The Wyandotte news-herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1943-1963, 1945-10-11

Full employment Tor everyone?
Sure, I'm sure of it, and so is every
one else in Michigan" replied the
Country Editor. He adjusted the
green visor over his eyes and
smiled.
I'm also in favor Of having good
government and having all the
churches packed every Sunday
morning and abolishing war and
the atomic bomb. Jobs for all? Of
course, I'm for it,"
We had dropped into the news
paper office for one of our occa-
sional chats. The Country Editor
had a habit of keeping his finger
on the public pulse in his home
town. AS the saying goes, ne got
around" quite bit and he did
lot of listening.
Now I've been reading up about
this So-called full employment bill"
the Editor continued. pointing to
a stack of Congressional Records
and government reports. Senator
Vandenberg's first bill in the sem
ate back in May, 1923. was a plan
for a prosperity reserve, to use
the Senator's own words. The gov
eminent was to plan for useful
public works in advance of a pos
sible depression. When a depres-
sion threatened. this reserve was to
cushion the shock by providing
jobs.
In Michigan the state legisla-
ture created a prosperity reserve
during the recent World War BOOM
1t impounded millions of surplus
state revenue into a postwar fund
for needed public Improvements
and also for aid of Michigan's re-
turning veterans.
Nov take my town here.
We paid off some of our bonded
Indebtedness, just like many far
mer reduced his mortgage. We
planned public improvements to
provide jobs.
lets see what the bill at Wash
ington calls for. One provision is
to stimulate, encourage and assist
state and local governments.
through the exercise of their re-
spective functions, to make their
own effective contribution to as
surfing full employment'-to use the
official language. Michigan has
already done that. So has my own
hometown.
The federal bill goes on to say
that it is the responsibility of the
Federal Government to foster free
competitive private enterprise and
the investment of private capital
and furthermore that all Ameri-
cans able TO work and seeking to
work are entitled to an opportunity
for useful, remunerative, regular
and full-time employment.
Now that's a mighty construc-
tive idea. Jobs for ALL We're for
it.
"YOu will note there are no par
tiSan lines to the idea. Michigan'S
own Tom Dewey went on record
in a campaign talk at San Fran
cisco that the government can and
must create job opportunities be-
cause there must be jobs for all in
this country of ours There you
have 1t, jobs for ALL
Senator Hatch. Democrat of
New Mexico, proposed an amend
ment which was adopted by the
Senate. 1t proposed that the gov
ernment's underwriting Of full en-
ployment should be consistent with
the needs and obligations Of the
Federal Government and other
essential considerations of national
policy to quote the senator's own
words. Senator Taft, Republican
Of Ohio, sponsored another amend
ment. also adopted, which would
require the government to finance
all this by a program Of taxation
designed and calculated to prevent
any net increase in the, national
debt.
apparently these two senators
don't favor perpetual deficit spend
ing at Washington any more than
you or I. Pay-as-you-go is just as
sound for the government as 1t is