Evening star., 1945-01-25

lending agencies of the Govern
ment can be administered, as they
have been, on a purely nonpar-
tisan basis, for the benefit of all
the people, or they can be used
to destroy what we have built
up in this Nation in our ITO years
of independence. That, to my
mind, is the issue which this COM
mittee and the Congress must
decide.
the modernization of America s
homes alone can provide jobs for
1000 900 people a year. This is D.
100000 more than the maximum
amount engaged in such work prior
to the war.
vi.
The sixth economic right is "the
right to adequate medical care and
the opportunity to achieve and en-
joy good health
Cites Draft Figures.
As selective service has revealed,
too large proportion of our younger
men now fall below reasonable
health standards. This is a warning
signal to America with respect to
the state of health of all segments
OF our population. This condition
calls for immediate and drastic ac-
ton.
We cannot permit the health OF
our people to be impaired by poverty
or lack Of medical and hospital IA
cilities. say to you that your Fed
eral and State governments have
just as much responsibility for the
health Of their people as they have
for providing them with education
and police and fire protection
Health and adequate medical and
hospital care are not luxuries. They
are basic necessities to which all are
entitled.
We must see that medical atten-
ton Is available to all the people
But this health program must be
achieved in the American way.
Every person should have the right
to go to the doctor and hospital of
their own choosing. The Federal
and State governments should work
hand in hand in making health in
surance an integral part of our So
cial security program just as old age
and unemployment benefits are to-
day.
We need more hospitals and doc
tors. We should make sure that
such facilities are available and
that we build hospitals in every
community, rural and urban, that
does not now have such facilities for
all Of its people.
Can't Afford Poor Health.
Never again can we afford the
waste of poor health in America
because OF poverty or inadequate
facilities. And say to you now tina,
this program will prove in the long
run to be saving to America.
We must not be content to pro-
vide medical attention for people
after they become sick. We must
implement and extend our knowl-
edge Of maximum health as well as
prevention Of sickness. The Gov
ernment should appropriate needed
funds to finance a greatly expanded
program of medical research in pri-
vate and public institutions.
VII.
The seventh economic right is
the right to adequate protection
from the economic fears of old age,
sickness, accident and unemploy-
ment."
We must assure people who are
disabled and temporarily unem-
ployed that they will be taken care
of adequately. We must assure them
that they will not be in want be-
cause Of loss of income during this
period of compulsory unemploy-
ment. We cannot neglect these
groups without incurring serious
dangers to the stability of our whole
economy.
A broader social security program
will be needed after the war. Old
age insurance should be ADEQUATE
to provide all of our older men and
women with the means for decent
living. Our present old-age benefits
are definitely inadequate. A decent,
self-respecting old age, social secur-
ity program deemed to be a right,
not charity, a right springing
from the years of service each per-
son delivers to the sum total of a
better America.
An adequate social security pro-
gram will, of itself, by adding to the
spendable purchasing power avail
able to the people and by placing a
floor on consumption, add more than
2,000, 900 jobs a year.
VIII,
The eighth economic right is "the
right to good education"
We must have an educated and
informed America. Even now most
OF our rural areas and some Of our
urban areas are poorly provided with
schools. Our teachers are under.
paid. Our schools are badly under.
staffed. We need more schools and
ct least one-half million more teach
ers. Through Federal aid to poorer
communities for the development Of
locally controlled educational pro-
grams, We should equalize and ex-
tend educational opportu mites
throughout the land.
We should provide facilities for
technical and higher education for
all qualified young men and women
without regard to their financial
means. In this America, the pioneer
OF free education. the right to tech
nical and higher education should
be rs universal as the right to 4
secondary school education.
II ThiS Il the kfnd of nrnrraun that