government announced an agreement
had been reached out of court. Burns,
who participated in the negotiations, said
that the settlement made some advances
but "crucial steps remain" to make sure
it is carried out.
Besides helping big business, Nix-
on's current tax cut, combined with re-
ductions in interest rates, may have some
unexpected consequences. As business-
men take advantage of the, incentives by
increasing investment, they are likely to
set off a new wage of inflation. In re-
sponse, the Federal Reserve Board might
respond by suddenly clamping down on
interest rates while' the administration
once again tried to limit the budget, with
the exception of the Defense Department
of course.
Added to the 'current shaky economic
situation, these new restrictions might
prove disastrous. In all his rhetoric about
increasing employment, Nixon has not
even admitted there is a danger of a new
inflation spiral.
THE BUSINESS tax cut is just another
reckless step of a President franti-
cally trying to prevent economic disaster.
In coming months, tax incentives f o r
companies cutting pollution and doing
anything else socially acceptable may be
proposed. All these haphazard attempts to
stimulate investment will do almost noth-
ing for consumers, while allowing busi-
nessmen to increase profits and delay
taxes until inflation has sharply eroded
the value of the dollars they give t h e
government. Meanwhile, European bank-
ers are losing confidencein this country's
ability to control its economy.
Whether Secretary of the Treasury
designate John Connolly or any other
economic adviser can deal effectively with
imminent economic probleis is doubtful..
As a result, the current mistakes are like-
ly to continue indefinitely. An alternative
to this coudse would be to follow the ad-
vice of a growing number of economists,
including Nobel laureate Prof. Paul Sam-
uelson, and initiate wage and price con-
trols. Until these and other new ideas are
implemented, there can be no permanent
escape from rising unemployment a n d
inflation rates while the value of the GNP
declines.
-PAT MAHONEY

By MARK DILLENt
T HE WEATHER outside was be-
low freezing, and the recep-
tion I received as I walked through
the doors of Michigan Chrome and
Chemical Co. was not much warm-
er. Inside, beneath t h e holiday
decorations and behind the flash-
ing neon "Merry Christmas" sat
the receptionist. She seemed start-
led. Apparently students were not
frequently guests of the then sen-
ator Robert Huber (R-Troy).
MC & C was his company.
"Who are you here to see?", she
recovered.
"Mr. Huber." I have an appoint-
ment with him for ten o,clock (the
clock overhead read 9:48).
"The Senator will be in soon.
I'll show you to his office."
I thought of the first time I
had he a r d of the Conservative
senator. It was s o o n after he
started making headlines by at-
tacking student demonstrators.
"liberal" politicians I had always
thought rather conservative, and
just about everyone except Wil-
liam Buckley and Spiro Agnew.
Later, he made news with his near
upset over Lenore Romney in last
year's Republican primary and his
futile attempts at forming a Con-
servative Party inhthe state.
Though Huber had only a few
days left in his term, apparently
everyone still called him "T h e
Senator" and though we had
agreed to a ten o,clock meeting
("are you sure you can get up that
early," he had sarcastically quer-
ied), it was clear that the senator,
and not I, would be the late one.
"Now that I've apoligized," Hu-
ber would be saying twenty min-
utes later. "what do you want to
know?"
WHERE DOES one start? Hu-
ber likes cigars, Richard Nixon
and generally anyone to the right.
He hates "liberals" and criticizes

the Detroit News for having "left"
editorials. The Free Press said he
had "one of the finest 18th cen-
tury minds" in the 20th century.
But you don't really have to ask
him questions; he just starts talk-
ing.
"It was just before the conven-
tion," the fat,'bespectaled busi-
nessman began. "We met at City
Airport, just Milliken and I and
I told him I'm just gonna ask you
two questions - just answer me
this - What are you going to do
for conservatives and are you go-
ing to let conservatives be repre-
sented in the party?'
Puffing heavily on a cigar, fill-
ing the room with smoke, getting
into his favorite topic - how con-
servatives are always being per-
secuted. The fat man continues:
"He (Milliken) tried to give me
some line about the Party encom-
passing everybody but I said,
don't give me that bullshit. You're
not making some speech now."
The story went on and on, punc-
tuated by his leaning over the
desk in my direction when an im-
portant point was made. It was
an effective tale of woe, and, as
he spoke of his t a x troubles, a
plaque above his head gave a re-
vealing testimony to his business
philosophy - "is it tax deducti-
ble?"
Now , the ex-mayor of Troy,
Michigan claims he is $50,000 in
debt because of that venture (in
which he says he spent over $100.-
000.). But for all physical appear-
ances, Huber would seem to be do-
ing quite well.
Huber's business is a non-fiction
reminder of the advice given Ben-
jamin Braddock in The Graduate
- one of his specialties is plastics.
Other products of MC & C include
materials for aircraft, General
Motors and radar equipment. Pic-
tures of various jet fighters line
the hall down to his office in the

east side Detroit plant t h a t is
headquarters for the firm. Y e t
down the hall. Huber is on the
phone bemoaning the fact he can
make no future investments until
some $200,000 is repaid the bank.
Another cigar from the several
humidors lining the desk. A gold-
ringed cigar holder is carefully af-
fixed. Shaking the old ashes into
a small mechanical ashtray in
front of him, ther lighting up, we
are ready to continue.
"Back in Troy, for example, our
executive council voted 25-11 in
favor of me before the convention
and then t h e county chairman
sent only those to the convention
who'd voted for Lenore. And, even
in the primary, I probably could
have won if Democrats had been
able to vote for me that had to
vote for conservatives in their own
party."
And then, a pause for the man
who seems to have been stymied
in his attempt to s t a r t a right
wing party under his direction.
"Sure, when conservatives were
in control there w e r e mistakes
but look at these Rockefeller Re-
publicans - they just argue with
the Democrats over who can spend
the most; they never talk about
living within our means."
Finally, he's off to clean out his
Lansing office of the momentos of
his six years there and his oppo-
sition to Parochiaid. (nevertheless
he rattles on and on about how
he fills Catholic coffers).
But then, as if suddenly real-
izingsI remain unconvinced, he
turns around..
"Say, what are you, a liberal?
(no response). He continues. "All
I'd like is to ask young people to
take a look at what's happened
since the thirties. Is the nation
m o r e secure? -Is pornography
good? Is immorality good?"

Robert J. Luber


Letters to The Daily

Pilot courses
To the Daily:
IN SUNDAY'S Daily, the article
on the early closing of courses,
calls attention to the fact that
Pilot Program courses are exempt
from this fate, although they are
open to all students.
Please allow me to correct you in
that the 18 seminars and 12 direct-
ed reading courses in the Pilot
Program, taught by resident grad-
uates for credit as part of Pilot's
living-learning experiment, are de-
signed primarily for Pilot stu-
dents.
Since the number of problem-
oriented, small, challenging courses
has steadily grown, however, it
sometimes happens at the begin-
ning of the second trimester t h a t
there are still some openings left.
At that point, Pilot Program in-
vites non-Pilot students to make
use of these vacancies.
THE PRESENT trimester is a
good example: There are still a
few openings in several exciting
seminars, from action-oriented
studies in ecology and contempor-
ary history to examinations of ur-
ban problems, war literature, and
the social responsibility of modern
science. Any freshman or sopho-
more interested in, finding o u t
more about these experimental
courses is welcome to call me at
764-1177.
-Helga Goldberg,
Pilot Program,
Academic Resident
Director.
Jan. 10
Electoral college
To the Daily:
GIVEN THE reputation of The
Daily for continued and stalwart
defense of members of minorities
and oppressed groups, it was with
surprise that I read Mr. Chud-
win's editorial in favor of direct
popular election of the President.
Mr. Chudwin's premises are super-
ficially admirable, but when con-
trasted against a background of
present political reality, their ef-
fect might be contrary even to Mr.
Chudwin's own wishes.

Although the Electoral College
has not been without its short-
comings and inaccuracies, never-
theless any change to direct elec-
tion could result in greatly lessen-
ing the effect which the various
ethnic minority groups wield in
our truly national election.
The mechanics of the College
have made the large, urban states
the focal points of any Presiden-
tial election; and it is in these
same states that the ethnic
minorities are best organized
politically. In direct election, a
State could no longer swing a large
bloc of votes, and its ethnic minor-
ities would lose their primary poli-
tical level through which they are
able to command the attention of
the national parties and the Pres-
idency. This lessening of influence
would be even greater under the
"district" or "proportional" reform
plans.
NO MATTER what evils the
mind can conjure about the Col-
lege, the fact still remains that 10
million Black votes in a direct
national electionsmight not have
as much effect as swinging Ne w
York State's 43 electoral v o t e s
does today.
The "automatic" reform plan is
much more preferable. This plan
would require all Electors to vote
as the popular vote of their con-
stituency dictates. And it would
avoid emasculating the political
power of minorities at a time
when their needs are urgent and
critical.
-John W. Allen
Law
Jan. 8
Traveling nostalgia
To the Daily:
WHEN IS this newspaper going
to stop devoting its Editorial Page,
or at least part of it to 'Post Vaca-
tion Traveling Nostalgia'? Last
year it was Nadine Cohodos on the
'Plasticity of Vegas'; and this year
is offers Hannah Morrison's views
of the 'Pot-Bellies of Palm
Springs'!
The lifestyles of both these plac-
es are cliches as common as the

Longhorns of Texas. With so many
problems which need answering at
this University, it seems strange
that this staff should print the
equivalent of "What I Did On My
Christmas Vacation".
-Phillip G. Alber,'71
Special privilege
To the Daily:
MY DESK overlooks the small
staff paid parking lot between the
west side of North University
Building'and the back of N o r t h
Hall, so I am in a position to ob-
serve a continuous abuse of their
privileges by members of our mili-
tary establishment. Several spaces
in that lot are reserved for "U.S.
Government licensed vehicles",
meaning ROTC vehicles. If any-
one else parks there he gets a
ticket, even if he has a staff paid
sticker on his car.
I'm not complaining about this
special treatment if the military
groups pay the university for
those spaces abut I'll bet they
don't). What burns me up is that
the military people seem to re-
gard that' whole lot as their pre-
serve. They park their U.S. cars
anywhere they like, not just in
their reserved spaces, and t h e y
never get tickets, even though
those cars do not bear staff paid
stickers.
It is not at all rare for a civil-
ian car with a staff paid sticker
to drive into that lot and find no
empty spaces except those reserv-
ed for the U.S. cars, while o t h e r
spaces that should be left to ci-
vilian cars are filled by U.S. cars.
This is unfair to people who have
paid to be able to park there.
The University should instruct
the Ann Arbor Police to ticket any
car parked in staff paid parking
without the proper sticker, un-
less it is parked in a space reserv-
ed for it. If the people in ROTC
find that this leaves them with too
few spaces, let them either pay
for stickers or pay to reserve more
spaces.
William R. Anderson
Palestine
To the Daily:
I EXPECTANTLY read t h e
article entitled "No comprom-
ise: Reviewing the tragedy of
Palestine" Daily, Dec. 4. What a
disappointment at the e n d
when Mr. Koppman concludes
that "some compromise involv-
ing the division of Palestine" is
the only viable solution to this
intractible problem. The r e a 1
tragedy is t h a t anyone could
seriously suggest such a contin.
uation of the status quo.
All too often the passion of
rabid anti-Arab prejudice moti-
yates the vicious diatribes level-
ed against the Palestinian peo-
ple. They are slandered, their
history is twisted, their suffer-
ings are ignored and their ach-
ievements are dismissed. Sooner
or later the combatants will
have to realize that this is far
more than a political problem:
it is essentially a human prob-

Thin e frustrations
of Communicating,
By ALAN LENHOFF
CALL IT A generation gap, a credibility gap, a breakdown in com-
munication, or anything else you like, but it still remains that
very few people under the age of twenty-five can make any sense out
of what happens daily in Washington D.C.
The problem is even more puzzling when you consider the extra-
ordinary amount of television time that President Nixon has used in
his attempts to communicate with the American people. Soriehow, no
matter how often you see him, all the rhetoric sounds like he's been
rummaging through LBJ's old wastebasket.
And even if you could bear to watch him on the tube, why
should you even believe him? A man who lies once is likely to lie again,
and who can deny that Nixon's 1962 promise that "You won't have
Dick Nixon to kick around any more" was anything but an outright
lie?
Listening to him on the radio hardly seems to be the answer. Sure,
you won't have to watch him pick his nose like he did on television in
Nov. 1969, but then you miss all the excitement of seeing him point
out on the map where he's sending the next batch of April graduates.
The students of this country must find a suitable method of com-
munciating with this extraordinary man. It's not easy. For exariple,
moratoriums don't work, they only seem to stimulate his appetite
for football.
For six cents you can send the President a first class letter that
not even J. Edgar Hoover and his merry pranksters can open before
it reaches its destination.
The problem with this is that no matter what you write to him
all you get in return is a form letter thanking you for being a "con-
cerned citizen" and voicing your opinion, and assuring you that Mr.
Nixon regularly reads a summary of his mail which is Vrepared for
him.
Of course if you really don't like form letters, and you've got a good
imagination and a love of adventure, you could probably write a letter
good' enough to get you put under surveillance by the FBI, or at least
get your phone bugged. Although this is a much more personal way of
communicating with your government, past example has shown that
it is not a truly satisfying method over the long run.
DON'T GIVE UP yet. Western Union will send your telegram of up
to fifteen words to any public figure for $1. They don't guarantee that
you'll get 'a response, or even that you can express yourself meaning-
fully in less than 15 words, but give it a try sometime. Just keep in
mind that Western Union won't let you use some of the most mean-
ingful, and precise words and phrases in the English language.
Using the above methods, I've failed miserably in all my attempts
to comprehend the actions of the government. I was still trying to
decipher the "secret" peace plan that Nixon spoke of in 1968, when
he sprung a new one on me las week-"an expansionary economy",
which somehow is better than an inflationary one.
I'll readily admit that I was discouraged, almost to the point of
giving up entirely. After all, I am 19 which makes me old enough to
vote (or does it?), and a voter should be well informed. I gritted my
teeth, and decided to give it one last try.
WHY OF COURSE! The solution had been sitting right next to
me and I had been ignoring it.I grabbed the telephone, and feverishly
dialed Information. "Why," I reasoned, "if I call him collect its even
cheaper than sending him a letter".
"Information."
"I'd like the number of the White House please."
"White Horse? Is it a bar?"
"Not a horse, house. It's where the President lives."
"Oh! Just a minute . . . Sir? The number is 456-1414, area code
202."
I hung up without even thanking her - I had no time to waste
on etiquette. I grabbed my coat and ran all the way to the Daily
office, figuring if they decided to trace the call, I'd rather not phone
from my apartment.
I called the operator, gave her the number and my name,
and waited as the phone rang, five, six, seven times ...
"Good morning, White House."
"Is that who you wanted sir?", asked the startled operator.
I answered affirmatively, and she proceeded to inform the
White House that a Mr. Alan Lenhoff of Ann Arbor, Michigan
was on the line with a collect call.
"We don't accept collect calls at the White House sir."
"Please don't call me sir. Say, could I leave my phone number,
and maybe ...!"
"I'm sorry sir, we don't accept collect calls at the White
House."
The operator asked me if I wanted to pay for the call. I
shook my head.
"Sir?"
"Oh, I'm sorry. Cancel the call please." Click.
I SLUMPED back into my chair. "Maybe I can save some

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