f ef idia ai ,"
Eighty-Four Years of Editorial Freedom
Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan
old"fa I Im
420 Maynard St., Ann Arbor, Mi. 48104
News Phone: 764-0552
THURSDAY, MARCH 28, 1974
Vote 'yes' on rent control
THE HOTTEST POLITICAL potato of
the 1974 city campaign is the Human
Rights Party's (HRP) ballot proposal
calling for rent control. In recent weeks
the battle over this single issue has
reached such a strained pitch as to in-
clude ,nprecedented fundraising cam-
paigns, guerrilla-like ferreting of oppon-
ents' private documents, and thundering
disputes over some City Council candi-
dates' stance on the proposal.
The proposal has drawn an unmistak-
able economic line through the elector-
ate. On one side, a.covey of realty rental
management firms has gathered nearly
$50,000 in contributions - requesting $15
per rental unit from each manager-and
flexed its political muscle under the eu-
phemistic title of "Citizens for Good
Housing" (CGH).
The landlords of CGH, backed solidly
by the local GOP, have stacked their col-
lective weight against the high-spirited
--if not so well-dressed -- forces of HRP,
the Tenants Union, a few liberal Demo-
crats, and thousands of Ann Arbor ten-
ants.
THE PROPOSED REGULATION of local
rents has become such a flashpoint
that the Democratic party has offered
its constituents a non-decision on the
matter: Each council candidate has been
authorized to speak independently on
the issue, but the party will not take a
stand - fearing, no doubt that a strong
slant in either direction would offend
large numbers of voters.
Ann Arbor's voters have no time for
such self-preserving neutrality. Certain-
ly, as rent control's opponents argue, the
plan may generate higher property tax
needs due to lower assessments. Indeed,
as HRP readily admits, rent control is
no final solution.
THE DAILY URGES the people of Ann
Arbor -- especially the tenants-to
vote "Yes" April 1 on this vital proposal.
We applaud HRP's efforts to bring about
a concrete change in the condition of
life in this city ,- a change which, while
admittedly flawed, will certainly be for
the better.
Between now and Monday, Citizens for
Good Housing will virtually bombard the
electorate with flashy advertising and
high-sounding phrases on the awful
harm that a little rent control will do to
our city.
NONSENSE! WHEN WAS the last time
your landlord got so righteous and
moral as to spend money to nake you
more comfortable? Why was there no
"Citizens for Good Housing" during all
the years that housing, despite high
rents, has been atrocious?
Let us join together as tenants and
human beings, and make these "good
housing" advocates live up to their title.
Good housing is also housing we can af-
ford.
Vote Yes on Proposal A on Monday.
-THE DAILY STAFF
Support dope ballot proposal
NEARLY TWO YEARS AGO Ann Arbor
took an historic step towards legal-
izing marijuana by enacting a city ordi-
nance making use and sale of the drug
punishable with a five dollar fine. This
was an important and necessary action.
However, last summer the Republi-
cans who now control City Council saw
fit to repeal that law - though they of-
fered only emotional rhetoric to back
their position.
In next Monday's municipal election,
the voters will have the opportunity to
re-instate essentially the original law
as an amendment to the City Charter.
The amendment must be approved.
Such approval will demonstrate that
the people of Ann Arbor recognize that
marijuana should not be given a high
police priority and the Police Depart-
ment's time can be better spent fighting
real crimes.
CRITICS ASSAIL THE measure for set-
ting-up legal penalties which con-
flict with present state statutes pro-
scribing a jail sentence and stiff fine for
TODAY'S STAFF:
News: Jeff Day, Mott Gerson, Rob Mea-
chem, Sara Rimer, Judy Ruskin, Judy
Sandler, Sue Stephenson, Becky Warn-
er
Editorial Page: Brian Colgan, Marnie
Heyn, Cindy Hill
Arts Page: Ken Fink
Photo Technician: Tom Gottlieb
marijuana use. These sanctions clearly
do not fit the "crime" of using a drug
conceded to be no more harmful than
alcohol.
The proposal would also require city
police to arrest and the city attorney to
prosecute under the local ordinance. Re-
quiring law enforcement personnel to
obey the local statute would prevent ar-
rests for dope use made within 'the city
boundaries from being prosecuted under
the unrealistically harsh state laws.
Moreover the measure thus becomes a
first, albeit small, step in the direction
of citizen control of the police force and
its priorities.
Others argue the five dollar fine has
no place as a charter amendment. How-
ever if the voters approve the proposal,
it cannot be rescinded by the conserva-
tive City Council which is clearly not re-
flective of the majority in this town.
Only another vote by the people could
change the amendment - that is how
democracy should operate.
FINALLY, MARIJUANA USE is a fact
of life here and across the country.
Because of its public acceptance and
relatively harmless natture, marijuana
should not be branded an illegal sub-
stance.
A "yes" vote next Monday underscores
that attitude. Cast a ballot for putting
marijuana in its proper place. Vote yes.
-THE DAILY STAFF
Letters to
GEO
To The Daily:
THE ORGANIZING Committee
of the Graduate Employees Or-
ganization (GEO) is working this
week to encourage each depart-
ment in the University to have a
departmental meeting of all TA's,
SA's, and RA's. The purpose of
these meetings is to discuss:
1: Proposed draft for GEO's con-
stiution. This draft includes such
items as provisions for the demo-
cratic election of officers and Ex-
ecutive Board (the first such elec-
tions will take place following the
MERC certification election April
1, 2, 3), membership, setwards
from each department, etc. Cop-
ies of the draft are going out to
employes' mailboxes this wee k
(also available in our office Rm. 9,
1st floor Michigan League).
2. Bargaining priorities. GEO
wants feedback as to which de-
mands are most important to the
membership.
3. Election of reps from depart-
ments which don't already have
them.
4. General questions about un-
ionization.
WE WANT to ensure a demo-
cratic union. Because it is not
really possible to have full-fledged
discussion at mass, meetings, the
departmental level will be the most
important at which the member-
ship can discuss its views and con-
vey them to their reps ("stewars"
after certification of the union).
We want a vital union whose pol-
cies are set by the membership -
not a union run by an entrench-
ed, undemocratic leadership.
If your department would like
help in setting up your meeting,
speakers, etc., come by our office
or call: 665-7174.
-Organizing Committee,
GEO
To The Daily:
IN UNIVERSITIES, unions, elec-
tions and bargaining are deceit ex-
pressions - not dirty words - to-
day.
This is true for good reason, as
Kenneth Galbraith, Harvard eco-
nomist, pointed out in The New
Industrial State (1967). In t h e
production of arms land control
of the U.S. Congress the indas-
trial complex has grown superior
to the government. Nor are state
legislators able to resist the svs-
tem of production by nationally
extensive corporations. The fod-
eral administration has recently
surrendered to the beef, wheat and
oil interests. Boards of Regents
bestow honorary degrees on the
heads of General Motors, vi ton
companies and recording corpora-
tions. The industrial vate nas
overgrown both government and
the market of the people.
But the University faculties and
the teaching fellows in higher edu-
cation have not yet lost their free-
dom, though threatened by the ex-
tending dependence of depart.
ments upon the structure of tech-
nological society. Present i-sues
in Washtenaw County are a re-
flection in miniature of the situa-
tion encroaching steadlg upon the
independence of teachers in thi
country.
THE PROJECTED me-ger of
the National Education Association
and the Federation of Teachers
failed in February. Three milion
teachers are now open to the :*-
tacks of their critics e'xapt fcr
state and local organizatirs. The
model of the corporatit and the
army will be imposed if the asankl
on the freedom of faculties s'e-
ceeds. Billions of dollars a&e avail-
able for arms and salaries >f le;is-
lators, though they have failed to
halt the spread of inflation. That
inflation which created studem
shortages by favors of the Presi-
dent to industries has become the
excuse assigned for emIomV i';
person and finance.
(Petitioners for support of Nixon
cast a shadow similar to thr- seen
in night marchers forty ysirs ago
in Munich and Nuremberg.)
Freedom to make money by The
bankers and freedom to arbitrarily
issue executive orders have, in this
combination, planned the program
of human life in America. Cenor-
ship of the media and the excision
of freedom for the liberal core of
professors proceed apace as the
ideas of industrial corpora&ir'ns af-
fect the universities. Only a choice
between resistance and surrender
to these trends remains.
THE FREE market is gone, thy:
free action of politicians has al-
most disappeared. Commeacement
oratory partly conceals the fact
that educators consider computers
more important than the line atts.
In the election under MEPRC
(Michigan Education Resaurces
Commission) by the TeacYng Fel-
lows at the University of Michigan-
and that in Eastern Michi an Uni-
versity the question of the distri-
bution of institutional res irces is
at stake. Who will have a genui.e
choice of action?
As the AAUP (Asso'ation of
University Professors) is devotcd
to higher education, the Federation
of Teachers has its prinmary roots
in the K-12 range of personnel.
Whichever wins, the arts and s -
f
The Daily
To The Daily:
An Open Letter to the Graduate
Student Assistants at the
University of Michigan
AS OF THIS date, most graduate
students at the Univeristy of Mich-
igan are probably aware that a
"consent" election to determine
whether or not to unionize all
graduate student assistants, w i ll
take place on the Ann Arbor cam-
pus during the first week of April.
This election was organized
through the efforts of the Graduate
Employees Organization (GEO),
under the guidance of the Michigan
Employment Relations Commis-
sion.
The graduate teaching assist-
ants in the Department of Micro-
biology were first informed about
this election by an official memo
from the office of Charles M. All-
mand, Assistant to the Vice-Presi-
dent for Academic Affairs. This
memo, written with a slight but
detectable anti-union slant, w a s
delivered to the students in our
department on March 23, 1974, ap-
proximately one week before the
scheduled election. According to
the GEO circular, entitled "Why A
Union" -this organization p u r-
ports to represent, or' would like
to represent,. all graduate student
assistants at the University of
Michigan. If this is true, then why
was the first announcement of thi
election delivered to the graduate
students in our department via an
Administration memo?
ALL OF the graduate students in
our department belong to the Or-
ganization of Microbiology Stu.
dents, which is dulv registered as a
graduate student organization at
this university. Why did not the
GEO contact our organization in
order to inform us of both its de-
sire to represent our teaching as-
sistants and the merits of union-
ization? Furthermore, none of the
graduate students in this depart-
ment have ever bha- imformed as
to the platform and/or the goals of
the GEO, which is seeking to be-
come the "sole hn' exclusive bar-
gaining agent" of all graduate stu.
dent assistants on this camipus.
We agree with *he CEO that the
University administration h a s
been highhanded and uncomprom-
ising in is past deaings w i t h
graduate student asssant, ard
that this has culminated in the un-
ionization issue. However, t h e
vague inflammatory rhetoric and
reference to "militant actimn"
found in the above-mentioned GEO
circular serve :>niv to fuel emo-
tional responses, and do net in any
way explain or desc-be the facts
about unionization. Th~ graduate
studentassistantr at the Univer-
sity of Wisconsin-in Madison were
unionized a few years ago. Why
has the GEO not ei-borated on the
advantages and disadvantages
which the union at Visconsin mst
have experienced !,v tpe present?
IF THE GEO .inccralv wishes to
represent all gradiuate student as-
sistants, then it must make its
plans for furthering and inroving
the status of all graduate student
assistants readly available to all
interested partde. Onv intelli ent,
mature discussion among all grad-
uate student asstants knowledge-
able about the facr ;o.ccrning un-
ionization can give rise to a voting
response which is truly represent-
tive of all gradate assistants on
campus. This is especially import-
ant in view of the act that only
"a simple maio-ity of 'he vtes
cast decides the election".
-Eric J. Hansen and seven
others
Graduate Teaching
Assistants
The Dap.irment of
Microbiology
March 25
rent control
To The Daily:
I DON'T KNOW if it's possible
to design a workable long-range
rent control plan for an unisolated
point in geography like the city of
Ann Arbor. John Kenneth G a l-
braith, an important proponent of
national controls doesn't think so.
Walter Heller doesn't think so. I
find nothing in the current local ef-
fort that would change their minds.
One suspects that the proposed
rent control charter amendment is
one of those knee-jerk issues that,
within certain constituencies, no
candidate interested in survival
dares oppose. I have to doubt that
there exists a sincere proponent of
that amendment who knows what it
says and understands what it will
do. I doubt, further, that a single
reputable economist, of any per-
suasion, can be produced who will
endorse that amendment as sound.
It is kept alive as an issue be-
cause its own intrinsic sex appeal
is given the added impetus of poli-
tical demagogery. Legitimate con-
cerns are being Nixonmalously
manipulated and politically exploit-
ed. I confess to the fleeting notion
that Mr. Herb Stein et. al. might
have moonlighted the job. So much
for the rhetoric. But bear with
me a bit, and then make your
own judgment.
FOR STARTERS, it souid be in-
structive to comnare a counle of
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;f FS /'y1~! fi-'' ;SY'w'~d $: Z + 2? . Y ,, 1''. ;.}X. ,-.3'f;>, , }''. ? i'? t . . a ;. t c ', x + , l,^/i r : t r .
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interest payments and deprecia-
tion. Not bad. On the other hand,
a retiree who has acuninated
$33,000 equity in his former home-
stead which he now owns "free-
and-clear", would receive only $47
in cash flow under the amendment,
no reimbursement of principal pay-
ments, no tax deduction for in-
terest and very little for deprecia-
tion. It should also be noted that
the city's tax base will suffer a
treduction directly corresponding
to the decimation of that aged cit-
izen' s life savings. It turnsout that
the effective rate of return to the
young speculator is over 200 times
that to the retiree! It requires no
particular foresight to anticipate
impending trouble from that sort
of inequity.
A CHARTER amendment should
be as flawless as human judgment
can make it. But this one, I fear, is
quite prolifically flawed. It is po-
tentially inequitable, mechanically
untenable, legally suspect, an ad-
ministrative nightmare, and, per-
haps worst of all, has been pre-
sented in an unconscionably un-
democratic manner. It favors so-
phistication and affluence over the
small investor, leverage over
equity, housing in poor repair over
that which has bseen well-main-
tained, and the investor having
extraordinary sources of financing
over the ordinary citizen. I sub-
mit that much of that can be
achieved without a charter amend-
ment. Nonetheless, a maze of le-
galistic jargon, seven thousand
nine hundred and fifty dreary
words long, has been ground out
to that end.
Everyone who will vote should
try to read that document. I say
try because it is, indeed, very
difficult reading. It is printed in
barely legible pint-sized type, in
language that is the kind of sub-
section under sub-section upper-
middle bureaucratese which one su-
spects was invented by the legal
profession to insure self-employ-
ment. It seems to go on and on in-
terminably, partly because it does.
That the electorate should be ask-
ed to vote on a proposal thus pre-
sented makes a travesty of t h e
democratic process.
HOWEVER, ANYONE who does
take the trouble to read it, and
the time to cut through the phony
tinsel to the real tinsel behind it,
should discover the following: It
would encourage a landlord to
paint walls, but not to insulate
them; it rewards washing the win-
dows; but not covering them with
storms; an ailing toilet stool is
likely to get repairs, but not ie-
placement; it promotes a sparkling
surface even as the substance suf-
fers. It is a very cosmetic c(n-
cept.
It is marked neither by compari-
son nor imagination. Nor does it in
any way address the basis of the
problem it describes. It could have
made an honest attempt. It could
have exempted senior citizens who
own only a single unit, for exam-
ple; instead, it would virtually
wipe them out. It could have pro-
vided some relief to a floundering
central business district by de-
controlling high-rise units c o n -
structed over commercial; instead,
it would effectively deny such de-
velopment which may be vital to
CBD survival. It could, in fact,
have assaulted the very shortage
of units it decries by simply de-
controlling newly constructed
units; instead, it would almost cer-
tainly discourage any further city
development and, thereby, exacer-
bate the very scarcity of housing
which helped spawn it.
THE AFFLUENT are twice-
blessed under the amendment:
They are financially qualified for
larger mortgages, and they c a n
aford to hire professional trades-
men for repairs that others must
perform themselves - both of
which boost return to the investor.
To find the judicious nature and
almost superhuman expertise in
construction costs and accounrinig
techninqu that will h ernieired of
ment of tradesmen might suffer,
the legal profession should reap a
bonanza. And even as the income
of those tradesmen declined, the
rents in the satellite communities
where most reside would almost
surely begin to wend their way up-
ward.
And that's the tip of the ice-berg.
The amendment's ramifications
are endless; as over-crowding evol-
ved into over-flowing, they could
well embrace all manner of corrup-
tion. and black-marketeerin, as
well. The claim that this reit con-
trol proposal is the best yet writ-
ten is obviously nonsense. That
claim had to be made, however,
partly because a charter amend-
ment lacks the flexibility of an
ordinance, and partly because
there is no example extant of suc-
cessful rent control within the ar-
tificial confines of a single city.
THE SINCERITY of its propon-
ents, notwithstanding, as P r o f .
Galbraith pointedly observed in a.
letter of last summer, responsibil-
ity for any deleterious effects from
such measures must fall 01 those
who help institute them. The pro-
posed amendment does identify a
valid problem - the market's
failure to respond adequately to
low and middle income hosing
needs - but it fails to provide a
valid solution and should be de-
feated.
-Zeke Jabbour
March 25
To The Daily:
YESTERDAY, I re :eived a slick,
expensive brochure from Ann Ar-
bor's landlords who have disguised
themselves as "Citizens for Good
Housing."
From what I :an gather, this
distorted and dishorest mailing
was sent to tens of thousands of
city residents at a cost of close to
$10,000.
We the renters of Ann Arbor are
paying for this anti-rent control
campaign fromthe dollars we pay
to these landlords for our apart-
ments. I find that infuriating.
Therefore I just informed my
landlord that I wil be dedcting
$5 from my next moati a rent and
sending it to the Human Rights
Party rent control camaign.
I strongly urge other tenants
who feel as I lo to deduct this
amount from their rent and pass it
on to any group wic is working
for the passage of Proposition A
for Rent Control, such as the Inn
Arbor Tenants Union and IIRP.
-Dennis Raymond
March 18
Richman
To The Daily:
LA RAZA LAW Students at the
University of Michigan School of
Law are united in their support of
the United Farm Workers Union
and the boycott of non-UFW lettuce
and grapes. We feel this issue is
of considerable significance to the
2nd Ward electorate and believe
that we are in a unique position
to comment on the merits of the
two candidates for City Council
in this regard.
Both Ms. Kozachenko, the I-u-
man Rights Party candidate and
Ms. Richman, the Democratic
candidate publically support the
United Farm Workers and pledge
to promote their interests and
those of all economically oppres-
sed groups if elected to C i t y
Council. In Ms. Kozachenko's case
her public statements are w e 11
supported by clear cut action. She
has been active in picketing local
stores which sell non-UFW lettuce
and grapes and helped organize a
petition drive in the dormitories to
continue support of the lettuce boy-
cott. Ms. Richman, on the other
hand, has taken no comparable
affirmative action to support leer
public statements. On the c o n-
trary, Ms. Richman's personal ap-
petites contradict her public posi-
tion in support and make her
credibility on this issue doubtful.
in the City Council and urge our
fellow students to do likewise.
--La Raza Law Students
University of Michigan
Law School
March 27
To The Daily:
I WISH TO EXPRESS congratu-
lations to Bill Heenan on a well
written article, covering the Fifth
Ward race. Although it is a tradi-
tionally conservative Ward I've
found surprising interest in HRP's
stance on womens' issues, rent
control, and directing the city to-
ward serving the people of Ann
Arbor rather than the business in-
terests.
However, there is one misquote
in the article. I . am strongly op-
posed to any city layoffs in any de-
partment, police included. Cut-
backs should be made instead in
the amounts currently spent on
excessive administrator's salaries,
sophisticated technology concen-
trated on arrests rather than pre-
vention, and reduction in the num-
ber of patrol cars substituting foot
patrols instead.
Within the reduced police bud-
get, personnel should be redirected
away from victimless crimes to-
ward prevention of violent crimes
with increased expenditure for
programs similar to the indepen-
dent rape squad proposed by
HRP. Finally, there should be
more police emphasis on crimes
committed by corporations against
the people of Ann Arbor.
Is the landlord who steals an ex-
tra $50 per month fromyou in ex-
cess profits, or the employer who
makes you work under unsafe con-
ditions or discriminates against
you to save costs, any less a thief
than someone who steals your tele-
vision set? I think not.
Jesse Hall
March 26
Tenants union
To The Daily:
THE ANN ARBOR Tenants Un-
ion endorses the following candi-
dates for city council:
HRP Beth Brunton, 1st ward
HRP Kathy Kozachenko, 2nd
ward
HRP Harry Kevorkian, 3rd ward
Dem 'James Kenworthy, 4th
ward
HRP Jesse 'Hall, 5th ward
These candidates, with the ex-
ception of Margo Nichols whom
we feel has no hope of winning,
are the only candidates who
strongly support adoption of the
rent control ballot question. We
feel that the luke-warm support
for the rent control ballot question
by the first and second ward
Democrat candidates betrays the
great need of their largely tenant
constituency for rent control. We
oppose the third and fifth ward
Democratic candidates, because
they oppose rent control. James
Kenworthy signed the rent control
petition and has shown firm sup-
port for rent control and other ten-
ant interests. He has a good chance
to defeat his Republican opponent
who should be thrown out with his
fellow Republicans at all levels of
government for their many crimes
and betrayals from Watergate and
Cambodia to Packard-Platte.
WE URGE OUR members, other
Ann Arbor tenants and progressive
thinking people of Ann Arbor to
turn out en masse and VOTE
RENT CONTROL Monday.
Jim Henle
Dave Raaflaub
Bob Ball
Ann Arbor Tenants Union
March 27
I ..t... t The n ini.hnuld
By THE ANN ARBOR COMMITTEE
TO IMPEACH NIXON
On Friday at noon, March 29, the Ann Arbor
Committee to Impeach Nixon will be ' sponsoring
a rally on the diag and a march to Congressman
Marvin Esch's local office.
Representative Esch has been evasive and non-
committal on the impeachment issue. For many
months, he insisted that he could not "prejudge
the case," despite the undisputed facts of Nixon's
secret bombing attacks on Cambodia, Nixon's au-
thorization of the clearly illegal "Huston Plan,"
and Nixon's formation of the "plumbers" (a secret
police force, accountable only to the White House,
which engaged in illegal acts such as burglary
and wiretapping).
Despite this blatantly illegal and unconstitutional
behavior on the part of the President, Esch has
attempted to cast himself as a fair and even-
handed juror, unable to make a decision without
all of the facts. While it is true that all of the
facts have not yet been determined regarding
possible presidential involvement in the Watergate
cover-up, possible bribery in connection with ITT
and the dairy industry, and possible presidential
tax fraud, it is clear that Nixon must be removed
for his unprecedented abuses of power which are
not in dispute.
Recently, Esch finally did give us a statement
regarding what he believes to 5be an impteachabe
offense. In a letter to President Nixon, Esch said
that failure to obey a House Judiciary Committee
subpoena would be grounds for impeachment. .Un-
der such circumstances, Esch said, "I believe you
would be in contempt of Congress which would con-
stitute grounds for impeachment."
Esch's statement was certainly a step in the
right direction considering his previous lack of a
position. Still, it was sadly inadequate. In his
letter, he persisted in condemning those who have
"succumbed to emotionalism and on the basis of an
incomplete record of evidence concluded that you
are guilty of impeachable offenses." He disnisses
those colleagues who have taken a position as "not
living up to their constitutional responsibilities."
These statements suggest that Marvin Esch
is unwilling to take the necessary steps to ensure
that the Presidency remains accountable to Con-
gress and to the people. If we permit Nixon to slide
by despite his arrogant excesses, we will be aiding
future Presidents' unconstitutional, unilateral, and
monarchial decisions.
As a representative in Congress, with the power
to speak out and help end Nixon's imperial presi-
dency, Marvin Esch has failed miserably. It Is
crucial that we have a strong, united force o
Friday to make it clear to our Congressperson
that, with November only seven months away, he
better start shaping up soon.
Impeachment march on Esch
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