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There is only one Earth brand shoe. The perfect shoe for people who stand on their feet all day. The shoe invented to make walking and standing easier and more comfortable. EARTH SHOE STORE 474-1895 1610 Lavaca Austin, Texas 78701 01975, Kolse Systemet, In:. Style 110 . They should be impressed. Some 24.6 percent of the 11,253 people receiving the Nov. 28 and Dec. 12, 1975, Observer returned the questionnaire. That’s an absolutely staggering response to this sort of request. It reinforces our conviction that the Observer and its readers have a unique bond. Or, as Dugger likes to say, we are a community. You are far more active in the political life of the nation than most citizens. Some 90.9 percent contributed time or money to a politician or social cause in the past two years; 75.6 percent have written to a political representative; and 48 percent have written to a newspaper or magazine. We find that 88.9 percent of you nearly always vote \(and great numbers of you firmly usually vote; I.7 percent vote sometimes; 1 percent rarely vote; and 1 percent are ineligIt will come as no surprise that 71.9 percent of the Observer’s readers tilt somewhat to the left on the political spectrum. That goes from moderate/left-leaning Democrats to left-leaning non-Democrats to radicals, populists, socialists, communists, anarchists, and a collection of self-styled nihilists, environmentalists, wierdos, humanitarians, Maoists, skeptics, and existentialists. Some 7 percent are conservative or Republican. One conservative reader explained, “I subscribe to your publication because I want to know what the other side \(liberals, revolutionaries, pinkos, and other forms of decent primarily see themselves as moderates or Democrats. Who are you? Well, as you can see from the statistics printed in this issue, you’re educators first, then media people, then lawyers, then politicians and government employees. But the Observer is also read by at least one glassblower, a teaching assis 12 The Texas Observer AGE no answer 0.2 17 or under 1.2 18 to 24 10.8 25 to 34 32.9 35 to 44 23.2 45 to 54 16.4 55 to 64 10.2 65 or over 5.1 no answer 0.6 less than $8000 12.4 $8000 to $9999 5.9 $10000 to $14999 16.6 $15000 to $19999 16.6 $2000 or more 47.9 EDUCATION no answer 0.4 some high school 0.5 high school grad 2.3 some college 12.6 college degree 15.2 some postgraduate 16.5 postgraduate degree 52.5 tant in Swahili, a helicopter mechanic, a cancer virus research scientist, and a retired Navy commander now working toward a Ph.D. in vertebrate paleontology. We editorial types were more interested in the subjective responses to the Observer than in the amount you spend each month on paperbacks. What most of you want from the paper is more of what we already do. Some 77.5 percent asked for more muckraking/investigative reporting; 74.4 percent want more political intelligence; 64.7 legislative coverage; 53.4 percent social commentary; 45.2 percent features from far-flung portions of the state \(which many readers presumed meant “outside of OCCUPATION, PROFESSION, OR NA-TURE OF WORK: 18.5 Education 9.8 Communications/Media 9.2 Law 9.1 Politics or Government 8.2 Mental or Spiritual Health 7.5 Students 6.6 Manufacturing and Transportation 5.5 Business \(Executives, owners of 4.0 Physical Health 3.9 Homemakers 2.7 Science/Mathematics 2.2 Computer Technology 1.5 Fine Arts 1.2 Rancher/Farmer 0.7 Military 0.5 Architecture 1.7 Retired 1.6 no answer 1.2 Various misc. 100.0% economic reporting, 31.2 percent book reviews; 24.5 percent labor movement reporting. Down at the bottom of the list are ficThese preferences add up to 461 percent, because readers were allowed to check as many categories as they wanted. Most of the readers who volunteered story ideas seemed to have an understanding of the Observer’s limitations. We have an editorial staff of two and a not-very-generous $4,000 a year budget for freelance articles and art. Still, there are people who write or call the Observer sports desk, women’s page, business section, political staff, and research department. And every day we get requests to “send one of your reporters” to do such and such. Oh, that we could. If you all would go out and sell subscriptions to all your friends, we might be able to hire a reporter. Most of you seem to think we’re doing a HALF PRICE RECORDS MAGAZINE ti l AVMS: 1514 LAVACA. WACO: 2.5Twit COLUMBUS DALLAS: 4535 141c1CINMY AVE 1405 X.LtA. sai9 LoVER5 BIG 205 S. ZANG UL PR/C15, 41, gb,