76-11-15

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Government By the People

Transcript Every one of us knows that the very basis of our system of government is that government exists only by the will of the people; that government has no other powers except those granted to it by the people. Well, either we, the people, aren't working at government-by-the-people or someone in government isn't listening. United States Senator William Scott sent a letter to his 400,000 constituents in Virginia seeking their opinion on a number of major issues. The replies were reported in the Congressional record last month and it would seem that Washington and the people of at least one state are on very different courses. The Humphrey-Hawkins bill, which I have criticized in these broadcasts as a relic of Mussolini's fascism and which could give government unprecedented control over business and industry, is the number one priority in the Congress. But how do the people feel about it? Well, Senator Scott's replies were divided, 89 percent against Humphrey-Hawkins; only 11 percent in favor. Another high priority item on the agenda of the new Congress is some kind of national health insurance -- a socializing of the practice of medicine. Apparently the only thing delaying its passage by the present Congress -- egged on by the hierarchy of organized labor -- is the 70 or 80 billion dollars in additional government spending that it calls for. But the patients don't seem to want it at all. The poll shows 54 percent of the people favoring some kind of nationalized insurance for catastrophic illnesses only, 38 percent want the Federal government to stay out of the medical field altogether, and only eight percent favor a comprehensive program. It makes you wonder how socialized medicine manages to stay alive so long in the halls of Congress. On the matter of defense spending, Senator Scott's respondents are very definite about what they want their public servants to do. 80 percent do not want any cuts in the defense budget. Only 20 percent do. Senator Scott's constituents were also asked if the United States should negotiate a new treaty with Panama, limiting American rights. Only 12 percent said yes. 80 percent said they were against such a treaty. High on the list of promises made by the new administration and/or the majority in Congress are a Consumer Advocacy Agency, postcard or no registration for voting, a break up of the large oil companies and an abolition of state right-to-work laws. This latter would be accomplished by cancelling Section 14 (B) of the Taft-Hartley Act. Those are the aims of many elected representatives. Do they reflect the will of the people? Well, in reply to Senator Scott's questionnaire, 85 percent rejected the Consumer Agency, 93 percent opposed postcard registration (believing it would lead to widespread voter fraud). Almost three quarters -- 74 percent -- of those questioned disagreed with the legislature to break up the oil companies. As for 14 (B) of Taft-Hartley, the right of states to have right-to-work laws (and nearly half do), 95 percent said they did not approve of Washington denying this right. If those Virginia poll results are anywhere near close to people's views in other states, Congress must be marching to the wrong drummer. This is Ronald Reagan. Thanks for listening.		Details Batch Number 76-11-15 Production Date 03/23/1977 Book/Page Online PDF Audio Youtube? No
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