On Tuesday, April 5, the voters of Atlanta have an opportunity to speak to the nation. Our district is a unique one. We have long been regarded as a symbol of the political and economic growth of the new South. We are looked to as a working model of interracial harmony and cooperation. We have sent to the Congress a man of the highest caliber, and he is now this country’s ambassador to the United Nations.

Now we have a chance to show that we are all that we are said to be. We have a chance to show that the city of Atlanta is continuing its commitment to the progress of understanding and universal opportunity.

What sets my candidacy apart is my total dedication to these ideals, which are in essence simply a sense of what is morally right. Some people say that we cannot inject morality into government. I say we must. Only then will we be able to by-pass the technicalities, the rhetoric, and the political partisanship that are keeping too many of our citizens from enjoying the benefits that every American deserves.

It is wrong that at a time when intellectual demands are increasing, the quality of education is steadily decreasing. It is wrong that our teachers, one of our most valuable national resources, cannot make a decent living.

It is wrong that the elderly of our country are pushed by bureaucratic indifferences into substandard living.

It is wrong that so many of our people who want to work and need to work cannot find jobs.

It is wrong that we have discrimination, poverty and hunger in the wealthiest and most technically advanced nation in the world.

There is probably not a voter among you who does not believe that these things are wrong. But mere recognition is not enough. We must work to correct them, and we must work together.

When you send me to Congress on April 5, I will fight for one-third federal funding, to get our children the quality education they deserve. I will fight to see to it that our teachers get the pay they are worth.

When you send me to Congress, I will fight for my nine-point legislative program to give the elderly the security and comfort they have earned.

When you send me to Congress, I will fight to guarantee every citizen a place in the work force through the Public Works Employment Act and other legislation.

I will fight to see that Atlanta and the 5^th District get every available dollar of federal money to help solve local problems.

And I will fight to see to it that morality and concern are a part of every decision that will affect the lives of the people of this country.

We have a long way to go. But we can make it a lot shorter by showing our government that our greatness lies not only in our importance, but in our compassion.

Wyche Fowler

On April 5, you, as voters in the First District, must determine who your next congressman will be. I appreciate the support you gave me on March 15, but I must have your help again if I am to represent you in Washington.

We are, in this district, as America is – diverse, but strong in that diversity. I believe I have the proven ability to represent this diversity in Congress, as I have on the local level for the past eight years.

I believe that you want someone you can call on to represent you and your concerns. The term “front yard congressman” is more than just a phrase in my campaign. It is a commitment to be accessible to you – to listen carefully to your concerns and translate them into meaningful, representative legislation at the national level. It is a commitment to get Washington to respond to you.

Your representative in Congress will be dealing immediately with measures to provide jobs for you and your neighbors, pensions for old people, protecting the environment, and securing federal funds for vitally needed projects, whether in downtown Atlanta or in Mountain Park.

You deserve a representative who can effectively communicate your needs and who can get things done.

I have lived in this area all my life and I have worked with you to solve a variety of problems on the local level. I want to now go to work for you in Washington.

I strongly believe that we must have a new national urban policy to preserve and enhance the quality of life in urban neighborhoods. At the same time, agricultural and rural development policies must be altered to revitalize our non-urban areas.

We must address the problems of an antiquated welfare system. First work must not be discouraged. It is often more financially rewarding for a welfare recipient not to work because he or she not only loses benefits but incurs new costs. The system should be altered to discourage the break up of families. The administrative structure must be streamlined and simplified and finally administration and funding of welfare must be totally federalized.

Two neglected segments of our society are young people and senior citizens. I believe we must provide programs that will serve both. We need to improve the employability of young people through expanding job training programs and providing incentives to hire young people.

For our senior citizens we must offer tax incentives to allow older people to remain in their own homes; a re-examination of the mandatory retirement age so that older citizens who want to work can continue to do so; improving provision in Medicare and giving older persons a voice in policy that affects them.

In this column, and the one that I wrote for the February 10 edition of The Georgia Bulletin, I have attempted to tell you why I am running for Congress and where I stand on some of the major issues facing us in this district. I want to represent you, and I need your vote on April 5.