Toledo union journal. [volume] (Toledo, Ohio) 1942-current, 1947-11-28
| Sitting
The News
by Paul Sifton
LPA COlumnist


have to move over to make
room for Bernard NJ. Baruch
In the doghouse for dangerous
radicals run by Herbert U.
Nelson of the National Asso-
citation of Real Estate Boards
and others of his ilk.
Taft got in because he al.
lowed a show private builders
couldn't provide decent hous-
ing at rentals low-income peo-
pie could pay; therefore, what
private enterprise couldn't do,
the federal government must.
Nelson called Taft a Com
munist, but later apologized for
saying it out loud.
Now Baruch has told organ.
lied medicine to wake up, stop
fighting all proposals for in
suring medical care and defeat
the drive for a thorough ma
tional health program. This,
he suggests, can be done by di-
viding the population into two
groups:
ID Those who can pay the
costs of voluntary plans, and
(2) Those whose incomes are
so low as not to be worth the
skinning by such doctor.domi'
mated plans. Low-income peo-
pie would be taken care of by
a government health program,
financed partly by payroll con-
tributions and partly by gov
ernment.
OF course this violates the
. basic principle of insurance
which requires maximum Gov
erage by pooled funds and
services in order TO give maxi
mum protection and service to
each insured person. But, from
Baruch's point of view, II
would give some medical care
to the poor; perhaps keep them
quiet and prevent them from
having and spreading so many
diseases into the parts of towr
where the best people" live
The higher income patients
would be left TO the treatment
and the fees-of the private
practitioners.
BARNEY TOO
But it is likely that hard
shell doctors will denounce
Baruch in the same terms
used by Nelson on Taft. He, toe
will be called a Socialist, a
Communist, etc, seeking to
penetrate and destroy the
sacred relationship between
doctor and patient. Baruch' S
denunciation of "socialized
medicine as a characteristic
of the police state will be
brushed aside.
Opcourse neither 1afts pub
lie housing program MOI
Baruch's health program for
poor.people.only would mee'
the need. But - and this Is
what the hard.shells are atraic
of - they might be an open
ing wedge for more and more
until one fine day everybody
In the USA as decent housing
and medical care at reasonable
cost TO consumers and fair in
comes for builders and doctors
CONFESSION
Baruch's recommendation In
wolves an important comics
sion. A Wall Street million
aire. whose postwar recon-
mendations were based on thC
trickle-down theory of pros
perity, has now publicly ad
mitted that the trickle-dowr
theory doesn't work for th'
twothirdS who cannot aftorc
adequate medical care. Wher
so many people don't even ge
damp In the trickling-down o.
prosperity, they are apt to ge
upset" That upsets him,
Brother Baruch is a kindly
man. In his own life, he keeps
down the rising tide of pros
perity by generous gifts
worthy causes. His latest rec
omendation 10 the startled
can help - provided those
who are for genuine ma
tional health program don't ae
cept it, except perhaps as th'
best they can get now. Lets
remember that Baruch is
conscious aristocrat who Il
deeply conscientious a b OF
noblesse Oblige - the duty oi
of "the best people" to dc
right. on their own terms, by
the Iest of us. It's better thar
dog eat.dog, but it isn't gooc
enough.
Neither han DIM e-dowr
houses nor hand.me-dowr
health programs are gooo
enough.
Any year now, the people car
roll their own through Con
gress.
Jersey "a Expdnd