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Show SOME FACTS BEHIND THE TUE THEPRESIDENT'S TUEPRESIDENT'S THEPRESIDENT'S THEPRESIDENTS PRESIDENT'S PRESIDENTS ' ' ECONOMY MOVE MOVE"When J " , .J J . , - . , - . - , - _ _ _ _ "When When " the federal government clos- clos cbs- cbs closed cbsccl clos closed - ed ccl its books for the fiscal sear 3ear ear 1932 1932the , the American people v . were vere ere shocked to tolearn tolearn tolearn learn that total rotal revenues from fro from income incometaxesindividual Incometaxesindividual incometaxes taxes-individual taxes individual - - individual and corporate com com- corn- corn comblneddid cornbineddid combined - blned-did blned did bined-did bined bined - - did not quite cover all the thecosts thecosts thecosts costs of the Veterans ' Adminlstrahon Administration Administrationseivices Administrationsei Adminlstrahonsel sel seivices vices for the twelve t\\elve t elve telve \ months just justended justended justended ended Incredible as it seemed seemed1 , the thefigures thefigures thefigures figures " were "ere ere Indisputable . Income-ta'C Income ta'C taC Income-tax tax Incometa'Ccollections Incometaxcollections Income-taxcollections Income taxcollections - ' collections for the year , as OfficIally OfficIallyreported officiallyreported officiallyreported reported by the Secretary of the theTreasury theTreasury theTreasury Treasury , were $1,057,335,853 1057335853 $ , , , , , while the thecombined thecombined thecombined combined disbursements for vet veLrans veterans'pensions veteranspensions rans ' pensions , hospitall hospitalizatlon hospitalization t1on , disability dlsablUty disablflty ' al- al allowances allowances al allowances - - lowances , construction , bonwr bonus pay- pay payments paymenU pay payments - ments menU , and administrative expenses expensescame expensescame expensescame came to ro the neat sum of $1.064,268,966 1.064268966 1064268966 $1,064,268.966 1064268.966 $1,064,268,966 $1.064,268,966"If $1,064,268.966"If $1,064,268,966"l $ . , , , . "l l "If If " ! we may assume that existing exttthg existinglaws exttthglaws existinglaws laws will not be fUl tuither fuither ther 'l1bera1 l1bera1 'liberalized1- 'liberalized1 liberalized1 'liberalized1to 'liberalized liberalized ' z d- d dto ' - to use the " word "ord ord ord of pension lobbyists in inWashingtonthe inWashingtonthe inWashington Washington-the Washington the - the grand total tctal oV oft f , all alloutlays alloutlays alloutlays outlays for World War veterans veteran from fromNovember fromNovember fromNovember November 1918 to the end of 1949 WIll WIllcome willcome willcome come to the magnificent magnUicent figure of of$35000000000 of35000000000 $35000 35000 $35 35 $ 000 000 000 Such , a regiment of ofciphers ofciphers ofciphers ciphers defies the imagination unag1nntion . . . "Let Let " us , therefore , try to visualize it itin itin itin in a way that will convey to our minds mindsjust mindsjust mindsjust just how much money that really is isPicture IsPicture isPicture Picture a house costing $10,000 10000 $ , Very Verywell Verywell Verywell well , the thc sum would provide 3500,000 3500000 3500,000of 3 500,00 50000 500,00of 500,000of 500000of , of them Spaced on fifty-foot fifty foot - lots lotsthey , they " would "ould ould line a l ( street 33,143 33143 , miles mUes long , or , to ro put it ; another anot.her . way , that thatmuch thatmuch . much money " would "ould ould ould build eleven soUd solid soUdrows solidrows solidrows rows of such houses between'New'ork betweenNework between'New'orkand between 'Newr'York NewrYork 'Newr'Yorkand " ' ' "New New ' sYorkand ' and San Francisco ITanc1sco , without allowance allowancefor allowancefor allowancetor for street intersections More than thanonesixth thanonesixth than.one-sixth than.onesixth than.one thanone sixth . one-sixth one sixth - of this imaginary hnngmary BonuS BonusBoulevard BonusBoulevard ' ? Boulevard is already completed completec compieted " " ' . "The The 'The The job was done chiefly by thE tha thaexservice thacx-servicc thacx servicc : ) eA-scrvice eA scrvice ex-service ex service - guild , a high-powered high powered - min- min minolity mmoilty min mm- mm minority - - ority olity oilty group which at its maximum maximummembership maximum.membership maximummembership . . membership in 1927 numbered consid consid- considerably considerably considerably - - erably less than 1 per r cent of the pop- pop popuhtIon popul'tion pop population - ulation uhtIon ul'tion ultion ' . . What Wbat Is 'rnore rnore ' more , this group groupreprcsented grouprepresented grouprepresented reprcsented represented o a , u minority unorty m1norty norty ) of the veteran9 veterans veteran9themselves veteransthemselves veteransthemselves themselves , for if 1.t 1t 1t . , has bias gas never included includedas as many as one-fourth one fourth one-fpurth one fpurth - of the tohl totL tohlArmy totLArmy tot-tLArmy tot tLArmy , - Army and Navy N'avy ' e enlistments istments betwc"n betwcn betwe'n betwen betwc"nApril betwe'Ti.April betweTi.April betweTiApril " ' ' . . April 6 , 1917 , and November ovembcr 1Tovember 11 , 1918- 1918 1918From 1918 916 916Yrom " - -From From -Yrom Yrom - From The Veteran Racket , by by'Lavi- by'Lavi byLavi by'Lavienco byLav * ' LI\\1- LI 1 LI1cnco : . \ i-cnco i cnco - - cnco enco Sullivan Sul11\an Sul11 an Sullian \ , in the April Atlantic AtlanticMonthly AtlanticMonthly AtlanticMonthly Monthly . - |