Eighty-two years of editorial freedom Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan Human Rights Party: The test lies ahead 420 Maynard St, Ann Arbor, Mich. News Phone: 764-0552 Editorials printed in The Michigan Daily express the individual opinions of staff writers or the editors. This must be noted in all reprints. SATURDAY, JANUARY 13, 1973 Millie s new state giveaway THE STATE OF Michigan is obviously feeling charitable this year. First, we see the Million Dollar Lottery where for just four bits anyone can win a lifetime fortune; in other words, something for very little. And now, we have another case of charity as presented by Gov. William Milliken in his "State of the State" address, delivered Thursday. Milliken used the occasion to announce his startling proposition of property and income tax cuts. He proposed that rebates and exemptions totaling $370 million be given back to the taxpayers; in other words, 'something for very little. The mathematics of Milliken's propos- als is complicated but basically if you pay more than four per cent of your to- tal income in property tax, then 60 per- cent of it will be returned. Also he pro- posed that the personal exemption on income tax be raised from $1,200 to $1,700. Milliken's proposal met with an en- thusiastic response from the legislators who realized that opposition to such a popular idea would mean certain political suicide. And it by no means hurts Milli- ken's chances for re-election in two years. But for once, this proposal of taxes may actually be in the interests of the citizenry of Michigan. Nobody' likes to pay taxes and if the budget has the mammoth surplus Milliken claims, then what better method of redistributing the wealth than to give it back? Critics may complain about the need for school financing but since Milliken made no mention of it, he most likely has other plans to alleviate that burden. MILLIKEN IS A gambler. To have that quality as a governor, is not all that bad. At least, he is trying to bring about some changes in an effort to relieve the growing financial burdens of the com- mon man. His proposals that were de- feated in November (elimination of the property tax and the instituting of a graduated income tax) were good at- tempts to rectify' the bad money situa- tion. One can only sit back and wait to see what develops. Perhaps some of the tax proposals will not go through. Hopefully most of them will. It is now up to the legislature to act according to their elec- torates' wishes. But in any case, Milliken should be lauded for at least having the courage to ask for something like this. -CHUCK BLOOM By DAVE BURHENN THE HUMAN RIGHTS Party (HRP) held a mass meeting Thursday night - and somebody came - nearly 350 persons, jam- ming the Anderson Room of the Union, pleaded and argued over the choices for party coordinator and steering committee. The turnout for the session, the largest in HRP's short history, was short of phenomenal - but the crucial test of whether the party can survive what appears to be a bitter primary fight is still obscure. Factionalization, historically a problem for third parties, 'reared its head at last August's m a s s meeting to elect candidates for the fall elections. The Rainbow Peo- ple's Party, who infuse their poli- tics with elements of the rock cul- ture, broke away from the HRP mainstream and refused to work actively in support of the nominees. Party members of strict ideology have since formed a caucus called the Chocolate Almond caucus, while yet others have taken the n a m e "Militant Middle." Thursday's elections for party leaders was the first test of the relative strengths of the three cau- cuses, and more importantly t h e ability of HRP to remain as a co- hesive left-wing force in Ann Ar- bor politics. THE BREAKDOWN of the vote for party coordinator showed an Dave Burhenn is a copy editor for The Daily. strate to left-liberals in the com- man-ity that it is different from the Denocr-,ts, who did so well in November. And, most importantly, HRP must show that it can survive as a unified entity and heal the di- visiveness threatening to tear it apart, while not sacrificing princi- ples that made it a distinctive po- litical force. THE CRUCIAL challenge for HRP thus lies in the February pri- mary and its aftermath. Depend- ing on the viciousness of the cam- paign, and especially on the will- ingness of party members to come together afterwardsbehind t h e chosen candidates and a mutually acceptable platform the Human Rights Party will or will not sur- vive. Thursday night's meeting open- ed festering wounds, political in- juries that remain. But at the end of the session, in the early hours of the morning, after all of the cursing and political statements, accusations and impassioned de- fenses, there was an atmosphere that approximated relief. The party knew where it stood, it had selected its officers and was ready, somehow, to tackle elec- toral politics once again. A boogie woogie piano played in the back- ground as the janitors began to sweep away papers and bottles from the floor. The meeting was over. The test was ahead. 0 A JUBILANT CROWD mobs the newly elected City Council last spring. A splintered' HRP hopes to increase its council membership this year, but first they must face the primaries. almost equal strength spread among the factions, with the mili- tant middle appearing to have the very slightest advantage. But the fate of HRP was no clearer after the meeting than be- fore. All three caucuses had slates for the party positions. In the process of nomination, questions about the candidates' politics and beliefs on party strategy,resulted in arlot of "dirty laundry" being aired. Members of the three groups traded charges, and attacked both personalities and politics. T h e hot, tired participants often seemed ready to leave the meeting in Au- gust. Rainbow people, especially seemed to bear the brunt of the attacks, primarily for their re- fusal to give the HRP fall support. YET, DESPITE the harsh crit- icism leveled, nearly all of the candidates emphasized that despite their differences, the party mem- bers should unite behind the basic goals of HRP. For instance, newly-elected par- ty coordinator Sue Steigerwalt, ran as a candidate for the Chocolate Almond caucus. Yet she also garn- ered much support from "Militant Middle" members as well as non- aligned participants. Eschewing a strictly doctrinaire approach to the party affairs, 'she seemed to exude a willingness to work with all par- ty factions. These, then are the problems for the Human Rights Party. To sur- vive another year in Ann Arbor, it must show that it can still elect candidates. It must also demon- Jetters to The Daily NiXOn appointee lays a bomb Are nuclear weapons to be used against North Vietnam next? "I would have to study the answer to that," says possible future Deputy Secre- tary of, Defense Williams Clements. Clements, in his sentiment, seems merely to be following in the footsteps of erstwhile Defense Department Secre- tary Robert McNamara, who said in 1967 that, "enemy operations in the south cannot, on the basis of any reports I have seen, be stopped by air bombard- ment-short, that is, of the virtual an- nihilation of North Vietnam and its peo- ple." Today's staff: News: Gordon Atcheson, Bob Barkin, Mike Duweck, Tammy Jacobs, Jerry Nanninga. Sue Stephenson, Sue Tretheway. Editorial Page: Lindsay Chaney, Bill Hee- non Martin Stern. Arts Page: Gloria Jane Smith, Jeff Soren- son. Photo Technician:' Tom Gottlieb. Spoits Staff JOHN PAPANEK Sports Editor ELLIOT LEGOW Executive Sports Editor BILL ALTERMAN.............Associate Sports Editor BOB ANDREWS ............ Assistant Sports Editor "SANDI GENIES.............. Assistant Sports Editor RANDY PHILLIPS........Contributing Sports Editor MICHAEL OLIN .......... Contributing Sports Editor CHUCK DRUKIS......... Contributing Sports Editor JOEL GREER ............ Contributing Sports Editor At the cost of thousands of Vietnamese deaths and casualties, the Nixon Ad- ministration learned McNamara's lesson again last month. Are they now con- sidering an even more drastic step? Time and again, North Vietnam has withstood the fall brunt of an American aerial assault. Although the devastation wreaked in the December bombings un- doubtedly took its toll, there is no sign now as there has never been that the destruction will force capitulation. The "just peace" which Henry Kissin- ger says the President requires will not be forced by conventional bombing, and it has become apparent that the Paris peace negotiations will lead nowhere as long as the U.S. makes no significant concessions. It is reassuring that 'White House presidential press secretary Ronald Zieg- ler said yesterday that President Nixon has made clear repeatedly that nuclear weapons are "not one of the contingent elements he will use in relation to Viet- nam." Yet, Nixon has been known to make dramatic turnabouts in policy, as well as acting upon impulse. The President is faced with a flounder- ing policy; in the past, as with his eco- nomic moves this week, he has acted de- cisively in like situations. The Presiden- tial nominee for the number two spot in the Defense Department does not defini- tively rule out nuclear weapons, and we can wonder if perhaps Nixon himself feels the same way. In this case, we must not allow oir- selves to be presented with another "de- cisive action." -ZACHARY SCHILLER Monster-maker? To The Daily: I FEEL RESPONSIBLE for com- menting on Dave Hornstein's auto- biography, since it was none other than me - by inviting him into the Action Mandate - who launched his career and created a monster, fig- uratively speaking. I first met Dave five years ago when, dur- ing a protest walk-out from Oak Park High School, we found our- selves holding opposite sides of the same picket sign. Sincetthen,heach of us has regarded the other as weird, to say the least, but we have also worked together on var- ious political/cultural matters (from recalling Brad Taylor to re-orienting the LSA Student Gov- ernment). Dave's references to conflicts (not "shouting" except on Jacob's part) between Bill "Great Pump- kin" Jacobs and myself on the LSA government are correct, but he neglected to add that Jacobs always hated him even more than he hated me - I can't remember how often he threatened to "beat the shit out of" him. It is unfair to imply, though, that the LSA gov- ernment suffered by having a co- herent leftAction Mandate groupj clashing with the conservative Ja- cobs pre-GROUP/Integrity faction. When we served on LSA - and no thanks to the Jacobsians - we achieved such lasting gains as funding, Administrative Board par- ity, the revival of efforts for peace research at Michigan, establish- ment of the LSA Student Judiciary and (with parity) the LSA Academ- ic Judiciary, approval of operat- ing procedures and all legislation now in effect, and the beginnings of efforts to support the departmental associations. I think the success of LSA-SG and the failure of SGC in the M a r k Green struggle proves that the work we did back then perhaps laid some important foundations. -Bob Black Class of '73 Jan. 10 No-fault faults To The Daily: I HAVE BEEN driving in Mich- igan for seven years and have nev- er had an accident. I own an auto- mobile which is mechanically sound, but otherwise of little value. Like many drivers I have no in- surance and am thereby required to pay a $45 penalty to drive. I had looked forward to the "no- fault" auto-accident settlement re- form, but I now realize that I have been misled as to the actual nature of the act. I find that I will be required to insure my auto- mobile after the new act goes into effect. I have attempted to "fight" insurance legislation since I have been driving with little suecess, i.e. the $45 penalty and legal complica- tions. Requiring all automobiles to be insured by powerful monopoliza- tions with the stipulation of string- ent legal action by the state against those who do not insure their auto- mobiles is unreasonable. There are a number of sensible and justifi- able reasons for not wanting or having insurance, which may be economic and/or political. T h e state, in taking these steps, is cer- tainly furthering restrictios upon the freedom of individuals, both physically and idealogically. Are not these acts in violation of basc American idealogical and political statutes? What has become the re- lation between state and private monopolies? Will the poor be fur- ther persecuted for their economic and cultural deficits? And most of all, will the powerlessness of t h e American people be further real- ized? If any group or individual feels they may be of help in solving this political and legal problem I would be willing to begin legal action against the state of Michigan. If there are any ways to challenge this new act on legal grounds I would desire the aid and support of knowledgeable individuals. -Michael Brochue Jan. 4 Omission To The Daily: YOUR LIST of candidates for City Council in Wednesday's Daily inadvertently omitted the name of Mano Walz, Democratic candi- date from the Fifth Ward. I would appreciate your printing this as a correction to inform your readers. -Walt Scheider Jan. 11 Dear John To The Deily: I NOTICED that the honorable John Feldkamp adeha statistical comparison between the dorms of South Quad and Mosher-Jordan. He stated that, in absolute terms, more males and females returned to South Quad than Mosher-Jordan last Fall. Very good, John, but you neglect- ed to mention the fact that South Quad's food budget was four times the size of Mosher-Jordan's food budget. -John Blodgett Rick Roeder Jan. 11 Get involved- write your reps! Sen. Philip Hart (Dem), Rm. 253, Old Senate Bldg., Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C. 20515. Sen. Robert Griffin (Rep), Rm. 353 Old Senate Bldg., Cap- itol Hill, Washington, D.C. 20515. Rep. Marvin Eseh (Rep), Rm. 412, Cannon Bldg. Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C. 20515. Sen. Gilbert Bursley (Rep), Senate, State Capitol Bldg., Lansing, 48933. Rep. Raymond Smit (Rep), House of Representatives, State Capitol Bldg., Lansing, 48933. i "Vietnamizotion is virtually complete." -Sec. of Defense Laird.. The pains and pleasures winning a Million By SARA FITZGERALD THURSDAY WAS the day my number didn't come up. Instead, the lottery picked 250 and 570, and I wasn't even close. So, at least until the next time I buy a ticket, I was saved from the pleasure-and pain-of winning the Michigan lottery. At some time everyone probably has thought about what they'd do with $1 million if they had it. Since the lottery was established, it has become a regular topic of conversation, and some of my friends have even started making itemized lists. I too have done a bit of thinking on the subject-I mean, you've got to be prepared in case you should win. First my mind ticks off the usual things for myself - a trip around the world, a new car, a boat, maybe even a house. BUT THEN I'd always planned to go back-packing. And my 1970 compact car doesn't look snazzy, but it makes good mileage. And I have no place to keep. a boat and who knows where I'll be living next year. I have more clothes than I need, enough food to eat, and after working and living on $100 take-home a week, you get used to doing without the "frills." About this time, my friends all would be crowding around asking me what I'm going to do with my winnings. My friends . . . who dutifully bought their tickets, talked about what they'd do with the money, then rushed to the UPI machine to read the numbers and find out they'd lost. When you work closely with a group of people, you sort of feel that your good fortune is theirs. So I plan a massive trip to New York City for 40, with hotel rooms, theater tickets and plane fares courtesy of the Fitzgerald Lottery Fund. But then I can't get to sleep at night. Why should I worry about the happiness of a bunch of upper middle class kids when there are so many other pressing problems in the world - or even at this University? SO I SEND off some money to rebuild bombed-out hospitals in Vietnam, and help Bengali refugees and donate some to the research funds for cancer, heart disease, perhaps multiple sclerosis. Then I could give enough money to start a woman's department here and donate money for a women's library (and as principal contributor spec- ify that it named after Wonder Woman.) The money for a University day care center would be a drop in the bucket of my lottery funds, and there might even be some money left to improve the intramural facil- ities. If it was an election year, all my favorite candidates would get a little something: Andif you're rich, you're entitled to a little frivolity. So maybe I'd establish a fund to send Student Government Council presidents to South America for two months in the winter tostudy "The State of Latin American Student Governmens." And, and, and . About this time, other people are getting wind of the Fitzgerald Lottery Fund, so I am forced to hire a secretary and install a separate phone line. And the calls keep coming in, and I feel guilty because I'm still trying to plan that trip to Europe, while all the time trying to decide who I should give the next $1,000 to. Then I'm advised that I should invest the remaining money so that my foundation will always have funds, and there's taxes to pay, forms to fill out and I've got migraine headaches and an ulcer to boot. When I was younger, I used to watch "The Millionaire" show on t. Fretting over the economy. Consult your local socialist By ARCH BOOTH I CAME ACROSS a speech on the national economy the other day which turned out to be so interest- ing that I thought I would share some of it with you. This speech was delivered by a very high-level government offic- ial, but it seems to have been large- ly ignored by the press. As you read some of this man's comments, you may enjoy trying to guess his identity. I won't give it away until the end of the column. He worries about capital invest- ment: "The situation in the import- ant sphere of capital construction is improving but slowly. The terms of construction are still too long." And he is concerned, like so many of us, with improving produc- tivity: "Nor can we be quite satis- fied with the results of the year with respect to the introduction of new machinery and the growth of labor productivity. The share of the increment of outnut due to higher many American businessmen a n d economists in recent years. But what really surprised me w a s the official's attitude toward organized labor. Even though he is not us- ually thought of as siding with capital in labor disputes, he had some very strong words about un- ions on this occasion: "To' be concerned for the welfare of the working people does not mean to reward all workers re- gardless of their contribution to production. Everywhere wages should be earned, and everyone should be fully aware that the size of these wages directly depends on his contribution to the production achievements -. . "Trade unions, which have been invested by law with extensive rights in matters of wages, r a t e setting and payment scales, may help considerably, in particular, to increase the role of payment ac- cording to work done, which is a major form of material incentive. "Trade unions should also give more attention to the important matter of the mechanization of la- bor." IN SHORT, here is a man who is worried about lagging capital in- vestment; poor productivity, espec- ially in construction; lack of pro- gress in automation; insufficient spending on research and develop- ment; the poor attitude of the un- ion work force, and worker wage gains in excess of productivity in- creases. Now, who do you think he is? None other than Leonid I. Brez- hnev, premier of the Soviet Un- ion. The speech was delivered last year to the 15th Congress of the Soviet Trade Unions, Moscow. Why have I spenttso much time demonstrating that the world's top Communist frets about many of the same economic problems that are bothering the world's top capital- boll- N"M "k.