Few hear Socialist candidate

Only five students attended Socialist Party Presidential candidate J. Quinn Brisben's speech Tuesday in the Houston Hall Bowl Room. Leaning forward in his chair and resting his hands on his cane, the former high school history teacher discussed the Socialist platform. Under a socialist government, Brisben plans for increased and redirected government spending. The government would finance this spending increase mostly through increased taxes and the windfall from huge cuts in the half-trillion dollar defense budget. Citing other countries as examples, Brisben said he feels that cutting defense spending can benefit the United States economy. "The Germans and Japanese did well economically when they were deprived of armaments," he said, referring to their condition after World War II. The current federal tax policies are putting money in the wrong places, according to Brisben. He strongly criticized the Reagan administration's "trickle down" tax theory. "Whatever it is that has been trickling down on us, it is not wealth," he said. Jobs and living standards for the working class, he said, have fallen as a result of the high-income tax break. Brisben said he supports high progressive tax rates on both wealthy individuals and corporations. The country's wealth needs to be spread among more people, Brisben said. As a result of increased money circulation from the increased spending by the poor, the economy will grow, especially small businesses, he said. Brisben said he wants a first-rate socialized medical care system. He favors eliminating private insurance and placing doctors on fixed salaries. For families, he wants to provide national day-care service and also a family allowance dividend to parents with minor children. Of all the world's countries, the U.S. has the largest percentage of its population in prison, Brisben said. "That's a rather expensive way of dealing with social problems, and it doesn't work," he said To deal with social problems, Brisben encouraged avoiding them through better education and full employment. Although few people attended Brisben's speech, he said he was very happy with his campaign and the growing status of the Socialist Party. "With this little campaign, we're going places," he said. He said socialist groups and interest in socialism is growing nationally. But students said interest at the University has been waning recently. Socialists are unrepresented in the Penn Political Union this year because the Union's meeting time conflicts with the schedules of the Socialist Party's remaining two members, and no new Socialists have taken over the party's leadership "No one that has come to the Penn Political Union has been interested in starting a Socialist party," PPU Chairperson Kiera Reilly said. Brisben expects 50,000 votes from a 12-state ballot. Brisben said he will accomplish this with meager campaign funds and almost no national advertising. In contrast, Brisben said former governer Bill Clinton spends about $500,000 a week. Advertising was a problem during Brisben's University visit. According to Reilly, she was given only 15 posters to publicize the event to the entire campus.