79-01-B6

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Miscellaneous II

Transcript Not too long ago there was a robbery reported in Key West, Florida. Now I know a robbery in today's world is hardly earth-shaking news, but still I thought you might like to hear about this one. The victim reported his expensive Gucci bag and wallet had been stolen along with his $180 Tiffany lighter engraved with his initials; $50 in cash, his checkbook -- and $30 in food stamps. Datelined Washington, the Associated Press announced early last July that a little know fish, the Tecopa Pupfish once found in small pools and thermal springs near Death Valley, California, had been declared extinct and thus removed from the endangered species list since none had been seen since 1970. That last date, 1970, should be noted because in 1973 the Sierra Club persuaded the Bureau of Land Management to withdraw from use 25,600 acres of the Amargosa river basin most of Sperry Wash (a rockhound collecting area) and all of the Dumont Sand Dunes, a favorite spot for the dune buggy set. All of this we were told was to protect the Pupfish which now we learn had been extinct for three years. The 25,600 acres are still withdrawn -- maybe in memory of the Pupfish. With all the Washington talk about cutting unnecessary spending, it's funny they haven't zeroed in on the Davis-Bacon Act. The General Accounting office has urged that changes be made in the act. Davis-Bacon, in case you are not familiar with it, is the program which forces contractors doing government jobs to pay artificially high wages everywhere in the country. It is estimated that Davis-Bacon adds about $10-billion a year to Federal costs. That's one-third of the proposed deficit. With all of our inflation it's interesting to note that as a percentage of personal income, food takes 21 percent less than it did in 1960. Clothing takes 16 percent less. Even gas and oil take three percent less of our income than they did then. But government takes 19 percent more. These figures are from the Department of Commerce. The language abuse of the bureaucracy is spreading. The California Department of Food and Agriculture has issued a memo to State employees on safety when working after normal duty hours. They were told "Travel between floors by elevator only in buildings having elevators." But a sign on the wall of North Dakota State University's library tops that. It says. "Due to the reorganization, the basement will be on the second floor. Half of the second floor will be on the first floor, but half will remain on the second. First floor will move to the basement. We suggest you ask for help." This is Ronald Reagan. Thanks for listening.		Details Batch Number 79-01-B6 Production Date 01/??/1979 Book/Page N/A Audio Youtube? No
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