Fuel CrisiS' Prolileering Runs Rampant

by it.i.. rrost
So as the American economy and
social system slowly grinds down,
many of us are forced to pause for
a moment and consider the impact
and implications of the energy crir
sis. At the outset, I cannot help but
notice that the anarchy of produc»
tion-planning for corporate profits
rather than social utility or environ-
mental benefits--has largely crea-
ted this problem. Madison Avenue's
insane task of “creating a need"
and converting a want into a need,
has made American society la
gely dependent on the automobile.
in the 1950's and 1960's, the rising
use of cars caused the deterioration
of small, decentralized local mar-
ket centers forcing the everyday
shopper to travel further to satis-
fy his true needs; travel only pass-
ible by car. Much the same is true
for the problems involved with the
working commuter. But that cause
is in the past; the yoke weighs
heavily upon our shoulders, yet we
are trapped.

The crisis can also be viewed
as the Steamroller of capitalist
production voraciously consuming
everything in its path to gain what
Wall Street calls “a fair return
or investment." American energy
production (and all capital produce
tlon) seeks the benefit of the stock-
holder over that of the consumer
and the environment. In order to do
this, oil corporations need to ex-
pand constantly, to make theirstock
look better and better; in short, to
grow and to suck up and destroy
anything in their paths. Unfortunr
ately for all of us, there is but
a very limited amount of fuel to
grow on. This makes Simon’s re-
cent claim that, ”we will do what is
necessary to attain self—sufficien-
cy,” a halfstrue platitude. Accord-
ingly, if it is necessary to des-
troy an 800 mile strip of Alaska
or dig up hall of Montana, Wyom-
ing, and Utah (for oil shale), Si-
mon will want to do it. In the days
when resources were cheap, the cone
sumer could have cheap energy prie
ces and the corporations could have
huge profits. Now the prices are his
gher and so are the profits. But to
Simon, evidently, we must preserve
those huge profitsA-even increase
themeeto get any energy. One can-
not help but feel angry in reading
a recent Register which stated that
third quarter (summer gas short-
age time) profits for the major
oil companies in 1973 were from
90% to 175% more than for the
same period in 1972. Thus, as
energy gets more scare, the vic-
timized working person is forced
to pay more and more directly into
the pockets of non—working stock-
holders.

The lies of the Administration and
its dedication to the stockholder
rather than to the person who works
are blatant. There is still a ser—
ious lack of any long-term energy

Committee Analyzes

by John Turnbull

A few weeks ago the Facilities and
Food Services Sub-Committee dis-
tributed questionnaires asking stur

dents for their opinions of the qual-
ity of SAGA. The 782 responses
they received seem to prove that

the rumors of some people actually
not liking Saga are true.

Among those categories hardest
hit:

planning: the myth of self»sufficir

ency is chimerical for constant
consumption will inevitably deplete

a finite resource. May Ipropose
that for long»term policy that on each
new car there be a tax of slot) for
each mile per gallon less than I5
miles per gallon than the new car
uses. That is, it a new Buick gets
to mpg, the purchaser pay $500
in tax on it. This would obviously
cut consumption drastically in the
long run. Unfortunately, such aplan
will never happen because by reduce
ing the size and fuel consumption
of cars the huge profits of the auto
makers and oil Companies will be cut
into. And such is contrary to cap
italist~governmental policy.

What the capitalistegovernmental
policy that seems to he emerging
is, one can only guess. It is a cal-
culated policy designed to increase
profits, becauseadepression is can-
sed (as all depressions are) by
nonworking stockholders’ fears of
falling profits. Such fears would
cause a rash of stock dumping on
the market, an overall drop in the
price of shares, and create an ins
evitable depression which would
put millions of working people out
Of jobs into the cold. Hence the
fate of those who work is directly
tied to how much of their sweats
in»ntoney goes into the pockets of
rapacious non-workers. Such is the
overall policy.

The bulk of the Administration pro»
posals are ultimately tied to price
increases: up the price of heating
oil to make it as profitable as gas-
oline to produce, up the price of na-
tural gas to make it congruent with
oil, remove the price controls on gaa
soline to allow the prices to sky-
rocket, thus demanding cuts in con-
sumption by those with fixed or lie
mited incomes. A recently proposed
ration/tax system is less rapacious,
yet less equitable: on a rationticket
system, allow each motorist ten
gallons a week at the regular price,
and each additional gallon at $1
or more. Unfortunately such a sys-
tem gives the same amount of fuel
to the 30 mile per day commuter
as to the weekend “loop scooper.”
So it stands. the Administrationhas
presented no just or equitable
plan. And it can’t, because an em-
ployee (Nixon) must always work
for the benefit of the corporate
employer. The only real solution is
an end to the reaping of profit off
of human need and nature’s well-
being, the end to corporate control
of human life; the socialization of
fuel production. Only then can we
adequately cope with diminishing
fossil fuels and rationally explore
alternative sources of energy. Oil
to those who need it, not just those
who can pay for it.

(The views expressed herein are
those of the author and do not nee
cessarily reflect the Views of the
Socialist Party as a whole.)

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seroles, meatloaf and fish. Most

favories were chicken,steakdt roast
beef.

The big question “has there been
meat on the menu more often Since

THE GRINNELL SCARLET AND BLACK

The Crlnntll Starlet and aim is whilshrl
wrellt rxcevl durlnl rzcus periods by the
Grtbnetl College Committee on Sludrnl Publi-
canons .na Radio Edilorinl opinions expressed
huein no not ntusnrllv represent the vim oi
the students. (artilly. stall, nr administrallnn
of Ortnhrtt College Views expressed in illned
columns are those of lhe authors .na not no
CESSIYlIY inns. of the staff or miniseinmi of
In: Crinnell Scarlet and Black

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SAGA; China For Christmas

To the Editors:

rinal exams begin next week and
another semester is drawing to a
close. Christmas is rapidly apps
roaching. There are many things on
student minds these days and pres
sure to complete papers is great.
We of Saga know what you are going
through. We have ﬁnals three times
a day; and our graders are much
tougher than a college professor.
We all hope that you have had a
successful semester and that you
have a relaxing Christmas break.
We want to reflect upon the past
semester as it relates to food ser-
vice on Grinnell's campus. Food
prices have been rising steadily.
Available supplies of many common
items have grown scarce. Things
like peas, raisins, sauerkraut, ap»
plesance, and cheese have been
difficult to stock, China compan-

STUDENT RECITALS

(0CR)~sMusic by Brahms, Chop-
in, Debussy, Purcell, Samartini, and
Schumann will be featured at a re-
cital to be presented by Grinnell
College student musicians at 4:15
pm. today in the South Lounge of
the Forum.

The varied program will include
voice and piano solos, a recorder
trio, violin and cello Sonatas, a st-
ring trio, andapresentation by some
members ofthe Collegium Musicum.

SAGA

October 29?" (date of the $25 hike)
got a 179—179 standoff at Cowles
and 149 “yes's” versus 163 “he’s"
at Quad.

Compared to last year’s trend of
”good" and ”acceptable" categor-
ies getting 80 to 90% of the vote,
the same questions this year only
averaged so to 7097.7 of the total.

Members of both the Administra—
tion and of the committees evalua—
ting the effectiveness of SAGA re—
lative to its contracthave expressed
their consternation with the results.
One remarked, “Some of this dis—
satisfaction can be attributedto ex~
cessive expectations for the $2.40
worth of meals given each day,
but such a wide discrepancy can be
given no excuse."

Attempts Will he made to intros
duce immediate improvements in
the food service. Meanwhile, Saga
is going to be under scrutiny th-
roughout next semester. Its con-
tract comes up for renewal in the
summer.

N EWS DIRECTOR

KDIC is looking foranew news
director. Applications for this
salaried position should he pla-
ced in Box 907 and are due in
February II at 4p.m.

ies have told us they are running
six months behind in filling or»
ders. Things are tough in our buss
iness just as things are tough for
the student,

A few things that would help us
serve you better would be for all
the dishes, glasses, silver, and
bowls that have inadvertently found
their way out of the dining halls to
be returned. We have always assis-
ted students with their dish needs
when they were willing to leave a
deposit and their I.D. Students sh-
ould still continue to give constru-
ctive criticism of their food ser-
vice. We are always willing to lis—
ten.

America seems faced with many
crisis’ these days. We have a fuel
crisis, a food shortage, and the
economy seems to be struggling
too. We all are going to sacrifice
in the days ahead. Small things
that we can do will make the sit-
uation less painful. Waste is still
a problem in the dining halls. We
know that you can do a better job
of eliminating waste that is unne-
cessary, We all are part of the
game so let’s play ball and do the
best each of us is capable of doing.
Have a good Christmas and New
Year.

Your Saga Team

Jerry Dave
Tom

Confessions OtA Mad Mistletoe Eater

by J. c. Woods
My tale of degredation is not un-
usual, I assure you. I have often

been told tales that parallel my own'

and know that they are not fairy
stories or fables to scare the young
and inexperienced. I know this to
be true from experience. i am of
the living dead. l am a CHRISTMAS
JUNKIE.

Like most youths who fall vic»
tim, I was young. This tendancy
to be of the young persuasion was
not my only fault, i was inexper-
ienced. as well, To some it would
seem that these faults are not
fatal, but they were. inexperience
indicated a lack of interest in the
stuff of which life is made.

Perhaps some would venture that
the fact that I had only been born
15 years previously would have
something to do with it, but how
long does it take to get root cans
a1 work or to be in a ship-wreck
or drive an ambulance in Alabama.
Fifteen years isdefinately sufficient
time to do all of these things with
a stint in Skyrlab to round it off.
i simply had no longing to do these
things and Sublimated my basically
adventurous spirit by holding my
Paddington Bear books with my left
hand.

It was during the Christmas sea»
son previous to my 16th birthday
that at a wild unchaperoned party
I smelled a strange odor coming
from a corner of the room. It
smelled very much like burning
alfalfa and I soon followed the odor
and smoke to investigate. I soon
found the culprits. They were sit-
ting behind the Christmas tree. Pe-
ople smoking dope had lost its novel-
ty long ago as far as I was con-
cerned and I was about to leave
when I noticed that there was no
dope among them. I noticed a hand
reach and expertly pluck off a pine
needle from the Christmas tree,
quickly drop it in a pipe and light
it. lwas intrigued. l shoveled some
into an envelope and ran home. To
say the least. it got me off.

To say more would be too tempt-
ing to young curious hands. I then

contacted an unsavory who turned
me on to tinsel. This affectation
lasted until the next year when the
soft stuff didn't get me off. Then,
at last, it happened. They intro-
duced me to mistletoe.

Now let me get one thing straight.
I know mistletoe is deadly poison
but diluted to a certain degree it
is within human tolerance and the
trip is amazing. oy mainlining,
you go up for a period of up to
three hours, over that period
peaking at least once. it is a strong
hallucinogen with certain depres—
sant powers.

I well remember my first trip.
I was standing on a not pepperoni
pizza playing basketball with Dick
Butkus as the piazza rotated 331/
3 times per minute and the snow
fell. I won “0409. Dick was in
better shape but he kep trying to
tackle me and thereby fouled me.
Also, the referee, a Condor who
bore a striking resemblance to my
first grade teacher, cheated in my
favor.

But the most shatterng trip was
my most recent one. I was wearing
a diaper seated in a fire place
with a rattle in one hand, pacifier
in the other and sloshing around in
a threeeinch pool of dark beer.
I watched a Christmas pageant. Mr.
Wall was dressed in a Santa cos-
tume holding the 4.0 paper I wrote
for him. He was running from a
Cerberus, a threeeheaded dog with
the heads of Bruce Halverson,San-
dy Moffett and Jim Reeder. This
animal (7) was followed by a hydra
with the heads of Messers, Leggett,
Hamilton, Walker, Kintner, Ryan,
Seller, Pomerenk, RamakerandRe»
hand. This monster 0) ate Cerber-
us, then Walker and then ate me.
He died instantly of pacifierpoison-
ing.
if in the next few days I am walk—
ing around with a glazed look on
my face, you will know why.

a o a

To everyone i wish a Merry Ch-
ristmas, a Happy Hanukkah and
whatever else.

Love and God be with you.

 

