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