Michigan Daily
Edited and managed by Students at the
University of Michigan
-~-- ------- -- -- -
Friday, August 23, 1974
News Phone: 764-0552
Presidential tarnish
WEDNESDAY'S ANNOUNCEMENT that Gerald Ford in-
tends to run for the presidency in 1976 has put the
first smudge of possible tarnish on his hitherto sterling
presidential image.
No president since George Washington has been as
removed from the Presidential election process as Gerald
Ford; he did not campaign for, nor was he elected to the
Office he now holds. He has not had to sell himself in
speeches or stick his name on the bumpers of Repub-
lican Pintos or exchange promises for election day votes.
He is an appointed President, a successor to an abdicated
office.
An entry into the political ring makes the actions of
Gerald Ford subject to closer scrutiny than before. There
is always basis for the distrustful eyeing of office-holders
aspiring to a second or succeeding term. Are their ac-
tions the result of deliberation on the long-term effect
on the nation or on their personal popular standing?
Clean as the proverbial hound's tooth in his embryonic
career as President, Ford may continue his careful de-
tachment from the shadier side of the American politi-
cal gameboard. He did not join in the long-time candi-
date tradition of waiting until the last second before
modestly announcing to the breath-holding public that
well, yes, come to think of it, they rather would like to be
the President. (Balloons, pre-tickered tape, bumper
stickers and high-velocity promises follow).
IT IS HOPED that Ford will not lose his strong balance
of confidence and humility and will take good coun-
sel, lest he follow in the naith of others who fell victim
to the carnivorous ego-fed traps of the Presidential cam-
paign trail.
--Beth Nissen
NEW BADGES, SAME BREEZE
The games pols play
By BILL HEENAN
'f1lE CITY is playing games,
Someone flips the egg-tim-
er, giving City Hall "staffer"
James Stephenson, "City Ad-
minstrator Kathy Kozachen-
ko, and other officials playing
'unfamiliar roles three minutes
to decide Ann Arbor's fate.
The name of the game is
"Policy Negotiations." To "im-
prove communications", six
Council members, various de-
partment heads, and local
Chamber of Commerce and
Real Estate Board leaders
played each other's roles in the
:uiet seclusion of Inglis House
last June.
"City officials play real-life
games all the time - and are
very sophisticated at it," re-
marked Barbara Steinwachs,
head of the University Exten-
sion Gaming Service which ob-
served the proceedings.
"But here we gave them the
opportunity to meet, listen, and
really communicate with e a c h
other without constituency pres-
sures," she explained.
Divided into 'citizens' a n d
'policy-maker' groups, the par-
ticipants determined Ann Ar-
bor's future budgetary priori-
ties with "prestige chips" which
they massed behind particular
issues the teams wished to raise
or vote upon. A proposal could
pass when supported by twice
the chips as dedicated to its
downfall.
"THE GAME was designed,"
said Dr. Alan Feldt, a Gaming
Service consultant; "to create
an 'imnasse' situation: partici-
nants would have to argue, lob-
by, compromise, and use any
means at their disposal to pass
something."
However, he warned that
though the game contained ele-
ments of realism," it cannot
even begin to predict the direc-
tion in which this city is go-
ing."
The simulation was highlights
by players actually totally out
of character: real-life radicals
shrugged t h e i r budgetary
shoulders, while hard-core con-
servatives embraced normally
unthinkable causes.
"Mayor Stephenson said I
was a lousy Republican," com-
nlained Jamie Kenworthy, a
Democratic Fourth Ward coun-
cilman, playing a GOP regular.
"All I said was that I would
not repair the roads," he ex-
plained.
Commenting on Mayor Step-
henson's performance as a
wssld-be administrative staffer,
Kenworthy remarked: ' ' T h e
mayor, who is usually critical
of many things, really enjoyed
his part."
KATHY KOZACHENKO, a
Human Rights Party (HRP)
Councilwoman from the Second
Ward admitted difficulty in ad-
justing to her new City Admin-
istrator role.
Yet real-life City Planner
Bill Duddleson recalled that she
played her role quite well:
"She told the city labor un-
ions that she absolutely could
not give them a seven per cent
raise - and she sounded quite
persuasive."
But while backs were turned,
Duddleson (An HRP regular in
the game) stole everyone's
chips, charged Kozachenko.
"Businessman" Walter Kraz-
ny - actually the city potice
chief-commented:
"With these new roles, the
Democrats, who usually favor
social programs, were dead-set
against them."
"I wonder whether a person
really meant what he was say-
ing instead of being motivated
by politics of the game?" said
Krazny.
After some initial confusion
with the rules, the gamers to-
cused on a city income tax, one
of 26 prospective issues pro-
vided by the planning commit-
tee.
"THE CITY was in financial
chaos," contended Kozachenko.
"Everyone lost their voting
power, except HRP and the la-
bor unions."
Nevertheless, most partici-
pants were pleased with the re-
sults:
"The game achieved its pur-
pose," stated City Administra-
tor Sylvester Murray whose
planning committee sponsored
the simulation. "People really
opened up and talked to people
"The simulation was
highlighted by play-
ers acting totally out
of character: real-
life radicals shrug-
ging their budgetary
shoulders while hard-
core conservatives
embraced normally
unthinkable causes."
they wouldn't normally talk to."
It was like a small begin-
ning," said Carol Jones (D-Se-
cond Ward) a committee mem-
ber and participant. "People let
their hair down this time."
Mayor Stephenson was not so
enthusiastic: "It's an intang-
ible thing - not exactly a waste
of time, but not the greatest
thing either.
Feldt cautioned: "Gaming per
se can be gimmicky." He re-
commended that a more regu-
lar use of gaming could facil-
itate, but not replace good com-
munication.
THE SIMULATION, an "Ann
Arborized" version of "Policy
Negotiations" was designed by
School of Education Prof. Fred-
erick Goodman; and for $75 you
can order it by mail. In addi-
tion, elements of Ed school
Prof. Layman Allen's "Policy-
plan" and Western Behavioral
Science Institute's "Sitte."
To date, the city has no fur-
ther game plans.
a I
Summer S/aff
JUDY RUSKIN
Editore
MARNIE HEYN
Editorial Director
KEN FINK
Arts Editor
GORI5ON ATCHESON
CHIERYL PILATE .
JEFF SORENSEN
BARBARA CORNELL
DELLA DIPIETRO
INLE LIEENAN
ANDREA LILLY ...
.Night Editor
Night Editor
- Night Editor
. Asst. Night Editor
Ast. Night Editor
Asst Night Editor
Ass't. Night Editor
--
st4'7iff F liti1,4 i 50
'Ah!Fresh Meat!'
Letters to
Dodge forum
To The Daily:
RECENT YEARS have w i t-
nessed the resurgence of the
workers' movement in t h i s
country, and various anti-imper-
ialist and communist organiza-
tions have endeavored to give
this movement a revolutionary
content. If we take the time to
investigate the history of work-
ing people (as in Labor's Un-
told Story), we find out that
workers do indeed have a glor-
ious history of struggle.
The heightened resistence
among working people today
is in direct response to the at-
tacks against them by the rul-
ing class - similar attacks are
being perpetrated against s t u-
dents. Taking advantage of the
"passivity" of students, admin-
istrators are attempting to
wrest away the hard-won gains
of the sixties.
Here at Michigan, this takes
the form of tuition hikes, reduc-
tions in student funding, the
bad faith of the administration
regarding the BAM demands,
their messing around with the
advocates program, and their
attempts to seize control of stu-
dents' organizational funds.
IT IS not enough to merely
fight for the establishment of
certain rights - we've got to
fight to keep them. Similarly,
the Daily
we have to continue the fight
for the right to an education
which is far from fully realized
for people in this country.
When we witness apathy on
the part of students today, we
must understand student apa-
thy today is qualitatively differ-
ent from the apathy of a de-
cade ago. Back then, people
didn't really have a fundament-
al understanding of the system.
Nowadays, they do have that
understanding - they can see
it, but they don't know how
to change it. It can be chang-
ed, and if we're really serious
about it, then we can l e a r n
some really important lessons
from the workers at D o d g e
Truck.
What they learned was that
the only people that they could
depend on to consistently repre-
sent their interests were them-
selves
TRANSPOSED to this campus,
it means that we have to rely
on the united action to students
to get things done.
In addition, we should see the
importance of supporting oth-
ers in their struggles (as with
the Argus workers), and of soli-
citing their support for ours.
We feel that it is only by
linking up with other forces,
that we will be able to achieve
lasting victories.
-Revolutionary Student
Brigade
Contact your reps-
Sen. Phillip Hart (Dem), Rm 253, Old Senate Bldg., Capitol
Hill, Washington, D.C. 20515.
Sen. Robert Griffin (Rep), Rm 353, Old Senate Bldg., Capitol
Hill, Washington, D.C. 20515.
Rep. Marvin Esch (Rep), Rm. 412, Cannon Bldg., Capitol
Bill, 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, ML. 48933.