Toledo union journal. [volume] (Toledo, Ohio) 1942-current, 1950-04-21
Federal Budget
Bread~and~B
Matter For Us
By Franklin ID. Roosevelt Jr.
For Labor Press Association


especially appropriate that we
bring you the guest column
below, since one of the main
interests of the late Nathan
was in spelling out
the effects of complicated Geo.
nomic events on the lives of
the average American citizen.
d. Roosevelt Jr.,
elected to Congress as a Lib
eral-Democrat, has introduced
a bill which would make the
federal budget have meaning
to every citizen. He tells about
it below, i'm a column substitute
ing for RObertsOn's eekly
column for this paper.
TT is as easy to be against
l. waste" and government
spending" as it is to be against
sin, mosuitoes, or starvation.
1t is a lot harder to do some
thing constructive about the
Federal budget without Grip
pling foreign or domestic pro-
grams that are essential. One
thing we can do is to make the
Federal budget a true, reflec-
ton of our country's financial
situation. And that's what the
bill I've introduced tries to do.
We are using hopelessly
outmoded and inadequate bud
getary procedures which just
will not do the job any more,
procedures which no business
today uses. 1t makes no sense
to try to tailor today's $400,-
100000 Federal b u d g IT to
fit the pattern drawn up in the
1921 budgetary and accounting
act. The federal budget today
has a direct and continuing
impact on every phase of our
economy and, in fact, on the
international economy. 1t is
time we remodeled our bulge
tary practice so that it becomes
a usuable tool for sound man.
agement, instead of dragging
ball and chain.
The purpose of this bill is to
begin the remodeling job by
eliminating the following de-
fects in the present budgetary
practices of the Federal Gov
ernment:
First. The lack of a clear
congressional policy on the
Federal budget;
Second: The hit-or-miss
short-range C h ract ter of
budget estimates;
Third. The insertion of un-
economical or wasteful items
in appropriation bills;
Fourth. The failure of the
traditional budget to give a
true picture of the flow of
money between the govern
ment and the people;
: Fift h. The unbusinesslike
failure to distinguish between
operating and investment ex-
penditures; and
Sixth. The inefficient meth
ods used in financing a large
scale investment.
The six sections of the bill
provide remedies for these de-
fects. First, there is a clear
statement of congressional poll
icy in achieving a balanced
budget In an expanding econ
omy. Second, the Congress
and the executive branch are
authorized to plan tax and
spending policies over a longer
period of time. Third, the Pres
ident is given the power to
veto individual items in ap-
preparation bills.
Fourth, this bill provides for
a consolidated cash budget
which would really show the
flow of money between the
Government and the people.
That flow is, after all, what
has the most immediate conse-
quences for every business in
America. Fifth, it Is proposed
10 establish an investment
bu d ge t within the over all
budget. This would enable the
Congress and the President to
differentiate between operat-
ing costs like a soldiers pay
or costs of printing income tax
forms) and investments like
building a dam or bringing
electricity to a rural area, or
insuring home mortgages.
Sixth and last, the bill pro-
vides for longer range, more
efficient approach to the fl
nancing of large-scale invest
ment projects.
/ intend to ask for COM
ments and suggestions from
labor business, Government,
farm. and consumer leaders,
as well as fiscal policy ex-
perts. II is my hope that all
members of Congress, regard
less of party, will give serious
consideration to this proposal.
l know that all of us want to
make the federal budget what
it ought to be--an effective In
cfY.,.rannf x.rhinh oontr;krta A.