European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - October 15, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                U see what those stupid voters hav/6 6ivgm us this time democracy s by Joseph Albright and Marcia Kunstel Cox news services y the standards of the rest of the world Gary ,2l, is pretty Wolf informed. Although he stopped going to school in the 111h Grade he stays up every right la watch a news show on television and perhaps d National geographic special Gary Steedman is an american who cares about the country. Yeah we re no. 1,  a says when you ask him which country boasts the strongest democracy in he world. Bui the Lake Worth fla., resident said he had made a decision he does t plan 10 exercise his most Basic democratic right of voting in the november presidential election. It in t like the government 1 read about in school he complained everyone la trying to get a piece of the  Gary Steedman reflects one of the most puzzling traits of the collective american character. Why do so Many of us choose not to vote if americans turn out at the same Rale this november As hey did in 1984,96 million people will vote and 65 million will not. Between 1960 and 1984, turnout eroded from 63 percent to s3 percent even a most states were making registration easier than getting a Drivers License. To dig into Tail Paradox the Cox newspapers conducted an extensive National poll to compare the attitudes and backgrounds of americans who vote and those who Don t. Scholars have spent their careers brooding about what motivates half of americans to exercise their Lun mental democratic right and what makes the other Hall abstain. The poll oilers a new Way of looking at the problem splitting non voters into four subgroups poll finds four kinds of non voters Erma Bombeck she s a Dinosaur roaming the cities and suburbs where watching the Brady Bunch and burping Tupperware once nourished. Her official name now is old fashioned Mother a lorm used to describe a married woman Wilh children and no paid employment. At one time Sho was a Force fighting to make her presence known. No one really knew what she did All Day or what she was thinking. No one appreciated her isolation her loneliness her Worth or her fac of sell esteem. Now with Only 9 million of her species Lett Whoso lives revolve around families and Homes her voice is rarely heard. Here and there support groups Lor full Lime mothers Are sprouting up. One Mother confided i used to look Down the streets on garbage Day trying to find empty diaper boxes just so i could find out where other children live. We really have to search them  they Are aware they have a unction. Most of them Are listed on every in Case of emergency card in the schools. They watch working mothers dump off their children in front of their Homes when there s an  but the respect Lor their career Choice is not there. There Are a few rumblings of change but nothing that registers on the Seismograph. A Lew new mothers who have been in the marketplace Are opting to slay at Home and raise their children or Cut Back their working hours. One Mother was quoted As saying i could t stand knowing that someone else was going to have More input with my daughter than i  but they re swimming against the tide. Jib Fowles a professor of human sciences at the University of Houston Clear Lake is promoting his theory that women Are going to obtain greater Security from being homemakers than being in the workplace. To says by the year 2000. American family life will return to the 60s, and 44 percent of families will go Back to a Mother in the Home. That really in t the Issue. The Issue was raised recently at an Exchange i attended in Moscow Between soviet and american women. Tucked in among the 35 or 40 professionals were two housewives. I asked the soviet housewife How she was perceived by the women around the table. I do not have the value placed on my work that they do she said. I chose to stay Home and raise my son. For this i gel lass Money irom the state and less  her american counterpart agreed. All of the professionals around the table were part of the problem. We who had also scrubbed toilets and brought fevers Down. We. Who should have known belter. Ii we have no respect Tor these women who made a Choice to remain at Home then everything we did had no meaning whatsoever. Page 16 the stars and stripes saturday october 15. 1988