Show GRASSROOTS Our Oar Posterity May Mai Have To 1 o Repudiate Huge He Debts By Wright A. A Patterson THE PHE HE PRESENT DECADE is destined destined des- des J- J tined lined to go down as the most profligate in our history In Washington Washington Washington Wash Wash- ington the halls of congress and andin andin andin in the executive departments there is talk only of economies but it is all talk and no action The President talks an excellent line of economy He tells congress to spend less on home projects and then recommends new ways and arid places for appropriations Congress Congress Congress Con Con- gress talks much about the need for economies and then votes alland all alland alland and more than the President has asked It results in a merry go round of tax and tax and tax and spend and spend In the end we are arc destined not to pay as we go but to build up more national indebtedness indebted indebted- ness for our children through several several several sev sev- eral generations to pay or possibly to repudiate We are traveling the road to national bankruptcy with no one willing to apply the brakes Congress insists It will cut the Presidents President's budget by as much as seven billions the President dares congress to cut It by hy so much as one dollar And the chances are arc that instead Instead In In- stead of cutting congress will by the end of It the session through the needless items provided provided pro pro- vided for In the usual pork bill add more millions or bil bil- lions For many years through pork appropriations we have attempted what we have termed flood control without any perceptible approach to actual accomplishment and we will have similar appropriations at the end of this session The result will be increased rather than less spending But the people do not seem to awaken to the fact that congress and the President are spending their money that each new billion of appropriations calls for more taxes which the people must pay more ways through which to collect Now in Washington they are talking talking talking talk talk- ing about a manufacturers' manufacturers excise tax which would mean a new tax to be added to the price of the commodities the people buy It is not that such a tax is not equitable It is but another way of taking money money out of the pockets of the people to pay for things we could get along without We tax the thc people on the food they cat eat in order that congress may provide higher prices for farm products and so cater to the farm vote without a thought of or the retaliation tion that may come from the five urban votes to each one on the farms That Thatis is a place where the urban vote will in time demand a decrease decrease decrease de de- de- de crease in expenditures When that urban revolt comes as asIt asIt asit It will it will make a difference of ofa a billion or more in government spending One place where economy could be practiced rather than only talked is in the federal payrolls With the bureaucratic departments I now employing well over two million million mil mil- million lion civilians and increasing at the i rate of better than one thousand i a day that army represents a vast expenditure each year For the Presidents President's party that more than two million bureaucratic represents from four to eight million million million mil mil- lion votes in the next election Naturally Nat Nat- ur ur lly the representatives of that party in congress will do nothing about it it The Republicans in congress would welcome the opportunity of separating that more than two mil mil- million million lion employees from the federal payrolls if that could be accomplished accomplished accomplished without abolishing the jobs they hold They would like to dispense dispense dispense dis dis- dis- dis pense with the present job holders presumably members of the Democratic Democratic Democratic Demo Demo- cratic party but they want to pre pre- preserve preserve preserve serve their jobs so they may be filled with their own partisans following following following fol fol- fol- fol lowing the next election election it if their party wins They are more interested Interested interested inter Inter- ested In building a bulwark of votes that can insure their hold on the national government than in national national national na na- economy So it is that for one reason or another there is no real desire for economy either on the part of the President or either party as represented represented rep rep- represented resented In congress What we hear is only meaningless talk There has been and will be no real perform perform- ance There is no leadership pointing point ing in that direction by the President President President dent or the members of congress represented by either political par par- ty All AU ar are playing the game of at politics politics poli poll tics rather than thinking of the Interests interests in In- of the nation and its people Should the people awaken and realize realize real real- ize what is happening one or both parties might be induced to take action rather than only talk |