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Show Up to the States President Eisenhower belongs to that fast-growing group of authorities who believe that one way to b:1ng tax reduction is for the states to assume responsibility for some of the costly activities that are now carried on by the federal government. ' The President proposes a "task force for action" which would be a three-pronged job: "To designate functions func-tions which the states are ready and willing to assume and finance, that are now performed or financed wholly or in part by the federal government, to recommend the federal fed-eral and state revenue adjustments required to enabln the states to assume such function in the future and to recommend rec-ommend the level of state effort or federal effort, or both, that will be needed to assure effective action." As specific examples of programs in which there should be greater state participation, the President cited slum clearance and disaster relief. It is an obvious fact hat the federal government can only spend money which it has first taken from the people peo-ple and the enterprises of the states. It is also a fact that a substantial proportion of that money is absorbed by federal fed-eral administrative overhead and that in most instances the states would get more concrete return out of each dol lar if they did the work themselves. Moreover, the money saving, important as it is, would be only a part of the benefits that would result. If the states knew they had to do their own financing, they'd examine spending proposals with much more critical eyes instead of seeking government aid for all manner of unnecessary un-necessary projects. Then, best of all, there would be reaffirmation re-affirmation of the largely forgotten principle that local needs should be met so far as possible by local action a pri dple which lies at the heart of f.ee, representative government. |