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Show Don't trade unemployment for socialism Now that the Democratic National Convention is in the history books, it is a good time to take a hard look at a major plank of that party's platform that could be devastating if it becomes national policy. The plan calls for a reduction of adult unemployment rate to 3 percent within four years. On its face, that goal is laudable enough. No one likes unemployment. unem-ployment. The prblem is that behind the mild-sounding Democratic plank lies a horrendous proposal called the Humphrey-Hawkins Bill, which has become a keystone measure on Capitol Hill among a wide swath of democrats. Humphrey-Hawkins (named for its sponsors, Sen. Hubert Humphrey of Minnesota and Rep. Augustus F. Hawkins of California), in essence proposes to repeal the business cycle and limit unemployment to 3 percent by making the government the employer of last resort. The bill's sponsors don't bother filling in the details - that little matter is left to the White House. It is estimated that Humphrey-Hawkins could increase the federal budget by around $45 billion. Persons employed in the private sector, if not satisfied with their wages, under the bill could quit their jobs and demand that Uncle Sam hire them at the highest prevailing wage rates for their specialties. A common figure on Capitol Hill is that an estimated 10 million workers now making less than the highest wages in private jobs would become unemployed so they could go to work for the government. In a year when major political candidates have fallen by the wayside because of their close ties to Washington, it seems incredible in-credible that such a bill as Humphrey-Hawkins could be riding as high as it now is. The bill is a monument to the power of special interest groups at the expense of the public as a whole. In this case, the groups pushing Humphrey-Hawkins hardest are labor leaders and blacks - abetted by many Democrats. Jimmy Carter himself is on record favoring one recent version of the bill, which has been amended over, and over. Although the nation's unemployment rate rose in June for the first time since September, its general trend is still clearly downward. It would be a tragedy of major proportions -unleasing an inflation rate seldom" if ever seen in this country - to abort the current economic progress with anything akin to Humphrey-Hawkins. Everyone wants a lower rate of unemployment. But no reasonable person wants to trade unemployment especially an improving rate of unemployment - for blatant socialism. |