Wednesday, December 10, 1975
NATION'S ONLY WOMAN GOVERN(
Grasso: Not a
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Page Seven
Snedeel'Mannix, Peyton Place, top T.V.
S'enderella
A
H A R T F O R D, Connecticut program that would increase the only poll known to have been
(Reuter)-Little more than a the work week of state employ- taken since she took office,
year ago, her Republican op- ees from 35 to 40 hours without Grasso received a "favorable"
ponent labelled her "Spenderel- an increase in pay. The plan rating of 55 percent. Relevant or
la" and opposition bumper llso would reduce state medi- not, the poll was taken for the
stickers proclaimed, "We can't cal payments to welfare recip- Republican State Central Com-
afford a governess." ients and cut other state serv- mittee.
But now, after almost a year ices. Grasso herself has become a
in office as the nation's only Grasso said the cuts are ne- model of economy. She gives
woman governor, Ella Grasso cessary to stave off an $80 mill- back half her salary to the
has established herself as an ion budget deficit before the cur- state, pays half the food bill in
effective administrator. rent financial year ends on June the governor's mansion, has cut
30. Alluding to New York City's back on the household staff,
AND her sex is hardly, if ever, efforts to obtain federal aid, she rides in a state police car in-
mentioned, even by her staunch- said: "We can look to no one stead of a limousine, has stop-
est political foes. else for the immediate remedies ped floodlighting the state capi-
Whether Grasso would again required. We must help oursel- tol dome at night and keeps
be elected by a landslide margin ves." most of the lights off in the exe-
were a gubernatorial election Not surprisingly, the gover- cutive mansion.
held today is doubtful. nor's program provoked an out-
For one thing, an incumbent's cry by a union representing ALONG WITH sluggish sales
popularity almost always de- many state employees which tax receipts, the state's debt
clines after the first few months threatened to call a strike if it service increased by $5 million
in office, and unemployment in were adopted. due to higher interest rates at-
the state has reached 10 per tributable to the unstable bond
cent. BUT THE austerity program market and a drop in Connecti-
is expected to pass since (A) cut's credit rating.
ALSO, Connecticut has been Grasso has sizeable Democratic In the midst of her budgetary
rocked by scandal in which
Grasso's former political mentor ------------__ _
has figured prominently and she
has alienated most of Connecti- 'Grasso herself has become a model of
cut's 40,000 state employes by
presenting a new austerity pro- economy. She gives back half her salary
gram to the state legislature.
Nevertheless, she cannot be to the state, pays half the food bill in the
accused of being a "Spenderel-'
la." Traditionally, Democratic governor's mansion, has cut back on her
governors in Connecticut have
h a d to defend themselves household staff and keeps most of the lights
against Charges of profligate . . m.
spending. off i the executie mansion.
But in Grasso's case she in-
herited a sizeable deficit from
the outgoing Republican admin- majorities in both houses of the I crisis, Grasso was stunned-as
stration of run for a seco d legislature and (B) most tax- were most of the state's resi-
termr payers in Connecticut work 40- dents-by an allegation that a
t,,,.iIar - h a vrr o n~ im iliti al rna4r for
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delayed pending a reissue of the
license, which was withdrawn
from the original entrepreneurs.
GRASSO'S formidable politi-
cal record-she has never lost
an election during her 23-year
political career-and the fact
she is the first woman ever elec-.
ted governor without being pre-
ceded by her husband-has
made her a national political
figure.
She has been mentioned as a
possible vice presidential candi-I
date in 1976 but has said she has
no aspirations beyond the state
house in Hartford. "Why should
I settle for the second spot?"
she has replied when asked
whether she would accept such
a nomination.
Before running for governor,
Grasso served in Congress for
four years and, before that, six
years in the Connecticut House
of Representatives and 12 years
as the secretary of state.
THE ONLY child of an Italian
immigrant baker, she graduated
magna cum laude with a Phi
Beta Kappa key from Mount
Holvoke College.
During World War Two, she
worked for former Connecticut'
Governor Chester Bowles when
he ran the federal price con-
trols program and, later, with
the War Manpower Commission
in Washington. While a member
of the legislature, she advocated
governmental reforms sponsor-
ed by the League of Women Vo-
ters and wrote sneeches for
Governor Abraham Ribicoff.
Ironically, Grasso originally'
Joined the Renublican party butI
onickly switched to the Demo-I
crats. "Ithink I could be an en-
lightened Republican," she said,I
"But I'm a Democrat by incli-
nation."
VARIED
THANKSGIVING
KANSAS CITY (AP) -- Not
programs iorI
PARIS U4P)-Every Wednesday were in such a mess no onef
evening 11 million French men could pin down the deficit. I
and women switch on the tube It was replaced by three TV!
to watch four-year-old episodes companies and one radio organi-I
of Mannix, which, along with zation, all supposedly financial-I
movies and Peyton Place, are ly independently but all still
the current favorites on prime owned by the state.,
time French television. GOVERNMENT spokes m an
The pull of the oldies, many Andrew Rossi said recently,
of them U.S. imports, is inex-|"The reform of the broadcast-'
plicable to officials here. ing system is perhaps the most
"THE SUCCESS of Mannix is important one affecting political
crazy," said Daniel Martinet of mores in the past 30 years." But
the Center for the Study of the politicians are still grumbl-
Opinion which compiles TV rat-I ing, and a recent poll showed
ings. "People like it more than that half the viewers felt noth-
anything else except films and ing has changed from the days
the news. As for Peyton Place, of the ORTF.
we're probably the last country' An hour of Mannix costs $7,100
in the world to see it, and yet to air, including French dub-
it's climbing rapidly." bing. It consistently is watched
The state broadcasting monop- by twice as many people as an!
oly known as the "ORTF," cre- hour of French drama, which
ated by the Gaullists in 1964, officials said costs $114,000.
was dissolved by the new re-: The system is financed from
gime of President Vulery Gis- ' viewing fees of $32 a year for a,
card d 'Estaing at the end of black-and-white set and $48 a!
1974. It had been plagued by year for color, plus income from
strikes and political interfer- advertising.
ence, and its financial affairs PRO- AND anti-government
rFrenchl
viewers
forces in the National Assembly of the year against nine hours
recently refused to approve the for the president, the premier
broadcasting budget for 1976, and their supporters.
essentially because each claim-
ed the other was getting more .There was a successful late
air time. A second debate is night variety program from the
scheduled. Atop of an alp, and debats on
shomosexuality. The third chan-
There have been innovations nel, which shows the most
since television was decentral-I movies, has broadened :ts scope
ized. The Communist and Social- to show total nudity "where ar-
ist opposition now gets in the tistically valid" and will con-
news, with seven hours of com- tinue doing so despite some pro-
bined air time in the first half test letters.
THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
GILBERT AND SULLIVAN SOCIETY
PRESENTS
The Pirates of Penzance
December 10-13
Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre
For tickets call 763-1085
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WEDS SAT., SUN.-
1:00-3:00-5:00-7:00-9:05
OPEN 12:45
MON TUES., THURS., FRI.-
Theate Phoe 66-6297a E0-905
OPEN 6:45
8th SENSATIONAL
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KUBRICK MEETS ZAPPA!
GLAD TO
MEET YA-!
F4
HER OWN budget appeared
to be balanced when it was
passed by the legislature last
spring.
But since it took effect on
July 1 the budget has been up-
set by unemployment, rising
welfare costs and by lagging
receipts from the state's seven
per cent sales tax, one of the
highest in the nation.
In keeping with her campaign
platform, Grasso, who is 56, has
refused to raise taxes to support
proposed welfare programs and
,has opposed efforts to establish
a state income tax. However,
the legislature, at her behest,
did increase the sales tax by one
percent last spring, ostensibly
to help pay off her inherited
budget deficit.
LAST WEEK, in her most dra-
matic move since her inaugur-
ation on January 1, Grasso sent
to the legislature an austerity
hour weeks and thus were not' one-time poIi tca mentor, or-
expected to be sympathetic to mer Democratic State Chair-
complaints from state employ- man John Bailey, had received
ees whose salaries they pay a $250,000 cash payment in re-
through taxes. turn for helping the developers
In large part, Grasso blames of a Jai Alai Fronton in Bridge-
the federal government for Con- port receive a gaming license.
necticut's fiscal bind. "We are .however, the former head of
the victims of a national situa- H the fronton was unable to prove
tion," she has said. the charge and has since been.
4"We cannot control the nation- charged with perjury.
al economy and we cannot r
change the fiscal policy of the BAILEY, who died last April,I
federal government." She has: a omrDmcai a
also said Washington 'should was a former Democratic na-
aso said Weashirgton ho u tional chairman and helped engi-
take over all welfare programs. neer the presidential nomina-
GRASSO also has alienated tion of John Kennedy.
many veterans by proposing to Grasso has long been a bitter
transfer to the state treasury opponent of legalized gambling
$29 million from 'a fund for in the state. Under the Meskill
needy soldiers and sailors. Fur- Administration, a state gaming
ther, she has imposed a freeze commission was set up to over,
on the hiring of state workers. see a state lottery, race tracks,
But if anything, the gover- dog tracks, jai alai arenas and
nor's austerity program is ex- ' gambling parloros.
pected to improve her popular- To date, however, only the
ity rating in the state, so long lottery has gone into effect. Op-
as she does not raise taxes. In eration of the fronton has been
WEEK!
HIS CIA CODE NAME IS CONDOR.
IN THE NEXT SEVENTY-TWO HOURS
ALMOST EVERYONE HE TRUSTS
WILL TRY TO KILL HIM.
everybody celebrates Thanks-|
giving Day on the fourth Thurs-
day in November. In Canada
It's observed on the second:j
i
t
I
Monday in October, according
to Hallmark Cards' researcher
Sally Hopkins. And in south-
eastern Pennsylvania, mem-
bers of the Schwenkfelder reli-
gious sect celebrate Thankseiv-
ing Day on Sept. 24, as they
have since 1734.
The Schwenkfelders, whose
ancestors fled religious per-
secution in Germany to settle
in the Pennsylvania Dutch
country, traditionally com-
memorate the day with bread,
water and apple butter.
'
l
ROBERT REI
CLIFF ROBER
IN A ST
Classica INAS
JOHN HOUS
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f I~R RESTRICTEDO
all PRN RA C ADA
classical
albums C
THE
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Sour regular low prices...
most labels $6.98 list .... sale price$4.29
budget labels $3.98 $2.47
$l Phillips-DG $7.98 $4.95
(pop jazz rock albums still at our everyday low price: $3.99)
also, list $5.98 Watts disc preeners, as always, our price $4.95.
{ Shop today- for holiday gifts. A U C
{ Sale ends Saturday GDecember 13th. eter oole
Romy Schneider