Milford chronicle., 1960-12-16
WHEN :?

that has had to compete with government
owned tax-eXempt, taX-financed business
can understand the unfairness of such COM
petition.
The printing industry, electric power de-
Velopment and the express industry are eX-
amples of highly-taXed private enterprises
which respectively must complete with cut
rate, tax-exempt government printing
plants, power plants and parcel post deliv-
cry service.
The government couldn't cut rates on
any of its commercial activities if it didn't
have private enterprise to tax for its reve-
nue. By the same token if government so
cialized all business its charges for goods
and services would have to be greatly in
creased to recoup the tax revenue it lost,
in order to carry on the legitimate functions
of governing.
Discussing such cut-throat competition
the Wakarusa, Indiana, Tribune commented
editorially on its price for printing stamp
ed envelopes as compared with the price of
having them printed by the post office de-
partment. 1t said in part:
&c. . our prices are higher than post
office prices for several reasons. First of all,
we're obliged to charge enough to- cover la
Dor costs. Then we have to include enough
extra to cover our federal and state income
taxes charged on what we take in from the
customer for printing envelopes. (The post
office department pays no such taxes at all
to federal, state, county or town treasurles.)
And finally we expect to make a profit.
even though our prices are competi-
tive with other printing firms in the area
we can't compete with the u. S. Govern
ment. -.
LET Congress take the post office de-
partment out Of competition with private
buiness. When will the action to end
this ridiculous situation begin?" One thing
is sure-it will not end until the people stop
voting for politicians who favor tax-exempt
government business competition with prl-
vate citizens.
CHANGING ELECTORAL COLLEGE
Senator George Smathers, Florida DEM
ocrat, and one of the more popular us. sena-
tors has said he will introduce cOnstitut-
ional amendment which would change the
voting procedure of the Electoral College.
Instead Of giving all of states electoral
vote to the candidate who wins the highest
number of popular votes (thus disfranchis-
ing those who voted for the lOser), the
change would allow for each states electoral
vote to be split fairly according to the per-
centage of the popular vote received.
This change, if adopted, would do much
cry It would eliminate the possibility of
President being elected over an opponent who
received more votes than he did. And this
has happened in the United States.
The change would also make it possible
for the country's outstanding men, who come
from the smaller states to be nominated for
the country's highest office Nowadays, the
politicians always look to the big states for
presidential timber so that the nominee
can bag all the electoral votes in one of the
big electoral vote states.
The change would encourage people to
vote in all the states = for all votes would
actually count. Even though citizens in some
states knew their state was going one way,
they would be encouraged to vote anyhow,
because the lesser vote would still add up to
electoral votes.
The change would end the disporportio-
nate influence of the few big states, because
their huge vote would be split, perhaps ID
13 or 1922. The net effect would, then be
no greater than the effect of small state,
voting Sd.
The change would be a move in the di-
rection of the democratic principle of major
ity rule There is little reason to maintain
system in being which allows for the less
popular candidate, the candidate who wins
the vote of fewer citizens than does his op-
ponent, to become President. 1t is time that
provision is made so that every citizens
vote counts equally.
@S(oNZ
NO HASTE ON CABINET
President-elect Kennedy is moving with
care and deiberation in the choice of his
Cabinet. This is better than precipitate act
ion. even though there is urgency about get
ting the new administrations key men to
work at the tasks that go with d smooth
transition OF power.
The delay in announcement of Cabinet
members is particularly striking because of
the contrast with 1852. In that year, major
Cabinet seats had been filled within less than
three weeks after election day. This year,
Thanksgiving passed without a single Cabi-
net post announcement
Ore reasO.. for Kennedy's deliberation in