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Iowa City Oppressed Citizen, September 4, 1970
1970-09-04 Iowa City Oppressed Citizen Page 7
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and habits and requires new skills, the educational system has to adjust itself and government responds with public services required by corporate developments. Since the economically powerful are exempt from public responsibility, they can and will manipulate prices, control wages, engage in racist and sexist hiring practices, and pollute the environment while the public must bear the social costs of such actions. In the national economy, corporate and financial investment decisions determine the level of employment and output for the country. Since the national prosperity depends on the confidence of the business community, government will never voluntarily pursue a policy contrary to the profit interests of the major corporations. This limitation of American politics to effect change is reinforced by the practical workings of power politics. The huge cost of running a campaign puts electoral office out of reach of the great majority of Americans and restricts candidacy to those who either command independent wealth (like the Kennedys, Rockefellers, etc.) or have wealthy backers. In either case the candidate has a vested interest in tailoring his platform and consequent actions to insure the interests and continued support of corporate capital. In addition to direct and indirect control of candidates, the corporate elite also insures its interests through its control of the communication of ideas (the mass media, universities, foundations, etc.) Since the media themselves are corporations, it should be hardly surprising that they disseminate ideas and back candidates which uphold their interests. Corporate control of government does not end with the electoral process. Corporate rulers find it useful to participate in government directly, on advisory panels and in ambassadorial posts. This shifts the locus of power away from Congress and particularly in the area of foreign policy quarantees that no government action escapes the scrutiny and approval of corporate interests. But to show that electoral politics, both in structure and practice, is incapable of altering the basic nature of American capitalism is not to deal with the question of Congress' power to enact corrective legislation which does not challenge the system. While Congress has, in fact, passed corrective legislation, it has never taken the initiative. The initiative has always come from popular movements based outside the initially unresponsive electoral process. The repealing of the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, the passage of the Civil Rights Bills, the enfr4anchisement of women, and the recognition of labor unions have only come after years of militant popular agitation. Yet we all know that such legislation has not ended the war or brought blacks or women any closer to social equality or solved the problems of working people. Indeed, the wage differential between black and white workers has increased in every year since 1954, and unemployment is more than twice as high among blacks as whites. Similarly, the sufferage movement of the early twentieth century won women the vote in 1918, but since that time the wage differential between men and women have moved no closer to social equality than before. The lesson is twofold: 1) Congress acts only in response to popular movements which, if left alone, would challenge the legitimacy of Congress itself, and 2) legislative responses have attempted to pacify the antagonists rather than solve the problems. While the interests of the government and the business are the same they will submit under the pressure of popular movements to legislation which in the short run opposes those interests but in the long run preserves their existence. [[Underline]]WHY DO WE CHOOSE NOT TO WORK IN ELECTORAL CAMPAIGNS-?[[end underline]] American politics function to emasculate popular movements and to substitute passive and isolated voting for direct participatory activity. While we realize that at times the electoral process may have a tactical value, in general we feel that until we have built a militant and mass based socialist movement, the use of that process only reinforces the existing system. In particular we are convinced that in 1970 students should use their energies not to campaign for liberal peace candidates, but to build the movement which will force those liberals to end the war. While elected officials sometimes do seem to bring change, at best they are only ratifying new social relationships which are created in the streets. Congress passed the Civil Rights Bill under pressure of disruptive demonstrations and rebellions. In retrospect, it would have been foolish to attempt to get the Civil Right Bill passed by campaigning for liberal civil rights senators in 1967 rather than organizing militant demonstrations. Similarly, while elected officials may vote withdrawal from Vietnam, they will do so not because anti-war students campaigned for them but rather because the cost of the war in America's streets is too high. New University Conference August 1, 1970 [[Handwriting]] Things & Things & Things mes store 125 So. Dubuque PAGE 7 [[Underline]]RENTAL HOUSING SURVEY[[end underline]] The purpose of this questionnaire is to transform a basis for the evaluation of landlords and rental agencies in their treatment of students. 1. Have you ever been turned away from renting a house or apartment? __NO __YES Why? __Color/ethnicity __Religion __Physical appearance __Sex __Marital Status __Other:please specify_______ 2. Have you ever had any problems over your rent deposit? __NO ___YES:What happened?____ 3. Have you ever been evicted (forced to move out)? __NO ___YES 4. What kind of problems have you had with your landlord? __Not taking care of necessary repairs __Searching through apartment __Raising rent for no reason __Other: RETURN TO: TERRY WELLS, 620 BURLINGTON Name of landlord or rental agency: 5. Could we talk to you further about your housing problems? __NO __YES 6. Would you like to work with a group of students, staff, and faculty organizing to protect tenant's rights? __NO ___YES Your Name ______________ Address _________________ Phone___________ ******* Note: Due to the inability of modern capitalism to provide adequate housing in the Iowa City area, many of us will be without a roof this fall. One possible solution to this crisis is the construction of a tent city on the Pentacrest (the area around Old Capitol)
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and habits and requires new skills, the educational system has to adjust itself and government responds with public services required by corporate developments. Since the economically powerful are exempt from public responsibility, they can and will manipulate prices, control wages, engage in racist and sexist hiring practices, and pollute the environment while the public must bear the social costs of such actions. In the national economy, corporate and financial investment decisions determine the level of employment and output for the country. Since the national prosperity depends on the confidence of the business community, government will never voluntarily pursue a policy contrary to the profit interests of the major corporations. This limitation of American politics to effect change is reinforced by the practical workings of power politics. The huge cost of running a campaign puts electoral office out of reach of the great majority of Americans and restricts candidacy to those who either command independent wealth (like the Kennedys, Rockefellers, etc.) or have wealthy backers. In either case the candidate has a vested interest in tailoring his platform and consequent actions to insure the interests and continued support of corporate capital. In addition to direct and indirect control of candidates, the corporate elite also insures its interests through its control of the communication of ideas (the mass media, universities, foundations, etc.) Since the media themselves are corporations, it should be hardly surprising that they disseminate ideas and back candidates which uphold their interests. Corporate control of government does not end with the electoral process. Corporate rulers find it useful to participate in government directly, on advisory panels and in ambassadorial posts. This shifts the locus of power away from Congress and particularly in the area of foreign policy quarantees that no government action escapes the scrutiny and approval of corporate interests. But to show that electoral politics, both in structure and practice, is incapable of altering the basic nature of American capitalism is not to deal with the question of Congress' power to enact corrective legislation which does not challenge the system. While Congress has, in fact, passed corrective legislation, it has never taken the initiative. The initiative has always come from popular movements based outside the initially unresponsive electoral process. The repealing of the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, the passage of the Civil Rights Bills, the enfr4anchisement of women, and the recognition of labor unions have only come after years of militant popular agitation. Yet we all know that such legislation has not ended the war or brought blacks or women any closer to social equality or solved the problems of working people. Indeed, the wage differential between black and white workers has increased in every year since 1954, and unemployment is more than twice as high among blacks as whites. Similarly, the sufferage movement of the early twentieth century won women the vote in 1918, but since that time the wage differential between men and women have moved no closer to social equality than before. The lesson is twofold: 1) Congress acts only in response to popular movements which, if left alone, would challenge the legitimacy of Congress itself, and 2) legislative responses have attempted to pacify the antagonists rather than solve the problems. While the interests of the government and the business are the same they will submit under the pressure of popular movements to legislation which in the short run opposes those interests but in the long run preserves their existence. [[Underline]]WHY DO WE CHOOSE NOT TO WORK IN ELECTORAL CAMPAIGNS-?[[end underline]] American politics function to emasculate popular movements and to substitute passive and isolated voting for direct participatory activity. While we realize that at times the electoral process may have a tactical value, in general we feel that until we have built a militant and mass based socialist movement, the use of that process only reinforces the existing system. In particular we are convinced that in 1970 students should use their energies not to campaign for liberal peace candidates, but to build the movement which will force those liberals to end the war. While elected officials sometimes do seem to bring change, at best they are only ratifying new social relationships which are created in the streets. Congress passed the Civil Rights Bill under pressure of disruptive demonstrations and rebellions. In retrospect, it would have been foolish to attempt to get the Civil Right Bill passed by campaigning for liberal civil rights senators in 1967 rather than organizing militant demonstrations. Similarly, while elected officials may vote withdrawal from Vietnam, they will do so not because anti-war students campaigned for them but rather because the cost of the war in America's streets is too high. New University Conference August 1, 1970 [[Handwriting]] Things & Things & Things mes store 125 So. Dubuque PAGE 7 [[Underline]]RENTAL HOUSING SURVEY[[end underline]] The purpose of this questionnaire is to transform a basis for the evaluation of landlords and rental agencies in their treatment of students. 1. Have you ever been turned away from renting a house or apartment? __NO __YES Why? __Color/ethnicity __Religion __Physical appearance __Sex __Marital Status __Other:please specify_______ 2. Have you ever had any problems over your rent deposit? __NO ___YES:What happened?____ 3. Have you ever been evicted (forced to move out)? __NO ___YES 4. What kind of problems have you had with your landlord? __Not taking care of necessary repairs __Searching through apartment __Raising rent for no reason __Other: RETURN TO: TERRY WELLS, 620 BURLINGTON Name of landlord or rental agency: 5. Could we talk to you further about your housing problems? __NO __YES 6. Would you like to work with a group of students, staff, and faculty organizing to protect tenant's rights? __NO ___YES Your Name ______________ Address _________________ Phone___________ ******* Note: Due to the inability of modern capitalism to provide adequate housing in the Iowa City area, many of us will be without a roof this fall. One possible solution to this crisis is the construction of a tent city on the Pentacrest (the area around Old Capitol)
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