sa diga an Eighty-Six Years of Editorial Freedom 420 Maynard St., Ann Arbor, M1 48104 Tuesday, March 23, 1976 News Phone: 764-0552 Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan earst: A tough question No easy answers to jobless cycle On pacifists and tax for the military THE HEAVY HAND of justice brought its full weight down upon Patty Hearst in San Francisco this past weekend. Much to the cha- grin of her high-priced attorney, F. Lee Bailey, she was found guilty on two counts of bank robbery in a quick verdict. Thus ends one of the reput- edly great trials of all time, but for Patty it marks only the very begin- ning of a long, uphill fight for her freedom. The conviction carris with it a maximum sentence of 35 years, but the appeals process will be lengthy. But even if Hearst manages to have her conviction overturned, she still faces trial in Los Angeles on a ple- thora of charges. Hearst's defense was not based on the contention that she did not par- ticipate in the robbery. Rather, Bailey attempted to convince the jury that she bad been brainwashed into join- ing the SLA, and that she took part in the bank robbery out of fear for her life. This defense posited some of the most difficult legal questions ever put before a jury. The prosecu- tion attacked this line of defense, by taking expert psychiatric testimony. The jury choose to believe the pro- secution. WTITH THE overwhelming evidence that the prosecution had com- piled against her, counled w i t h Bailey's history of courtroom thea- trics, it is not difficult to ascertain the rationale behind her defense. Bailey attracted monumental public- ity, bringing an air of sensationalism to the case. His aim apparently was to create mass public sympathy. And in this case, neither the skill of Bail- ey, nor the wealth and power of the Hearst family could prevent the in- evitable. It would be easy to just write off Patty Hearst as another confused rich kid, if it were not for the ines- capable fact that regardless of her guilt or innocence, she was kidnaped, and put through severe physical and emotional strain throughout her cap- tivity. A feeling of sorrow for her past plight and her hopeless future is un- avoidable. Editorial positions represent consensus of the Daily staff. Hearst By JON PANSIUS WITH THE economy laboriously climbing out of the 1975 recession, the number one concern of most Americans remains get- ting and holding jobs. The high number of people still out of work has spawned a plethora of proposals for creating new jobs. Unfortunately, the long time lags involved in the government's taking any economic actions make improving the situation any faster before the end of 1976 quite im- possible. Still, high unemployment makes a nice election issue, and it promises to plague us for a few more years at least. An obvious approach to tackling the problem would be to stimulate the economy through tax cuts, more government expenditures, or easy money. By invigorating aggregate de- mand in the economy, this would create more jobs as businesses grow, invest, and produce more, and it may even reduce inflation (through greater productivity) in the s h o r t run. However, there is a large amount of evi- dence, says University Economics Professor George Johnson, that there is a "natural" rate of unemployment which, through demographic shifts, is presently rising; pushing the unem- ployment rate below this for any major length of time would create constantly accelerating inflation through rising inflationary expecta- tions or some other mechanism. Other econo- mists contend that while there is no such natural rate, there is a large long-run trade- off between inflation and unemployment: it takes a lot of inflation to buy decreased unem- ployment. Thus, while some stimulation might help the jobs problem, too much would start the inflation treadmill backmuphagain. AS IN ALL recessions since the New Deal, legislators have proposed that we fight unemployment through more public works pro- grams. The leading legislation that would im- plement this is the Humphrey-Hawkins b i 1. This plan aims for no more than three per cent of the work force being out of a job at any time by creating public jobs "at fair rates of compensation" (the minimum legal wage) via a public works program "shelf" from which these programs can be drawn as need- ed. It also calls for more planning and easier credit to raise demand by making the govern- ment hope to provide jobs to those unable to find them in the private sector Those who subscribe to the natural rate hy- pothesis oppose the legislation, contending that it would lead to constant acceleration o fwages. Arthur Burns, Chairman of the Federal Re- serve Board of Governors, likes the idea be- hind the proposal but recommends that the government offer wages below the minimum wage so that these public jobs do not merely replace low-paying private ones 'and employ- ers do not have to bid up these wages. It is said in France that if the unemploy- ment rate gets over three per cent the work- ers riot; in the United States, however, we have to go to war to get our unemployment rate below four per cent. Our complex eco- nomy (with its heterogeneous work force and reallocation problems) and the structure of our labor markets (with slow absorption and low job attachment of unskilled workers and with seasonal demand fluctuations) account for this "structural" unemployment. ONE ECONOMIST, Martin Feldstein, attacks this problem as the major culprit of our jobs troubles, arguing that stimulation of the economy and public works can only go so far. We should reform the unemployment insur- ance system, he says, by taxing benefits the same as other income, eliminating limits to employer contributions, and shifting the basis for experience from the firm to the individual; this would make workers consider the true costs of quitting or passing up jobs and force employers to try harder to keep their workers on the job. Reforming the minimum wage by providing individual subsidies, or redefining the mini- mum by including the market wage with some fraction of annual public income maintenance would permit business to hire inexperienced or low-skilled workers and provide them with useful jobs that would give them experience and on-the-job training leading to less quitting and more retention. Finally, he proposes tax credits and other incentives for workers reten- tion and training. Another way to reduce structural unemploy- ment, says Professor Harold Levinson of the economics department, would be to institute vocational education, retraining, and mobility programs similar to those of the West Euro- peans. "Our vocational education programs," he says, "have been poorly financed and staf- fed"; we should emulate the successful pro- grams of Europe and thus enable young or unskilled workers to be absorbed faster and get steadier jobs. By ALAN KETTLER IN 1799, Tomas Jefferson said that "To compel a man to furnish contributions of mon- ey for propagation of opinions which he disbelieves - is sin- ful and tyrannical." With a philosophy akin to this principle of freedom, the World Peace Tax Fund (WPTF) Act would permit conscientious ob- jection for taxpayers. Presently, the tax-paying conscientious ob- jector must violate moral be- liefs by sharing in war through tax payments, or violate t h e law by refusing to pay taxes ow- ed. Developed by a group of citi- zens in Ann Arbor, the peace measure was first introduced by 10 members of the House of Re- presentatives in 1972. In 1975, the bill had 23 sponsors, includ- ing Charles Diggs, John Con- yers, and Bob Carr of Michigan. According to the National Council for WPTF, "support is growing in the House and Ways and Means Committee." Fortunately, two of the b 111 ' s sponsors, Peter Star and Peter Helstoski, are on this commit- tee. THE WPTF would legally al- leviate the peace-loving citizen's distress at financing the bur- geoning militarism of this coun- try. Instead, that portion of his taxes normally spent on the mili- tary would be put into the World Peace Tax Fund. The use of the fund as a means of reducing regular ap- propriations for nonmilitary pur- poses would be prohibited. Also, none of the money could be ap- propriated for military purpos- es. A Board of Trustees would be appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate. These Trustees would ad- vise Congress on its appropria- tionsFto be made from the WPTF. Bill Samuels, staffer for t h e National Council for a WPTF in Washinaton, D.C., captured the goals of the bill when he told me that "peace and develop- ment are closely related." Thus, the fund would support research directed toward developing and evaluating non-military and non- violent solutions to international conflict. ALSO, IT would support dis- armament efforts, international exchanges for peacefulpurpos- es, improvement of international health, education, and welfare, and programs for providing in- formation to the public about these activities. We are greatly in need of such a bill. At the individual level it would allow each taxpayer to legally and democratically allo- cate about half of his taxes to constructive p u r p o s e s. Through the collective power of conscientious objectors, busi- ness-as-usual among the mili- tary-industrial complex would face peace as an increasingly stronger competitor in the world scene. The amount of human and capital resources spent on war research further stresses t h e need for diversion into p e a c e research and development. About one fourth of the world's scientists and engineers are en- gaged in military research and development. Also, about 50 per cent of all worldresearch and development goes to military and space mat- ters. In 1970 the world spent $200 billion on armaments. LET US strongly support this fine piece of legislation. With it, conscientious objec-o:-s can leg'ally pay their taxes without glilt, and our military might will rightly yield to growing peaceful activities. As the Steering Committee of the WPTFA stated, "By allow- ing conscientious objectors to use the war part of their taxes to help build peace, you increase the chances that solutions may be found before it is too late." Alan Kettler writes occalion- ally for The Daily's Editorial Page. 'It is said in France that if the unemployment rate gets over three per cent the workers riot; in the United States, how- ever, we have to go to war to get our unemployment rate be- low four per cent.' Bailey ( l1w Editorial Staff m B Co-Editors-in-Chfef ROB MEACHUN BILL TURQUE THE MOST disturbing aspect of the current lack of sufficient jobs is the apparently high structural unemployment level and the danger that it is increasing. We must reverse this trend by making em- ploying workers, especially the "chronically unemployed," pay off for employers while at the same time making such work more attrac- tive and available. To this end we should intro- duce structural reforms as suggested by Martin Feldstein and others. Implementing modest public works programs along the lines of Chairman Burns' proposal would relieve much critical unemployment. These projects could also be geared toward teaching new skills to the participants and thus helping them to be hired in the private sec- tor. However, they should have safeguards against the replacing of existing jobs with those created by the programs. BOTH BURNS' and Feldstein's proposals would involve extensive hiring at below the minimum wage. While this may seem sac- rilegious, the fact remains that workers earn more working at $2.00 an hour than not working at $2.20 an hour, and more people would find work without a strict minimum wage. Finally, the authorities should expand the economy cautiously, allowing it to recover at a natural and stable pace, lest we get back on the boom-bust roller-coaster which dominated the economy from 1966 to the start of the pre- sent recovery. Even the speculators h a v e grown weary of that. John Pansins is a imember of the Daily Editorial Page staff. JEFF RISTINE ................ Managing Editor TIM SCHICK ................. Executive Editor STEPHEN HERSH ..Editorial Director JEFF SORENSEN ........ . ...... Arts Editor CHERYL PILATS Magazine Editor STAFF WRITERS: Susan Ades, Tom Allen, Glen Allerhand, Marc Basson, Dana Bauman, David Blomquist, James Burns.,Kevin Counihan, Jodi Dimick, Mitch Dunitz, Elaine Fletcher, Phil Foley, Mark Friedlander, David Garfinkel, Tonm Godell, Kurt Harju, Charlotte Heeg, Richard James. Lois Josimovich, Tom Kettler, Chris Kochmanski, Jay Levin, Andy Lilly, Ann Marie Lipinski, George Lobsenz, Pauline Lu- bens, Teri Maneau, Angelique Matney, Jim Nicoll, Maureen Nolan, Mike Norton, Ken Par- sigian, Kim Potter, Cathy Reutter, Anne Marie 8chiavi, Karen Schulkins, Jeff Selbot. Rick Sobel, Tom Stevens, Steve Stojic, Cathi Suyak, Jim 'robin, Jim Valk, Margaret Yao, Andrew Zerma nDavid Whiting. Micha eBeck- man; Jon Pansius and Stephen Kursman. Sports Stafff BILL STIEG Sports Editor RICH LERNER.........Executive Sports Editor ANDY GLAZER........Managing Sports Editor RICK BONINO ..........Associate Sports Editor NIGHT EDITORS: Tom Cameron, Enid Gold- man, Kathy Henneghan, EdyLange, Scott Lewis, Marcia Katz, John Niemeyer. STAFF WRITERS: Dennis Bash. Paul Campbell, Marybeth Dillon, Ernie Dunbar, Henry Engel- hardt, Jeff Frank, Cindy Gatziolis, Jerome Gilbert, Don MacLachian, Rick Maddock, Bob Miller, Jim Powers, Patrick Rode, John Schwartz, Mark Whitney. 'Detente' gets axe By ROBERT and ROGENE WAITE (PNS)-President Ford is not alone in purging "detente" from the language. Soviet officials have also given up the term. In fact, the Soviets jettisoned the word long before Ford told a Florida audience in late February that he was, in future speeches and statements, going to substitute "peace through strength" for "detente." The Soviets have been avoiding use of the word, except within quotation marks, for a number of months. They have substituted the word razriadka, which they define as the state of international relations resulting from observance of "the prin- ciples of peaceful coexistence." THE SOVIET JOURNAL Za Rubezhom recently explained that while the dictionary meaning of "detente is close to that of razriadka," it nevertheless remains a "misleading concept" for most Americans because they erroneously equate it with the "preservation of the status quo" in the world. "This," the article says, "is all wrong. A status quo world would be as petrified and lifeless as a lunar landscape, a world without social cataclysms and storms, where imperialism could continue unhindered its tyranny in the areas remaining in its sphere of influence." Such American interpretations of the meaning and purposes of "detente," the Soviets say, are "bankrupt," ignoring the "real" world and the actual state of power relations. Communist Party Secretary Leonid Brezhnev reaffirmed the Soviet commitment to "peaceful coexistence" at the 25th Party Congress, held recently in Moscow. At the same time he said the Soviet Union will continue to support "wars of national liberation," an obvious reference to Soviet (and Cuban) sup- port for liberation groups in Angola and elsewhere. TO AVOID FURTHER CONFUSION and frustrations, the Soviet journal Za Rubezhom suggested the Americans substi- tute their term "peaceful .coexistence" for "detente." President Ford apparently chose not to take the Soviet sug- gestion, and substituted "peace through strength" instead. Contact your reps- Sen. Phillip Hart (Dem), 253 Russell Bldg., Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C. 20515. TODAY'S STAFF NEWS: Glen Allerhand, Stewart Connell, Rob Meachum, Jenny, ler, Larry Nolan, Jeff Ristine, Schick, Dave Whiting. Mc- Mil- Tim EDITORIAL PAGE: Michael Beckman, Steve Hersh, Jon Pansius. ARTS PAGE: Chris Kochmanski. PHOTO TECHNICIAN: Steve Kagan. Sen. Robert Griffin (Rep), 353 Russell Bldg., Capitol Washington, D.C. 20515. Hill, Rep. Marvin Esch (Rep), 2353 Rayburn Bldg., Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C. 20515. Sen. Gilbert Bursley (Rep), - Senate, Lansing, Mi. 48933. Rep. Perry Bullard (Dem), House of Capitol Bldg., Lansing, Mi. 48933. State Capitol Bldg., Representatives, State Daily Photo by STEVE KAGAN A queue of unemployed Ann. Arbor residents wait their turns to apply for welfare pay- ments. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ __ __m_________________________________e_: n w riio~r ww ~ r rwr .____________________ '/ I Iw Letters to 1e )(ily To The Daily: IN HER LETTER to the Daily (March 3rd), Deborah Margules claims that Science for the Peo- An honest appraisal of the sci- entific establishment within the country would reveal that poli- tics is already a tremendous society as our own, some solu- tions can never be considered because they conflict with the political/economic interests of a year. Now finding a cheap- er method of producing the treatment is one solution to the problem. But we could reorgan- efficiency, we must understand the causes of the problems and then assess all the various means of combatting them. If ,-A VIH~TIMMIW\77\ V k~