AMERICA WE STAND EYES THIRD-PARTY ROLE

Is America ready for a major third party?

This is a question that United We Stand America Inc. wants to have answered.

"There are a number of political parties out there," said Mary Jedzinek, administrative assistant of the Illinois chapter of United We Stand America, a non-partisan citizen action organization founded by Ross Perot.

In Illinois alone, no less than four independent parties were around during the 1992 presidential election -- United We Stand America, Libertarian, Harold Washington Party and United Independent Party.

"We want to determine citizen preference concerning a major new party," Jedzinek said. "Do the American people truly want a third party, and would a third party be good for the nation and improve the performance of government?"

Perot, who was a candidate for president in 1992, collecting 19 percent of the national vote, announced that if Congress waived its budget rules and passed the unpopular trade agreement known as GATT, he would start the process of forming a major third party.

"GATT was passed without the consent of the American people, and now two million American jobs are in jeopardy," claims Don A. Torgersen, executive director of the Illinois United We Stand.

The process for forming a major third party is under way.

The group was to have discussed planned for developing a third party in Southern Illinois last night at Belleville, Sue Finley, whose husband, Gene, is the District 12 coordinator of United We Stand.

Public discussions for a third party soon will be held throughout the state, Finley of Belleville said.

"We're proposing to have a town hall meeting in every county in the state," she said. Dates and times of those meeting will be announced within the next three months.

Two more meetings have been scheduled in the middle and northern portion of the state -- at Springfield today in the Hall of Flags at the state Capitol and at the Joliet Public Library Sunday, from 1 to 6 p.m.

In Missouri, the first meeting will be held Thursday night at Springfield.

"We want to gain some input on this proposal before we rip into it," said Dale Porter, deputy district coordinator for the 7th Congressional District. "We plan to hold meetings in every Congressional District in Missouri."

The proposal for an "official" third party has been raised by Perot, who ran under the United We Stand label in 1992, and by former presidential candidate Paul Tsongas, and is being launched nationwide.

"We're talking about a strong third party...a party of equal status," Jedzinek said. "We want a party that would be as aggressive, and equal to the Democratic or Republican parties."