Milford chronicle., 1947-11-21

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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 81, 1947
THERE is ONE SUBJECT on which
every group of people, be they business men,
consumers, educational or any other group,
should talk turkey every time they meet.
That is taxes. National taxes principally
but state and local taxes also. American
people are paying, in taxes, more to be gov
erned than they pay to eat. Our total tax bill
amounts to fifty billions of dollars each year
Federal, State and local taxes. Our food
bin for 1916 was less than thirty-nine billions
of dollars. At every turn we bump into talk,
newspaper stories and radio broadcaStS about
the high cost of living Certainly the cost of
living is too high. But what this country
needs is more talk about the high cost OF gov
ernment. Once business and the consuming
public are really aroused the men and women
elected to hold office will do something about
the matter-and quickly if they want to con-
tinue to hold Office. And at precisely that
moment two things will happen: ID lnfia-
tion will get swift kick in the sacro-iliac re-
gion and (2) Taxes can be lowered to the
point where business enterprise will be en-
couraged to take risks, maintaining employ
ment and high production. To these two an
other benefit will be added. The professional,
paid organizer and reformer who thrives on
agitating for luxuries, frils and crack-pot
theories in government, education and local
projects will be banished from the picture.
Their retirement from activity will bring
added tax relief and return to sane and nor
NAL living.
THERE ARE A COUPLE of bits of phil
osophy to the effect that nothing is all bad"
and that "our personalities tend to reflect the
kind of thinking that runs through our
minds" And yet it is startling, when we re-
view the past fifteen years or so, to realize
the extent to which the prophets of doom and
the special pleaders have either corrupted or
exploited that philosophy to serve selfish pur-
poses.
Even though we could eliminate all the
tragic, destructive and negative things about
the recent war, few things in either the pre-
war or postwar periods have been represent
ed to us as good, positive, constructive or
wholesome. The special pleaders and self
appointed leaders have harped and carped so
long that there's nothing good about any
thing that we wonder, sometimes, how they
feel about members of their own families.
The dangerous result, we fear, is that too
many of us may believe too much of what
we hear without asking for honest, persua-
sive evidence.
However, stimulating breath Of fresh
air has begun to blow from Detroit which we
hope augurs we'll for the future. A few weeks
ago one of the larger automobile manufac-
turers started letter-writing contest for its
employees, entitled, my Job and Why Like
It." In effect, the contest put the horse back
before the cart where it belongs, instead OF
vice versa, and invited employees to take
stock, first, of the good things about theil
jobs and tell the company about them in theil
own words.
Then, and to their further credit, tn,
company realized that all of us have few
problems to get off our chests So, in addi
tion to letters on why they like their jobs
the company. also urged and encouraged it
employees to make any suggestions the,
wanted to regarding their jobs.
The kind of approach to problems whicl
that contest encouraged is needed badly
not only in employe-employer relationships
but In politics, government and foreign af
airs as well. And it might be added, we coul
use generous dose of it in our neighborhood
and over the back fence Certainly it is tn
only kind of constructive thinking that wi
lead us up the high road of real and lastin
social and economic progress.
5000
NO INDIAN OF EARLY DAYS eve
owned an almanac whose predictive pages h
could consult concerning seasons prospect
and what the skies were likely to delive
But, as outdoor folk the Indians took gre;
and necessary interest in the ways of tk
weather, and, over course of savage gener;
tions and changes of hunters moon, the
developed large amount of surprisingly a
curate weather lore based on racial expe
ience.
For instance, having enjoyed and passt
up red leaf and Indian Summer, the trib
had an old rule by which they reckoned wi
ter's coming. mo winter until the strean
are full, they said. Any Indian who thougl
foot Of snow or any thick ice might arri