Washington News
Washington, D. C. ? The new
Congreas. meeting January 9th,
will almost certainly go alow on
much of the Kennedy Adminis
tration program. The easiest
bills to pass were passed in the
first Kennedy Congress and, ex
cept in the Senate, sentiment
hasn't been changed a lot by the
recent elections.
One of the big issues is fed
eral aid to education. The Pres
ident's bill is not likely to be
passed by this Congress, mainly
becauae of an effort by some to
get public money for their pa
rochial schools ? and the result
ing opposition from the major
ity.
The truth is that the wall be
tween church and state, as we
have observed it, has been crack
ed steadily by Congress on the
educational front for many
years. And although, ironically,
President John Kennedy is a
Roman Catholic, opposing pub
lic money for parochial *chools,
Congress almost opened the door
to it at its last session.
For the first time in the coun
try's history the people of the
United States have a Catholic
leader in both house of Con
gress and a Catholic President.
Speaker John McCormack, in
the House, Is considered an ad
vocate of public aid to paro
chial school*. Senator Mike
Mansfield, Senate Majority
Leader, was apparently going
along last summer with a com
promise which would have op
ened the door.
Would President John Ken
nedy, himself a Catholic, have
vetoed such a bill? Some Cath
olics thought not. But Kennedy
has not dodged this Issue and
he has repeatedly expressed the
view that public funds cannot
constitutionally be allocated to
private or religious schools.
Congress is set to get around
this ? on the college level ? by
voting a program of student aid.
This would give the money to
the student and let him turn it
over to the school.
Congress was also getting set
to circumvent the issue on th?
construction question by merely
stating that public money given
to private and parochial schbols
could not be used for religious
purposes. This was attacked as
a flim-flam. Many took it to be
nothing but a play on words, for
obviously money, given a priv
ate college or university for
construction could be allotted
to "non-religious" buildings, and
MOTOR PARTS
AXT> SUPPLY CO.
the caUef* or university could
use the money it would have
applied in this direction (or re
ligimm purposes.
This will be a big and quiet
isue in the new Congress.
The President will push hos
pital care for the aged but his
medicare program seems doom
ed by the 1802 vote.
Foreign aid seems sure to be
trimmed. A campaign against
it has already been started by
the Congressman who probably
knows more about it than any
other ? Otto Passman, Louisiana
Democrat, who leads the house
group which screens the pro
gram.
Defense spending is expect
ed to go up ? by about three bil
lion dollars. Yet little new hard
ware is being acquired. The
bulk of this money goes to in
creased operational cost a and
pay and allowances and retire
ment ? though some goes for re
search and o-it-r space work.
Public works spending will
be high and there may not be
the tax cut most taxpayers have
been expecting. If Congress
does vote one, as President
Kennedy has suggested, it may
be less than anticipated and it
may not take effect until July,
instead of January, 1963. The
Congress is generally expected
to be a middle-of-the-run Con
gress, and even avid liberals
know any new march toward the
New Frontier will have to await
the 1964 elections when Presi
dent Kennedy will be running
again.
The business news of recent
weeks has dissipated just about
all expectation of a recession in
the first half of 1063. The gen
eral opinion now is that busi
ness will continue on a satisfac
tory level, at worst, in the first
half of 1963. Some few econ
omists predict a minor down
turn in mid-1963, but most of
them expect a pick-up later in
1962.
No boom is forecast but good
business is expected for the
year 1963 as a whole.
The American Foundation
for the Blind conducts one of
the most extensive deaf-blind
workshops in the United States.
Besides offering in - service
training for teachers of deaf
blind children, the AFB also
gives direct counsel to their
parents, while providing num
erous scholarships for these
doubly handicapped young
people.
Soviet party demands consum
er goods stress.
Smithey's Store
Appealers Are Cooperating In Seat Belt Crusade
?MMMBBBkMiiiliiHi - i2 i aiy. s_ki '
Raleigh. ? North Carolina new
car dealen are continuing their
support in the nationwide "Wo
men'* Crusade for Seat Bealt*,"'
Bessie B. Ballentine, executive
secretary of the North Carolina
Dealers Association, said this
week.
Automobile dealers through
out the state are cooperating
with the North Carolina Federa
tion o f Women's Clubs in the
crusade to aid in attaining in
creased seat belt use by all car
owners, according to Mrs. Bal
lentine. The campaign will con
clude at the end of this month.
Goal of the crusade is "Two mil
lion and two in '62."
Mrs. Joe Teague of Smith
field, safety chairman for the
North Carolina Federation of
Women's Clubs, suggests that
we "give safety for Christmas"
by purchasing seat belts.
In pointing out some of the
advantages of regular seat belt
use, Mrs. Ballentine stated that
an automotive seat belt is the
most effective single item of
protective equipment presently
available to help reduce the toll
of traffic injuries and deaths.
"The chances of being killed
in an accident are five times
greater if you are thrown from
a vehicle. A seat belt will help
keep you in the car and thus
avoid that 'second' crash of im
pact in an accident," she said.
"Many people mistakenly be
lieve they do not need to use
seat belts because they drive
mostly in their own communi
tic* rather than on long trip"."
she continued. "But, research
findings show that three out of
four traffic accidents involving
injury or death occur at speeds
of less than 40 miles an hour."
Aiding the sponsoring groups
in their seat belt crusade are
the National Automobile Deal
er* Association, the North Car
olina Automobile Dealers As
sociation, automobile and tire
manufacturers, American Medi
cal Association. American Seat
Belt Council, American Truck
ing Association, Automotive
Safety Foudation, Kiwanis In
ternational, National Highway
User* Conference, National
Safety Council, National Tire
Dealers and Retreaders Associ
ation, Outdoor Advertising Asso
ciation, Inc., U. S. Junior Cham
ber of Commerce, and U. S.
Public Health Service? Accident
Prevention Division.
The crusade provide* public
support lor the "Action Pro
gram" of the President's Com
mittee for Traffic Safety.
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