The Michigan Daily
Vol. LXXXVII, No. 27-S Ann Arbor, Michigan-Friday, June 10, 1977 10 Cents 12 Pages plus Supplement
House corimmttees ki gas tax
By AP and UPI
WASHINGTON - House com-
mittees yesterdaykilled or weak-
ened several key parts of Presi-
dent Carter's energy plan, re-
jecting his proposal to hike
gasoline taxes and severely ab-
breviating his gas guzzler car
tax.
It was the first major con-
gressional test on the energy
taxes Carter proposed, and he
lost several rounds.
MOST OF THE action was in
the House Ways and Means
Committee which:
. Killed a proposal to hike
gasoline taxes a nickel each
year gasoline consumption fail-
ed to meet conservaton goals.
It also rejected a compromise,
one-time, three-cent tax for 1978.
. Decided to implement Car-
ter's idea for taxing gas guzzling
cars, but put off the effective
date for the year and weakened
tha tax on 1979 models and in
later years.
* Killed the rebate Carter
proposed giving to buyers of
cars which get good gas mile-
age.
The action came as another
House subcommitteesvoted to
free newly discovered natural
gas from federal price controls,
a move long sought by the oil
and gas industry but opposedby
Carter.
The vote against the higher
gasoline tax was 27 to 10. The
vote came after very little de-,
-bate and after some members
had sought to adjourn for the
day in order to delay considera-
tion of the tax.
CARTER'S S T A N D B Y tax
would have increased the pres-
ent four cent per gallon federal
gasoline tax by five cents per
year over the next 10 years un-
less gasoline consumption stayed
within specified levels.
The committes also rejected
by a 25-to-11 vote a substitute
that would have simply raised
the current gasoline tax by three
cents a gallon next Jan. 1, with
the money being used to pay for
energy research and transpor-
tation improvements.
Carter proposed to return the
gasoline tax in the form of in-
come tax rebates at the end of
the year. Opponents said that
combination would not save
appreciable amounts of fuel,
which is the main idea of the
Carter program.
REP. ABNER MIKVA (D-Ill.)
summarized the shambles the
Carter program was in. "I have
.a feeling that what is left would
not be enough to be meaning-
ful. The fuel-efficient car rebate
has been shot down. The guzzler
tax has been watered down sub-
stantially, . . There are not
enough carrots nd not enough
sticks."
Carter's original gas - guzzler
proposal lost on a 23-14 vote, but
the committee then passed a
compromise far short of his
goals.
The gas-guzzling tax approved
by the committee would go into
effect with 1979 models but
would apply only to those -ela-
tively few cars that get less than
15 miles per gallon. Carter had
proposed the tax on all new cars
getting less than 19 miles per
gallon.
THE AUTOIViOBILE industry
opposes any gas-guzzler tax at
all, claiming current law pro-
vides all the incentive necessary
for Detroit to make cars more
efficient.
Carter's rebate plan had few
supporters in Congress, mainly
because a big chunk of the re-
bates would go to buyers of
small foreign cars. The commit-
tee needed little debate before
killing the rebate, 31to 5.
But the issue was not so clear
in the debate over taxing buyers
of cars that use a lot of gas.
Several votes were taken before
a decisive bipartisan 23-13 vote
against a motion by Rep. Wil-
See HOUSE, Page 10
Anita's victory worries locals
By LORI CARRUTHERS
The repeal Tuesday of a local Florida ordinance
prohibiting discrimination against homosexuals
in housing and employment has struck a raw
nerve in Ann Arbor's gay community.
"People are worried it will be at our back door
soon," said Arthur Beafley of the Gay Hotline
Center.
LOCAL GAYS are especially concerned that
singer Anita Bryant-whose vigorous anti-homo-
sexual campaign proved successful in the special
Dade County vote-will fulfill her pledge to cru-
sade throughout the nation and "protect America's
children" from homosexual influence.
Washtenaw County already has a three-year-old
resolution which denies the right to discriminate
against a person because of sexual preference.
"It is a secure feeling knowing that we have
legal recourse, legal affirmative action," said a
Gay Advocate counselor.
But County Commissioners Clare LaFerier,
Richard Walterhouse and Bent Nielson agreed
that if put to a county vote, the resolution would
be repealed.
"I THINK that the people are still old-fashioned
and they feel that is 'the way things should be,"
Walterhouse said.
"I hope people are above this type of oppressive
reproach of human rights," said Ann Arbor City
Councilman Earl Greene of the Florida vote. "I
can't believe in people reducing someone's human
rights," he added.
See ANITA'S, Page 6
Narciso tells ofBI threat
By KEITH B. RICHBURG
Special To The Dally
DETROIT - Accused murderer, - Veterans Administration
(VA) Hospital nurse Fi'ipina Narciso took the stand in her own
defense yesterday and told the jury the FBI had threatened her
life if she refused to confess to poisoning her former patients.
Narciso related to the packed courtroom how she was asked
to) confess to the VA poisonings during a six-hour "interrogation"
with the FBI. Narciso said that - FBI agents told her to confess,
and that VA chief of staff, Dr. Martin Lindenauer also told her
to admit her guilt.
"I WAS TOLD that if I don't confess my life would be over
with," Narciso said. "I was told that I was a Catholic. I was told
See VA, Page 9
Anderson ips Block in
AFSCME elections
By SUE WARNER The incumbent Bargaining
Chairperson, Anderson said his
As a result of Wednesday's wis was not necessarily a re-
American Federation of State, stlt of his action during the re-
County and Municipal Em- cent AFSCHE strike, but was
ployes ,AFSCME, Local 1583) due "to my record during ten
run-off election, Art Anderson, years of being involved in this
Dwight Newman and Betty Fos- union."
ter will take over the top union
positions of bargaining chair- "educate the membership and
person, president and vice
president respectively for two- get everyone together. There's
year terms beginning June 26. no split between the rank and
file now, the total membership
In the union's campus-wide is the rank and file," he con-
election May 18, none of the tinued. "We want to unite the
candidates for the top three people, that's what I'm work-
offices were able to attain the ing for."
required majority.
BLOCK WHO is currently on
Relaxed and similing to the jury, Veterans Administration (VA) defendant Filipina Narciso i ANDERSON WAS victorious University. suspension in con-
opened as the defense's first witness. Sketches special to the Daily by staff artist Keith B. inhpresiden st ckrr nt un- nect n withe admlngatratin
Richburg, slim 445-400 vote margin. See AFSCME, Page 10