94e frtifn eafly
Eighty-Six Years of Editorial Freedom
Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan
Tuesday, October 21, 1975
News Phone: 764-0552
420 Maynard St., Ann Arbor, Mi. 48104
Ford's. food plan unfair
FOR THE SECOND time within a
year, President Ford is asking for
a restructuring of the present food
stamp program. And once again, he
is attempting to deny federal aid to
those who need it.
Under the new Ford proposal, pre-
sented to a Senate subcommittee yes-
terday by Agriculture Secretary Earl
Butz, families with an income exceed-
ing the poverty level - $6,250 for a
Editorial Staff
GORDON ATCHESON CHERYL PILATE
Co-Editors-in-Chief
DAVID BLOMQUIST ............... Art Editor
BARBARA CORNELL .. Sunday Magazine Editor
PAUL HASKINS .............. Editorial Director
JOSEPHINE MARCOTTY Sunday Magazine Editor
SARA RIMER .................. Executive Editor
STEPHEN SELBST .............. ... City Editor
JEFF SORENSON............. Managing Editor
MART LONG.........Sunday Magazine Editor
STAFF WRITERS: Susan Ades, Tom Allen, Glen
Allerhand, Ellen Breslow, Mary Beth Dillon,
Ted Evanoff, Jim Finklestein, Elaine Fletch-
er, Stephen Hersh, Debra Hurwitz, Lois Josi-
movich, Doc Kralik, Jay Levin, Andy Lilly,
Ann Marie Lipinski, George Lobsen, Pauline
Lubens, Rob Meachum, Robert Miller, Jim
Nicoll, Cathy Reutter, Jeff Ristine, Tim
Schick, Katherine Spelman, Steve Stojic, Jim
Tobin. Bill Turque, Jim Valk, David Wein-
berg, Sue Wilhelm, David Whiting, Margaret
Yao.
Photography Staff
KEN mK
Chief Photographer
STEVE KAGAN ............Staff Photographer
PAULINE LUBENS........Staff Photographer
Sports Staff
BRIAN DEMING
Sports Editor
MARCIA MERKER...........Executive Editor
LEBA HERTZ ................Managing Editor
JEFF SCHILLER ............... Associate Editor
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS: Al Hrapsky, Jeff
Liebster, Ray O'Hara, Michael Wilson
NIGHT EDITORS: Rick Bonino, Tom Cameron,
Tom Duranceau, Andy Glazer, Kathy Henne-
ghan, Ed Lange, Rich Lerner, Scott Lewis, Bill
Stieg
ASSISTANT NIGHT EDITORS: Enid Goldman,
Marcia Katz, John Niemeyer, Dave Wihak
DESK ASSISTANTS: Paul Campbell, Marybeth
DiUlon, Larry Engle, Aaron Gerstman, Jerome
Gilbert, Andy Lebet, Rick Maddock, Bob Miller,
Joyce Moy, Patrick Rode, Arthur Wightman
Business Staff
SENIOR STAFF
DEBBY NOVESS
Business Manager
Rob Cerra ................. Operations Manager
Peter Capan..............Finance Manager
Beth Friedman................ Sales Manager
Dave Piontkowsky............Display Manager
Pete Peterson..........Sales Coordinator
MANAGERS: Dan rinza, Kathy Mulhein
ASSOCIATE MANAGERS: Dave Harlan, Susan
Shultz
ASSISTANT MANAGERS: Dave Schwartz, Bob
Totte
STAFF: John Bengow, Debbie Dreyfuss, Jan
Eichinger, Denise Gilardone, Dede Goldman,
Amy Hartman, Beth Kirchner, Cathy Lasky,
Nancy Lombardi, Kathleen Matthews, Vicki
May, Judi Miller, Dennis O'Maley, Candy
Perry, Nancy Peters, Debbie Pikus, Louis
Schwartz, Ann Marie Villeneune, Ruth Wolman
TODAY'S STAFF:
News: Gordon Atcheson, Mitch Dunitz,
George Lobsenz, Rob Meachum,
Maureen Nolan, Cheryl Pilate, Jeff
Sorensen
Editorial Page: Marc Basson, P a u I
Haskins, Debra Hurwitz, Linda
Kloote, Doc Kralik, Ted Lambert,
Mara Letica, Tom Stevens
Arts Page: David Blomquist
Photo Technician: E. Susan Sheiner
family of four if all members are un-
der 60 - would be ineligible for food
stamps,
This plan is supposedly aimed at
tightening eligibility requirements
and eliminating so-called chiselers
from the public dole. In particular,
Ford is hoping to deny food stamps
to college students and people with
middle range incomes.
In the words of Earl Butz, the pov-
erty line is an "appropriate bench-
mark for eligibility.. ." and "denotes
that segment of the population whose
income is not enough to provide an
adeqquate standard of living.
'THESE HOUSEHOLDS," he added,
are therefore the ones which can-
not afford sufficient food."
NewI
By MARTY PORTER
j IKE THE REST of the itiner-
ant ex-New Yorkers now
scattered throughout the coun-
try, I couldn't understand it at
first. I couldn't understand how
everyone, everywhere could
pick me out right away; just a
single glance and instantly peg-
ged.
"You're from New York,
huh?" Jim said the first time
we met.
"Well, uh year . . . ," I mut-
tered. He had said "New York"
with such a sneer that I was
ashamed to admit the truth. I
was flabbergasted by his ac-
curacy. Never before had I been
aware that my origins were that
apparent. "How did you know?"
"You can just tell."
It was then I realized that
no matter how far I ran from
my place of birth, no matter
how I tried to assimilate into
the stream of middle-American
culture, no matter how I modi-
fied my New York accent and
New York ways, I was marked
for life as a New Yorker.
JIM AND I were roommates
at school. He was from Grand
Rapids, Michigan, the son of an
Episcopalian priest. I'm from
Jackson Heights, New York.
Jim knew it right away. It
wasn't my accent; several
years of mid-western influence
had already filed the rough
edges away. It wasn't the way
I dressed either; I dressed no
different than the rest of my
fellow denim-clad schoolmates.
"It's easy," he explained, late
one night. "New Yorkers aren't
like anyone else in the country.
They walk and talk and act as
if they know more than anyone
else. I don't hold it against you,
there's nothing you can do about
it."
"What do you have against
New Yorkers anyway?"
"I'll tell you. I hate the way
they force feed culture and fads
down the rest of the country's
throats. 'The latest New York
fashions.' 'Direct from Broad-
way.' 'New Yorker magazine.'
'Coney Island hot dogs.' 'New
York Strip Sirloin.' Try and tell
me it ain't so."
"IT ISN'T."
"See what I mean. New
Yorkers can't even say 'ain't!
Try and say it, go ahead."
"Ain't."
"You don't even know how to
pronounce it."
I could have told him there
were people in the Bronx,.
Brooklyn and Queens who could
say 'ain't' with as much convic-
tion and poise as anyone else. I
could have told him that no-
body in New York has ever
heard of a Coney Island hot dog,
and that the only time most
New Yorkers even glance at
New Yorker magazine is on
their annual trip to the dentist.
But I didn't say a thing. I un-
derstood his point and realized
that down deep, below all the
layers of newly acquired coun-
try manners, I did feel suver-
ior .to someone coming from
Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Had he ever braved a rush
hour on the IRT? Could he bat-
tle traffic with even the most
vicious. hardened New York
cabbie? Was there ever a base-
Yorkers:
ball team that could compare
with the Yankees in their
prime? Had he ever eaten a
pizza that could challenge one
made in Little Italy, a hot dog
that could claim the wholesome
goodness and flavor of a Hebrew
National? Where is the New
York Stock Exchange, the Unit-
ed Nations, the Empire State
Building, the Verrazano Bridge,
the Twin World Trade Centers,
Greenwich Village, the Bronx
Zoo, the Metropolitan museum
... .The list is endless.
"WHEN YOU'RE brought up
in a place like Grand Rapids,
you learn to hate New York be-
fore you've ever been there.
There was this kid in my high
school, talked about the place
like it was the only civilized city
in the country. He had moved to
Grand Rapids from someplace
on Long Island . . . say Long
Island."
"Long Island." I knew I was
stepping into a trap.
Jim laughed and continued,
"I figure if he was so hot about
the place he should have gone
back there. Nobody around
Grand Rapids needed him tell-
ing us how much better things
were out east."
It was people like the one
Jim had just described that
made things rough for the rest
of us, who, like myself had fled
the Big Apple in search of
peace, tranquillity and a less
demanding existence. We, who
were looking for a place where
hours weren't idled away in
traffic jams (have they ever
finished the Bruckner inter-
change?), where the lines for
movies, plays, ballgames didn't
stretch for block after city
block, where doors weren't
locked with a dead bolt, chain
and heavy duty lock, and where
a smile from a passing strang-
er as an accented part of life,
rather than stimnlus for para-
noid, anxiety pangs.
I COULD EMPATHIZE with
all of Jim's feelings: for me
too, New Yorkers had become
orerbearing, pretentious and
elitist. I had forgotten about the
noor ,the undernrivileged, the
hard working middle class. New
York had become in my mind
the ninvgrond for the jet set-
ters and intellectual elite: Jack-
ie at Truman's latest bash at
the Plaza, Elton booalooing
with Cher down at Max's Kan-
saa Citv, the rave reviews of Ed
(also known as E. L.) Docto-
row's latest masterwork in the
New York Times Rook Review
and the New York Review of
Ponks. Mv interest in New
Yrk, New Yorkers, and a-
thin, to do with the city had
waned.
BRt then name the fiscal
rrisis. New York was on the
hrink of financial disastor. And
T remembered for the first time
in vears what it was really like.
T once again took interest in
the nlace I had been trvine. all
alone to forget. I started watch-
ing Wter' Cronkite aan
(hronniht to von from the CBS
newqrnoms in New York, no
less) and started hnvin 35c
crnnis of the New York Times
(uis"allv too extraveant an ex-
nense). Mv ears perked when-
The
Ugly
Americans
ever I heard some New York
news. And my old loyalty, last
evident when the Mets won the
World Series, was rekindled.
Ex-New Yorkers, like myself,
who had made their way over
the George Washington Bridge
and survived in the alien terri-
tory known as America, sud-
denly cared about the city they
had unilaterally despised.
That's why I was so enraged,
the other night, when Jim told
me he didn't care one way or
the other if New York defaulted.
"WHAT DO YOU mean you
don't ;are?" I demanaea.
"Don't you realize that if New
York defaults the rest of the
country is in trouble?"
Jim shook his head slowly.
"Come off it. That's just some
hype to get more money from
Washington."
"But it's true."
"There you go with your New
Yorker bit again, I thought
you'd outgrown it. You think
the rest of the country lives
and dies with New York."
"It almost sounds a bit ilke
you're glad it's happening."
"It serves them right."
"Cut it out."
"No really, all these years,
telling us all the right way to
lead our lives, the right clothes
to wear, the right movies to.
watch, the right books to read.
It serves New York right. It
couldn't happen to a nicer
place. -
"BUT YOU'VE never even
been there."
"And I'm not interested in go-
ing either."
"Well, Pm just saying if Jer-
ry Ford doesn't come'through
with some federal funds, and
fast, pretty soon the whole econ-
omy will be in trouble.
"Not a chance."
"Of what?"
"Of Jerry Ford bailing New
York out."
I felt like I was stepping into
a trap. Still I asked, "What do
you mean?".
Jim smiled broadly. "Jerry
Ford's from Grand Rapids, re-
member."
Marty Porter is a former
Sunday Magazine Editor.
I eame calls Dial-a-Prayer
What this actually means is that
those who are truly starving will con-
tinue to receive federal assistance,
but those who merely cannot afford
wholesome, nutritious food will be
forced to dine on rice and hotdogs.
Currently, the Census Bureau esti-
mates that almost 12 per cent of the
food stamp population has gross in-
comes above $6,000. Many of these
people would be ineligible for assist-
ance under the Ford plan.
The Ford plan will also remove col-
lege students from the food stamp
roles because their incomes are only
"temporarily low."
However, if a student is living on
a shoestring budget and depending
on a scholarship, four years is a long
time to starve.
WHAT THE FORD administration
is proving, by presenting this
plan, is that it places a higher prior-
ity on stocking guns than feeding
people.
Hopefully, Congress will reject this
attempt to re-structure the food
stamp program just as it rejected a
similar Ford proposal last year which
would have required that aid recipi-
ents pay a higher percentage of their
income for food stamps.
By JAY LEVIN
LAST FRIDAY, New York City teetered pre-
cariously on the edge of default until the
teachers' union bailed the Big Town out just
before the deadline. The night before, hizzoner
Abe Beame placed a desperation call to a
sleeping President Ford at the White House.
Naturally, not even the imminent default of
the nation's largest city could induce Ford's
aides to arouse him from slumber.
But what if Beame placed the call directly
to the Ford's bedroom?
RRRING! RRRING!
Mrs. Ford - (groggily) Hello?
Beame - Betty? Betty Ford? Abe Beame
from New York here. Let me talk to your
husband.
Mrs. Ford - (cupping the receiver and shak-
ing the president) Jerry, Jerry, wake up.
It's that pest Abe Beame again.
Ford - (grabbing the receiver, half asleep)
Yes, Abe, what can I do for you?
Beame - How are you, Jerry? Long time, no
hear. We have a little problem - - -
Ford - Don't tell me - fiscal irresp-
BEAME-NOW, JERRY. Hear me out. It
appears as though we're going to the dogs to-
morrow afternoon. Can you spare a couple of
million to tide us over for a while?
Ford - Abe, Abe, Abe. What did I tell you
last time you came panhandling down here?
Beame - To jump in the Hudson River?
Ford-Besides that.
Beame - Well, you said no handouts.
Ford - Right. Abe, if we start giving you
money, we'll have to hand the bucks out to
all the other holes that need it in this coun-
try. And you know how many there are?
Beame - But, Jerry, I'm desperate! We have
just about twelve hours left, and there's so
much at stake. Jerry - we're talking about
the solvency of the financial and cultural
capital of the world. We're talking about
eight million, count 'em, eight million peo-
ple. We're talking about my job!
Ford - Abe, don't tell me about job security.
You don't have some crazy dames out shoot-
ing at you.
Mrs. Ford - (talking to herself) He's such a
lousy target, why bother?
FORD - ABE, HAVE you ever considered
solving your own problems? Why don't you
just sit down with Governor Carey and try to
work out some deal with the state?
Beame - Jerry, the state's not in such great
shape either.
Ford - Why, what's wrong with New York
State?
Beame - I take it you've never been in Buf-
falo?
Ford - Abe, it's late at night
Beame - What about Nelson's remarks? He's
all for federal aid to New York City.
Ford - Oh, Rock doesn't know what he's talk-
ing about. Only thing he's worried about is
possible end of city maintenance to Rocke-
feller Center.
Beame - Look Jerry, I'll make it worth your
while. You give us a few million, I'll give
you the Bronx, that simple.
Ford - What would I do with a Bronx?
Beame - Not a, the Bronx. You can make it
your Eastern White House. Nixon had his
Key Biscayne, you can have your Bronx.
They have a great zoo, you know, and= I
know of this really great, little Italian res-
taurant right down the block from Yankee
Stadium-
Ford - Abe, you're trying my patience. Look,
if you get off my back, I'll send you one of
Liberty's pups.
BEAME - BUT YOU can't back out on us
now! Think of what we've contributed to
America! We've brought you Sandy Koufax,
an accent to laugh at, the New York Times.
We perfected the pothole and the art of mug-
eing. We've introduced hot dogs with sauer-
kra'it and mass transit. We're the home of
graffiti and the gateway to Jersey and the
rest of the - Jerry, are you still there? Jerry,
Betty, Susan, Liberty? Anyone there? Oper-
ator .
New Yorker Jay levin is a Daily staff writer.
Contact your reps-
Sen. Phillip Hart (Dem), 253 Russell Bldg., Capitol Hill,
Washington, D.C. 20515.
Sen. Robert Griffin (Rep), 353 Russell Bldg., Capitol Hill,
Washington, D.C. 20515.
.... Rep. Marvin Esch (Rep), 2353 Rayburn Bldg., Capitol Hill,
Washington, D.C. 20515.
Sen. Gilbert Bursley (Rep), Senate, State Capitol Bldg.,
Lansing, Mi. 48933.
Rep. Perry Bullard (Dem), House of Representatives, State
Capitol Bldg., Lansing, Mi. 48933.
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RALLY AT NOON
Spartacus
Youth
League rips Franco
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INIqff-
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By RAY BISHOP
W ITH ONE EYE to Lisbon
andthe other to his grave,
Generalissimo Franco has laun-
ched a new wave of political
terror to stifle the growing re-
sistance to his barbaric regime.
While the September 27 execu-
tion was met by a two-day gen-
eral strike in the Basque prov-
inces, the increasingly isolated
dictatorship has found encour-
agement in U.S. imperialism's
eagerness to renew its military
sunort through the Madrid
in political significance. When
the valiant struggles of the
Spanish proletariat in the 1930's
nearly toppled capitalist rule,
the Communist Party and So-
cialist Party - later joined by
the far-left POUM and the an-
archists - opted instead for a
coalition government with the
"anti-fascist" bourgeoisie, expli-
citly pledged to respect private
property. When the workers and
peasants responded with factory
and land seizures, their "lead-
ers" systematically crushed
the occupations in order to
the danger of a new Popular
Front betrayal looms large. Wil-
fully forgetting its blood-stained
history, the Communist Party
is currently pursuing a "Junta
Democratica" with not only
their old "democratic" bour-
geois partners, but even with
the Count of Barcelona, pretend-
er to the Spanish throne! Anoth-
er ally may be the Democratic
Military Union, an anti-Franco
group similar to the Armed
Forces Movement (MFA) in
Portugal.
Ps... a racrt. m- -4. in
Gereral Carvalho attempt to
co-opt the more militant soldiers
and workers, all MFA factions
are united against the independ-
ent mobilization of the working-
class.
ALTHOUGH THE Portuguese
Maoists label the CP agents of
Soviet "social - imperialism,"
even their most radical tenden-
cy, the MRPP, follows the Sta-
linist scheme of a "people's
democratic" revolution and not
socialism. Likewise in Spain, the
FRAP, two of whose members
were executed last month, also
calls for a democratic front. In
battle against the fascists and
rightist elements is a united,
armed working-class, leading all
oppressed sectors against the
ruling class. The task of the
hour is the forging of a Trot-
skyist vanguard party which
will carry forward the struggle
against right-wing terror to a
direct assault on capitalism it-
self. No confidence must be
placed in the MFA and the
Junta Democratica. The officer
corps must be destroyed and
the plebian ranks of the armed
forces won to the side of the
workers. Nation - wide workers
I