Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1943-12-14

WE ARE demonstrating TO the common
w man, the government can't give any
thing to anybody without first taking away
something from some one else, and the Santa
Claus technique was mere device for robbng
Peter to pay Paul
Well, who is Peter and who is Paul? The
Peter who is being robbed is the productive,
self-supportng thrifty citizen who hitherto
has stood on his own legs and had the privilege
Of enjoying the bulk of his years production.
Let's not merely glorify one side of the
transaction. Let's not merely publicize the act
of giving it to Paul. Let's also publicize the
act Of taking away from Peter
The Peters the members of your
savings and loan associations. They are the
savings and loan depositors-45,O0 900 600 in
number-the life insurance policy holders
66000,000 in number. They are the upwards
of 50,000,000 participants in old age benefits
under the Social Security Act.
THEREFORE,, let us be aware of the double
i nature of the transactions let's keep in
mind where from" and where to-" in terms
of bookkeeping. When we get into the habit
of doing that then the activities of the gov
eminent will be more carefully scrutinized by
the upwards Of 50000,000 ganfully employed
persons in the United States who pay the
tax, and they will reappraise after the war,
in more hardboied terms, some of these
magnificent schemes TO give little cream on
top Of the milk which is being given to the
Hottentots.
They will ask how big the debt will grow
and whether we can carry the national debt
and whether taxation rates will come down
after the war.
If, after the war is ended. and if after
tho oh
the present imitation of thought and are going
to attempt to carry the world on the shoulders
of American workers and farmers, then the
peak indebtedness will not be reached be-
fore the armistice, but long after
uOW far can we go? An eminent public
IL figure some years before the war said
an investment banker had assured him-that
the federal debt could safely go to 70 to 90
billion dollars. But it's already approaching
200 billion.
How far can the tax rate go? Who can
say where the ceiling is? That will be the
point at which the people will show their dis
like for such trends
We observed-a little of that already.
symptomatcally at least, when the secretary
of the treasury recently presented his new
tax plans to the Congress. | computed that
for married men with two dependents with
net incomes of S255,000 year or more, the
new proposed rates plus the uncanceled
portions of the 1912 taxes which hang over
for 1914, would take 100 per cent AND MORE
OF total net income of such individuals
WE HAVE always been told-that is. when
w we discussed income taxes-that We
haven't begun to pay, and TO look at our
pt'c
the plan submitted by Henry Morgenthau
recently. if you add to proposed schedules the
obligation which hangs over for 12.5 per cent
of the 1912 tax by March Is, 1914 and
another 12.5 per cent by March 15 1916
then the obligations of the American citizen
with net income of $4,000 a year or more
Will be larger than the rates paid by Britons
That is only including the federal income
taxes. Many of our commemorative also
have STATE INCOME TAXES and many of
our municipalities have very substantial
GENERAL PROPERTY TAXES as you
gentlemen probably know.
1t is beginning to dawn on the public
that Santa Claus is really fellow who has
his hands in your pocket and who is taking
out part of your earnings and depriving you
of the opportunity of using them for yourself
and your family.
hhu' witch IHal d"dlehesS spleduS dIlei
the war job has been done, then there may
be a new style in craftsmanship. The popular
figure of tomorrow may be the less dramatic
personality who has decent regard for the
handling of other peoples money.
ERUGALITY and care and economy in
i handling public funds may become popu-
lar again. OF course, current taxes, though
burdensome, are not too high in proportion
to our spending. If anything, they are too
low in relation to the spending.
If WE don't like the fiscal picture, we
should examine the spending side, and that is
where management is required.
We don't want to build half Maginot
Line the way the French did, but it seems to
me, my friends there is some difference
between adequate appropriations for the
IL. L.