78-06-B6

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Communications II

Transcript Congressmen Phil Crane of Illinois and Mickey Edwards of Oklahoma met with local labor people in Youngstown, Ohio recently. On the last broadcast I told how those rank and file union members analyzed the reasons for the closing of a Youngstown steel plant with the subsequent loss of 4600 jobs. Surprisingly, they laid the blame on government regulations; on deficit spending and tax policies that denied industry capital it needed for expansion and new equipment. They recited what can only be called the conservative creed, but they still labeled themselves "liberal" and described conservatives as the voice of big business, banking and the country club set. Congressmen Crane and Edwards pointed out to them that the very things they were blaming for today's problems were the result of legislation passed by the liberals in Washington; that they (Crane and Edwards) had a record of voting against everything these workers complained about. It is the liberal, they said, who would create a paradise for wildlife at the expense of jobs; who would follow a no-growth policy, cheating workers and particularly minorities out of their share in the American dream. Liberals in Congress would put more and more workers on the government payroll and inflict on all of us their belief in government-by-elitists instead of letting us run our own lives. Well, I'm not going to tell you they made instant converts, but they opened a door. There was another meeting and this time the two Congressmen presented concrete proof that what those workers want, and believe in is exactly what so-called conservatives stand for. Congressman Crane and Edwards brought to the meeting a legislative package they are backing (and which will undoubtedly be opposed by their liberal colleagues). The package will include the Urban Growth Act of 1978, the Truth in Regulation Act and the Anti-Dumping Enforcement Act. The first is designed to increase employment and job stability by reducing the corporate tax rate, increasing the surtax exemption, making permanent the investment tax credit at 10 per cent and offering an additional 10 per cent credit for investments in high unemployment areas, Time doesn't permit listing all the features, but there are automatic cost of living adjustments and indexing of depreciation rates and capital gains as well as tax credit for keeping employees on during high unemployment periods. There is also elimination of double taxation on dividends. The second bill would require environmental impact statements to include how many jobs the proposal would cost. Both houses of Congress would have to pass on regulations dreamed up by the bureaucrats. Third would be a comprehensive program including a labor-industry task force to oversee the program designed to eliminate dumping of anti-competitive imports on our markets. The Congressmen will ask the union members to urge liberal congressmen to support the package. It could be those union workers are going to find out that liberals aren't so liberal. This is Ronald Reagan. Thanks for listening.		Details Batch Number 78-06-B6 Production Date 04/03/1978 Book/Page Online PDF Audio Youtube? No
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