Milford chronicle., 1958-11-28
WHAT THE LAW PERMITS

WHAT THE LAW PERMITS
Organized labor has long been aggress-
lively conducting political education cam
paigns, in the interest of measures and can
didates fitting its objectives. And now more
and more business people are seeing the need
for comparable and continuous campaigns
which will present business side of contro-
versial questions.
However, as The Retail Barrister, a pub
lication of the American Retail Federation,
points out, many executives are concerned
and confused over what the law permits and
does not permit corporation to do in this
field. So the Barrister has succincty sum-
smed up the limitations and latitudes of the
Federal Corrupt Practices Act.
1t is illegal for corpor alton to make
financial contributions to a candidate or
political party; to prepare campaign mater
ial for a candidate to aid him in a cam
paign, and to purchase political advertising
ir newspapers or make other indirect contri-
buttons.
On the other hand, it is legal for a cor
poration to distribute information to en-
ployees and stockholders concerning pending
legislation; to distribute factual information
to employees and stockholders on the philO-
sophy position or attitude of Congressman
and how they voted on legislation of concern
to the company; to urge employees during
the course of company meetings or planned
educational program to vote, and to promote
organizations of businessmen interested in
furthering political education.
Political activity on the part of the busi-
ness community is not only right-it is a
duty. Those who shirk it will have earned
any troubles that come to them.
&g@&&
COLD COMFORT
What kind of system of medical care
xdO the people of this country want?
The answer is that more than three-auar-
terS of them want system whereby they
have the right to choose their own doctor
and in addition, they want to assume al or
part of the responsibility for paying their
doctor bills.
These are findings of recent survey
conducted by the Opinion Research Corpor-
alton for the American Medical Association.
1t was also found the 80 per cent of the pop
lulation believes the right to see the same
doctor regularly is of vital Importance, and
that 80 per cent believe that medical care in
this country has improved over the past 20
years.
On choosing the doctor, rs per cent said
they wanted to make the choice themselves,
as against 13 per cent who saw no difference
whether they or someone else made the
choice, per cent who preferred to have
someone else choose, and 3 per cent with
no opinion.
On the matter of paying the doctor bills,
a hefty 70 per cent said they wanted to carry
all or part of the load, either by direct pay
ment or by paying share Of insurance pre-
miums.
There's cold comfort in this for the sd-
vocates of socialized or government-run med
icine. And there's equally cold comfort for
any medical care system, whether govern
mental or otherwise, which deprives the pa
tient the freedom of choice.
WHERE A "NEW LOOK is NEEDED
It's significant that increasing numbers
of top men in government, no less than in.
Industry, recognize the urgent need for per-
forming major surgery on the Federal tax
structure. This involves an honest 'new
look" at our whole tax system, with view
to making fundamental changes that will
produce adequate revenue for the govern
ment with the least damage to the economic
system from which we all live.
Vice President Nixon, and Cabinet Mem
bers Summerfeld, Weeks and Mitchell are
among those who take this view. Mr. Nixon
emphasizes that the goal should be "a tax
structure which creates more jobs, more in
come and more genuine security" PostmaS-
ter General Summerfeld holds that flower
ed tax rates would be more than c0fnpen-
sated for in the revenue increase they would
precipitate." Secretary of Commerce Weeks,
in recommending uniform manufacturers
excise tax along with income tax revision
expresses the conviction that we must have
a better balanced tax system, and that our
present system is too vulnerable to ups and
down in the economy.
Old and obsolete shibboleths-such as the
"tax the rich idea-still dominate too much
of the thinking on taxation. The existing
tax system plainly discourages economic
growth-and economic growth is the only
thing that can provide mere jobs and bet
ter jobs for this fast-growing population of
ours.