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Show ! 1 (' 1 ... 1 - i j . i I at;; 7 (f 1 a Rep. Howard Nielson Nielson joins chorus of praise for Jesse Jaclcson by Rick Brough Rep. Howard Nielson commended com-mended Rev. Jesse Jackson for his successful mission to obtain the release of a captured U.S. airman in Syria. Jackson's triumph, he added, might indicate ways to improve relations with hostile foreign elements. Nielson's remarks came Wednesday, January 4, while he was touring Summit Sum-mit and Wasatch county. While visiting Park City, the congressman found time for a brief discussion with the Park Record, and an interviewcall-in segment on KPCW Radio. On the radio, Nielson said Jackson "did a great thing" in negotiating the release of Airman Robert Goodman. He also said Senator Jake Garn's statement on the Jackson affair was unfortunate. unfor-tunate. "He didn't choose his words as carefully as he should," said Nielson. (In a Salt Lake radio interview, Garn suggested Jackson might have been motivated because Goodman is black. In passing, he also used the phrase "call a spade a spade." Garn said he was just using western slang to call for candor.) The congressman said Jackson's success had broader foreign-policy implications. im-plications. "The U.S. should move more toward treating all sides equally in the Middle East," he said. He agreed that a similar policy could also be used in Central America. "It might have some application there, too." Nielson told the Record he won't think about running for re-election until February. Febru-ary. He won't declare his candidacy until March or April, he said, if he does decide to run again. In his favor, he said, should he decide to run, is his experience and his important im-portant assignments on House committees. Democrats Demo-crats might attack the all-Republican nature of Utah's congressional delegation, delega-tion, but Nielson said that will be more of an issue in the Second District (where Rep. Dan Marriott has announced he will leave his seat there to run for governor). gover-nor). Nielson said the economic recovery this past year was not as strong as he had hoped. He said he was a little surprised to find that citizens citi-zens who have attended town meetings are not discontented discon-tented with the economy. "But I'm about to go to East . Carbon, where the unemployment unem-ployment problem has been the worst," he said. He told KPCW radio that Congress has not done a good job in cutting the deficit. "I don't see much light at the end of the tunnel. Perhaps we need a mild tax raise along with cuts." All departments of the budget, including defense, will have to bear the reductions. Defense may only be allowed al-lowed an increase of five to six percent, he said. Nielson's radio interview also included these topics : He favored increased federal funding for education educa-tion if it comes in block grants. More money works, he said, if it is result-oriented. "The federal government govern-ment should play an advisory advis-ory role." He said Summit County should be commended for its efforts to prepare for 1984 floods by dredging the Weber River. "They had $50,000 to do 50 miles," he said. The Army Corps of Engineers has criticized the dredging, but the congressman congress-man said any court action, if needed, should help the county correct problems. He said, at first, he supported the use of troops in Lebanon for peacekeeping purposes, but now he is having second thoughts. The U.S. should not back off before acts of terrorism, he said, but maybe our role should be limited. "I would, perhaps, favor a phased withdrawal." Nielson said he has no interest in the governorship. "I want to finish my career in the House." |
