79-03-B1
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Saying "No" [Part] I[edit]
Transcript[edit]Just recently the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs launched what one man has called a vendetta against the social and service clubs of America. These clubs such as Rotary, Kiwanis, Lions, Jaycees and so forth are typically male clubs, but there are feminine counterparts such as Zonta, Business & Professional Women and so forth. They all have one thing in common -- they truly provide great service to our country and communities, ranging from ongoing permanent charities to resolution of one-time problems where a neighborly helping hand is needed. James G. Schneider, President of the Kankakee Federal Savings & Loan association of Kankakee, Illinois, is the man who decided to speak out and act -- or perhaps I should say refuse to act -- when he received a request to file a report for the Senate committee. The Committee wanted to know if Kankakee Savings & Loan paid membership dues in private clubs for employees, directors and officers. Of course, the query was not aimed at this one institution alone. It was part of a broad survey to determine whether such companies were subsidizing memberships for their people in organizations that practice discrimination. Remember most of these clubs are strictly male or female. Now it is a general practice for many such businesses to pay for employee memberships in service clubs. The companies that do this consider it a kind of public service, a form of corporate citizenship to aid in the good works performed by such clubs. There is no question but that the employees could afford such memberships themselves. This is just the companies' way of encouraging worthy causes. I'll wager that a great many if not most of the firms receiving the Senate Committee's request, dutifully sent it back with all questions answered. ,Very probably some of them pushed the panic button and informed directors, officers and employees they were now on their own. But not Kankakee Federal Savings & Loan. President Schneider addressed a letter to Senator William Proxmire. His letter did not waste words. He wrote "Last week I received a request from the Federal Home Loan bank to complete your survey. I am not completing it because I object to both its intent and its content." He went on to say, "Although it smacks of comparing apples and oranges, I am willing to hazard a guess that during the last 10 years the service clubs of just your state alone have done more collective good for America than has the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs. If your committee now finds that it has the time, the funds and the inclination to start harassing the financial institutions of America over their strong backing of such "sexist clubs" as Rotary, Zonta, Kiwanis, Business & Professional Women, Lions, Jaycees, Credit Women International & Exchange, then I would suggest that you are drastically out of touch with the people of your state". There was more but you get the idea. We should be grateful to Mr. Schneider for reminding us that government belongs to us--not the other way around. This is Ronald Reagan. Thanks for listening. |
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