Page Eight
THEMCHIGAN DAILY
Tuesday, July 30, 1974
Five Dems crowd primary race
IContiled ,otntmPge 3)
AS AN idealist, his solutions
generally appeal to changing the
situation that brought the proh-
lems about. On hunger in Africa
Pierce says, "the golden age
of affluence is gone. We'e going
to have to scale down our eat-
ing habits to help the Africans.
I'm not going to eat steak and
sit down to watch little kids
starve to death on the tube."
"My one ace in the hole,"
Pierce said when asked about
his qualifications, "is that I'll
know more about putting a
health care package together
than anybody in Congress. I
don't care if I live in a shack
and you live in a mansion and
take a vacation in Bermuda,
damn it all, if my kid's sick, I
want the same health care as
you do."
Of the four candidates, Ron
Egnor is considered the most
conservative. Egnor has come
down hard against busing, and
recently his aides sent out a
press release warning of the
dangers of nuclear weapons in
the hands of terrorists.
NEVERTHELESS, it was Eg-
nor who recently represented
Carolyn King in her unsuccess-
ful fight against the Little
leage'e, which threw the Ypsi-
lanti team out of the organiza-
tion for letting the female out-
fielder play with boys.
Egnor is the legal counsel for
the Concerned Clericals for Ac-
tion, a group of University sec-
retaries seeking union status.
As an instructor with the Uni-
versity Institute for Labor and
Industrial Relations, Egnor has
been involved in readying the
teaching fellows union for bar-
gaining.
And it was Egnor who repre-
sented the Mobile Home Owners
Association, when they took
their landlords to court in an
attempt to improve living con-
ditions.
EGNOR FEELS that his back-
ground and experience as legal
counsel for such diverse in-
terests, can help him approach
a wide range of problems.
"I believe I can be effective
on a broad range. When you're
talking about a Congressman,
you're talking about someone
who has to deal with all those
issues. You have to look at the
whole spectrum."
John Reuther seems to be a
natural politician. Ilis support
includes people from across the
nation-including a former Mc-
Govern press aide. He has re-
ceived donations from national
notables such as Senator George
McGovern (D-S.D.) and Rep.
Thomas "Tip" O'Neill (D-
Mass.).
The nephew of UAW giant
Walter Reuther, the one thing
Reuther will be able to count
on heavily is his name. But
aides admit that "if you have
a name like Reuther, one that's
been splashed up on the front
pages of the paper in banner
headlines everyday for years,
you're bound to have as many
enemies as friends."
UNLIKE other candidates,
Reuther sees the key to infla-
tion in making industry more
competitive, reflective perhaps
of his strong labor background.
"In terms of inflation," he
said during a lengthy interview
in his campaign headquarters in
Ypsilanti, "it's all related to
food because of fertilizer prices.
If we could make the food in-
dustry more competitive, we
could save four per cent of our
food budgets."
Reuther also feels that a price
rollback is advisable. "We could
have saved $6 billion with a
roll back, he says, "helping the
economy and cutting excess pro-
fits."
ON THE same issue, Egnor
has proposed an excess profits
tax. Lansing favors a roll back
on oil prices, and a tax break
for lower income families.
Pierce calls for an overhaul of
the tax structure to help re-
distribute wealth.
Despite his name, Reuther
denies that he is a labor candi-
date. "Traditionally, they don't
back anyone in the primary,
they just let us fight it out.
-Despite charges that his cam-
paign is heavily financed by
"big mony," Reuther says, "I'll
maswsmyou d oawasincune
anyeer?
Probably not. All things considered you do
what you do pretty doggone well. After all, no one
has taken your job. And you're eating regularly.
But...
But have you ever considered what doing your
job just a little better might mean?
Money. Cold hard coin of the realm.
If each of us cared just a smidge more about
what we do for a living, we could actually turn that
inflationary spiral around. Better products, better
service and better management would mean savings
for allof us. Savings of much of the cash and frayed
nerves it's costingus now for repairs and inefficiency.
Point two..By taking more pride in our work
we'll more than likely see America regaining its
strength inthecompetitive world trade arena. When
the balance of payments swings our way again we'll
all be better off economically.
So you see-the only person who can really
do what you doany better isyou.
Ameria. klywkcs
uuml wdo
be broke and in debt when the
campaign is over."
But nonetheless, a look at the
early financial statements that
candidates are required to file
at the House Clerks office in
Washington showed that Reu-
ther was running the second
most expensive campaign, hav-
ing spent some $19,000.
Ron Egnor has lead the pack
spending $21,384.78, with Lan-
sing and Pierce trailing at
about $5000 each.
DESPITE his claim that he
is running a non-union cam-
paign, a look at the $4500 Reu-
ther lists as his major contri-
butions (those over $100) shows
that nearly half or $2200 came
from unions or union officials.
Of that, more than $100 came
from out of state unions.
Reuther is the only candidate
to list any out-of-state sources
of money, and records show
that nearly 25 per cent of indi-
vidual contributions over $100
are coming from out-of-state.
Contributions of over $100 pres-
ently account for $4,736 of the
$19,042 campaign.
In addition there is a $500
transfer of funds to the cam-
paign from an out-of-state group
called, "The Massachusetts
Friends of John Reuther."
Also, there is over $5,900 list-
ed as having been made by the
"sales of tickets, items and
mass collections" at a fundrais-
er in Washington, D. C.
The only local fundraiser net-
ted Reuther some $3000.
The fifth candidate in the con-
gressional contest is Theo Wil-
liams, a retired engineer living
in Ypsilanti. Running without
major support - and only a
paltry budget, Williams has no
practical chance to win - he
should finish a distant last.
Williams has centered his
platform on the need to elimi-
nate secrecy in government.
Particularly angered by the
FBI's use of clandestine re-
cords, Williams has hit the Wa-
tergate aspect very hard. He
has less well formulated stands
on other campaign issues.
The candidates, then, differ
only in their approaches to the
problems, and in their person-
alities. They are all seeking an
end to inflation, better health
care, campaign reform, and an
end to nuclear proliferation.
They all call for the impeach-
ment of the President.
On August 6, the big question
will be who said it best.
"We're all trying to find a
different way to say the same
thing," Reuther said at the
close of his interview, "Well, we
can say all we want, but it
won't do any good, unless one
of us goes to Washington."
t
Can anyone
do what
you do
any better?
You're pretty damn good at
your job. But today, we all have
to consider how we can do
our work a little better, Thats
how each of usan help
keep our jobs here in America.
Fornow and forthe future.
America.It only works
as weillas we do.
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