Mo Udall for President 1976 Campaign Brochure

‘UDALL’

Human Rights "We have destroyed forever the myth of  "separate but equal." But we have still to deal with the reality of separate and unequal. Our goal must be full economic and legal justice for all Americans who are suffering discrimination -- blacks, Indians, Spanish-speaking, elderly, women. We have all the laws needed for this task, except one -- the Equal Rights Amendment. We must push vigorously for its ratification, and we must forcefully implement all our existing laws. We should eliminate case backlogs and uncertainty in the enforcement agencies.

We will also put a stop to the foot dragging of the Nixon-Ford Administrations."

Older Americans "Old age is our last and most devastating segregation. Older Americans face a tragic legacy of poverty, failing health, poor housing and fear. In the Udall Administration, the aged will come first, not last. We will draw on expanded pension coverage and more part-time jobs to assure them a decent standard of living. We will involve them in government and business, and in the social-cultural life of our nation. We will work to abolish mandatory retirement. We will make Medicare serve the patients, not the doctors. And we will stop subsidizing proprietary nursing homes that trade in the economics of misery."

The Cities "The problems of our cities are the problems of the nation -- high unemployment, high inflation, high interest rates, high energy costs. These require national solutions. The first concern is jobs. Nothing will lower the crime rate as quickly as bringing down the unemployment rate. We must build mass transit networks to move people fast and efficiently. We must provide funds to maintain and rehabilitate neighborhood housing. And only when the cost of welfare and medical care are rightfully assumed by the federal government can the cities begin to regain fiscal health."

Leadership "The next president of the United States must have a real vision of the future -- a vision of America returning to the basics: honesty compassion, hard work, and justice. He needs an understanding of where our true national interests lie, and of the difference between conspicuous consumption and sensible living. And the president must believe that "consent of the governed" is not a blank check but a credit card, subject to revocation for abuse."

Inflation "America can beat inflation by adopting a tough energy-conservation program to break the back of the international oil cartel and bring down oil company profits. We must also place effective price controls on key industries such as steel, food, utilities and prescription drugs. Lower prices and lower interest rates are possible if we get people working again through extended tax cuts, expansion of the money supply, a national jobs program, an all-out federal effort to develop new energy sources, and strong competition in the private sector."

Jobs "There are things which desperately need doing in this country. And there are people desperately looking for things to do. It is sound economics to guarantee that every American who wants a job can get one. Unemployment now costs the American people $50 billion a year in additional welfare and lost taxes. The Udall Administration will use that money to put the unemployed to work: in health and child care, rebuilding the railroads, recycling materials, constructing and rehabilitating housing, in solid waste management, and in home care for the aged."

Energy "We must stop trying to make the future look like the past. The next decade will be different -- and it can be better. Waste and extravagance will give way to the practicality of smaller cars, mass transit, and railroads that work. Our energy future is not with nuclear breeder reactors, but in harnessing the infinite power of the sun, wind, tide and earth's core. The first step is to break the strangle-hold of "Big Oil" companies by limiting them to only one phase of the petroleum business, and preventing them from taking over new energy sources."

Tax Justice "At least $20 billion a year escapes through tax loopholes. This lost money should be recaptured and returned to the millions of ordinary citizens who now pay more than their fair share. The Udall Administration will also change the tax laws to discourage corporate monopolies, eliminate capital gains favoritism, and make big business pay taxes at rates small business pay. It will also put teeth in the minimum tax on the rich, increase taxes for multinational corporations, make the Social Security tax less regressive, and help the states control exploding property taxes."

Environment "Americans do not have to choose between their jobs and protecting the environment. Environmental protection programs have already created more than a million new jobs, and will create many more. We need to clean up the foul air that causes lung disease and death, and filthy water that can't even be used for swimming. We must stop leakage of radioactive wastes. And we must drastically improve industrial safety standards in mining, plastics, and the handling of asbestos and toxic chemicals that endanger workers, their families, and their communities."

Defense "We have real material defense needs. We must have a lean, tough military force prepared to defend the national interest, however it might be threatened. But we do not need gold-plated or duplicated weapons systems, three new army divisions, or back-up forces suited only for a ground war in Asia. And we do not need more nuclear weapons in an arsenal which already holds 2,000 times the destructive power unleashed in all of World War II, or the waste which goes with a bureaucracy accustomed to an ever-increasing military budget."

Health Care "Why in America, with our immense wealth, should the poor get sicker and the sick get poorer? We have been promising ourselves a system of national health insurance for a quarter of a century. I am tired of apologizing year after year as we fail to achieve it. We have put a premium on conversation instead of coverage. America is the only industrialized nation in the world which does not provide basic health service as a universal right. As President, I will make sure that we do."

Crime "Too much of the taxpayer's money has been wasted on unsound programs and gimmicks -- everything from helicopters to anti-riot tanks. A little common sense will give us the right answers. The Courts are clogged. We need more judges, prosecutors and defenders, and less plea bargaining. We must make sure that career criminals go to prison, while first and minor offenders get every chance for rehabilitation. We need more police on the beat, and community involvement programs to build trust. We must cut the flow of smuggled heroin into this country, and above all, provide job opportunities for the young."

Morris K.Udall is the descendant of pioneer grandparents who helped settle his hometown of St. Johns, Arizona. His father, Levi, was Chief Justice of the Arizona Supreme Court. Mo's wife, Ella, and four of Mo's six children are currently campaigning full-time.

Despite the loss of an eye in a childhood accident Mo served in the Air Force in World War II and played college and professional basketball. Three years out of law school, he was elected to his first public office -- county prosecutor in Tucson. Later, he led the reform of the Arizona court system and wrote a legal textbook on evidence. His two subsequent books have dealt With the Congress.

Mo was elected to Congress in 1961 when the incumbent, his brother Stewart, was appointed Secretary of Interior by President Kennedy.

The theme of Mo's career in the House has been described as "courage, candor and reform." His early leadership against the Vietnam War, the seniority system and political corruption -- and his legislative programs to heal the country's economic, energy and environmental problems -- led a group of 45 House colleagues to suggest that Mo enter the Presidential race.