Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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•» I THE TAX BILL i “The biggest overhaul of the tax system in the country’s history”— to quote U.S. News & World Reports— finally emerged from a weary Con gress and has been signed into law by President Richard Nixon. It has been noted that there is “something in it” for nearly everybody. Many, however, will be most happy, depending (as one wag has put it) upon “whose ox has .been Gore’d” — the reference being made to Sen. Albert Gore (D) of Ten- i nessee, whose early and far-out tax v cut proposals caused the hair to stand ^ straight up on the heads of adminis- V tration officials trying to balance the national budget. ^ v Most tolk, we believe, will applaud ^ the tax benefit to the very low income ^ (under $3,000 per year) group who in £ 1970 will pay less than half what they did last year. T he increased “stand ard deduction” for middle-income peo ple will also be welcomed. Most every one, too, we believe, will be happy to see tightened restrictions placed upon non-profit, tax-exempt organizations ■—although it remains to be seen Whether the new law will effectively restrain organizations such as the Na tional Council of Churches, the Center for the Study of Democratic Institu tions and others from their previous blatant practice ot pressuring and lob bying in legislative matters. It is regretted that the new law does not include retention of the 7% investment credit for small business firms. All agree that small business is the very backbone of American economy, and one of the everpresent hardships of small business is the task of putting back into the business equity capital in the form of new equipment, etc. But, when Congress killed the investment credit feature, they wiped it out tor everyone, big and little alike. Hopefully, this may be reversed in future legislative ac tion. But—and here’s the big but—the only real tax cut can come about only through decreased government spend ing, particularly in non-defense areas, and lowering the government debt. As long as Washington continues to shell it out, Washington will have to scoop it in — one way or another. Should the new tax law result in in creased government debt, the infla tionary pressure may well blow all of the economic gaskets the Nixon ad ministration has been trying to fix into place. Should this occur, every last one of us will find ourselves pay ing out, through' increased prices (ac tually, a devalued dollar) far more than we thought we had “saved.” New England yankee Congress man Louis C. Wyman (R., N.H.) put it wisely in a letter to his constitu ents: “Inflation itself is a heavy tax, especially on the poor and on recipi ents of fixed income,” he said. “While taxpayers may look forward to tax cuts,” he warned, “tax savings are peanuts compared to the savings that can be realized from a halt to infla tion. While the tax ‘savings’ to the people are estimated from $8 to $12 billion a year for the next five years, the cost of a 67< inflation is $28 bil lion a year.” The only way to preserve and pro tect your income, including the “tax relief” provided by the new tax law, will be to insist that Congress vote for every measure possible to cut govern ment non-defense spending. Other wise, you can say “good-bye” to your “saved” tax dollars, right now. TOP '60 HEADLINE With the end of any decade, it is 1 inevitable that the news media should evaluate the news of the preceding ten ^years and pick the top headline story in that time period. We have given considerable thought to many news stories that have appeared in the years 1960 to 1969. And one story must be consider- :, ed as the Number One item of news. There were many canoidates for the top spot, and we cite some of them before we name our choice, and the reason for that decision. Some of our press colleagues will choose the tragic assassination of John F. Kennedy. This is clearly understandable. The death of any President of the United .•States is a major news story. The deaths—in the Sixties — of former Presidents Hoover and Eisenhower, even though they were expected be cause of long illnesses, were still head line stories. The murder ox President Kennedy came as a shock due to its : unexpectedness and his youth. But the stop story of the decade— We believe—should be the one with _ ( the most wide-reaching importance in the books of history to be written in the future. Using this as our criteria —the long-range effect—the Vietnam War could possibly be the biggest news of the decade. But the war is still in progress and only the ultimate end of it will affect the future. If the forces for freedom are defeated, it will became the top story possibly of the Seventies, but not of the Sixties. Urban riots, though horribly waste ful; campus demonstrations, though repulsive; natural disasters, though heartbreaking; all were merely of im mediate interest, in the light of his toric values. They will become sources for historic study by future scholars in specific fields of endeavor. But to “everyman” they will not remain as “the” headlines of the Sixties. There was one which, for all time to come, topped them all. The footprints on the moon, marking the opening of the exploration of space to mankind, are the indelible marks which will stand out in history. Our vote, then, for the Headline of the Decade goes to the landing of Apollo Eleven July 20. 1969. NEARING 200th BIRTHDAY l;T> In just six more years the United States of America will be celebrating its 200th birthday. It should be quite an affair. The entire year of 1976 will be fill ed with events commemorating the birth of a nation. Cities and towns will launch with fervor into local history books to find some long forgotten, and some genuinely memorable, happen ings to celebrate. Many events in his tory will be heralded as the “most im portant” in the founding of our na tion. A great deal of time and money will be spent in an effort to lure tour ists from the world over. States outside the region of the original thirteen colonies will be in the unique position of searching for ways and means to participate. We won’t be surprised at all if some enterpris ing individual doesn’t turn up with a long-lost document that proves that George Washington slept in the Cali fornia hiUs. In the case of the thirteen states that took part hi the ratification of the U^. Constitution there will be competition. Two dtieo con- to be front runners are Boston Certainly Washing- ad other cities their beet to ory. And won’t it be great to have people competing to claim the title of “most” patriotic or pro-American areas in the country ? Looking back over the record of the 1960’s, it would al most appear that some people were competing for the title of “Most Anti- American.” • „ i ,<fV w / Trip Improves P erspective There is nothing like a trip a- way from home to improve one’s objectivity, and as we have just returned from Canada, the timing of this request for views ofCltn- ton seemed perfect to us. As we passed through cities like Cin- cinatti and Detroit covered in smog and vast in area, Clinton seemed mighty green and peace ful. Clinton is the town where we want to raise our children. They are safe to attend the Saturday matinee, and secure enough to ride their bikes to school. We know of no other town of this size with such a concentration of really fine people. The college, Thornwell, and Whitten Village are staffed by intelligent people who are serving others. The large industries of our town are pro gressive and are run with the em ployees in mind. It only stands to reason that a town like ours is going to grow. This has been demonstrated al ready by the new industrial developments. And this is where our town is lagging. Industry brings people; and people need homes, clothes, food, furniture, a raft of merchandise. Newcom ers time and time again complain about the lack of homes to rent. It’s either buy or build and most young people new to a place are not prepared to do either. Then we had to laugh the time a new couple called to say they couldn't find the Italian restau rant anywhere! There is a serious lack of entertainment for peo ple from the college level up. Not the teenagers, thanks to the high school, church groups, Junior A- chievement, the growing YMCA program, and a few well-super vised teen clubs. But we’ve often wished for a place to go for a nice evening meal and some danc ing without driving 40 miles. No one that we know plans an even ing out or any serious shopping in Clinton. Local businessmen almost always house their im portant visitors at the nearest Holiday Inn, and are embarassed by the inconvenience. It would not be unreasonable to assume that at least a third of this town’s money is spent out of town. The lack of compe- Clinton, Today And Tomorro Vi (Editor’s Note: The letter published here, written by Mr. and Mrs. Tony Benson, is one of the three letters which tied for third place in the recent ‘Clinton, Today and Tomorrow’ contest The first, second and one of the third place winners already have been published and the other third place winner will be published next week.) tition makes the merchants com placent, their prices unreason able, and their stock unimagi native. Sure, they’ll be glad to order it but it will take a couple of weeks - and by that time you could have driven the 40 miles, found a better selection at a bet ter price and been wearing it or using it for two weeks. We have never had anything but pleasant dealings with the Clinton mer chants, and this is not meant as a slam to them personally, but as a suggestion for improve ment to benefit them and the local consumers. A little competition benefits everyone, and we would recommend the encouragement of some large chain stores to locate in Clinton. The new elementary school is a sourceful pride and we must continue to improve notionly the facilities and the quality of edu cation for our future Clintonians. Clinton is a lovely little town: oak lined streets, smooth lawns, and well cared for homes-except in some areas. If we are to progress'ks a well rounded com munity, we must see to it that all the city streets and lanes are paved; that every home has the advantages of electricity and plumbing; and that all our citizens have available a home worthy of some human dignity. Anything less than this in a Christian community should be totally un acceptable. City ordinances should be passed and regular in spections should be made of all rental property to maintain bet ter standards, both by the owner and the occupant. As Clinton grows in industry and population, we hope to pro fit from the mistakes of other larger towns and prevent smog, water pollution, traffic conges tion, and the deterioration of the feeling of community responsibi lity. These problems seem very far in the future for a town this size, but the future is just as close as tomorrow, and Ben Franklin wasn’t so far off when he said “An ounce of prevention is worth. . .21 tons per square mile of non-gaseous matter.” (Latest air pollution figures from Chattanooga, Tenn.) We hope the cultural growth will be parallel to the industrial growth. As our centers of high er education develop, we hope to be able to offer music, art and drama to the community in a wi der range which would necesi- tate the establishement of a civic center. Through the expansion of existing facilities at Thornwell and Whitten Village, we hope to provide training and research in the field of medicine and special education. We know of no finer opportunity for comparative re search. Through proper use of these opportunities linked with the college, we might provide professional special education experts for the South and the en tire nation. THE STEP CHILDREN! VOCATIONAL EDUCATION Far too frequently, a general high school diploma is a ticket only to an unskilled job. Unless significant changes in the structure of vocational education are made, society may see large numbers of young peo ple unprepared to contribute. Society, through its concern for the unemployed, has placed a high value on employability. Educators must be willing to respond positively to present day job skill requirements. Vocational education is absolutely essential to our continual growth. It is not and never has been the exclusive jurisdiction of the formal education system. U. S. industry’s in-plant and on-the-job train ing programs suggest that there are workable alter natives to our inadequate public vocational educa tion system. Business and industry must assume the leadership role in “work education.” If we are to have a suf ficient number of adequately trained workers, in stead of hard-core unemployed, then technical skills must be nurtured by educators, parents, and mem bers of industry. Through this combined effort we can develop the skills necessary to keep America growing! - r Sir' spglw * V 2-B—THE CHRONICLE, Clinton, S. C., Jan. 8, 1570 Nixon’s Promise On School Choice BY THURMAN SENSING Executive Vice President Southern States Industrial Council Parental rights and the cause of quality public education in the United States suffered a severe new blow recently when the Con gress voted against the Whitten Amendment which would have prevented the Department of Health, Education and Welfare from cutting off funds to school districts that didn’t go along with its plans. HEW Secretary Robert H. Finch’s opposition to the Whitten Amendment -- indeed his all-out fight against the freedom of choice principle -- also repre sents a breaking of faith with the millions of voters who heard and believed presidential candidate Richard M. Nixon promise sup port for freedom of choice school plans. It is deeply dismaying that President Nixon didn’t abide by his campaign promise. Nothing could be more A- merican than the concept of free dom of choice in education. As worked out in practice, this con cept means that a child attends the school his parents desire him to attend. It is the embodiment of individual freedom. Yet this free dom doesn’t satisfy the ideo logues in the Department of Health, Education and Welfare. They apparently don’t believe parents have any rights when it comes to school attendance. And they aren’t satisfied with any school attendance plan that doesn’t achieve strict racial bal ance. Emotion, not reason, lies be hind HEW’s position. Certainly, there isn’t any measure of justice in HEW’s opposition to freedom of choice. Asa mat ter of fact, HEW can’t point to any standard of logic in es pousing its school plans. If it is unjust to bar a student from a particular school because of his race, how can it be Just to com pel a student to attend a parti cular school in order to meet a fixed racial formula decreed by HEW? Obviously, HEW’s ap proach isn’t grounded in ration ality or justice. Instead, it is grounded in politics and faoatic- sim -- the notion that there must be carefully calculated mix of students of different racial groups in order for the ends of democracy to be served. This is an absurd position, for precise racial balancing won’t be in effect in other areas of a child’s life or in his existence as an adult His parents are free to establish his home en vironment and to regulate a child’s friendships. An adult can not be coerced into making friends on the basis of a socio logical formula. Or maybe HEW aspires to do just that -- take over the home and plan adult relationships. That’s the type of thing George Orwell wrote about in his book “1984* in which he described the horrors of a to talitarian society that controls every moment of people’s lives. The American people certainly don’t want a “Big Brother* so ciety, but HEW is doing its best to achieve just that with its school plans. It is tragic but true that Congress is permitting HEW to engage in government by edict, to practice coercion against par ents. Congress has lost sight of the fact that children belong to their parents, not to Big Governent agencies. The final say-so on a child’s education should belong to parents, not to some bureaucrat whose mind is full of socialist notions regarding the way peo ple’s lives should be managed. The United States has come a long way down the road to serf dom -- to totalitarian govern ment -- in the last 20 years. As the 1950s opened, public edu cation was strictly a state and local responsibility. And both states and counties were making progress on upgrading the school systems. The neighborhood was a central feature of the American scene .and contributed greatly to community solidarity. Today the situation is utterly changed. Big Brother in Washing ton has taken over all the key functions of local school boards and state boards of education. School officials have to spend much of their time checking as to whether they are obeying Washington’s latest edicts or an swering tothe demands of the fed eral courts. Parents see the public schools as centers of hurtful sociologi cal experiments, in which the best interests of their children are sacrificed to the demands of po litics or the peculiar ideas of extremists. More and more these days, public schools are ceasing to serve In aa edacahonal sense — and art becoming mere custodial institutions. Parents who can af ford to do so are enrolling their children in private and church schools where standards are higher and politics don’t control. HEW’s latest victory will ac celerate the process of ruina tion of the public schools. Sec retary Robert H. Finch of HEW seems destined to preside over the destruction of the traditional system of locally controlled pub lic schools. Big Brother’s gain is the nation’s loss. by BABSON’S REPORTS The following is a list of in novations necessary for the growth and development of Clin ton in the future: 1. Underground railway facili ties through downtown area. 2. Encouragement of more and better shopping facilities. 3. More conveniently locat ed parking areas. 4. Development of low cost ren tal areas. With progress and imagination, Clinton should be the best place in the country to live. Mr. and Mrs. Tony L. Benson BUSINESS and the STOCK MARKET PARTY PHILOSOPHY— Rep. Rogers Morton (R.-Md.), chairman of the Republican National Committee, says, “I believe we’ve come to a time when we’ve got to perhaps de vote less time to philosophical debate and more time to politi cal management.” Wish I’d Said That iear they’ve invented a computer so simple that even an executive can uae it— Jack Moffitt, The Laurens County (Oa.) News. “One of man’s greatest ene mies is the illusion that there will be more time tomorrow than there is today.”—Lea Batcheler, Sauk Rapida (Minn.) Herald. Insurance Industry WELLESLEY HILLS, MASS.- The concept of the holding com pany has brought about a revolu tion in the life insurance indus try. After being limited to in surance operations for many years, largely because of com placent managements and ultra- conservative and often archaic state laws, this Industry has be gun a new life. Through the es tablishment of a holding com pany, management now has the opportunity to go beyond the tra ditional insurance business. Thus far, most of the industry’s diver sification has been directly re lated to finance operations. Real estate development and mutual funds are popular diversification areas at the present time. But, more extensive future expansion into computer services, finan cing, and tax services is likely. The life insurance industry was one of the first non-scientific Industries to utilize the compu ter. Having been a leader in the early stages of this dynamic field, the Industry has gained a tre mendous amount of experience which it can put to good ass. The acquisition of software com panies to go along with the ex pertise and capital resources of the life insurance indi V t uear ( profitable of changes within Its twHc in ternal framework. Mergers and pooUng of resources, particu larly among smaller enwruu. is a trend that should continue. In the in vestment portfolios of the life insurance companies is a prime example of the more aggressive attitudes now pursued by man agements. Gone are the days when over half of a company's invest ment portfolio consisted of gov ernment bonds. Today, due in part to recent changes in various state insurance regulations, the trend has been to reduce the a- mount in fixed-income securities in favor of common stocks and mortgages. The mortgage field has become very complex in re cent years, as high interest rates and inflation have brought about some basic changes. Today, the life Insurance company has sev eral alternatives when making a large mortgage loan. Perhaps the most common Is receiving part of the “action." From a fundamental viewpoint, life companies are well situated to participate in the expected growth of the 1970’s. Population and personal income advances will mean gains for the whole in- ckistry. The Increase In the younger (under 30) generation should prove to be a bonanza bacauM the bulk of new sales is to this segment of the popu lation. Rising income should mean larger policies. On the negative aids, the pM>- Uc’s growing interest in the equi ty markets la recent years has rs salted la tbs insurance indus try’s losing the percentage of savteg dollars that tt ooca had. People are mors conscious of Itelds of muteal tends