The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1944-01-24
A Thought for Today
Freedom From Want

PISGuOIu CIOul WALL ID pSIIldpS LlOlC
nearly reality in the United States to-
day than at any time in our history. But
a postwar day looms ahead when plenty
of wise thinking and hard work may be
needed to keep that brave, utopian prom
Use even close to its present level of
achievement That start has been made
on this wise thinking is evident in the
eighth annual report of the Social Secur-
ity Board. It contains several new
recommendations which are designed to
give a broader base and greater range to
the Freedom" of which this program is
a practical representation. Among other
things. the board would extend Old-age
and survivor insurance to include the
self-employed, farm and domestic work.
ers, and employees of public organizations,
non profit institutions and federal, state
and local governments. There should be
little quarrel with this, since obviously
modest incomes, cessation of earning
power, and acute need are not the eX-
elusive properties of the workers now
covered by social insurance.
Neither should there be much bicker-
ing over the proposal to protect the social
security rights of the millions now in the
armed forces, or to insure against total
loss of income due to permanent or total
disability. The Social Security Board also
presents sound arguments in favor OF
replacing the 81 state and territorial I'M
employment insurance systems with
uniform, national system to be admins
tered locally. Besides correcting numer-
Gus current inequalities, the proposed
system would relieve employers of con-
siderable complicated bookwork, especially
in the case of interstate employers The
wi al fLoo r1Io1ifyiron az
for benefits to wives from IS to CO., since,
as it points out, wives are ordinarily
Younger than their husbands. And it
would remove the requirement of regular
school attendance now attached to bene-
fit payments to dependent children.
Social Security's conception of Free
dom From Want may hit snag in Con-
gress on the proposal that social insur-
ance be broadened to include partial COW
erage of wage losses due to unemploy-
ment, sickness, disability, old age, and
death, plus considerable part" of hos
pital and medical services. This would
raise the combined employer-employe tax
to IL per cent of salary. The Senate
already has turned down the 7 per cent
combined tax scheduled to succeed the
per cent tax on January l move
which the Social Security Board chair
man claims will force the government to
"subsidize" old-age pensioners to the ex-
tent of SIS billion The House seems
likely to follow suit. And the broadened,
IL per cent proposal includes the debat-
able but Observation-Disclosures
"socialized medicine" provision.
One thing is certain. The Social Sc
curity Boards proposals deserve careful
consideration and temperate argument,
anAed toward the greatest good and I'M
clouded by partisan clashes of political
philosophy. Social insurance is here to
stay. Millions have needed it, even in
this time of supernormal wages. Millions
more are going to need it badly after the
war. The whole country has stake in
seeing that the lawmakers give them the
best, fairest and wisest deal possible.