Page 6-Friday, May 4, 1979-The Michigan Daily
AP Photo
A Dallas, Texas downpour caused unexpected problems for motorists yesterday. The sudden rising waters caught these drivers in an underpass.
Oil company profit ta
NEW YORK (AP) - AMericans
overwhelmingly favor President Car-
ter's proposal for a windfall profits tax
on oil companies, even if they don't
care much for his decision to lift price
controls on domestic crude oil, an
Associated Press-NBC News poll
shows.
Interviews with 1,600 adults across
the country Monday and Tuesday were
the basis for the AP-NBC News poll on
energy, which indicated 'public support
of a new tax to keep oil company profits
down while they also blame oil com-
panies the most for higher prices on
gasoline and heating oil, according to
the poll taken Monday and Tuesday.
Their rejection of Carter's statement
that "the energy crisis is real" appears
to lie behind the public's refusal to ac-
Auditions for
"TERROR OF LIG HT"
by Charles Williams
Monday & Tuesday, May 7 & 8
8:00 pm
at Canterbury Loft
332 S. State (2nd(oor1
Perf ormance )aie; une 1w-m1n
6 men
r r~~liC ~c s
/x has public support
cept removal of oil price controls as a Nearly two-thirds of those
necessary element of national energy viewed said they support a newI
policy, oil companies. Only about 24 pe
On April 5, Carter made the second opposed the action and ten pe
major energy speech of his ad- were not sure.
ministration, announcing his decision ONE OF TH E undercurre
to gradually lift price controls on old public opinion about energy th
domestic crude oil and asking Congress behind these results is a subs
to impose a new tax on oil companies to negative feeling about the oil
prevent them from reaping excessive panies. Thirty-nine per cent of th
profits due to his decision. terviewed laid the blame for
THE PRESIDENT argued that lifting gasoline and heating oil prices
price controls would give greater incen- door of the oil companies. Next
tives for searching for new oil fields, for the blame came the oil pro
But now, less than a month after his countries, named by 29 per cents
speech, the public doesn't accept that U.S. government was picked by
rationale for lifting oil price controls. cent. The rest of the respondent
Carter's decision received the sup- tered the blame among other tar
port of only 37 per cent of the public, were not sure.
while half said they opposed it. Thirteen The poll was taken before the
per cent of the 1,600 adults interviewed nment reported on Thursda3
nationwide by telephone were not sure. surges in the wholesale pri
But the flipside of Carter's decision - gasoline and heating oil helped p
asking for a windfall profits tax on oil the wholesale price index 0.9 per
companies - drew substantial public April, despite a decline in wh
backing. food prices.
Tho ch "i- fn r
inter-
tax on
er cent
r cent
ants in
at lies
tantial
. com-
ose in-
higher
at the
in line
ducing
and the
19 per
s scat-
gets or
gover-
y that
ces of
push up
cent in
olesale
sonline
t e wnoiesaie price 1U gab111
soared 4.4 per cent last month, while
heating oil jumped 6.7 per cent, the
Department of Labor said.
IN HIS NATIONALLY televised
speech on April 5, Carter said, "The
energy crisis is real. I said so in 1977,
and I say it again tonight, almost exac-
tly two years later."
The public does not agree with his
assessment, providing another critical
element in their perception of energy
policy. Fifty-four per cent labeled the
nation's energy shortages a hoax. Only
37 per cent said there are real shor-
tages. Nine per cent were not sure.
This finding is quite a change since
last summer, when the public was
evenly split on whether energy shor-
tages are real. At that time, eight per
cent were not sure.
How someone views the energy
situation is pivotal in how Carter's ac-
tion is judged. Those who say the
energy crisis is a hoax split 58-31 again-
st lifting crude oil price controls. But
those who-think the energy situation is
threatening split 48-42 in favor of lifting
controls.