European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 01, 1977, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Sunday May 1, 1977 the stars and stripes Page 15 William f. Buckley Mcgovern should be More specific on Cuba senator George Mcgovern is just wild about Castro and Castro s just wild about George and what is going on Here senator Mcgovern is a Man of Many interests. When he ran for president of the United states he was never satisfied in wanting to wreck just one aspect of Ameri can life he took Emall up. Defense taxation agriculture welfare. But there Are Many difficulties facing american foreign policy these Days and one wonders Why Cuba should so greatly preoccupy him As a year or so ago it be greatly preoccupied his former political manager. Frank Man Kiewicz. Now there is plenty of room for evangelism in Cuba and it is otherwise attractive to certain men of Commerce. If i were a tobacconist in America my interest in Cuba would be Alt consuming and 1 would Poundon the doors of Congress and the executive to permit me to import that precious Weed. If i wanted More my sugar Nickel Citrus fruit or fish products i could see making Cuba a cause  there is one More category. The Man who cares deeply about human rights who is opposed to sadistic treatment of prisoners. Indeed opposed to prisoners of conscience would take a great interest in Cuba. He would blast Fidel Castro in the morning at noon and at night for his treatment to give just one example of Hubert Matos whose Freedom president Pinochet is willing to Purchase in return for the release of Jorge monies the Chi rowers in get George f. Will Captain Carter unnerves Many people who think they know everything disturb those of us who do so in his first 100 Days president Carter has been an unsettling presence. He has de claimed or promised to declaim soon about plutonium and Petroleum and tax and welfare Reform and much More. And he has displayed interesting political Man ners. One Day his labor and Treasury secretaries were out bleeding on the barricades defending his lax rebate proposal. The next Day Carter shot the wounded by abandoning the rebate. Last november Carter lost to Gerald Ford among non Union voters. Subsequently Carter has concealed whatever Graditi Lude he feels for organized labor. He was obviously untroubled by the defeat of common Sites picketing. His proposed in crease in the minimum wage is substantially smaller than labor considers decent. And he not Only abandoned the rebate which labor wanted he also insisted thai the $11 billion saved should nol be used foray other spending stimulus. Carter seems to have decided that inflation not unemployment is the principal political Issue and social problem. He seems to believe that the Economy s recuperative Powers require no additional government reinforcement. Carter is the first president since Hoover with significant business experience and he has decided thai increase business spending is More important than increased consumer spending. And he Evi Dently believes that businessmen s anxieties about inflation and about wage and Price controls to fight in Are the principal obstacle to increased business spending and must be soothed. You will need a Small Rush and an Eye for Fine detail if you want to paint the differences Between car Ter s economic strategy and Ford s. When Carter issued his hit list of wasteful water projects Many senators and congressmen turned the color of Cream of wheat and then a pretty Crim son. Manners Are Small morals and car Ter s manners sometimes seem calculated to ruffle the dignity of persons who when ruffled become snappish. No Retreat can undo the damage of having frowned upon no fewer than five water projects in Louisiana the preserve of sen. Russell Long. As chairman of the Senate finance committee Long is the largest potential impediment to any Carter proposal for tax  Reform is second Only to Energy among issues Likely to Strain to the break ing Point whatever slender Bonds of party loyally exist Between Carter and what Are loosely called his democratic Majori ties in Congress. Bui his Energy policy i puzzling considering what he has said about Why tax Reform is  s Energy policy is Monument to the axiom that Money makes Mankind move. It is a tossed salad of monetary penalties taxes and rewards subsidies and tax deductions. It is not what you might have expected from its author. Carter still says As often As occasion scan be found for doing so that the tax system is a disgrace to the human  principal complaint seems to be just that the tax code is  the tax code is complicated and for a Good reason. It is chock full of provi Sions that were not designed primarily or at All to raise Revenue. They Are incentives deductions and disincentives taxes designed to influence  encourage the Purchase of Homes and municipal Bonds the support of churches and colleges and other things considered  comes Carter with proposals for a new layer of complexity. For example he favors taxes and deductions to discourage Large cars and encourage Home  is to his credit thai his policies go against the Grain of his Campaign pronouncements. There is a populist predisposition to resent and resist complexity i men and institutions and candidate Carter did Well by pandering to it no president Carter says the limes Call for realism and that turns out to mean new complexities and old economic policies. Every president invokes realism As a excuse for disappointing people who sup ported him because of his professed Ideal ism. But candidate Carter made rather a lot of the idea that he was rather different thai is one reason Why today 100 Days into a 1,460-Day voyage Many passengers and even some of his Crew Are nervous about vhf Lin. Id Watti injun Post lean communist now senator Mcgovern is not a slave to cigars. So far As one can Tell he has Access to All the rum sugar Nickel Citrus fruit and fish he wants. Although he often Speaks on the subject of human rights he does not appear to be concerned about human rights in Cuba. Or put another Way if his Long conversations with Ciu Itro Are devoted to the subject of human rights for cubans that secret is Well kept and for no reason one can off hand think of. Professor John Roche who was himself the head of americans for democratic action wonders what his Suc Cessor George Mcgovern is doing about democratic action George Mcgovern is crazy mad to get the United slates to recognize Castro  would judge from the conviviality of their meetings anxious to bring Castro tothe United states so thai everyone can apologize to  if he has been to Cuba for the Pur pose of cultivating democratic action he should Tell us so. And he should be a Little column Sand comments More specific than merely to Tell us that diplomatic recognition and human Trade arc going to Lead to human rights for cubans. We recognized the soviet Union in 1933.i can understand the Case for recognizing Castro s government. Our general rules to recognize de Facto governments. It does no particular violence to morality to recognize Castro when you have already recognized the soviet  continuing refusal to recognize Castro can be made to look like a very pro longed fit of pique Over the failure of the Bay of pigs and the hostilities of october1962. But in the memory of nations these arc very old events. Far less than 15 years after Pearl Harbor we were getting along happily with  is the Factor of Cuba s proximity and this is important. It s easier to recognize a bloody regime engaged in imperialist adventurism in Remote parts of the world. But there is such a thing As a Natu ral sphere of influence and ours certainly comprehends the Island of Cuba. Cuba having in recent years pulled Back from its wars of liberation in latin America spilled out across the wide Atlantic into Africa anxious to bring the fruits of Castro ism to that tortured  Are the fruits of Castro ism Well everybody who disagrees with Castro goes to jail. Nobody gets to speak his mind or read an opposition press. Ten per cent of the population made it across the Strait to Florida. No Freedom of religion no free Dom of emigration no Freedom to find the Job you want. But remember there s a Price for everything. In return for All  has Given his people economic chaos. He Grants that himself and periodically offers to resign which is the signal for National weeping. No doubt next time he brings up the subject senator George Mcgovern will pull out his handkerchief on the Senate , the costs of maintaining Castro ism have risen sharply. It used to Cost Russia $1 million a Day. No More. It Isnow 13 million a Day. That s about 1 billion hard earned dollars per year. For that they could have another weapons system every few years. We shall see whether president Cir Ter will be As Tough on Cuba As he is on Chile concerning which we hear nothing kindly from senator Mcgovern though it May be that the cat has his Tongue which is not All bad. Washington Star the opinions Hurt sad in to columns and cartoons on to it Pago Ftp atm icon of the authors and Ara in no War to h cons lond As Wrt toting int we a the stars and sir lots or the United states government