a Page 4-Friday, March 14, 1980-The Michigan Daily Nine. - Years o f Ediforial FreedIoml Why today's class boycott is necessary to preserve peace Vol. XC, No. 128 News Phone: 764-0552 a Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan Of windfalls and taxes AH, WHAT a windfall! The benevo- lent House of Representatives watts to give us poor, beleaguered Ariericans a long-awaited tax break, at'the expense of those big, bad oil companies. It's such an ideally simple solution. The windfall profits tax on oil com- pAnies, approved yesterday by the House, will bring in about $227.7 billion over the next ten years. On Wed- nes ay, the House decided to use fully 60' per cent of this income for income tak reductions, Two major complaints of: the American public - high taxes. and excessive oil company profits - have therefore been addressed by the House, which comes out sweet- smelling - and vote-getting. 'n fact, this tax rebate plan is a win- dfull for American taxpayers only in the true sense of the word: it is a sud- den, but short-lived, gain. The ad- ditional money in our pockets will last until about November - when we have thanked our legislators for this gift by re-electing them - and then the real consequences of this short-sighted plan will begin to surface. A tax-cut is always a politically popular action, especially in these days when people are struggling just to 'pay day-to-day expenses. However, in aft inflationary economy, a tax-cut is undesirable, because it encourages more spending, which in turn fuels in- flation. This problem alone is reason to oppose the House plan. The tax-cut plan is dangerous for an even more important reason, however. The $136.4 billion allocated for tax relief has been diverted from planned energy production and conservation funds. Until the House decision Wednesday, many had hoped and expected that the House would earmark 50 per cent of the windfall profits tax income for energy research. Alternative energy programs, such as solar power, would have received a great financial boost; we could have taken great strides toward reducing our energy dependen- ce and the inflation which in part is caused by outrageous oil costs. Now, energy programs will receive less than 15 per cent of the windfall tax revenues. We will take no great steps toward solving the energy crisis. And, we can expect even greater inflation in the future because we did not have the foresight or fortitude to change our energy habits today. Even if the oil companies pass their new tax costs on to the consumers, as appears possible, the windfall tax is to be favored - but only if its revenues help provide the lasting benefits of alternative energies, not the short- lived benefits of a tax cut. This poor House plan promises only to make all of us poorer. Let's look this gift horse in the mouth. The Cold War is heating up. There are fifty American hostages still being held in the Iranian embassy. Their captors have decided not to obey the recognized government of Iran and will instead continue their vigil calling for the return of their deposed ruler. There are an estimated 80,000 Soviet troops inside the borders of Afghanistan. They now occupy the capital city of Kabul. The U.S. supplies arms to the Afghan rebels and has resumed massive weapons funding to Pakistan-a country that has been on verge of developing nuclear weapons and may already have them. THE U.S. HAS assembled a strong naval armada sitting at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, the hottest military spot in the world for the superpowers. The Soviets now have ships in the same waters and are sending more. As tensions in these three areas heat up there exists a background of eventsthat amounts to no less than a state of Cold War. In response to what he misperceives as a threat to world peace and to the "vital in- terests" of the U.S., President Carter is at- tempting to reinstate draft registration. He has imposed economic sanctions, he has in- stituted an Olympic boycott, and he is proposing a sizable increase in the defense budget despite earlier promises to the con- trary. Notonly has Congress refused to ratify the second Strategic Arms Limitations Treaty (SALT II), but the U.S. has committed'itself to station a string of nuclear missiles right on the Soviet-NATO border. Negotiations have resumed with Turkey to re-install missiles there also. Such increases in world militarism intensify the dangerous world political situation and threaten world peace. THERE IS A real possibility that the Soviet Union and the United States will meet militarily, whether directly over the Persian Gulf or by way of mutual desires to control Iran. War is in the air. The U.S. government has admitted its predisposition and supposed need to use ''tactical'' nuclear weapons against the Soviets in certain situations. President Carter has gone as far as to order 1,800 troops to occupy the Arabian Peninsula. In this light, how can we help ensure the preservation of peace in the world? First, we must educate ourselves on the critical issues of U.S. foreign policy and in- creased world militarism. We should do it now: the present global political situation demands it. What is needed is "Peace an'd Politics'in the 1980's: A New Understanding." This is precisely the title of the four-day teach-in that started yesteixday and will run through Sunday. PIRGIM has put a great deal of time and effort into the Teach-In along with the People's Action Coalition (PAC), Peace, Education and Action Collective (PEACE), the Committee of Vietnam Era Veterans, the Committee Against War, and the Guild House. AH WIDE RANGE of workshops, discussions, films, and forums is being of- fered. They are aimed at improving under- standing and awareness of the rapidly deteriorating hostile world political situation. From Jim Bristol, a jailed WW II conscien- tious objector, to former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark, knowledgeable and experienced people are being brought together to offer an expert field of speakers. More than a dozen University professors, special guest speakers, and many organizations and students are participating in this sincere effort to concern and educate ourselves with these important, impending issues. We can no longer afford to allow such important decisions to be made exclusively by our political leaders. Students are of special importance because no group can more appropriately lead such an educational effort. Students are considered the most active sectors of society; historically they have been leaders in political participation, especially when a check on government is the call. But since academics demand students' daily attentions, it will examine, receives the attention and at- tendance it deserves. It is necessary to im- prove everyone's awareness, education and R. participation in the political arena if there is d going to be any substantial attempt by the Gd people to steer this country clear of war. ,4- THERE MAY BE a few course lecture schedules that will need to be reworked due to ry the Teach-In. But for the sake of such an j6 educational effort and the urgency of the or. issues involved, let's take one day out of our i. "schedules" to address the current "State of the World" and the implications. We need to ,. recognize these issues as above our routine. ' As concerned as we should be with our academic futures, we must also realize that . our entire futures are subordinate to whether peace or war is prevailing in the world. Everyone's schedule will be indefinitely, ; and perhaps permanently, delayed if war . does break out. LI 4 >I Dily rnuoo PARTICIPATION IN TODAY'S class boycott and teach-in is an effective follow-up to Miller prosecutor needed recent campus demonstrations against registrat S ECRETARY OF the Treasury G. William Miller-has repeatedly denied that he kn1ewof bribes paid out by employees bf' the Textron Cor- poration when he was its president. Some of his denials have been made under oath.. Senators and representatives of both parties have repeatedly demanded that the Carter administration appoint a special prosecutor to investigate what many believe is strong evidence that Miller was aware of corruption in the middle and upper echelons of Tex- tron. There is no question that bribes were paid. They are on the record. Miller's assertion, however, that he was unaware of those bribes is qiestionable. Miller was appointed to lMs post precisely because he has a Pputation for excellence in pianagement. This would inclue Igreping a sharp eye out for corrupt dealings that went on among his subordinates. If the Carter administration had shown itself in the past to be willing to scrutinize its own house for. murky goings-on, the need for a special prosecutor would be less pronounced. But on several occasions cited recently by New York Times columnist William Safire, the "Georgia Mafia" has proved to be less than meticulous in in- vestigating allegations or wrongdoing. Remember: "'I'm proud of you, Bert"? Remember the Abscam investigation, which pulled up short of testing the honesty of Newark, N.J. mayor Ken- neth Gibson, a Carter ally? Justice will not beserved until the Justice Department turns the in- vestigation over to an independent prosecutor, who can operate free of any restrictions the executive branch might want to impose. Attorney General Benjamin Civiletti should meet that obligation, and soon. too many students are ignorant of the current world situations. They know little beyond the incomplete and partial picture painted by the American mass media. A clear, deeper un, darstandingis needed.- HOW CAN THE attentions and energies of students and the University be captured and focused on issues so remote from their everyday lives but yet so undeniably impor- tant? A class boycott today was the answer the Committeee Against War (CAW) found. Though the group recognized that a title such as "Alternatives to Scheduled Class" would be a more precise description of the program, members cited the need to raise a few eyebrows. They felt it was necessary to jolt the attentions of students and faculty, to in- terrupt the collegiate routine. They con- sidered it vital to challenge the status quo to insure that the Teach-In, along with the issues ion and the draft, manly believe. Professors, take a single day and devote tho class discussion to the current dilemmas facing our nation. Students, illustrate yoiw recognition of the exceptional importance qf such impending questions by attendipg workshops today: Everyone, take-. his weekend to educate and participate in the future of peace for this nation and the world-and don't stop after Sunday! The Public I.nterest Research Group in Michigan (PIRGIM) addresses a number of consumer and student concerns in i weekly column on this page. This artic was written by PIRGIM member John Leone. LETTERS TO THE DAILY: 0 Cohen'-s censorial attitudes To the Daily: As one who has followed closely the Daily's coverage of the Israel-PLO conflict, I find myself disturbed by the implications in a recent letter (Daily, March 11) written by Carl Cohen. In his at- tack on the columns of H. Scott Proterman, Mr. Cohen is seeking* to cut off views, which are ap- parently not his own, through claiming that the Daily is in- judiciously granting one-sided editorial opportunity to Proster- Registration To the Daily: There are a few things that must be said in response to your editorial entitled "Who's tipping the scales in favor of registration?" (Daily, Feb. 27). The first argument mentioned in, opposition to registration is the great economic cost of servicing man and his opinions. Aside from disagreeing with his accusations (The Daily has indeed countered Proterman's views on the editorial page), I must also take exception to Mr. Cohen's tactics which are as devious in their attempts at cen- sorship as they are shallow. Rather than confront his dif- ferences with Prosterman direc- tly, Mr. Cohen presents us with, a virtual diatribe in which we are told that Prosterman is a "nasty" self-hating Jew with poorly fun- ctioning powers of reasoning. I do not know where Mr. Cohen stands on the question of Palestinian self-determination, but surely he must see the folly of his own reasoning when he automatically equates the protest of the con- tinued subjugation of the Palestinian people with an anti- Israel stance. Anti-hawkish ex- pansionism, yes; anti-Israel, no. assailed Surely Mr. Cohen must be awary of the growing number of Israei citizens. who are making the' same all-important distinctior2 Would these Jews also be thy target for Mr. Cohen's embit=' tered epithets? I hope not. I would like to take this opporf- tunity to commend the Daily for' maintaining the editorial wisdon to print that which sometimes falls away from mainstream media analysis. Your readership is certainly informed enough to recognize editorial imbalance when it occurs, and thus far, thi simply has not been borne out. ~-J.cAlle March11 Cohen :laude4O scales should be balanced i 4 t i ;:l - II i i i a draft. This simply is not sound economic argument. The costs of registration and a draft are far less than the costs of maintaining a volunteer army. The reason is that the armed forces must attract prospective soldiers in a volunteer army, and by doing so, incur great costs. Wages are inflated to higher levels than a draft institution would pose, while pensions and benefits are also increased. In addition, a volunteer army faces the high costs of advertising in the national media and mailing millions of letters to young people each year. Every branch of the armed forces does this in- dividually, increasing the already great costs. The logic of all this is simply that a draft situation does not require the lucrative and somewhat roman- ticized attractions that we now see. The mere enforcement of the law fills the quotas. -David Bizer Feb. 27 To the Daily: i Hubbard attack unjustified To the Daily: There is no proper place in the government of public affairs for dishonesty or irresponsibility. Unfortunately, First Ward Republican candidate Donald Hubbard appears more intent upon making political points than in adhering to the higher prin- ciples of public service. In his attack on Susan Green- berg, the Democratic incumbent seeking re-election to City Coun- that period suffers from seven absences. The city of Ann Arbor deserves better from those who would represent it. -RobertG. Faber, Chairman, Ann Arbor Democratic Party March 10 Three cheers to Carl Cohen for his rebuke of H. Scott Prost4r- man (Daily, March 1X). Professor Cohen said things that many of us have long thought but weren't able to articulate. I His reprimand, though, cou'ld have been stronger; perhaps something along the lines of 1V Prosterman's heroes, Arafat ap Khomeini; instead of getting lgis hands slapped, maybe he should have had them cut off. -David Hol el March 11 cat killin Clarification of quote on i, 11 UU 1