Amish
The Amish are a religious group related to the Mennonites. They lead an intentionally simple life, free of extraneous technologies.
Speech Relevance[edit]
From 'Encroaching Control':
Recently, the press reported the case of a religious group in this country has, as a tenet of its faith, the belief that it cannot participate in any pension or welfare program of government. The government stepped in, confiscated their property, sold their cattle at auction to enforce their payment of Social Security taxes.
(Text of the speech Business, Ballots and Bureaus revealed that this "religious group" was the Amish.)
Social Security, initially, did not cover many professions, farmers being one of them. It was not until 1954 that agricultural, hotel, laundry, state and local government workers became covered. It is then that the government began to come after the Amish.
The situation was rectified in 1965. Within the Social Security Act of 1965 was an exemption for the Amish and any other religious group that had a conscientious objection and that had been around since before December 31, 1950.
