Watergate: Would the lessons be lost?
By KEN PARSIGIAN
and JEFF RISTINE
Frida . Jun 17, 1 5. Th
40/h Prerusrl/ of /hs 'is/cd
SVates, in a t/i/ r ba//Ic for rc-
"'Iifion, /;ol/ a d/ra/c'in s -
sinn ,i// l/op snifiign aI</
and /i, ,liiif of i/a ff,
"We're facing quite a prob-
lem now, arent's we?" Waving
a copy of the morning news-
paper, he continues: "I don't
like the looks of this poll they
ran today. l:orty-seven per cent
for ne, 43 per cent for him--
that's too damn close."
"I think I agree with you,"
says the campaign aide. '"He's
gained five points in the last
two weeks. With that kind of
momentum, we're going to have
to move quickly, sometime with-
in the next month, or we could
find ourselves in pretty bad
shape come November."
THE PRESIDENT nods his
head. "Got any ideas on that?"
he asks.
Clearing his throat, the chief
of staff begins, "Well, we could
schedule some more TV spots,
get you' put on the road a lit-
tle hit more, get you some net-
work news cover - - - -.
The Michigan Daily
Edited ond monoged by Students at the
University of Michigan
Friday, June 17, 1977
News Phone: 764-0552
Wheeler's lease ordinance
little help to tenant rights
AFTER THREE YEARS of complaining about high rents
in this City, and vowing to take the matter under
his wing, Mayor Albert Wheeler has included the results
of a Blue Ribbon Committee in his recently proposed
lease ordinance.
The proposal, to write mandatbry lease provisions
into every lease sign in the city, leaves us but one step
away from where we were three years ago.
Then, tenants rights were listed in a booklet land-
lords were legally bound to give their tenants. Problem
was, few landlords distributed the booklets, and few
tenants knew what they had missed.
Consequently, Wheeler's Blue Ribbon Committee dis-
closed that few tenants had any idea what their rights
are.
The proposed ordinance would require some tenants
rights to be printed on all Ann Arbor leases.
THE MANDATORY PROVISIONS would warn tenants
that some parts of the lease could be illegal, and
could be challenged in court, and would notify the ten-
ant that legal counsel in housing cases is available.
The proposed provisions would also tell tenants the
City Clerk holds a list of possible sources of legal as-
sistance for those who cannot afford to pay for legal
action. And the proposed ordinance includes a provision
notifying the tenant of the available booklet outlining
tenants' rights.
That tenants in this city have so 'little knowledge
about their rights is appalling. But even more frighten-
ing are the landlords who are trying to block even this
weak ordinance with the flimsiest of arguments.
One claims the non-distributed booklet is effective
enough. Another claims this ordinance would make that
landlord's leases as disreputable as those of the worst
landlords in this city. Other landlords say tenants' ig-
norance is a tenants' problem.
That this ordinance is little more than an easy way
out of a half-hearted campaign promise by Wheeler
is evident. But it does at least attempt to make knowl-
edge of tenants rights more accessible. And for that at-
tempt, albeit a far cry from a solution to the housing
dilemma here, we cannot chide Mayor Wheeler.
TODAY'S STAFF:
NEWS: Don DeKett, Stu McConnell, Ken Parsigion,
Tim Yagle, Barb-Zahs
EDITORIAL: Linda Willcox
PHOTO: Christina Schneiler
ARTS: Stu McConnell
SPORTS: Tom Cameron
"No. That's not going to work,"
the campaign aide interrupts.
"We need something stronger,
we need a sure thing."
"I hate to admit it, but I think
you're right," says the Presi-
dent. "He's gaining too quick-'
ly, and once he wins their nom-
ination, they'll all close ranks
behind him. Then we're dead."
"SO WHAT CAN WE DO?"
questions the staff man, turn-
ing to face the campaign of-
ficial.
"You're gonna think this is
crazy, and I admit it is a bit
unorthodox, but if you'll hear
me out, I think you'll see that
it could be the solution to our
problem. There's not much we
can do to improve our own im-
age; we've got to concentrate
on dirtying his."
The President raiseas an eye-
'brow, but remains silent. The
aide continues, "The best way
to discredit his reputation is to
make him look a little' crazy,
like he is mentally unfit to sit
in that chair,"
"But we've ;lready checked
into that," he chief of staff pro-
tests. "He's clean."
THE CAMPAIGN AIDE chuck-
les, "Well, we can do something
about that. Just suppose we had
a psychiatrist who was willing
to come forth and say he treat-
ed this, guy umpteen years ago
and concluded he's psychotic,
schizophrenic, Too dangerous a
man toput in the White House."
"Oh, come on. We're trying
to plan a campaigr here, not
write some cheap thriller," the
chief of staff says with some
disgust.
The President holds up a hand.
'I think we need to consider all
our options. Let's hear him
out."
The aide slides forward in his
chair. "Buying ourselves a
shrink is no problem. I've got,
a couple in mind, already. But
that's not really going to be
enough, someone will accuse
him of lying. We need some-
thing to corroborate him. That's
the tricky part, but I think I've
got it worked out. "We'll need
a team of about three of four
men, someone who could break
into an Army records office-
our opponent was in the Army,
you know -, and alter a few
files. All they'd have to do is
change a page or two to show
that he had undergone some
psychiatric treatment while in
the service, and that it was ree-
omamended he seek private help
when he got out."
"He'll deny it, of course," the
aide continues, "but enough peo-
ple would fall for it to turn the
tide."
"It's outrageous. It's illegal.
The President could never be
involved in something like that,"
the staff man said, flailing his
arms in indignation.
"But it would work," the cam-
paign man replied. "And be-
sides, the President is bound by
a different set of laws. We've
got :precedent for that."
THE PRESIDENT NODS.
"There's too much at stake
here. I've got a very delicate
situation here, with the Arabs
and the Chinese. I haven't work-
ed these last four years to see
it all go down the drain. My
policies have to he continued,
that's for sure. Whatever it
takes to keep me in office, we
must do it-"
"For the good of the country,"
says the campaign aide, com-
pleting the sentence.
"But what if someone finds
out," the staff chief sputters.
"What about that Watergate
thing, remember rwhat it did
to Him?"
"We remember," says the
President, "but do you think
anybody else does? The pub-
lic has put that all behind them,
they've forgotten because they
got sick and tired of it all. They-
've passed a few reforms, they
dug up some scandals; they've
grown overconfident and won't
be suspecting this kind of
thing."
"They were a bunch of bung-
lers back then," his campaign
aide adds. "If they'd done, a
more professional job, no one
would ever had known.
"We won't be so careless.
There'll be no record of this
conversation, no secret tapes or
any nonsense like that.0 What
they don't know will never hurt
them."
The President nods in agree-
ment; and the three men rise
from their chairs.
'p MVE 10 30314
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