Evening star., 1952-10-10

the first to admit that-at pres
ent-too many of our people live
too far distant from adequate
medical aid; that too many of
our people find the cost of ade-
Quate medical care too heavy.
How shall we deal with this
problem?
Federal Compulsion
Not the Answer .....
Federal compulsion, with our
health supervised under
Washington stetoscope, is not
American and it is not the an
swer. Instead of more and bet
ter medical care, it would give
us poorer medical care.
The answer is to build on the
system Of voluntary non-profit
health insurance plans for
which our people have already
developed at an amazing rate.
Starting from scratch hardly
more than a dozen years ago,
hospital insurance has expanded
until it covers more than 86
million people and is still ex-
panding. More than IS million
are insured for surgical expense.
Much remains to be done to
perfect these plans so that they
really supply adequate protec-
ton. But to destroy all this, by
piling government medicine on
top, would be disastrous.
Neither the existing private
health insurance nor the ad-
ministration's proposal for ma
tional socialized medicine covers
all the people. Neither provides
adequate protection. For ex-
ample, no one has yet found a
way to insure against q serious
illness which is not temporary
but is catastrophe for the en-
tire family concerned.
For the purposes like this, the
usefulness of Federal loans or
other aid to local health plans
should be explored. Aid Is now
successfully provided for hospi-
tai construction to serve COM
munities but the strength OF
voluntary action and community
administration must be pre-
served.
Another part Of the task
ahead concerns. the conserva-
tion Of our greatest asset: Our
Nations children. Part of this
responsibility belongs to our
schools. American education is
a living testimonial to the de-
votion, the intelligence, the
deep concern and sacrificial
service for Americas future on
the part Of tens of thousands
Of school teachers and school
officials and laymen and lay.
women in thousands Of commu-
mites who have served and are
serving the cause of education.
More Federal Controls
Not American Answer
But here, again, we must
sQuarely. honestly face the fact
that. in too many places, we
are not adequately meeting the
fact school classrooms are now
seriously overcrowded. This
growing is on the increase. BY
1858, it Is estimated that our
school system will have q short
age Of 600, 900 claSsrooms. This
yeAt. September. 1852. 1,70o, 900
American boys and girls were
without any school facilities.
We must do better than that.
Here, again, the answer of
the present administration is
more Federal bureaucracy and
increased Federal controls. That
is not the American answer. The
American answer is to do-in
this fleld-what we have been
doing, for a long time, in other
fields. We have helped the
States build highways and To-
cal farm to market roads. We
have provided Federal funds to
help the States build hospitals
and mental institutions.
In this critical problem of
adequate education, we must
now undertake to help needy
States build schools. Such help
should be extended only where
q State is doing its utmost but,
because Of Inadequate resources
or special burdens, is unable to
do the job on its own. In such
. program, the costs of main
tenance Of administration and
OF the actual business of teach
ing should be borne by the To-
calities and the States them
selves. That is their respon-
sibility. That is the American
answer to Federal compulsion.
1t Is an American defense
against Federal thought control.
Must Take BIinders
OF American Vision
But If we are to do these
things, if we are to carry for
ward these essential tasks, then
we must release, again, the en-
ergy, the initiative, the imagi-
nation and the courage of our
people. our security and prog
ress in well-being have only one
source: a strong economy that
Is growing daily in strength.
1t is part Of the unfinished job
Of America to take the hobbies
off American ambition; to take
the blinders off American vision.
We must clear the air So Ameri-
ca can once again have a pros
.perity built on peace. not on
war and the threat of war.
Don't let any one tell you that
Americas destiny is now reduced
down to keeping what we've
got-and get away with it; that
the great hymn Of Americas
future Is Don't let them take
it away" It is not in the Ameri-