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Never Forget That These Editorials, Are The Opinion Of One Man
The Unemployment Problem
wme oi rne great myths ot the moment
in the American economy is the “unem
ployment problem.” We repeat what has
been said here before; that the unemploy
ment problem is a combination of statistical
half truths and unemployable types who
should not glut the record books as bonafide
people in search of work,
We hear frequently about the five million
unemployed, but included in this frightening
figure are the “won’t, works,” the “can’t
works,” the “part-time works” and the true
“want works.” *
The “won’t works” include the 100 per
cent bums who “won’t work” on any kind of
job, and the larger collection who “won’t
work” unless they can pick the kind of job,
the pay scale, the working conditions and
fringe benefits that they demand.
The “can’t works” include the physically
and mentally unfit, who wander from job
to job,' pitiful, in need of help but unable
to remain gainfully employed at even ihe
most menial types of work.
The “part-time works" include the house
wife who helps out in a department store
during the Christmas rush, or during the
vacation season, the college student who
works in the summer, the seasonal worker
who only wants just enough work to get
on the compensation lists so he can take
the paid 26-week vacation guaranteed by
those who work SO weeks of the year and
get only a two-week vacation.
WhHe all these millions are being worried
about by the professional worriers there are
millions of jobs open, but.with no takers.
Try to hire a domestic in a city of any size
from 10,000 up.
We are inclined to believe that the. egali
tarian tripe that is being pumped into the
public by the schools, the church, the courts,
the news media, the politicians and other
fuzzy, thinkers is basically responsible for
this trend which sees people who are not
fit' for anyother type of working turning
up their nose at the only job they can real
ly ever be fitted for.
There is NO really serious employment
problem at this time in our country. And
ive say this despite all the figures to the
:ontrary.
Reform Not Enough
ed States badly needs is a completely new
program of taxation. The likelihood of get
ting a new tax program is remote} indeed
however.
*§ The United States government collects a
.far larger per cent of its overall taxes from
the income tax than any modern nation, and
such remarkable '^WdatitHal recoveries aa
ttiAOA nf fin riltonv 4ttai To tvs n Knsra CAtvia era
those of Germany And Japan have come in
"" climate far different than the Amer
We collect 83.4 pair cent of all federal
income tax, while Japan gets
nd Germany
ana tnen again as personal income.
This cuts off expansion capital and -
damages the will of those caught in this
category to take chances on new products, '
new methods or new markets,
If new jobs are to be created more capital
has to be put in the hands of those people ■
capable of creating those new jobs, and
the simplest way is to let them keep
of the money they already have.
This rise in individual income and einplo
ment would permit greater volumes of bu
iness, and if a tax were applied at the co
sumer end of the market, rathe
the broducer end mote monev
to
sufficient
ilion of parent
motivate the student. -
; The forced-feeding of our children with
a diet of education that is in many instances
indigestible has been a major factor in
creating the refusal of so many yourig people
to accept ujqrk, in service fields such as
domesfie service, waiters, maids and butlers.
The combination of ou r lip-service to
equality and the thin patina of "education”
that is sprayed like the dew on each and all
has convinced thousands of young people
that there is something demeaning about
the service trades, where there is a tre
mendous demand for people, and a moil in
adequate ^supply.
We parents are party to this snobbism, by'
'despising, the idea that we might be rear
ing a headwaiter, and preferring to hypnotize
ourselves with the hope that “junior” is a
budding' nuclear physicist ; when in many
lad instances “junior” would make a far bet
ter headwaiter, live a happier life, earn more
money and make a far greater contribution
to society.
Nothing is sadder than the individual who
believes that a school diploma is the key
to immediate success.
Education cannot be stressed to strongly
as a first duty of civilized, man but educa
tion can be debased by trying to spread it
too thinly.
>
Deadly Game
Ohe of the more'dangerous parlor sports
currently engaged in by American diplomats
is guessing how deep the split is between
China and Russia. This.is rather like guess
ing whether a cobra or a rattler is the most
deadly snake.
Whether we console ourselves, overly that
these giant powers are tdb concerned with
their own special problems to get involved
in other areas of the world,' or whether we
frighten ourselves by saying that their 1
“feud” is a paper dragon aimed at lulling us
into sortie, sense of false security the net
product is negative. So we say it is a great ,
waste of time, and a positive threat to spend j
too much energy op this guessing game. .
We say that the first consideration of ]
America.must be in putting its own house ]
in order, and in this are such huge house- .
keeping problems as solvency of the national ,
;ovemment* and after giving first service to .
this primary consideration we Americans (
should spend our energies on. keeping our
selves militarily sufficient,' but not drunk
Then comes such problems as‘ protection 1
)f our water resources, soil conservation, 1
transportation, housing, health; education ]
ind governmental tradition. - 1
This is a king-sized package of jobs that (
reeds careful and constant, attention at i
lome. Surely we cannot' isolate ourselves «
Tom," the small world in which we live to- <
lay, but we can make of ourselves the kind -
)f shining example that will win respect,
ather than fear which is at present the 1
nost basic "tool being used by both Russia :
ind ourselves to influence world affairs
We must ; remain Strong, but strt
vithout morality is more a curse ths
and Kennedy
eir ability —* ale
aesMflllie. /’
' Thdrtf is a great deal of difference between
an honest mistake and a deliberate lie. Men
in high places who have good reason^ why
they do not wish to tell the truth have the
absolute right — even duty to answer ques
tions in such areas with, "Mb comment”.
Since freedom of the press became a part
of our way of life no one has ever criticized
a public official for refusing to continent,
because it is accepted by all who have any
claim to reasonableness that men in high
places do often have special knowledges, as
well as special responsibilities that force
them to be quiet.
But the Madison Avenue husksters have
attempted to create the “everready” type
executive who always has the answbr to
every question at his tongue tip, and politic
ians created in this image had rather be
caught stealing than to be caught without
an answer. To me it seems that the first
lesson ,of bigness in an individual is being
big enough to admit that one does not have
ALL the answers to ALL' the questions,
and asking for a few days or few weeks to
find the answer is not an admission of total
ignorance, but is a simple exercise in humil
ity that neither lessens the stature of a
man, nor those things for which he stands.
Chi the other hand one Of the oldest
morals handed down from the most ancient
times is that of the boy who cried “wolf”
mice to often. For his own satisfaction he
tried “wolf”, and then when the wolf really
fid visit his flock nobody heeded the real
try of Voir. This may be an over
simplication of an extremely complex prob
em, but it puts the situation in perspective
ior me, if for no one else.
Ih these days of instant communications,
vhen great men talk into TV cameras and
heir words echo by Telstar across oceans
t has become even more necessary than
:ver before that the men in high places
ipeak with great care.
All men in high places must learn, if they
lo not already know that it is less danger
ius in the long run for them to appear
gnorant than it is for them to tell lies.
Someone said a long time ago, that few of
is are smart enough to be liars, because one
ie breeds another,^ and soon, one has the
■lmost impossible task of remembering the
vhole tissue of lies that has been built
iround the original fib. Remembering the
ruth is much more simple.
President Truman never in his seven years
alked himself into the kind of trap that
iisenhower did with the U-2 incident and
hat Kennedy has done with the Bay of
*igs fiasco. History, in my view, will be
ery kind to Truman; not because of the
reat depth of his learning, nor the pro
oundness of his reasoning, but simply be
ause of his blunt, and sometimes
nibarrassing honesty. £
If either Eisenhower or Kennedy had the
dinility when caught in a web of falsity jto
ay, “Well, boys, I was mistaken yesterday,
was talking when I should have been lis
-ning- I've checked up and. found out that
rhat I said was completely wrong; so now
want to give you the whole- truth.” There
rould have been no lasting damage to their
ttegrity, but they chose to use “national
"■**** *:«! excuse to tell lies.