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Show 16. 1982, Tuesday. February THE HERALD, Provo. Utah-P- The Herald, its readers, syndicated columnists and cartoonists discuss vital issues S JLLP I i 1 1 Hj 1 1 0 19 age W fj The Herald Comments People Praise Hansen for Move Jim Congressman Hansen's return of $70,000 to the U.S Treasury from his office expense allotment is a leadership example his colleagues would do not only in well to follow their own office budgets but the nation's budget as grain of sand in the Sahara. It's a great headline-grabbin- g gesture at propitious time when cam- paigns are getting office $440,000 $70,000," IT" ' r II . mm rim salaries of my staff, and by reducing the amount we pense allotment. The allotd to ments are of each member Congress on the basis of how close his or her home district is to the nation's capital. spent on expenses for travel and purchase of of- and Its Various Maladies AMPAC WASHINGTON (NEA) - The American Medical Political Action Committee "is an independent organization and has no branches or subsidiary committees," Lee Ann 6 Elliott testified in before the Federal Election Commission. In the ensuing five and a half years, two events of note have occurred: mid-197- - after conductFirst, the FEC ing the most extensive investigation in its history concluded that the claims of AMPAC independence proffered by Mrs. Elliott and other officials of the organization were false and misleading. Second, Mrs. Elliott was honored by being offered a seat on the FEC. She is a member of the commission today, earning $58,50.0 per year and sitting in judgment on the integrity of AMPAC and other political-actio- n committees. Shortly after she joined the federal agency, the FEC considered a request from AMPAC for an advisory opinion about the propriety of soliciting campaign contributions not only from physicians but also from their spouses. Other FEC members who have faced similar situations in previous years have excused themselves from participating in both the debate and the vote on issues that involved the appearance or reality - er of a conflict of interest. Although Mrs. Elliott was on the AMPAC payroll for 19 years including 10 years in the 1970s as its second-rankin- g she staff member apparently had no similar qualms. She participated fully in the commission debate, offered an amendment to enhance AMPAC's position and joined her colleagues in a unanimous vote in AMPAC's favor. In the world of campaign finance, AMPAC is a major participant. The country's largest business and industry PAC, it raised and spent more than $1.7 million election cycle during the 1979-8while its state affiliates collected almost $5 million more during the same period. The American Medical Association, AMPAC's parent organization, purports to be concerned about issues such as better health care for slum and rural areas, improved high-stak- 0 fice supplies." Hansen's staff has told The Daily Herald that the congressman caught some flak from some of his own party colleagues who chided him for returning a surplus they argued he Compared to our total national debt of $1 trillion and the current projected. 1983 deficit of $95 billion, Hansen's gesture is like a Robert Walters mental health, reduced medical care costs, alcoholism and drug dependence, malnutrition and the pollution of the air, water and land. The materials subpoenaed during the FEC investigation indicate, however, that AMPAC has a a set markedly different agenda of priorities that could be characterized as parochial at best and selfish at worst. AMPAC's internal documents stress the organization's concern about legislation affecting doctors' professional corporations, their retirement benefits, the tax treatment of their income and the cost of their malpractice insurance premiums. The FEC probe of AMPAC was inspired by complaints that the organization routinely circumvented the provision of the Federal Election Campaign Act that places a $5,000 ceiling on the political contributions made by any PAC to any candidate for federal office during a single campaign. The statute specifically includes language to prevent evasion of the law, for example, by labor unions or corporations claiming that each union local or company plant is an independent, separate organization. AMPAC, however, regularly coor- dinated its campaign contributions with the PACs maintained by state medical societies throughout the while Mrs. Elliott and country other AMPAC officials persisted in claiming that their organization "is not controlled by, nor does it control, any other organization which has a PAC." After an exhaustive investigation, the FEC identified more than 200 instances during the four-yeperiod from 1975 through 1978 in which AMPAC and the state medical PACs made $615,000 worth of combined campaign donations in excess of the legal limit to candidates for House and Senate seats. AMPAC never formally acknowledged any wrongdoing, but it and 47 supposedly "independent" state medical PACs signed FEC legal agreements pledging never again jointly to contribute more than $5,000 to any candidate during a single campaign. ar Feedback Physician Scored Again Hansen said, "by limiting the size and ex- Hansen's actions ob- viously will boost his re- election chances in ar "I was able to return the pro-rate- jj off-ye- however shrunken by inflais still $70,000. tion The $70,000 Hansen put back in the federal coffer is about 15.9 percent of his "1( un- elections, but $70,000 derway for well. total a special GOP congressional caucuses. should have used for they still go to the heart of what we Americans have a right to expect from the people we hire at the ballot to represent our terests. box Is Rock necessary cases. But a woman must be informed, which doesn' mean being told by the doctor how safe it is. It does mean being prepared ahead of time by knowing all the possible side effects and risks involved for both mother AND child. Dr. Brinton is one more of the obstetricians in this valley I'll cross off my list. Lynne Larson 1010 S. 400 E. Springville Group Really Bad? Editor, Herald: I read with great interest the recent article about the supposed evils of the rock group ACDC. Could you tell me if G.T. Harrison owns all heir albums? Also, I recently purchased a radio that was advertised as being ACDC. Can you tell me if the carton or the radio is Thank you. Mark Hall Springville in- Good leaders don't ask the people they're responsible for to do anything they aren't willing and able to do for themselves. Congress and the president are asking all the American people to endure the effects of dramatic reductions in federal expenditures. It is a vitally necessary but nonetheless painful process. Christmas members recess, of Congress granted themselves a pay raise by tacking onto a black lung beneficts bill a provision that will allow them to write off $18,000 a livyear for ing expenses. No matter what Congress does, the President and the people should not waiver from their com-mitme- nt to turn the economic mess around. But Congress would do wonders for its credibility if it did to its own budget what it is doing to the nation's budget and asking all Americans to make adjustments in their personal : : budgets. 9 Lee Roderick m Budget Doesn't Help Housing - WASHINGTON President Reagan's new budget offers precious little encouragement to the or to destitute housing industry many Americans for whom the dream of affording a home remains a dream unrealized. "The projected deficit which is almost sure to go higher than the $92 billion forecast for 1983 is par- ticularly devastating " Jack Carlson, top spokesman for the National Association of Realtors, told me. "The federal government's red ink just swamps private efforts to borrow." Carlson's 700,000-membe- r organization, which represents the nation's largest grassroots home building industry, recently took out advertisements in major news-- , -- papers around the country, calling afforon Washington to dable housing as a high national priority. High interest rates have crippled the industry over the past two years. Carlson chief economist as well as executive vice president of the realtors group, now is urging the president and Congress to take steps to cut the projected $92 billion deficit to $50 billion. This could be done, he says by deeper cuts in .federal spending, including defense spending, and by "modest" tax creases in areas other than those fering business incentives. in- of- Treasury Secretary Donald Regan forecasts ample credit for business and housing, lower interest rates despite the red ink and a strong But economic recovery in Carlson and many others have doubts. "We expect the recovery will be well below experiences of the past," says Carlson. "The Secretary says he is counting on a rapid increase in private savings to make up for the government borrowing " says Carlson. "We think it is too early to rely that heavily on such a quick rise in personal savings. We see a return to average savings rates." On the plus side, Carlson notes that the new Reagan budget for the fiscal year starting in October calls for $46 billion in spending cuts. He urges Congress to enact those and others to bring the budget closer to balance. In the absence of major budget surgery, says Carlson, "there is no reliable bas,is yet to expect mortgage and interest rates to drop below 15 percent in the face of the deficits forecast for this and the next several years." mid-198- Most other economists appear to echo Carlson's pessimism, though not all to the same degree. At a recent conference sponsored by the National Association of Home Builders, for example, 10 government and industry economists predicted that housing should see some improvement this year, but not until after the first quarter. Mortgage rates, they believe, won't fall below 14 percent in 1982. Most of the economists estimated that housing starts this year will be 21 percent about 1.3 million higher than the estimated 1.07 mild lion in 1982; but still more than below the cyclical peak of 2 one-thir- million starts in 1978. Meanwhile; some analysts charge that the root cause of housing's sickness is its decline on tha na- tion's agenda. "Has housing declined as a national priority?" asks Lawrence B. Simons an assistant secretary for housing in the Carter Administration. "The answer is a definite yes." The fundamental change, says Simons has been the federal removal of housing credit from its historically sheltered position. "The traditional sources of housing credit savings used for retirement, illhave ness and future education been rerouted," explains Simons, channeled out of savings institutions that were required by federal law to make financing available to housing. While not denying the crisis facing the housing industry, others such as Sen. Richard Lugar chairman of the Senate subcommittee on housing and urban affairs, counsel patience. The short-terpain is essential; argues Lugar, to health in the bring about long-terindustry and the economy as a ), whole. "We cannot afford once again to road," writes go down the quick-fi- x Lugar. "We must steadfastly pursue policies that correct the underlying problems of our economy ... fundamental economic reform is the only responsible route we can fol- low." adds that it is to witness the individual effects of current conditions. But many a builder and would-b- e home buyer no doubt would trade Lugar's sympathy for stronger action to housing as a national priority. Lugar "heart-wrenchin- Jack Anderson till Taiwan May Look to Russia - WASHINGTON Whenever the United States considers a move that will weaken its ties to the Nationalist Chinese regime on Taiwan: intelligence agencies are asked to predict what the Taiwanese reaction is likely to be. The recent decision against the sale of advanced fighter planes to Taiwan was no exception. In all the sheaves of analyses, no suggestion is more bizarre than this one, which keeps status as a Pacific power while simultaneously offsetting Chinese.. Japanese and U.S. influence in the region." The report adds: "In Taiwan's view, a Soviet protector could fill the island's defense requirements. Taipei planners know that, of all (mainland China's) neighbors, the U.S.S.R. is the most ready and will- - ing to undertake military action against Peking." All it would take, the analysis speculates is a verbal assurance that if Peking invades Taiwan, the Russians would counter the move by an attack on China from Siberia. On the debit side of the ledger, Taiwan recognizes that "such a relationship ... would be fraught top-secr- bobbing up: A deteriorating relationship with the United States will compel Taiwan to seek closer ties with the Soviet Union. In the hardball game of international power alignment, no posof course. sibility is too Ideology often takes a back seat to cold reality, and "the enemy of my enemy is my friend." The mutual Soviet - Taiwanese enemy, of course, is the People's Republic of Here's how the CIA and Pentagon experts weigh the idea of a rapprochement, according to four secret intelligence studies shown to my associate. Dale Van At-tTaipei-Mosco- rangements disadvantageous to Taiwan." "Taipei would also have to evaluate the risk of becoming inwar. In such volved in a a conflict, a Soviet presence on .Taiwan could be expected to invite, in the worst case a devastating nuclear attack on the island from the mainland." - On the other hand, the Taiwan government would have to weigh the chances of being rudely jilted if Moscow and Peking were suddenly to kiss and make up. - As for the Soviets' willingness to strike a deal with Taiwan, the analysts warned that the Russians "probably would be reluctant to burn their bridges completely (with the mainland Chinese), while at the same time adding another irritant to relations." And finally, "linking with the Soviets in any fashion would alienate Taipei from Washington and damage hopes for continuing close ties with the U.S." U.S.-Sovi- "For one thing Taipei probably believes that the costs of maintaining and upgrading modern air and naval defense systems would be too heavy to bear for long without help," said one report. Without U.S. support, Taiwan may turn to Despite all these disadvantages, and Taiwanese insistence that they're not interested in a Soviet connection; the U.S. analysts don't rule it out completely if the United States continues to weaken its sup- Moscow. "Taipei may presume that the Soviet Union would welcome such a role," the report continues. "Access to Taiwan's airfields and ports would provide a convenient way station on the long trek from Vladivostok to the Indian Ocean. "A close relationship between Taiwan and the U.S.S.R. also would prevent both the PRC (mainland China) and Japan from acquiring Taiwan and would underscore Soviet with risks and uncertainties." These dangers are spelled out in the secret studies: - "Taipei would fear that Moscow could demand a high price for its protection in terms of military installations and perhaps trade ar- Sino-Sovi- China. Editor, Herald: I want to thank Mrs. Rita Nelson and Mrs. Sandra Vivian for their letter in Feb. 2's Feedback. I want to respond to Dr. Brinton's defense of using drugs to delay the birth of the "New Year" baby. Once again we have a doctor adding to the brainwashing of America's women by promoting that a drug is "safe" for childbear-ing- . No drug is completely safe. It's fine that we have drugs to be used in a district, but newly-define- d Yet just before the 1981 port for Taiwan. But a Defense Intelligence Agency report suggests that all Taiwan is The doing is a little Taiwanese have engaged in "circumspect flirtation with Moscow ... more in search of leverage in its relations with the U.S. than in preparation for taking out a Soviet horse-tradin- ) 1WI by NEA, Inc. "QUICK! LOOK! It's a SMILING jogger!' opUon." |