Milford chronicle., 1962-03-16
REFORMS LONG OVERDUE

family.
REFORMS LONG OVERDUE
Public welfare-in many instances-has
become racket and disgrace in this coun-
try. So everyone with sense of decency
and honesty should welcome Welfare Secre-
tary RibicOff's announced intention to make
some drastic changes.
AS the Portland Oregonian sums up the
Ribicoff program it will consist both of
administrative actions and requests of Con-
greSS for new authority to put relief reclp-
tents to work on community projects and
bring a halt to the upward surge of relief
spending. He hopes to end the phenomenon
of chronic relief families who live on hand
outs from generation to generation, to put
a new emphasis on providing incentives for
getting off relief and to build a sense of
self reliance among relief recipients"
This is an ambitious program, and it
won't be easy to put into effect-Welfare is
shot through and through with politics, for
the sad reason that the vote of someone who
makes a career of living off the public trea-
sury is as valuable as the vote of anyone
else. But 1T is program that is sorely
needed-and that is long overdue.
<&SoS>
KENNEDY ON RAISES
President John Kennedy has asked for
pay raises for all federal employees. The
cost would run into the billions. 1t is doubt
full if Congress will pass such legislation at
this session, which would mean an average
pay increase of almost ten per cent
The President says he is asking for the
wage increases to bring federal salaries up
to the private industry level. That is the
famous line used to justify federal pay in
creaSeS.
1t is popular argument among govern
ment employees and it sounds plausible
enough until it is closely scrutinized But
close examination shows that federal ser
vice should not bring pay equal to that OF
private industry
The truth is Of course, that in the lower
job levels, federal pay is higher than COM
parable work in private businesses. Many
clerks, secretaries and various other types
draw nice pay checks for doing very little,
in fact
Private industry, however, pays those
executives, and others, who produce, and
who create profits and capital, more-quite
Often-than the government pays many of
its abler servants.
This is only right. Government service
has never been an inducement to Americans
on the grounds that one can make more mon
ey, or as much, as in private business-if he
succeeds. 1t never should be an inducement
on this ground.
Government service carries with it many
benefits. 1t gives the employed security,
plenty of holidays and sick leave, regular
hours and regular pay check.S Retirement
benefits are fine and there are seldom any
layoffs, to speak of, once an employee gets
his name on Uncle SANS payroll.
The Presidents proposal is based on a
false premise. 1t is infationary and ill-tim-
ed, though some raises may well be in order.
N>o~N~>
TOWARD SOCIALISM?
Quite lot is heard these days about
the various proposals of the Kennedy Ad-
ministration leading the country down the
road to socialism, which in turn will turn
into Communism.
Some people have become so disturbed
by the illusion that they are over-estimating
the socialism involved and misreading or
distorting history.
The United States is about the least So
cialistic of all the leading demoncracies. The
programs adopted by President Franklin D.
Roosevelt in the 1905 (the New DeaD
were largely the same reforms, in most
cases, which European democracies had
adopted shortly after the turn of the CEN
tury.
The truth is that because the United
States was a rapidly growing and rich,
young country, the labor unions-the work
ers-did not organize and develop political
power in this country as quickly as they did
in other demOcracieS, even though the in
dustrial revolution made a profund impact
on the United States.
The creeping socialism all Of us worry
about at times is not the threat some would
have us believe. The money spent for social
security, various benefits, subsidies, ETC., in
the United States amounted to per cent
of the gross national product in the last
tabulation 1850. The per cent in Canada
was 81 per cent, West Germany 12.1 per
cent, England, 11.2 per cent, France 16.5
per cent, etc.
In other words, claims that we have
abandoned the free enterprise system and
are on the road to all-out socialism are not
factual. AS compared to the other, advanc-
ed industrial nations of the world, United
States policy is actually conservative We
have and have had some socialism, the var
iOus social programs-maybe one or two too
many-but we are not going down the road