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UNFINISHED BUSINESS
OF THE 1972 ELECTIONS

The deep, growing crisis which touches every area of the life and institutions of this society is the frame of reference, the scene upon which the 1972 elections in our country are taking place. Millions are unemployed and wages are frozen even for those workers whose family income is less than what the government admits is necessary for a decent standard living. Federal, state and local taxes are robbing the pay checks of from 25 to 30% of the total earnings of those who do have full-time jobs. The list of abuses and problems created for the everyday working person in this land of "free enterprise" is almost endless.

Yet, to adopt an attitude of hopelessness in relation to the election campaign is to indeed encourage the development of a hopeless situation. The exercise of political power, combined with mass direct action, is the only combination that has the possibility of reversing the present disastrous course of national affairs. The wave of strike actions which have been sustained by workers in the basic industries (longshore, steel, auto) is one area in which the resistance to further deterioration of living standards is being exercised. These struggles are also important because in most instances they arise out of the demand by the rank-and-file that the union leadership take a fighting, militant stand against the assaults of the employers. The rent strike in Newark, to force an end to the deterioration in public housing, is an example of significant mass action. Wherever and whenever such struggles develop in this period they deserve the support of the entire community. The continued effort to elect more black and Spanish-speaking men and women to various levels of government is another important initiative which can be drastically increased during this election year. The issue of busing, which is being cynically used by many politicians today to cloud the basic issue of quality education and mobilize the forces of right-wing repression, must be put in proper perspective. The demand is for a national commitment to quality, public education for all children. It is the absence of such a commitment which is the problem. Busing is just one of the tools proposed as a temporary stop-gap measure towards a solution to this basic problem.

The size of the military budget which each year becomes more cancerous in its total effect on the life of society in our country is an issue which must be confronted. Nothing exposes the hypocritical
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Transcription Notes:
Unsure if it's, 'Spanish-speaking men and women' or 'Spanish speaking men and women' but think it's the former. ---------- Reopened for Editing 2024-02-16 11:05:22