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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (May 21, 1974)
Congressional candidates district four Weaver: 'trim the fat' Jim Weaver, a 46-year-old Eugene builder, is running for John Dellenback's District Four Congressional seat this year for the third time. If he gets the democratic nomination, this Wafergate-shrouded year will probably be the most favorable time for Weaver to try to unseat the incumbent. "If people are as angry in the fall as they are now about Watergate, inflation, unemployment, there will be a big turnover in Congress," Weaver says. Before November, though, Weaver will have to fight for the democratic nomination, and he sees State Sen. Jack Ripper as his strongest opponent. Weaver, of course, predicts he'll win. If he does, Weaver will concentrate his campaign against Dellenback on the decline of the economy and the country, on what Dellenback and the Republicans haven't done to correct the situation, and on what Weaver would do to improve things. Spending large amounts of money on super weapons and military forces abroad, while freezing domestic expenditures is sending the country down the road to another depression, according to Weaver. "That Pentagon's fat," he says. If Weaver gets into Congress, he wants to start trimming some of the fat from the military and reallocate that money for job producing programs at home. The environment, schools and mass transit are a few of the things Weaver sees that have been neglected by freezing domestic spending. On the problems of the oil shortage, exploitation of geothermal power and the use of our forests. Weaver points to two main solutions: less waste and more government control. Weaver advocates taxing the big oil companies for what they take out of the ground instead of codding them. He also proposes breaking up the huge verticle conglomerates and encouraging more competition. On public lands Weaver wants to stop the big companies from exploiting geothermal deposits altogether. "What we can do is prevent them from monopolizing public land, possibly exclude them entirely. That's what I'd like to do. I want to see the (state) Legislature and Congress pass laws and appropriate monies to assure that the public has a position in geothermal power." Weaver believes there was and is an oil shortage to a certain extent, but that the oil companies seized upon the situation to hold up oil deliveries until prices went up. He sees the Alaska oil fields as a supply that should be kept in James Weaver reserve. Weaver opposed the oil pipeline but says, “they've won the fight. There's nothing we can do now." The great demand for oil and new resources such as geothermal power is the main cause for the rush on these resources, according to Weaver. Government control has to be accompanied by less waste and more conservation by the public, Weaver says. Conservation is the key to the use of our forests, too, according to Weaver. He says that sustained yield reforestation programs can work, but that the increasing demand has to be reduced. Weaver would reduce the demand by stripping exports of trees to Japan at a time when lumber resources are needed at home, and by encouraging public conservation of what we do have. A stable demand can be handled by reforestation programs, and would take the pressure off of wilderness areas such as French Pete, says Weaver. Weaver proposes a lot of things that he would like to do to im prove the situation here. With the apparent trend of persons voting against incumbant Republicans, Weaver may get his chance. "Third time's a charm," they say. But first there's the primary. Phil Waldstein State representative candidates Ellickson: Oregon, place for reform Donald Ellickson, 66, said the other candidates for district 41 -s democratic state representative primary seat are concerning themselves with trivia —the real issue is government reform. "Our government isn't run by majority rule, it's not a true democracy,” he said. "Our legislators are bought and sold, the system is corrupt." Ellickson, a retired school teacher, spent his last six years of teaching in Alberta, Canada where he became familiar with parliamentary government. "In Canada, there are ministers Donald Ellickson elected by the people such as the minister of education, and the minister of agriculture, who are directly responsible to the people," Ellickson said. "If a minister doesn't do his job, he resigns at the request of those who elected him." Ellickson considers himself a ( Continued on Page 18) Reed: 'not a typical politician' Jim Reed, 41, is "not a typical politician." He wants all citizens to have the option of defending themselves in court instead of being obligated to hire a lawyer. "Lawyers don't have the competency in offering their services," Reed, a candidate for the democratic state represen tative for district 41, said, "but, the public accepts their (lawyers') control of the courts." The government is corrupt, Reed said, when lay persons can't receive the same fee for defending themselves, from the prosecution, as a lawyer would. If elected, Reed would minimize lawyers' power, put free legal forms in the public library and encourage the public to use them, he said. Although he is not a lawyer, Reed prepared the defense for seven trial cases last year in cluding one case involving an unpaid past wage of Reed's. A lay person is not allowed by law to defend another person in court, he said. Because of recent moving, Reed has been hard to reach but if elected, he would be very ac cessible to public comments, he said. Reed favors the decriminal zation of marijuana with reservations. "A government can't solve anything with a punitive mentality," he said. "People in prison aren't as criminal as some businessmen." But, Reed views drinking and drug usage as escapisms caused by ills in society and signs of Re-elect an effective representative Larry The next legislative session must provide greater funding for higher education if we are to retain quality faculty, improve facilities and avoid pricing students out of the university with higher tuition. Education should be viewed as a right, not a privilege. erry Dist. 40 Democrat PERRY Paid Political ad. Larry Perry tor State Legislature Comm., Elinor McLendon Trees. MOW. 29th PL., Eugene, Or. 9740S 5 21-74 Jim Reed frustration. Both "ills" should be treated medically, he said. The nuclear power plant question should be brought to a public vote, Reed said. 'The legislature should stop putting energy clauses onto bills and then sneaking them through (for ratification). People should say what they want and draw up a referendum that wouldn't be amended." Since we claim to be a Christian nation with Christian ideology, Reed would ''not be for en couraging" a bill giving equal housing and employment rights to persons regardless of "sexual orientation" (the gay rights bill), he said. "If an effeminate person comes in looking for a job as a com pany's representative, the business has a right to hire who they want working for them," he said. As far as abortion is concerned, Reed said, the man has just as much right to a child as the woman. He would like to see equal divorce rights and child custody rights for men. Reed, who doesn't tie himself strongly to one party, doesn't consider people any different because of their party affiliation — "they all have problems," he said. Reed has three billboards ($175 each) situated around Eugene and he "doesn't like them either." He expects to win the primary election by the "creditability and independence" he has shown, he said. Shewn Rossiter
