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Show Friday, August 25, 196L SOUTH SALT LAKE HERALD Page 2 FIRST- - tU individual, under GoJ' ? law?, with certain unaliena Lie right?. Entered as 2nd Class Matter at the Post Office in Salt Lake City, Utah, under the Act of March 3, 1879. Published weekly on Friday. By Mail Payable in Advance Subscription Rates 1 in U.S.A., 33.50 Elsewhere $3 in Utah, year, Anywhere 10 cents Single Copy, Published Weekly at 2185 South 9th East IN 6-2- No. 34 Vol. 24 Editorial The Foreign Aid Program The foreign aid bill is still under discussion and the first of this week hope was expressed that essentials of the Presidents program could be salvaged. The job for a joint conference committed at present is to hammer out a bill reconciling differences over the amount, duration and method of financing the plan. Committee sessions started Wednesday and probably will continue for a week or more, it was stated in a news dispatch. But the picture is the same no matter the format finally agreed upon. Were going to have a new aid program and more billions are to be poured in the wake of many other billions that have been shoveled into many countries of the world. There seems to be no reason to believe that the same problems which have existed will not continue. It might be well to review some angles of the problem and to recall Editor and Publisher John S. Knights words of several years ago when he said: This global crisis cannot be cured by putting patches on a pre-wworld the American idea that we can cure everything with a few billion aid dollars, a few Madison Avenue advertising stunts, a few divisions and bomber bases abroad all without sacrifice of luxury living at home is insane. About the same time, Scripps-Howar- d foreign editors observed that Our democracy is not exportable. Democracy is indigenous, or it is nothing. We can help others achieve it, but not by trying to make our brand fit divergent heritages and different conditions. We cannot, buy allies. Military aid should be concentrated on genuine allies those determined to fight for their own freedom. Let us remember the simplest fact of all: America is not God. There is a limit to our capacity and our responsibility. We cannot run the world. We cannot set it right. The records show that our dollars probably did help some European countries immediately after the war to get on their own industrial feet, provide jobs and raise the economic level and, incidentally, to compete with us in world markets. But the records also show that many billions have gone down the drain in a very many other countries, d especially in the parts of the world. There has been glib talk for years and the tune goes on and on that we must fight against world poverty, and that our concern is with social as well as economic changes. All of us, of course, are against poverty and illness and illiteracy but, except for the purest generalities, we hear very few words about trying to convince these governments to change their own social and economic viewpoints which, after all, have been responsible in great measure for policies that in no way have looked toward helping their own people. Yet we continue, and now are going to continue, to pour out money American taxpayers money to many foreign governments whose collapse has been brought about by their own selfish and unsound handling of affairs within their own countries. We must not lose sight of the fact that the money we give could go down a thousand all over the world if its spending is not accompanied by drastic reforms within a lot of countries getting our dollars. The primary aim of this aid, so the President has said, is not to serve our own political or security needs, but to preserve the independence of the nations helped so that peace may be brought to the world. Yet, at the start of our world aid in 1947 is was generally stated and accepted that at least one of the main objectives was directly concerned with our own national security. These words about independence and world peace are logical words and they come easy to say. But the question is will they be effective when the results are in? Will their idealistic premises be carried out? Can they be carried out realistically? Or will we simply dole out more and more funds to countries that will retain their present governmental status quo or, perhaps, will we back the wrong ar under-develope- rat-hol- es T-Bo- ne Steaks and French Pastries In Food Program v From the Ft. Lauderdale (Fla.) Daily News ' The old rule of give them an inch and they will take a mile always holds good in bureaucratic activities. Wei--fa- re Schemes start out in a modest way always intended for the The innogood of the people. cent and benevolent public goes along with the schemes little dreaming as to how far away horses In high places? Were supposed to give this aid from the original concept the profrom here on out only when it is gram will drift. matched by the respective governments helped, in money and sacrifice. The onus is: Will we do this or will we continue to give no matter whether they hold up their own ends of the bargain or not. In analyzing this foreign aid business we also cannot lost sight of the fact that any form of compulsory aid, which our aid program is, is a violation of mans basic rights. It is destructive to those the best interests of all who give as well as those who receive. No one can object to voluntary aid. It is right that individuals or groups share their substance and wealth with those in need. But thats a quite different story. We must remember, too, and the records are clear, that our aid program, since its inauguration in 1947, has not won us friends abroad. Rather, there have been many evidences that it has brought us contempt, and it has been obvious that it has whetted the appetites of foreign governments for more of our money. It has decreased rather than increased the incentive of millions to help themselves. But this is not exceptional if well but recall what happened to so many of our own people when our dole was started immediately after the great depression. It is just human nature to lose incentive when gifts are used to replace individual effort One objective of our aid program in the past has been to build up the industrial and general economic areas of foreign nations whether they may be industrially conscious or ready for it or not in the belief that we are building up potential customers for our surplus goods. The records show the opposite. By means of foreign aid we have built up the productive capacities of rivals to such a degree that we have lost many foreign customers and, as we can see on every hand, are being inundated with competitive merchandise made in other lands. Those who oppose foreign aid and who have gone into the background of its operation are also right in having a logical distrust of arming foreign powers when there is little assurance that these arms will ever be used in our protection or defense but could be used against us. These are facts that cannot be brushed aside by those who have been so eager to send our tax dollars into diverse corners of the world. One thing is sure we at home are going to have to bury our heads deeper in the sand of taxation to pay the bill whether we like it or not. The money has to come out of our pockets. Some food for thought still lies in the kettle as to whether it is more advantageous for us, as a nation, to continue to sacrifice (and sacrifice is going to be necessary) for people who have the wrong kinds of leaders, or for ourselves in an effort to mend some of our own fences which, it is certain we can admit, need fixing. For, as was said earlier, there is a limit to our capacity and responsibility. These are just some of the things to keep our eyes on as the new aid program becomes Currently we have the food stamp plan running in the country, the program having been rushed in by the administration to aid stricken areas. Detroit was labeled as one of those stricken areas, although unemployment there is subject to annual peaks and low points because of the nature of the automobile business and its changes in models. Now the public was first given the idea that these food stamp programs were designed to supply needed supplies taken from Uncle Sams stock of surplus food. In the meantime someone in Washington decided that a test program must be run in Detroit by the government under a new system designated to improve the diets as well. Dr. Thomas J. Hailstones, Ph.D. who is on the staff at Xavier University in Cincinnati, and who syndicates his articles through his Economic Research Service, reports on the Detroit plan as folsix-mon- th lows: The old plan provided for the distribution of surplus food only, such as butter, lard, flour, etc. But, according to the new food stamp program, eligible families can obtain practically any type of food on the grocers shelf includsteak and French pasing in tries exchange for food stamps. The only items excluded are tobacco, alcoholic beverages and other items considered as nonedibles. Imported foods, such as bananas, coffee and tea not grown in the United States, are also exT-bo- The plan works this way: families receive a part of' their relief check in stamps, and. get a stamp bonus in addition. A family now receiving $20 per week, for example, will receive-onl$4 in cash with the remaining $16 being in stamps. They will receive in addition, however,, a 50 per cent stamp bonus of $8,.. making the total welfare payment $28 per week. For the low income families the stamp bonus plan varies with, the income and family size. A four person family with an income of $150 a month could purchase $28 worth of stamps every two weeks. They would receive-bonus of an extra $12 in stamps. If the family income is $220 a month, however, they could buy $34 worth of stamps. But, it . would receive only a $10 ne cluded. Although nearly all of Detroits 10,500 families on public welfare automatically fall under this program, others are also eligible. In fact, city officials estimate that another 46,000 low income and social security families are qualified to participate. It is expected, however, that only 60 per cent of them will participate. Some families will not be willing to tie up their funds in the y a stamp-bonus- , A family with a ten-pers- on $470 monthly income could purchase $46 worth of stamps for only $34, a $12 stamp bonus. Sliding scale is based on government figures by various families. Participants can use their stamps only at eligible stores, but most stores1 in the Detroit area have already qualified for the food stamp plan. The city welfare offices expect to distribute at least $200,000 stamps daily in the Detroit area. If the plan proves successful here and in the other test areas dur-t- he next six months, the federal government plans on expanding it in many other areas throughout the nation. There you have it. Dr. Hailstones, as always, takes no stand on the subject, releasing his information only on the basis of factual reporting. But the nation, at large, may well become alerted as to how far the bureaucrats are going on this matter. And the nation at large had best take a close look at what is going on in Utica and Newburgh, N.Y. Here the local officials, battling the state and federal bureaucrats, are trying to bring some sense into the program by citinsisting that any izen receiving federal handouts,, return the favor by performing a little service for his community in the form of some manual labor. The bureaucrats abhor these moves it upsets their timetable on the road to socialism. able-bodi- ed Browsing Through the News (Continued from Page 1) jor companies are engaged in the search for ways to make ocean or brackish water palatable or to available fresh water. A government expert estimates that by 1970 more than 1000 American cities will be forced to purify salt or brackish water for drinking re-u- se purposes. The Salt Lake County auditor has warned that a prolonged strike at Kennecott Copper Corp. would seriously reduce the tax revenues for the county. It would not affect this years mine valuations or tax revenues, but would affect next years, he said. Since 1957, the high year when mines valuation was $275 million, it has decreased drastically to $193 million in 1959, and $116 million in 1960. Another but that now he has changed his mind because of, as he said, Ken- nedys anti-Russia- n, speeches. Three million passengers passing through the Salt Lake City Municipal Airport Terminal Building in 1970 is the picture painted by Commissioner L. C. Romney. Last year 900,000 passed through the local airport. conThe first regional-counc- il ference held in the state by the Utah Congress of Parents and memTeachers drew 300 bers to the Mt. Jordan Junior High School last Friday. P-T- A Utah Power & Light Co. and subsidiaries have reported net income of $9,284,733 for 12 months ended July 31, 1961, compared with $9,286,244 for the previous comparable period. Who one for the An estimated 10 to 12 million Cares column. In Japan, Soviet Americans suffer from one of the Deputy Premier Mikoyan said heart and blood vessel diseases. that before the last November This same group of diseases causelection he thought Kennedy es about a million deaths each would make the best president year. |
