Iowa’ 5 Culver Gives A Favorable Impression

BY Mike Siegel

Any attempt at assessing the

relative qualities of a candir
date after a brief interview
is of necessity limited in its
effectiveness or validity.
Thus, my observations cone
ceming John Culver the man
are unfortunately restricted
and I will have to deal soles
1y. with his position on varir
ous issues.

It is also necessary to note
at this point that statements
by Oliver have been para—
phrased in this article and
should not be necessarily ta-
ken as a direct and accurate
quotations. It is quite pos-

sible‘that my interpretation
of what he said might be falr
lacious in certain instancesas
my ability to take shorthand
‘is‘ limited.

Nixon Doctrine

Harold Hughes described Vie
etnam two years agoasa symr
ptom indicative of a greater
disease. Oliver agreed with
this statement in a fashion
although heavoided discussion
concerning the necessity for
a major adjustment in our
ideological approach to the
third world. He concentrated
instead upon the role of Vi-
emam in necessitatinga fund'
amental review of national
policy in relation to global
affairs. Thus, the surcalled
two and onerhalfpolicy where
by the U.S. was prepared to
fight a major land war simul-
taneously in Europe, Asia,
and in the third world was
found to be impractibleeestr-
ategially and financially.
Oliver’s basic solution is to
support the approach of the
Nixon doctrine where we ens

courage individual countries
to take the burden upon thenr
SelVCs in followmg our tradk
tional goals.

Culver views financial élS’
sistance as the most efficient
foreign policy approach to the
third world. How this assis*
tance is [0 be made available
in a meaningful fashion is,
however, the problem. For
example, Culver pointed to the
potential dangers of assisting
unpopular regimes and, as a
result, becoming identified
with the wrong sidc. In his
estimation, communist insur-
gents have the upper hand in
pinning the onus of maintain-
ing the Status quo on U.S. 85*
sistnnce to such governments.
Culver, however, is unwilling
to withdraw aid from this type
of state as ”our leverage
would be lost." This, unforr
tunately, smacks of the same
rationale which the Nixon ads
ministration is utilizingin SU‘
porting continued aid to West
Pakistan.

Pandora's Box

Thc major difficulty facing
U.S. foreign policy is, in Culr
vcr's opinion, how to reduce
our presence militarily, thrr
oughout the world Without
leaving a vacuum of insta-
bility. Culver advocates lCaV’
ing behind indigenous defense
forces which maintain inte-
grative cooperative arrange
ments among nations on a
regional basis. Thus, we would
be able to reduce our milir
tary presence in the world
and not ”run the risk ofopenr
ing tip a pandora's box of
renewed nationalism andmili‘
tarism." When asked if this
was not actually substituting
covert power for overt cone

Congressman john

I\ '*
photo by Mark Sableman

Culver speaks With (counterclockwise)

Mike Siegel, Andy Loewi, Mario Bognanno, Steve Grow, Bill

Thomas and Greg Vranicar.

trol, Culver responded by em-
phasizing that this was the
only responsible means of
converting our global stance.

Tu thing the conversation to
domestic issues, Culver fully
endorses the concept of rever
nuc sharing but emphasized
that there is little that is new
about this approach. He cited
assistance to suchinstitutions
as land-grant colleges andthe
Homestead Exemption Act as
past examples of revenue
sharing. He believes that the
important aspect of this pole
icy approach is that it is an
attempt to consolidatepresent
Federal Revenueallotments of
assistance while givmg the
states more leeway in use of
funds.

Oilver views the basic diffi-
culty of any revenue sharing
program as being one of con~
trols. That is, how can the
national government insure
that the state is spending its
funds in accordance with Fed
eral goals? In addition, he
criticized the Nixon adminis-
tration's pressure for rapid
enactment since eleven bile
lion dollars of Congressional

appropriations are currently
being impounded by the Fed
eral Government to fight in-
flation.

Oilver denied theassumption
that a candidate will neces-
sarily have tomodify hisviews
and thus become coropted in
order to attract political and
financial support. He believes
that, "if you have reasons for
your position, people will ac-
cept your policy stance."

On the whole, my reaction
was generally a favorableone.
Ailthough his foreign policy
Stance was largely a tradi-
tional approach to internation*
a1 politics, one can hope that
an evolutionary process can
occur. l-lis domestic record,
on the other hand, is most
attractive. He has supported
in Congress programs study‘
ing urgan and rural affairs
and has long been an advocate
of meaningful Congressional
reform. Most important, any-
one who bothers to study the
voting record ofthe Congress-
man On domestic issues will
be most impressedbyhis con
sistent support ofprogressive
legislation.

College To Have
Harvest Day Booth

Grinnell College wtll partir
cipate again this year in the
Harvest Festival on Septem-
ber 25, an event in which
local merchants and commune
ity organizations join in one
day of common effort to pro
mote the city of Grinnell.
The event is sponsoredby the
Grinnell Chamber of Come
merce. Sidewalk stands will
be set up in the downtown bun
siness section for the sale of
various items.

The college will have a table
promOting Community Day.
Students operating the stand
will register Grinnell resin
dents to work on Community
Day which will be held the
following Saturday, OctoberZ.

Community Day itself wilI
join together the Grim-tell
community in a unified effort
to make the town a better
place to live.

The day's activities are
sponsored by the Community
Planning Council of Grinnell
under its Environment Come
mittee, which is chaired this
year by Chris Nielsen,

The day's events hope to fosr
ter this goal in two ways.

First, the planned activities
will help to beautify the town.

Secondly, Community Dayaf
fords the town’s residents and
college students, staff and f -
culty a chance to become i —
formally acquainted while
working together with a uni-
fied purpose.

The college stand and Com-
munity Day activities are stu~
dent projects of the SGA Cole
lege and Alumni Relations
Committee which is headed
by Nancy Graham.

 

 

SEPTEMBER I9, I97]

“We desire but the good of the world and the happiness of the nations. That all nations should

become OnC in faith and all

sons of men should be strengthened;

of race be annulled.

"What harm is [llCre in

this? Yet so it shall be:

men as brothers; that the bonds of affection and unity between the

that diversity of religion should cease, and differences

these fruitless strifes, these ruinous wars

shall pass away, and the Most Great Pcacc shall come. ~ is not this that which Christ foretold?

"These slrifes

and one family."

and this bloodshed and discord must

cease, and all men be as one kindred

*7 from the Baha'i Writings

WORLD PEACE DAY

 

DEDICATED TO THE INTERNATIONAL YEAR FOR ACTION TO COMBAT RACISM
AND RACIAL DISCRIMINATION

The Grinnell College Baha’i Club ‘hopes that the designation

of Sunday,

September 19,

as WORLD PEACE DAY will

encourage us all to renew our efforts to eliminate racism,
racial discrimination and warfare from the face ofthc earth
and to establish a just and lasting peace in the world. The
Baha’i Club feels that such action begins with the individual,
where he works, where he studies and where he lives

 

3%

September 17, I971

The Scarlet and Block 7

 

