Friday, October 14, 1833
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Vol. 82 No. 34
3iiM2Q
Camas stadlss
Ey Eds Petersen
CI,
ince the 1976 and 1978 elections, when the
efforts cf privately organized political action com
mittecs first became prominent, complaints have
been heard that PACs ere trying to buy elections
and candidates. " - . '
October has been declared "People Against PACs"
Month by Common Cause, a public interest lobbying
Croup. Tlie group has proposed that public financ
ing for congressional candidates be established and
contributions from PACs be limited.
Although Congress passed lavs in 1975 to regu
late private contributions to presidential cam
paigns and provide public financing for them, the
new laws did not apply to Congress itself, Corpora
tions, labor unions, trade associations and ideologi
cal groups have organized PACs to make contribu
tions to concessional candidates. According to an
Associated Press story, more than 3,400 PACs con
tributed CCS million to House and Senate races last
year.
Nancy Shoninger, regional coordinator for Com
mon Cause, said her group's proposal, which has
120 co-sponsors in the House of Representatives,
provides for public financing which would be origi
nated in a tax credit. She said some people believe
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the credit would raise money more effectively than
the present $1 checkoff for presidential campaigns.
Shoninsr said linla bct'ecn voting records and
PAC contributions can be correlated.
"It's striking that in the Clean Air Act . . . peopl'2
who wanted to weaken standards on the approp
riate committee all have received $10,000 or more
from PACs and those who wanted to maintain or
strengthen the Clean Air Act received less than
$10,000," she said. '
A law requiring itemized protection of used car
customers also was defeated in Congress largely by
people who received PAC money from the used car
dealers' association, Shoninser said.
She said that the PACs defense of their right to
campaign freely, through unlimited contribution
may be seen in another way.
"Our question is whether it's really involving them
(PAC contributors) with the political process and
not just involving their money," Shoninger said.
. UNL political science professors Ecbcrt Sittig and
Mike Steinman said the Common Cause proposal
was worthy of discussion, though neither said he
favored the specific proposal Sittig said any such
proposal would have to include the public financing
in addition to limiting PAC involvement
"Individuals are so laggard in their own obliga
tions that the PACs have sort of stepped into that
vacuum," Sittig said.
Steinman said some senators and representatives
receiving PAC contributions may already have sup
ported the particular PACs side of the issue.
"You have to worry about whether PACs are in
fact gaining more than access whether they are
gaining votes," he said. '
Continued ca Page 7
Nebraskan 'can-do aids recycling effort
Cy Krb Ucllsn
People of all ages and businesses of all sizes of
Lincoln are collecting more aluminum cans for rec
ycling this year than in the past, industry experts
Brad Becksfort, spokesman for the Aluminum
Company cf America recycling center in Des Moines,
Iowa said the majority of recycling business in
Nebraska goes to ALCOA.
This year approximately 7,500,000 pounds of
aluminum cans one million pounds more than, ,
last year wtll be shipped from Nebraska to
- ALCOA fcrree Cee!rrrrt crii-- - -
Cans recycled this yzzj represent about 15 per
cent increase over 1C32, he said.
Statistics recently released by the Aluminum
Association, Inc., show that a record 233 billion
all-aluminum cans were recycled last year in the
United States. The report said the record number
means more than half cf the aluminum cans
shipped in the United States in 1C33 were recycled.
Nebraska's increase in recycling tonnage is espe
cially noteworthy, BecksTort said, because it has
grown despite Safeway recycling centers departure.
Before the grocery store chain folded in Nebraska,
. a Safeway distribution center in Omaha bought
cans through all cf the chain's stores in the state.
The cans then were shipped to ALCOA. '
When the stores closed, many towns were left
without a recycling collection center. But croups in
, those towns, took over the recycling business, he
Host Nebraska towns with iscTsulations of more
than 1,000 now have a recycling center, he said, so
more people are recycling their cans.
Boger Downs, vice president of sales for Dennis
Paper Sales in Lincoln, said the company buys about
60,000 pounds of aluminum cans each month.
"That means about 1,500,000 cans," he said.
He said there are three main reasons for the
increase in the amount of cans collected for
recycling.
. One reason for the increase, he said, is that more
people are aware of the recycling process.
He said most collectors are mdividuais, some poor
and some wealthy.
"For one guy, I think it's his income," he said. "But
we get them up to guys in suits. Mostly they're some
one who wants to make a little extra money."
-Another reason for the increase is the price paid
per pound cf cans. - ,,;,-.-v ..v-
Downs said that when Dennis Paper Sales began
buying cans 212 years ago, collectors were paid SO
cents for a pound of aluminum. The company now
pays 40 cents for a pound. .
The third reason for the increases is that most
cans now are solid aluminum instead cf aluminum
bodies with steel tops and bottoms. More aluminum
cans mean more can be recycled, he said.
"Without exception, almost everyone is making
cans out of aluminum," Downs said. :
Busseil Miller, manager cf Nebraska Becyding
Center in Lincoln, refused to disclose the amount cf
aluminum cans the center buys from Nebraska col
lectors. But he said the amount b increasing each
year.
Miller said the center pays S3 cents per pound of
cans,' and S3 cents for amounts more than 20
pounds. That translates to about 112 cents per
can.
He said nine months ago the center paid collec
tors 0 cents a pound.
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