Milford chronicle., 1960-07-29
TAXES AND WASTE

The u. S. Senate recently extended KOr-
can War taxes again, the fifth time since
they were instituted in 1854
In addition to extending these taxes, on
Corporation income tax, and Excise taxes
on liquor wine, beer, cigarettes, automo-
biles, automobile parts and accessories, the
Senate added more than half a billion dol
lars in additional revenue.
In addition to that, the Senate bill also
extended the ten per cent levy on local tele-
phone service kilograms and passenger
fares - which was made effective during
World War II. This was done by the SEN
ate, even though the Senate Finance Com
nlittee had suggested that these World War
III taxes be allowed to die on June 80.
Interestingly, last year the Senate voted
to repeal both the telephone and travel lev
les, but in conference the bill was changed
and the effective date for these to expire
was moved up to this year. Now, that has
been cancelled, SO the taxpayer has gained
nothing.
The point of this editorial is to show
that wartime taxes are seldom repealed.
Once the politicians and the bureaucrats
get the money coming in, they are reluctant
to give up the source of revenue. Govern
ment and government bureaucrats can al
ways spend more money than they have.
1t is regrettable that just as Congress
extends these taxes, wartime taxes which
ing revelations about waste in defense pro-
curement are in the news. In fact, one SEN
ator recently displayed number of items
which the various armed services were pur-
chasing at grossly exaggerated prices.
If economy could be effected in our huge
Defense Department and defense accounts
for over forty billion dollars of our bud
get (more than fifty per cent?, wartime
taxes such as those listed above could be
oil orr Tn ho 1sofTs h
ing development if the new Congress elimi-
mated these wartime taxes, or many of them,
and directed the armed services to effect
economies (without any loss in military
hardware) to balance the loss, and we think
this could be done.
AMERICANS LEAVING CUBA
The further deterioration in American
Cuban relations has brought about a whole
sale evacuation of Americans from Cuba
Americans were leaving in the face of the
take-over of American property by the Cuban
government. Castro threatened to do this
even before President Eisenhower signed a
bill which allowed him to cut Cubas sugar
quota by some 100000 tons. 1t is estimated
that in the past year 5000 of the estimated
5000 Americans living in Cuba year ago
have departed. Because Castro said in a re-
cent speech that the fight with the United
States is just starting, Americans have con-
cluded that things will go from bad to worse
Castro has warned the Cuban people that
they might face rationing of articles-as a
result of the economic war with the United
States. He is reported to be ordering all
kinds of supplies from the communist coun-
tries, but it is unlikely that he can replace
the imports he formerly received from the
United States with similar quantity and
quality of goods from communist countries.
Washington, of course, hopes that the
economic strain on Cuba, which will almost
certainly be caused by the cut in the sugar
quota, will bring about fall of the Castro
regime So far all efforts to dislodge Castro
have ended in rather dismal failures, and
the Castro government has been admittedly
successful in turning back small-scale rebel
lions.
The long-term economic battle could
prove Castro's undoing, although such re-
suit is not now a certainty by any means
If this should fail, and if Castro continues to
be the focal point of anti-American prodding
and propaganda to the south of us, the Uni
ted States should impose an economic block
ade
1t is time for the United States to stop
worrying about what other countries might
think of our dealings with Cuba, and act to
remove this communist cancer in our very
backyard The economic blockade which
should be imposed very quickly, would bring
Castro to his knees, and it is very likely that
the whole issue would die down and be mostly
forgotten in year or two.
@%@&%
HELP FROM THE HAMS
Those two would-be champions of offend
ed virtue, Khrushchev and Gromykoy may yet
turn out to have been this country's best
friends in the U-2 summit crisis By playing
their roles-and their cards-with such ham,
my over-emphasis, they have taken much of
the sting out of their charges against the
United States
First it was Khrushchev in Paris, ranting