Imperial Valley press., 1943-06-07
SENATOR WAGNER PRESCRlBES
:. AND Howl
By p 4. !.

The country certainly is pleased with
Sen. Robert Wagner's new cradle-to-the-
grave plan. It's been offered in Con
gress as the Americanized form of Eng
hsh Beverldge plan, and proposes, among
other things:
Protection against loss of income.
Protection against disability.
Medical care and hospital service for
everybody.
Payment of six per cent of income by
all workers, and similar six per cent
by employers.
There is so much to be said about this
plan. Most important is that If should
please Eleanor immensely. And 1t should
please Franklin, too, and the people of
this country are so very, very eager to do
just these things.
The bill is presented at exactly the
right moment, when people are already
getting bored with fighting war. trying
to give that man Lewis his way and all
that sort of thing. And this is second
income-tax installmant time, when every
body is finding it a real pleasure to get
rid of all that extra money that's been
cluttering up the old sugar bowl. or
burdening those banking places which
formerly loaned money but don't any
more because everybodyS so rich.
After all. people don't know how to
run their lives anyway. They squander
everything they get and need somebody
to tell them whpt to do and what not to
do, and only the government knows
what's right, now that self-dependence
and that old fashioned thing called lndi-
vidual Initiative have become so obsolete.
But there are some weaknesses in the
bill.
1t isn't comprehensive enough. The
compulsory medical and disqualification
idea is fine, especially since everybody is
COMPELLED to join. People just sim
ply shouldn't be allowed to attend to
things like that for themselves
There should be clause to take care
of people with crooked teeth.
It's awful how some peoples teeth
aren't even and neat like the pictures in
the toothpaste ads. Everybody is entitled
to teeth like that, and there should be an
additional one per cent levied for teeth
Strengthening or new plates every three
to four years.
And clothes. Some people will wear
the most rundown clothes. Clothing is
essential to life and the government
should supervise everybody's apparel. Be
sides, some women dress with such poor
taste There should be Bureau of Styl-
lists to make all purchases for women.
Now everybody knows that many peO-
pie just won't keep regular hours, and
eight hours sleep is usually prescribed
for good health. Of course, some people
get along with less, and some want more.
But everybody should be made to sleep
exactly eight hours a night. Let's say
from 10 pm. till m. Special eXcep-
tions can be permitted if passed upon by
the local Regular Rest Bureaus to be in
stalled in all towns of 10000 or less;
lounges will be regular equipment in cit
les of 10000 or more.
While on the subject of health, there
should be provisions made for compul-
sorry recreation. Everybody knows recre-
alton is essential to health. Each city
block should have a health instructor, so
whole neighbOrhoods can report out in
the back lot at $40 am. daily and take
setting up exercises. Fat ladies and chill
dren can have separate lots all of their
own.
Most people don't read enough for
their mental condition, so each three
months reading list of compulsory
study should be prescribed and books
paid for out of the Mental Control"
funds to be part of the 56th per cent of
income to be subtracted from payrolls
weekly, employers to provide reading
glasses as their contribution.
1t might be good idea to hold a con
test for the best thoughts along this line.
Wou1dn't that no duckpv9