A Progressive Postwar Economic Program
WITHERS, WILLIAM
A Progressive Postwar Economic Program By William Withers Attoeiat* Profetter of Economic; Queens College / •/ tho City of New York TOHE preservation of democracy in Ihe United States * Incomes...
...These expenditures should take Ihe form of loans to business, public works, liberalization of social security, relief when necessary, loans to government enterprises and generous grants in aid for public health, education, and social services...
...If our young people had equal health care, our manpower problem would have been solved, our Army would have moue fighting power, and our industrial working force would have been more efficient...
...The front for this selfish and anti-social drive is the so-called Committee for the Extension of Medical Service...
...As the Federal sinking funds retire the national debt the investment bank would obtain additional funds...
...5. The Federal Reserve System, the Treasury, and the Bureau of the Budget should cooperate to provide sufficient net-income increasing expenditures to maintain full production...
...It is true that many physicians do support it and that many others have been pulled into the campaign by deception or compulsion...
...Gannett...
...It is late in the day for this sort of dirty business...
...The impression is given that th« backers are the physicians of the country...
...6. Capitalism and free enterprise need not be destroyed to provide the basis for economic planning and full employment...
...Any intelligent citizen interested in our national welfare should lie for this bill...
...And their professional purpose, to furnish health to the people, will come much closer to realization when we have public provision for minimum standards of service...
...There should be established also regional three-part boards...
...It would give us for the first time a rounded-out, national system of insurance and aid...
...It should provide that balance of wages, prices, profits, taxes, production and employment which will keep the economic system in a state of maximum equilibrium...
...Innocent readers are doped into the notion that if this bill is passed and some of their elementsry human needs are taken...
...3. Centralized planning of production and control over net additions and subtractions to purchasing power by the Federsl Government must be fully accepted as the major devices by which the economy can be made to function at full capacity...
...Economic planning should provide for a three-part representation of capital, labor and the government...
...9. We believe that full production requires not only the expansion of demand for consumers' durable goods, the growth of foreign trade and the stimulation of public and private construction but Ihe development of public and private services...
...After tit* war enforcement of pries control should be greatly strengthened...
...The plan is called "Totalitarian Medicine," "State Medicine," "Bureaucratic Medicine"—anything but whst it is...
...Support should be given la the Wagner-Murray-Dingell Bill...
...It should not represent as does the recently appointed planning committee, the most conservative elements of Congress.' 2. The Federal Planning Board should consist*/ representatives of capital, labor and government...
...Veterans' aid should be coordinated with Ihe social security system and in general pressures for special aid should be avoided...
...It would save money and increase production and happiness during the coming reconstruction period...
...It must guarantee for all an adequate standard of living anil social security...
...Similar three-part boards should tie organized in every major industry or industry group...
...They consist largely of catchwords...
...After the war the United States should set as n- economic goals: 1. A national individual income at present price levels of at least IlRO.OOOOOO.UOe, 2. An average family income of at least $5,000...
...care of, we shall be plunginr down the road to Fascism or Communism...
...It should be organized upon national, industrial and regional lines...
...This drive is being financed and directed by a combination of selfish interests which would be instantly defeated if they were to come out into the open and remove their masks...
...The sparkplug of this outfit is an advertising man supplied by Mr...
...This measure is a clear, common-sense attempt to give citizens a chance to provide for security against the worst hazards of life...
...It should be recognized that among the major purposes of any tax system now are control of purchasing power and prevention of inflation Ail tax systems,st the different government levels should be revised to assist in the accomplishment of these ends...
...Death and debility resulting, from all sorts of diseases are unevenly distributed...
...The rejections of young men by national military and naval services have revealed a great inequality in physical fitness...
...Senate Bill 1161 aims to do away with these deficiencies and discrepancies...
...The Federal Government should centralize the finances and liberalize the benefits of the social security system in the post-war period...
...Some sections of the country lag far behind others in care for the health of the young...
...Yet it is now being attacked in a campaign of slander...
...It should assume ownership of the government-owned war plants and assure reconversion and use in such a way as to increase employment...
...Additional capital should be obtained by retiring the war debts through exchanging them for bonds of the post-war investment bank...
...If the individual has no freedom and no personal stake in the economy he does not have the basis for genuine cooperation through voluntary sacrifices...
...A widespread aystem of public health insurance and socialized medicine should be established after the war...
...Newspapers are furnished with free matter misrepresenting the purpose and character of the bill...
...They must lie vigorously supported by every group in the United Stale...
...Democracies must attain it through education and a large measure of voluntary sacrifice on the part of individuals...
...One part of its fundi comes from the officials of the A merican Medical Association and the other from manufacturers whose excessive profits arc threatened...
...The "arguments" presented are the most disreputable sort of ballyhoo...
...J 'tile employment of CO million people or more...
...3. There should be organized a national post-war investment bank with a board of directors representing equally labor, farmers, businessmen, the Federal Reserve Bank...
...An Editorial— Anti-Security Propaganda |F the American people really understood the import of the Wagner-Murray-Dingell Bill, Congress would be forced to pass it...
...All that we need to throw it back on its heels is s fret, honest and open discussion...
...It would include among the hazards covered those resulting from sickness, old age, unemployment and death...
...Queens College / •/ tho City of New York TOHE preservation of democracy in Ihe United States * Incomes of crucial importance a* the war in Europe draws to a close, in the period of post-wsr readjustment the failure to provide full employment and full Use of our economic capacities will create the problems and struggles which, aa past experience has shown, tend to destroy democracy and breed world wars...
...Even in a single city an infant born in one ward has prospects of normal and successful existence 100 per cent better thsn those of another little citizen who sees the light in another ward a little farther to the east or west...
...IN order to carry out these objectives in the post-war * p» no...
...The administration would be centered in the Social Security Board amd the Surgeon General...
...2. The Federal Government must assume final responsibility for economic planning and the coordination of prices, wages, profits and production...
...To do otherwise in an advanced machine civilization is to set class against class with the inevitable results of dictatorship and war...
...7. Th* Federal, State and local tax systems should be made distinctly progressive...
...It would include in the provisions for medical care and hospitalization about 15,000,000 not now provided for...
...Capital would be obtained through loans from the Federal government or from the Federal Reserve system...
...Note: This tentative plan is under discussion by tht Economics Committee of the Union for Democratic Action...
...The expansion of public health, educational and recreational facilities on a large scale is the ultimate solution to the problem of full employment since there may be a limit both material and spiritual to Ihe development of an economy of things...
...Pamphlets are furnished free to drugstores by the manufacturers for distribution...
...All major tax loopholes should be eliminated and steps should be taken to reduce the tax conflict* between Federal, State and local government...
...The increase in employment and production through the expansion of foreign trade should be one of the major responsibilities of the Federal Government...
...The Fedtral Government should become a major factor in capital investment, expanding investment in those areas of the economy where private enterprise will not enter or will only operate to a limited degree...
...But the driving force is furnished by reactionary politicians under the lead of Mr...
...They are: 1. The Federal Government inuat now assume final responsibility for full production and employment...
...4. All government-owned war plants should lie retained by the government and controlled by the postwar investment bank as indicated above...
...More of them will be regularly and profitably employed...
...In the post-war period employment should be provided wherever possible instead of relief...
...Yet the machinery provided would be an extension of that which we have been building under the present Social Security Act...
...A child born in one place has a far better chance for life and happiness than one born elsewhere...
...To an important degree the freedoms implicit in the earlier forms of capitalism are needed to induce the cooperation requisite to economic planning under democratic institutions...
...8. A Secretary of Foreign Commerce should be established with administrative staff from the Foreign Economic Administration and »ther Federal agencies now engaged i n stimulating and controlling foreign trade or loans to foreign countries...
...7. The Federal Government should control purchasing me^nuvyinvestments and government expenditures in such s manner as to maintain the economic system at full capacity and full employment and to provide the highest possible standard of living...
...The present system of state provisions, under which residents of some states get comparatively good coverage and residents of others get practically none, would be superseded by a national plan which would put all Americans on an equal footing...
...The whole thing is dishonest and disgraceful...
...the following specific proposals are presented: 1. The establishment of a Federal Planning Board which will represent those who fully believe that, through planning and purchasing power control, full employment and production can be achieved...
...The attainment of these goals is dependent upon frank acceptance of the fact that laissez-faire is a thing of the past and that the principles stated below concerning the relationships between government and liiisines/i are basic to economic prosperity...
...9. The President and Congress should establish a Secretary of Economics whose function il would be to coordinate (a) price control, (b) economic planning, (c) investment, (d) foreign trade, (e) social security, (f) expansion of purchasing power, and (() taxation and public expenditures as these matters relate to full employment and production...
...Dictatorships secure economic coordination through force and propaganda...
...We are also opposed to the relinquishment of government price control after the war in response to inflationary pleasures with the resulting unfortunate consequences for production and the distribution of wealth...
...Individual businesses and ihe free market rue no longer capable of performing this function on a level which leads to full production and employment...
...The costs would be defrayed by a payroll levy of 12 per cent, paid in equal shares by the workers and employers...
...Frank Gannett and drug manufacturers who make millions out of traffic in patented medicines...
...6. Federal price control should be extended for an indefinite period...
...With this capital the bank would invest in post-war construction, public Works generally, and in fields of production neglected by private industry...
...We are unalterably opposed to the attempts which will be mad* to stabilize th* American economy after the war through restrictions of output, monopolistic price control, and international cartel agreements...
...The physicians themselves will be economically and professionally benefited by it...
...In all, it would enable our agencies to cover something over 100,000,000 citizens...
...4. Political democracy need not be destroyed to attain economic democracy...
...In this respect it should follow vigorously the recommendations of Keynes, Hansen and other monetary economists who recommend unbalanced budgets to maintain sufficient purchasing power for full production and employment...
...The spirit of cooperation which is essential to economic planning under democratic political institutions ran prevail in this country, if people of all classes sre educated to the necessity for it...
...He should have power to effectuate this coordination...
...To win the peace for democracy we must assure to the people at large adequate living standards and ample social security and ws must provide these needs through pwl'ametnary means and without the destruction of capitalism and free enterprise...
Vol. 27 • April 1944 • No. 14
