Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1937-03-04
CRITIClZES GOVERNMENTAL
MANAGEMENT
Pine City, MINI.

Editor Askov American:
These are parlous times, both for
those who pay taxes and for the ben
eticiaries of taxation. Washington an
nounces the prospective balancing OF
the budget and in the next breath, 100
new subsidiary weather reporting sta
tions to make air travel safe. Where
will all this government spending
end? The assistant director of the
Bureau of Research and Statistics or
the Social Security Board of the ito
be created) Department OF Public
Welfare (set that set-up) warns that
a large part of the remaining two bill
lion WPA's consists of "maladjusted
individuals" (what beatitic breadth
in that phraseD who must continue to
be socially supported and pilOted; and
the executive secretary OF the Amer
lean Public Welfare Association (who
pays his salary?) adds that said pilot
ing adjusting and reconditioning must
be done by trained social workers
(hOw many to each ward of the gov
ornment is not stated. No wonder
that a Justice of the supreme court
of one of our states writes your cor
respondent that he expects the deluSe
and only hopes that it will not come
in his time.
But the learned and worried judge
with whom we used to 60 to school.
has not thought the problem through.
Fortunately a man living at 1900 Penn
sylvania Ave-, in we'll known eastern
city, has. Is taxation pushing us to-
ward the brink? Are the incompe-
tent going to dominate and swamp
civilization, as Charming Pollock
who is a better playwright than so, j.
OlOgiSt-says? BY no means. Let us
forget those bits of yellow paper, pill
ing up in our banks. and destined
soon to be deity transferred to the
security funds" there to make usury
for once bless the poor and oppressed.
and ask whether all this government
activity stimulates economic progress
CT STILES it: whether it paupeI ICES or
enricheS the life of the average citi-
zen? To ask this question is to an
S"Si IL. <hS III uS VIC PICICI
sofa with its high taxes to Arkansas
where taxes are low and everything
worthwhile is on a low level also.
Social welfare through large, CO.
operative undertakings, under the aus
pices of government, whether ma
tional, state or local, must ever be our
goal. But at the same time, we must
not forget administrative abuses such
as over-elaborated departments and
usurpatiOn by petty administrative
chiefs of authority which was not
granted to them by the legislative
branch. And above all things, as 10y
al Farmer-LabOriteS, we must not for
get the personal rights and feelings of
those ''maladjusted individuals" in
Guiding the social security act bene-
iiciarieS whom it is proposed to de-
condition. How would you. Mr.. Editor,
like to be personally re-cOnditioned
by a trained social worker" to say
nothing of being statistically analysed
by research worker" who, in
the matter of research into human
nature, is still wet behind the ears?
it is true that the liquidation of fed
eral relief agencies is creating a seri-
Gus unemployment problem for hOrdes
OF trained social workers" and 'ex-
perts" of various kinds. But that is
no reason why the aged who lost their
savings during the period of gold
plated anarchy" and the dependent
blind should be turned over to them
for meal ticket, to make capital of
and to be experimental upon.
CHRISTOPHER EASTON.
Route 2, White Bear Lake, MINI.