Page Two
THE NEW BERN MIRROR, NEW BERN, N. C.
Nday, February 23, 1973
m.
A few weeks ago the
President sent his budget
message to Congress with the
admonition that if it was in
creased, there would have to
new taxes.
By implication. Congress has
been painted as a spendthrift
and the President as a crusader
against unnecessary federal
spending. In his second
Inaugural Address, the
President went even further
when he urged Americans and
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nations abroad to exercise
greater self-reliance. He said
then: "abroad and at home, the
time has come to turn away
from the condescending policies
of pa ter na 1 ism —0f
"Washington knows best.’ ’’ Mr.
Nixon went on to say that we"
should not "presume to tell the
people of other nations how to
manage their own affairs."
Like everything else,
however, the scenario has now
changed and we find
Presidential envoy Henry A.
Kissinger announcing that the
U. S. and the Hanoi Government
have agreed on a' Joint
Economic Commission for
reconstruction of North Viet
nam. What this means is that
Administration now plans to ask
Congress for many billions of
dollars in unbudgeted monies to
give a communist regime that is
still in the process of releasing
American prisoners of war. But
to hear Administration
spokesmen you might think a
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new friendship has developed
’•with the Hanoi government.
Pronouncements are now
issued that this aid is "an in
vestment in peace."
All this is puzzling since it was
President Nixon who said some
stern things about foreign aid on
September 9, 1971, when he
came before Congrera to deliver
his wage and price message.
Then and now he has been
saying that spending increases
not accompanied by tax in
creases will start us on a spiral
of higher prices.
The sad fact about this
foreign aid proposal came at the
very time when the Ad
ministration was proposing a
plan to cut the Federal budget
to reduce benefits for amputees
and other disabled Vietnam
veterans. That plan has since
been withdrawn for "further
study” by the Administration,
but it points i|> the need for
sensible spending priorities.
I have said for many years
that foreign aid has contributed
greatly to the problems con
fronting our country. For too
long we have substituted
foreign aid for wise diplomacy.
The philosophy has grown
around the world that Uncle
Sam is a "soft touch” for
money. Aid is always justifled
by its advocates regai^ess of
the conduct of the recipients or
its results. In this case, it is
almost beyond belief that we
can justify borrowing money to
give to North Vietnam when we
must curtail hundreds of
domestic programs. Hie truth
of the matter is that for years
the Executive branch has made
it difficult for Congress to turn
down virtually any new
domestic proposals, because
our government has been giving
bUlions of dollars to foreign
governments for unjustifiable
projects.
I do not favor giving
reparations to North Vietnam.
To my mind it suggests that we
were wrong in waging war.
Besides, as everybody knows,
the Federal Government does
not have a single diluted copper
cent to give to any foreign
government. As a matter of
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fact, the national debt will rise
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even without aid to Hanoi.
If the President really wants
to hold the line on Federal
spending then he should b^in
with foreign aid.
U'ssrpn Mos i M :i 11 lo
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