Amerikai Magyar Szó, 1974. január-június (28. évfolyam, 1-26. szám)

1974-03-28 / 13. szám

Thursday, March, 28. 1974 Military Gets Biggest Boost in Nixon Budget I N HIS BUDGET MESSAGE to the Congress, President Nixon introduced his new fiscal 1975 budget as one which reflects an eco­nomic policy of "proceeding, but with cau­tion.” The reason he is proceeding with “caution” is because qf the current economic mess he him­self has helped create. And, unless Congress thor­oughly revamps Nixon’s new budget, next year the President will have to proceed with even more “caution.” Nixon’s new budget calls for federal outlays of $304.4 billion, up an estimated $30 billion from the 1974 budget, with an estimated deficit of $9.4 billion. This new Nixon budget, his sixth since taking office, brings the total budget deficit created during his Administration to a whopping $77 billion dollars. The biggest single increase in the new budget, $7.1 billion, goes for military spending, thereby crushing the hopes of millions of Americans who anticipated that the end of the Vietnamese war would see a redirecting of the nation’s resources into much needed domestic programs. In fact, Nixon has sláted an 80% increase for military aid to South Vietnam. Half a billion dollars are allocated to increase military research and devel­opment while cuts were made in research pro­grams studying occupational health hazards. In keeping with such past budget practices as piling up inflationary deficits on vast mil­itary spending and cutting back on much needed programs, President Nixon has again tried to be­fuddle the public with statistical deception. For example, he groups a myriad of programs under a new heading described as “Income Security Outlays” and then boasts how big these “income security payments” will be. Yet, well over half of these payments will be composed of Social Security payments which workers themselves finance. In fact, Social Security taxes account for $73.6 billion while only $64 billion go out in Social Security payments. Another fraudulent use of scrambled figures shows up in his boasts of increased levels of spending for various domestic programs. In some instances, such as grants for sewage treatment plants, his proposed increased spending levels are well below the levels authorized by Congress. In addition, many domestic programs whose spending levels are up, such as Medicare and Medicaid, automatically have their benefit levels increased. Yet this does not prevent the Presi­dent from taking credit for the boost. On the other hand, the President is given authority to increase or decrease funds of the much needed Hill-Burton hospital construction program and he proposed to drop it. In scanning through the entire budget, the only item of positive note is a scant $212 million increase slated for sorely-needed mass transit programs. In summary, the new Nixon budget represents nothing new from Nixon. The budget, like all of Nixon’s economic policies ami programs, smacks of the pro-employer, anti-worker bia3 that has characterized his Administration since he has taken office. His handling of the economy, in con­cert with a pliant congress, has resulted in mas­sive profits for the corporations, and a real wage loss of 1.5% in 1973 for the average American worker. If the Congress continues to sit back and allow this budget to pass without major revisions and re-directions of federal funds, next year we will see another “cautious” do-nothing budget. N NEW YORK, N.Y. Az American Committee of the Foreign Born (Idegenszúletésüek Védelmi Bizottsá­ga) szervezeseben tüntetés folyt le szombaton, márci­us 23.-an a State Department New York i hivatala előtt, 636 Fifth Avenue. A tüntetés célja tiltakozás volt a Bevándorlási Hivatal eljarasa ellen, amikor elrendelte Turenne Déville, Haiti-i menekült depor­tálását. Az üldöztetés következtében Déville ön­gyilkos lett, csak orakkal a deportálás előtt. A tün­tetés után gyűlést tartottak a Bryant Park mellett, ahol Bella Abzug és Sterling Carey, á National Council of Churches elnöke szólt az összegyűlt 300 főnyi résztvevohöz, utána, gyászmenetként az ENSZ palotájához meneteltek. LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas. Mintegy 1700-an vettek reszt a második Fekete Országos Politikai Konven­ción, amely az 1972-ben, Gary, Ind.-ban tartott alakuló konferenciát követte. A gyűlés fó szónokai Richard Hatcher, Gary, Ind. polgármestere és Ronald Dellums, kaliforniai képviselő, valamint Imamu Amiri Baraka, a neves iró voltak. SENATE STUDY FINDS: Inflation May Cause Health Crisis WASHINGTON — Rising food prices are forcing American families to eat less nutri­tiously, a Senate committee has found, and the chairman warns that “we may have a crisis affecting the health and well-being of millions of Americans.” Furthermore, the Senate Se­lect Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs has found that the high cost of food has pushed the critne rate up. The committee reported that food prices rose last year more rapidly than at any time since the Korean War. The Detroit area suffered the worst, with prices soaring 55 percent be­tween 1967 and last June. The Northeast area experienced a 41 percent price hike, and the most rapid price changes oc- cured in Boston, Salt Lake City, and Dallas. CRITICIZE UÄ. STATISTICS The report criticized federal statistics-gathering agencies for what it termed “inadequate in­formation.” No government-sponsored na­SOBEL OVERSEAS CORP. IKKA FŐÜGYNÖKSÉG 210 EAST 86TH STREET, NEW YORK, N. Y. 10028 TELEFON: (212) 535-6490 UTAZÁSI IRODA: IBUSZ HIVATALOS KÉPVISELETE. SZÁLLODA FOGLALÁS — IKKA UTALVÁNY VIZUMSZERZÉS. — LÁTOGATÓK KIHOZATALA. GYÓGYSZEREK ÉS VÁMMENTES KÜLDEMÉNYEK. IKKA MAGYARORSZÁGRA TlJZEX CSEHSZLOVÁKIÁBA tionwide monitoring of the im­pact of food prices on nutrition was attempted, the study said, “and existing statistical indices maintained by the Bureau of Labor Statistics are of limited value.” SPREADING HUNGER Neverthless, the Senate com­mittee was able to uncover sev­eral facts. The most startling was a conclusion based on re­ports from medical experts and local officials: there is more hunger in this country today than in recent years. “The ability of American fam­ilies to feed themselves ade­quately is threatened by infla­tion and the energy crisis,” the, committee reported. “Consum­ers reacted to higher food prices by cutting back on their food consumption and by changing their eating habits for the worse . . . There was an increase in the human consumption of cat and dog food. “Neverthless, Americans still paid more of their total income for food last year than the'year before.” Coupled with the rise in food prices has been a decrease in the number of school lunch pro­grams, and an increase in appli­cations for food stamps. SHOPLIFTING INCREASES Rapid price increases have spurred rrimes, the committee xound: “Shoplifting and illegal hunting has sharply increased, along v/ith cattle rustling and meat smuggling from other countries." increased also. There were a larger number of boycott and consumer protest demonstra­tions last year than ever before. The study recommended in- creaséd efforts to make food stamps available by increasing the capacity of local govern­ments to supply them. The re­port also urged that efforts to feed the elderly be doubled — the program now serves only 200,000 nationwide — and that federal, state and local govern­ments should insure that good quality food at reasonable prices be made available to those liv­ing in low-income areas. WORSENING SITUATION Members of the committee predicted the situation will get worse. “In the year to come, in­creased cost of fuel to run har­vesting equipment will push the price of food up even higher,” Sen. George McGovern (D., S. Dak.) said. “And if the economy slows down, as- currently pre­dicted by experts, or becomes worse with unemployment ris­ing while real income declines in the face of continuing infla­tion, we may undoubtedly have a genuine crisis affecting the health and well-being of millions of Americans. For some, it is already a crisis.” CRISIS AT SUPERMARKET McGovern is the committee’s chairman.. Sen. Charles Percy (R., ül,,) echoed his concern; “I havp heard it suggested that by June of this year the crisis at the supermarket checkout counter will greatly overshadow the present-day crisis at gas — AMERIKAI MAGYAR SZO----­XX ___

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