79-09-B8
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Corruption[edit]
Transcript[edit]These last few years have made it difficult to urge morality on our sons and daughters. Never has there been less respect for our basic institutions. No little share of the blame for this goes to the numerous cases of and charges of corruption in high places in government particularly among elected officials. But now comes word of a more direct form of corruption -- outright theft and not at the executive level. Is it perhaps indicative of a general decline in moral standards that millions of dollars worth of property and office equipment is being stolen from government offices on a daily basis? The General Services Administration says thefts from government offices is general throughout the country but most severe in Washington. Last year in the Washington area theft of both federal property and personal possessions of government employees totaled some 3,000 items valued at more than on-half a million dollars. Those who pilfer are expected to do better this year based on first quarter figures. From January through March in our nation's capital alone more than 1,250 items valued at $277,000 were stolen from government offices. If you are curious about just what is being taken they aren't items you can slip in your lunch box or pocket. The loot includes electric typewriters, calculators -- not just the pocket kind but the expensive desk size ones and automobiles. The personal possessions of employees range from fur coats and radios to handbags. No department or agency is exempt not even our top law enforcement agency, the United States Justice department. One can wonder about our national security too and protection against theft of defense secrets when the Pentagon has to admit to theft of 79 typewriters, 68 calculators and 44 personal items -- most of them in the month of January alone. Even the CIA is included, but HEW and the Department of Agriculture top the list. Maybe at H.E.W. they are so used to giving things away it just comes naturally. Blame for the crime wave has been laid by some on Congress which has stressed an open building policy to make public buildings more accessible . Other officials say the need is for more security personnel. That doesn't hold up very well because the best guarded buildings have the highest rate of theft. No one pretends this thievery is the result of breaking and entering which leaves us with the ugly thought that federal employees who average about $4,000 a year more in income than the average worker, are to blame. But let us be careful not to blanket indict. I'm sure the overwhelming majority of public employees are honest -- indeed are victims of some of the crimes themselves. Surely someone can come up with a system for apprehending a thief walking out of a building with an electric typewriter under his arm. This is Ronald Reagan. Thanks for listening. |
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