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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 31, 1994)
Who Makes The Grade? Many political groups are speaking for our generation, but just how are they doing? Here's a report card. By Elizabeth Lee, Editor on Fellowship Yuu\r seen them it vnur cam pus activities table *1 <hi vc seen them (Mi die news and in maga zincs 1 hey ic 'lie ones who talk aliotit getting miolied and making a dilleretKc Hut lieloic imi sign up. take i look at this rc|mn card lor six general-iniciesi i impus imiIiiic.iI groups who want mu tune and monci Not iust a landom here or a ( there, luit somewhat si i entilicalli determined grades tot eai h ot them, based on accessibiliti. level ot activiti, organization, member ship, representation and funding source It von want Washington to listen to vou i! imi'n looking lot a departure trom tour parents |M>htics then take i look at who makes the grade Here ate profiles ot the groups ih.it ate sen ous and the groups that are into lip set vice when it comes to making a ditier cnee. lot ,/ .timplflt i xp/jliatlun 7 a./’ gi o///i i g/.rJr, set tin ib.it t <>ii tin iitxt /ugr Lead...or Leave Focus: Deficit reduction, job ere .ition, education spending Founded: 1 Membership: KM) campuses. They claim 4s(),()()() members, but the\ count inuuiries ami student-body membership (through student governments) in tins figure. Funding: Individual donations, corporate sponsorship and mem bership contributions. \o dues. You've cot to hand it to these peo ple I hey have nerve. W ho else, in the IW’ elections, would ask Congressional candidates to take this deficit-reduction pledge halve the deficit h\ 1 ')')(>, or leave officer Naturally, they didn't find too main takers tor their pledge onh 101 can dulaies signed up, and ot those, onlv IS were elected. \iul don't hold vour In i-.it h u .tiling tm t ln clei ted cantinlatcs to malic s'ikkI i iii tins pmtnisc llut n K .1st tin \ re lining something 1 c.nl .01 I cavt* is the gaicc t ashet ot \nu r u an politics I mill uni pusln , t lie mein tiers prefet ilc monstr.itinns anil incilia stunts 11\ci nil ctics like let lei writing campaigns ami rimini table meetings I In \ \e ingani/cil ileti i it "teai h ins” at si attereil mmersttics. which hrouglit gn\ ernment Icailcrs ami siuilents tugethet to ills cuss (he ilcix \ml with (In sponsorship nt Siholasttc, 1 m thcv've .ilsiiiircul.K i ll iiluiaimn.il mail rials almul tin ilclicit in fi,( M X) high si In nils. Ilui thc\ re hesi Liiuuii Ini things like iiciiHinstr.it mg at (lie \mcrican \ssiiiiatmn nl Relireil Persons he.nl quarters Iasi Ithruarv (against costlv entitlement programs) ami their Juh march on Washington to “ills the \mi on Oil JO, |0'M, Lead or I cave look ilicir message “ilon i bal .tine the budget on tile hacks ot voting people" to Virginia universities, helping organize simultaneous rallies to protest state cuts in higher education. I he rally at \ irgitua I cell drew 4,x(M) people, according to university police. Recently, in keeping with their balls) approach with national leaders, the founders ot Lead or Leave and a small group ot reporters and \\ ashington administrative statlers developed vvliat founder Rob Nelson calls “ I he Plan a strategy to, by the vear 2000, elim inate deficit spending, spend an addi tion.il SUM) billion on areas like educa tion, fob training and repairing the infrastructure, am I not raise income taxes. Nelson, a 20-vear-old graduate of Principia (College in Illinois and I utts l in Massachusetts, insists that this strategv which has vet to be released * is jtossiiile it uur leaders make i ms m defense nut entitlement hunting In aitililiun. Nelson savs that I>\ lehniarv, inemlKTs should receive a list nt sjKvitn policies favoring voting |>eo pie (such is using the Social Sccuritv fund surplus to linance low interest loans lor students). Members can pre sent those policies thev agree with to their local Congressional members tot perusal. Whatever Lead .or 1 eave s faults may l>e, timnlitv isn't one of them But until thev produce these projvosals, thev can’t lie credited with looking toward solutions. I-urthermore, although thev claim to lie nonpartisan. Nelson savs that Lead...or Leave receives a large share of donations from Democratic individuals and institutions \nd, in their first year, thev took thousands of dollars from independent presidential candidate Ross Perot. ' Vlthough some magazine articles have cited the number as at least $42,000, Nelson insists that it is onlv $12.1*00.) What you'll be doing if you join: Organizing demonstrations. Pulling media stunts and awareness events. If thev deliver on their [volicv list, you can give vour representatives and senators something to chew on. Grade: C+ Lead...or 1 cave is active mil energetic mi the ii.mmi.il iront, Inn they’re still heller .it staging meili.i even is than mi irking urn aril solutions. I or rnorr informal ton on Lead, or leave. .all (202) Si" OSil.x nr I SOD I mail address loLdUia mil.edu Third Millennium Focus: “Deficit reduction, the environment .irui fighting urban poverty” co-founder Jonathan Karl Founded: July I'WI Membership: Is national chapters, including t\so on campuses. I hey estimate 1,000 dues pay ing incm hers. Funding: Non politically affiliated, private donations and 5»0 meinher dues. I'hey’re also considering taking grants from nonpartisan educational foundations. You haven't seen them on your campus yet, and may lie you never will. But you’ve probably seen them in lime, \evsday or any major city newspaper, lake I.cad...or Lease, publicity is their specialty. In yet another attempt to wrest Washington’s attention from our par