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UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Tuesday, October 10, 1967
Congress vs. the President
Congress and the President are currently playing political handball with the taxpayer's well-being. Neither side is winning. On another court, politics and rational economics are competing in an equally deadlocked match. In the stands, however, an innocent bystander—that taxpayer—is threatened with economic defeat.
Lyndon Johnson has asked Congress to approve his proposed 10 per cent income tax surcharge to curb inflationary trends. But many Republican Congressmen, especially in the House of Representatives, are saying they won't vote for the surcharge unless a pending administrative appropriations bill contains a measure directing the President to cut federal spending this year by $5 billion.
It is a political game played with an eye cn the upcoming elections.
If the Republicans succeed in ordering federal spending decreases, they could point with pride to their thrifty actions against the spend-thrift Democratic administration. Also, the Republicans would have a logical lever for reducing the requested 10 per cent surcharge to, say, five per cent since decreases in federal spending, like income tax increases, also retard inflation. Therefore, the strategists may be reasoning, the Republican party could save taxpayers' money two ways . . . and win votes.
However, there is little hope that the President and Congress could agree on significant spending cuts, much less where the trimming should be done. Neither side wishes to cut popular federal programs. And although both parties hate to raise income taxes, each would enjoy maneuvering the other into a position of blame for the unpopular move.
That political reluctance to raise income taxes may eventually cost the taxpayer more than the cut itself. Observe;
Current economic philosophy says the nation's economy may be stimulated by cutting taxes to increase consumer buying power. If, however, the stimulus proves too strong and inflation sets in, the philosophy dictates that buying power be diminished by increasing income taxes.
Now, enter politics and the current situation. In 1966, experts recommended a tax increase because the Vietnam war was costing twice what was projected, thus dramatically increasing inflationary dangers in a naturally inflation-prone war-time economy. The President chose not to request increased income taxes. It was an election year.
Today, with another election in sight, the economies of expanded war have accelerated these inflationary trends. The situation is worse; Johnson was forced to request a large tax increase.
The crucial point to the taxpayer is this: A smaller tax increase and smaller cut in beneficial federal programs in 1966, when they were first needed, would have saved the individual money in the long run.
But now the damaging economic forces are stronger and are proving more expensive to combat. Those forces now have the upper hand. In 1966, however, the nation's leaders had the edge—but political motives overruled rational economic performance.
In short, the past two years and the past two months have raised an important question. Is effective economic management for the U.S. possible when political fortunes become the managers' primary concern?
If the answer is "no"—and that now seems to be the case—the taxpayer-voter will suffer unjustly in the crossfire of those political games.
- Allan Northcutt, Editorial Editor
Letters to the editor
Vietnamese communist victims?
To the Editor:
No war was ever fought by this country that everybody was in favor of. President John Adams once said that only one third of the people were in favor of the Revolutionary War; one third were neutral; and one third were Tories. Many educated folks and folks who owned much property opposed the Revolutionary War.
The revolutionists were more dynamic and democratic in their thinkings and acts than the meek, docile and passive folks. The revolutionists believed in justice and honesty among individuals and nations more than the neutrals and Tories. When will the communists believe in honesty and justice for individuals and nations more than they do now?
"I Am Hurt; A Plague O' Both Your Houses!"
The Civil War improved the quality of democracy in this country by teaching the rebels that what they could not win by peaceful methods they could not win by violence and war. It was those who believed in slavery that sacked the city of Lawrence and killed many folks in hate and malice.
Slavery, dueling, ignorance and poverty used to be tolerated in this country. Piracy used to be practiced on the high seas. This country in its infancy stopped piracy against our ships in the Mediterranean Sea by Algerians without the help of other countries.
Folks should be friendly with their neighbors, and nations that are neighbors should be friendly. A robber is just as much a criminal as a gang. A mob can be a whole nation because it follows the wrong leadership, and so are the communists.
The Monroe Doctrine was adopted by this country without asking the other nations in this hemisphere if they wanted our protection, and without asking other nations to help us enforce it. It applied to the poor nations, the uncivilized and the undemocratic the same as to the best ones. Our firemen and policemen protect the lives and property of the bad folks the same as the good folks.
We do not have to ask folks if they want protection from murderers, robbers, fires and floods. Because the folks in Vietnam are poor and weak and far from us, should they be the victims of the communists?
LITTLE MAN ON CAMPUS
Roy Knapp White City, Kan. Class of 1917
NOW GET OUT THERE AND JUSTIFY THE FAITH IN YOU YOUR FATHER'S FINANCIAL SUPPORT HAS GIVEN ME.
The Hill With It by john hill
"Hey, man," said the hippie, leaning against the doorway of the public relations office, "are you the cat in P.R.? Is that your bag?"
"Hello!" said the little man in the gray flannel suit who jumped up from his desk, "Manny's the name, public relations the game! What can I do for you, promotion-wise?"
"Well, other cats like me," he said, gesturing to his own long hair, beard, sandals, and beads, "are always gettin' bugged by lotsa other cats. We get kinda bad press, you know?"
"I think I understand. You want to change the 'ol image, cat-wise. Fine, fine! Well, let's you and I turn on the 'ol think-tanks, toss a few ideas around the 'ol ball park, and see if we can't shake a peach of an image off the 'ol tree."
"Well, that's not exactly—"
"Don't worry about a thing!" assured the P.R. man, jerking his thumb at the 'ol wall. "I didn't get the 'ol diploma-roony for nothing."
The hippie was snowed.
"Now." said Manny, as he began to nibble on the end of a pencil, "about the way you dress, and your long hair and sandals. If market analysis was to run it up the 'ol flagpole, I don't think we'd get very much, salute-wise."
"It's my thing, man," said the hippie simply.
"That's another thing," said Manny, chewing on the pencil,
"your jargon, as it were. Words like 'bag' and 'thing' just don't sell. No zest, no pa-zazz! Couldn't you get a different word for bag? How about 'sack' or 'carton'? Maybe 'family-size, ecom'—"
"You don't dig it, man. That's how it is. I gotta tell it like it is, you know?"
"Oh, sure, sure. But there's something I think we can work with, phrase-wise. What's the one about turning . . ."
"Yeah. Tune in, turn on, drop out.
"Yeah, that's it," he said, finishing the pencil and licking his fingers. "Now, that little number's got a lot going for it. If we throw it down the 'ol well, we should get a lot, splash-wise."
"Man, you straight people don't—"
"Now when we tell all the folks out there in teeyv-land to . . . uh . . . turn in, tune out, and drop off, that is, turn off, tune out, and drop in sometime, I mean—"
"Hey man," said the hippie, as he turned to go, "maybe this wasn't a good thing, you know? Well, thanks, and stay cool."
"Wait a minute!" yelped Manny, "We still got lots of ideas in the 'ol dugout that we haven't even sent in to pinch-hit yet, shortstop-wise. Let's take your snappy little turning off phrase and make a little jingle out of it, Doublemint-wise, and—"
"Thanks, man, but this will just get you all flipped out. Stay loose," said the hippie, and left.
"But you've got to understand," whined Manny, to himself,
"It's just not my container."
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY kansan
Newsroom—UN 4-3646 Business Office—UN 4-3198
Published at the University of Kansas daily during the academic year except holidays and examination periods. Mail subscription fees semester, $10 a year. Second class postage paid at Lawrence, Kan. 68044. Mail services and employment advertised offered to all students without regard to their credit or national origin. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the University of Kansas or the State Board of Regents.
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