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Squabbles
obscure
real issues
At times they could be mistaken for squabbling
children.
The Nebraska candidates in this November's
election have used more than their share of
childish techniques for vote-getting. They have
spatted over the amounts of money the other
candidate is spending. They have accused the
other candidate of giving up the fight. They even
have used a candidate's sex against her.
One of the most outrageous vote-getting ploys
was used by Wayne Ziebarth, 3rd District
Democratic congressional candidate In a moment
of what hopefully was temporary insanity,
Ziebarth said his opponent, Virginia Smith, would
be an incompetent representative because a
. woman's place "is in the home."
More recently, Gov. J. James Exon obscured a
remark made by his Republican opponent for
governor, Richard Marvel. Somehow, Exon
twisted Marvel's statement that he sometimes
longed to return to the tranquil Wesleyan campus
to mean Marvel had admitted defeat.
On the other side, Marvel has chastised Exon
for the $67,000 he and his running mate Jerry
Whelan spent in the primary last spring.
What many people don't know is that Marvel
and his running mate Anne Batchelder spent
almost as much in that race. Their figures look
much lower on first glance, but only because they
did not spend as a team.
Examples of name-calling and petty accusations
abound. Unfortunately, they sometimes obscure
the real issues of any campaign: Who is the
best-qualified candidate? And what goals would
each candidate try to meet if elected? ;
If candidates spent more time answering these
two questions instead of squabbling over
nonissues, perhaps voters could know who really is
the best person for the job.
Jane Owens
no
Dear Editor, , t . . . ,,.
First Charles Thone registered his approval of Gerald
Ford's pardon of Nixon, then Thone went to bat for G.
Bradford Cook to try and avert Cook's disbarment.
Now Thone has been caught In an embarrassing
scheme, trying to dupe the electorate. He has been
"laundering" out-of-state milk fund money to appear
as if it has been donated by Nebraska interests.
Perhpas a pattern can be perceived from Thone s
action
In this election, it is imperative we affirm the
integrity of our political process. We must elect
representatives whose honesty is unquestionable
persons who will be worthy of the public trust.
We must not condone those activites which have
tarnished the American electoral process these past few
years.
Clearly the Dyas-Thone contest is one way in which
the people of the 1st Congressional District can display
their strong belief in the electoral process, the fair
application of the law and in honest campaign
practices.
It is time for a positive change for the good of all
Nebraskans. Make your vote count on Nov. 5, the
people must be heard. , J
Howard Solender
David R. Roulston
Depression: better poor, no way to go but up
Things are great. The President ry.
lick. Inflation by 1976, hopefuliy before
November of that year. What's mori , ha
confidently, we certainly don't have to worry
that a recession's coming.
Federal Reserve Board Chairman Arthur
Burns loyally agrees. He says we've already
got one.
But what tipped the scales was the latest
Gallup Poll.
"Do the people think I'm going to lead
them out of this inflationary mess?" the
President asked his ace economic adviser,
Semple Ashe Simon.
"Yes, sir," Simon said, "51 per cent think
you're going to lead them into another Great
DepressionTnstead."
"Exactly, sir," Simon said. "If or when
people think there'll be a depression, there's
bound to be a depression. For the economy
always faithfully does what people think it
will do."
"I beg your pardon," the President said.
"If investors think the stock market will
go down," Simon explained, "they sell their
3tocks, and tho market goes down. If savers
.tM-' Kank$ v.'Unik there will be runs on
the trsr.bs, and " ibe15ank3 - will ' fail. If
unpiOycrjf thihirprffduction will drop, they
lay off workers, and production drops. IU
"I get the idea, the President said. "But
don't worry. I'll issue a rosy statement to
restore confidence In the economy. ' '
orthur hoppe
"Another?" Simon said. "Frankly, sir you
should declare a depression instead.'
After thinking this over, the President did
so. "DEPRESSION HITS!" announced the
black headlines. The effect on the people,
who hadn't known they were In another Great
Depression, was startling.
Old-timers nostalgically relished the spirit
of camaraderie they remembered from the
first depression. They helped each other out,
were kind to hobos and said, "We're all in
the same boat."
"We've hit rock bottom." the President
said grimly. And he went around promising
"a chicken in every pot" and predicting that
"prosperity is just around the corner. And
he was right.
Investors figured the market would have to
go up. So it did. Employers figured
production would have to increase. So it did.
And savers, seeing the banks hadn't failed,
saved. So everyone grew rich. Happy days
were here again.
Of course, prices soared. "Sometimes,"
the President said gloomily, "I don't
understand the economy."
"It's simple, sir," Simon said. "Either we
have inflation where everybody's rich and
can't afford to buy things, or we have a
depression where everybody's poor and can't
afford to buy things. But It's better to be
poor, because then there's no way to go but
up."
"Do you think it's too soon," said, the
President, studying the Cost of Living Index,
"to have another Great Depression?"
Copyright Chronicle Publishing Co. 1974
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