Show r r 0 THE ENE VOICE OF BUSINESS Needed Welfare Reform Must Most Be Realistic By Dy ARCH N. N BOOTH Executive Vice president of ot the Chamber of ot Commerce of ot the United States Americas America's achievement In putting a aman aman aman man on the moon has proved to us once again that the human mind can solve complex problems ITS IT'S ENCOURAGING to know this Inthe Inthe in inthe the light of the many difficult problems we are up against these days But it also proves that If you are arc going to solve any problem big or little you must take into consideration all of I the facts involved THIS IS where the proponents of the Family Assistance Plan II If R. R 1 which has passed the House and is being considered by the Senate have gotten off to a wrong start The bill is intended to reform the present disastrous welfare system Itc Reform orm Is sorely needed No one can deny And lI II U R. R RM 1 rc reflects m much cf hard thought and contains many T l features 1 J I H HITS ITS WEAKNESS however Is that t t Jb disregards certain key facts about about pov erty the economy and human nature If enacted Into law II II H. II It 1 would make welfare a way of life IT WOULD guarantee an annual income in come to a new group of about eight million working poor who at present do not qualify for welfare It would nearly double the number of persons on welfare increasing the number num ber from 13 million to more than 25 million IT WOULD cost the federal state and local governments about billion a year to begin with But the costs would go up In the future because once you start guaranteeing an annual income you are arc never guaranteeing enough The The businessmen of America as represented represented by the National Chamber federation federation feder feder- atlon strongly favor welfare reform WE WOULD like to welfare see reform reform re re- form however th that t is based on the actual facts in the case and not noton on political expediency or 01 wishful thinking To bring the facts to light and to tomake tomake tomake make them available to Congress the White House and the public the the Cham Charm Chamber ber commissioned two eminent econom economists econom fists to make an objective study of the effects of an guaranteed income on work incentive The experts who made th study are Alfred J J. Telia Tella research professor of economists at G Georgetown University and his wife Dorothy economic consul tant with the Univ University's Income Main M Project THE STUDY was based on data compiled com com- compiled piled by the Bureau of the Census for forthe forthe forthe the Office of Economic Opp Opportunity The findings show thatA that A guaranteed income plan Would make the welfare problem worse rather than solve It it Male family heads would keep kep on working but would work fewer lewer hours Female family heads in most cases would withdraw from the labor force and stop working A GUARANTEED income plan would be self self defeating defeating because it would undermine undermine un dermine work Incentives It would impose im pose a heavy burden on the taxpayer But it would not encourage the able able- bodied person to to help himself and to get off oU welfare It would not reduce poverty We must have welfare reform The welfare problem must be solved But nut the only way In which this problem like the problem of landing on the moon or any other problem can be solved is ison Jn the 11 basis of I the facts in In inthe the case I j I 1 THIS you as a taxpayer i yo i comm community and the whole l country want to find out more moreao ao about t It it from Yo your r congressman You may even want to let your congressman congress man know your views views' on it It |