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Ford Newsletter, Jan.-May 1970
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Ford Newsletter, Jan.-May 1970
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This file contains material relating to Richard Nixon.
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Gerald R. Ford Congressional Papers
Newsletters
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Department of Defense. 9/18/1947-
Appropriations and expenditures
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This document scanned from Box D2 of the Gerald R. Ford Congressional Papers at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.
Your Washington Review
KENT
5
IONIA
Congressman
JERRY FORD
January 26, 1970
The question of overriding a Presidential veto of the 1970 Labor-HEW appropria-
tion bill is the first major issue before the second session of the 91st Congress.
The bill is being vetoed because the Congress added $1.3 billion to the President's
budget request for HEW. Mr. Nixon had asked for $16.5 billion which was already $1
billion over the comparable appropriations for 1969. He requested increases in vari-
ous funds for education and health services, but the Congress insisted on adding an-
other $1.3 billion. The President insists this is inflationary, that the increases
go to marginal or misdirected programs which need to be overhauled rather than
expanded, and that this is an improper burden on the American taxpayer. To protect
the consumer from higher prices and the taxpayer from additional taxes, he promised
to veto the measure.
I voted against the bill when it passed the House. I intend to support the
President's veto for reasons which I trust you will find sound and responsible. One
objection to the bill is the inclusion of an additional $400 million for "federally
impacted school districts." These are districts around Washington, D.C. and other
areas serving the children of federal employees, and those school districts sur-
rounding our military installations. The Congress upped from $202 million to $600
million the amount of tax funds to go to these schools. Yet they provide education
for only about one-half of the elementary and secondary school children in our coun-
try. None of the money under this program would come into Kent or Ionia Counties.
Yet our taxpayers would be helping to pay for education in Washington's suburbs and
in many other areas. Most of these areas are just as capable of meeting their own
educational needs as are Kent and Ionia Counties.
In fact, in 1968 this program provided $5.8 million to the richest county in
the United States while paying only a total of $3.2 million to the 100 poorest coun-
ties across the nation. This program is not an appropriate mechanism for meeting the
financial needs of poor school districts. Over the last ten or more years the origi-
nal intent of the "impact aid program" has been distorted. In this appropriation
bill it provides an inequitable distribution of federal education dollars. Presi-
dents Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon have proposed changes in this program
that would substantially reduce and redistribute funds for this purpose. A Congres-
sional study carried out by a private research organization concludes that hundreds
of millions of dollars more than necessary are being spent to support this inequitable
"impacted school area" program. President Nixon was correct in objecting to this
mandatory spending increase of $400 million.
We have had a number of letters from those who are concerned with funds for
library resources, textbooks, etc., for public and non-public schools under the Ele-
mentary and Secondary Education Act. It is true that Mr. Nixon recommended no funds
for this program this year and that the Congress put in $50 million. The President
is not vetoing the bill because of this action. He is concerned with an increase of
more than $1 billion in the appropriations bill as a whole. Certainly, if the veto
is sustained, a new bill can be developed to meet the President's objections and still
provide needed and substantial support for education.
President Nixon is not against education as some lobbyists allege. He recom-
mended a 1970 expenditure of $3.2 billion for the Office of Education. He suggested
increases over 1969 in such areas as "dropout prevention," colleges of agriculture
and mechanic arts, student grants, work-study programs, vocational and adult educa-
tion, and education for the handicapped. He did suggest cuts in other, less essential
programs. In other words, the new Administration has been evaluating existing pro-
grams and making necessary changes.
Likewise, the President is not against federal health services. He recommended
$2. 711 billion for 1970 as compared with $2.713 billion for 1969. We hear much about
a reduction in medical research. But Mr. Nixon requested a 1970 appropriation of
$1.44 billion for the National Institutes of Health compared with $1.39 billion for
1969, an increase of $50 million. But there have been cuts in certain programs and
increases in others, as the evaluation of the situation dictated.
President Nixon knows that the American people are fed up with huge federal
deficits, higher and higher taxes, and continued inflation. He is determined to do
his part in maintaining a balanced budget. In any discussion of his veto of the
Labor-HEW appropriation bill, it is important to note that the President has made
drastic reductions in the 1970 defense budget (about $8 billion less than President
Johnson's request of January 1969), has reduced spending for the space program to the
lowest amount in years, has deferred 75 percent of all new federal construction pro-
jects, and in the first six months of his administration he cut the number of full-
time government employees by 40,000. By June 30 the Administration will have reduced
the number of government employees 95,000 below the level of federal employment
recommended by President Johnson.
President Nixon is determined to balance the budget in order to hold down
taxes, prevent further inflation, and to protect the interests of all the American
people. I support his efforts and his veto.
NEWSLETTER: Our mailing list for "Your Washington Review" now exceeds 25,000
names. Many were added as a result of my recent questionnaire. If you should be
receiving duplicate copies, please let me know.
DISTRICT OFFICE: My District Assistant, Gordon Vander Till, will be in the
Council Room at BELDING on Friday, January 30, from 3:00 to 5:30 p.m.
Your Washington Review
KENT
5
IONIA
Congressman
JERRY FORD
February 2, 1970
The House of Representatives has voted to sustain the President's veto of the
Labor-HEW Appropriation bill. In his veto message, Mr. Nixon promised that if the
veto were upheld he would "immediately seek appropriations which will assure the
funds necessary to provide for the needs of the nation in education and health. No
school will need to be closed, no child need have his education interrupted or
impaired as a result of this veto action." As far as the "impacted areas" for which
Congress had added $400 million are concerned, he proposed a guarantee that no school
district should, as a result of changes in the federal aid program, have a school
budget less than 95 percent of what it had in 1969.
The President has repeatedly stated he is for changes in this appropriation
bill which will give us a better educational program with fully adequate federal
assistance.
In this connection it is significant that two liberal syndicated columnists
(one of whom was press secretary to former Senator Kennedy) commended the President on
his courage in vetoing the bill and then said:
"But it will be even more courageous if Mr. Nixon chooses to tell the
truth about this bill, which is that like much of the money we spend
on education, it allocates resources to the wrong places and does
little or nothing for our children, the quality of whose education
seems to deteriorate in direct proportion to the money spent on it."
This is a harsh judgment by men who by no standard can be called conservative
supporters of the President. Yet when Mr. Nixon asked for $25 million for research in
education to determine, among other things, new ways to teach reading, how older
children could be used to teach the younger, and whether intelligent people who know
their subject could teach their specialty without going through years of teacher
education - the Congress cut out the entire appropriation. In his message, the
President gave as one reason for his veto the fact that "the added funds are largely
for lower priority programs."
Mr. Nixon also emphasized that nearly 90 percent of the increases voted by the
Congress were for mandatory programs for which the money had to be allocated regard-
less of need or merit. Under the vetoed bill the President had no discretion; the
extra money had to be spent. Furthermore, we are now late into the school year and
all of the money must be allocated by June 30. In many cases the increased funds
cannot be used effectively. The President's veto was justified and I voted to sustain
it. One basis for a bill the President might approve is the removal of this
mandatory spending provision.
COMMUNIST CONTROL: The House approved legislation last week to keep known
Communists out of our defense factories and away from our ships and port facilities.
The bill (H.R. 14864) authorized the President to establish a "personnel screening
program" designed to keep anyone associated with a "communist action" organization
from holding a position where he could disrupt the nation's defense production
facilities.
Congress had previously enacted legislation in this area but the Supreme
Court recently ruled that the law was too broad, making it possible to punish both
those who could be penalized constitutionally and those who could not. But the
Court agreed that Congress could and should declare sensitive positions in national
defense industries, and on our ships and in our ports "off limits" to those who
could endanger our security. H.R. 14864 does this and was carefully drawn to meet
the constitutional tests laid down by the Court.
The bill also gives the President additional authority to protect classified
information released to industry. All in all it strengthens both our national secu-
rity and our individual liberties. It is necessary legislation and I supported it.
PRODUCT PROMOTION: I voted against a bill which was approved last Tuesday by
the narrow margin of 190 to 186. This bill makes an exception to the Taft-Hartley Act
and permits employers in the construction industry to contribute to a joint employer-
employee trust fund to finance the promotion of construction products used in plaster-
ing, lathing, painting, etc., and to carry on research in these products. Taft-Hartley,
with a few exceptions, prohibits payments between management and labor union represen-
tatives. This is to prevent collusion, bribery, shakedowns, and to promote freedom of
action on both sides. Industry promotion funds are legal under existing law; thou-
sands exist today. The only limitation on them is that they may not be jointly admin-
istered by unions and management. The bill as approved removes this limitation.
Five members of the Committee reporting the bill filed a dissenting report.
They stated that the legislation is unnecessary--we have many industry promotion
funds; advertising and research are the functions of management as a part of our free
enterprise system; the bill could lead to abuses, particularly union jurisdiction dis-
putes, and the bill could discourage research and perpetuate outdated products and
processes as small groups attempt to preserve their own limited domain. Furthermore,
although this is called a "joint industry promotion" controlled by representatives of
management and unions, only employers would contribute money to the fund. Others
would contribute services, skills, and knowhow.
Secretary of Labor Shultz proposed postponement of the legislation until an in-
depth study of the overall problem could be completed. On balance, I felt that the
arguments against the bill were stronger than those for it.
YOUR WASHINGTON REVIEW will be omitted next week and from time to time. We
will do this when there is a limited legislative schedule on the floor although all
House Committees may be at work with public hearings and sessions devoted to the
drafting of specific bills.
Furthermore, the newsletter mailing list in Kent and Ionia Counties has ex-
panded to include approximately 25,000 persons. The net result is a weekly personal
cost of over $150 which is not covered by any government allowance.
DISTRICT OFFICE: My District Assistant will be in the Council Room at IONIA
on Friday, February 6, from 2:30 to 5:00.
Your Washington Review
KENT
5
IONIA
Congressman
JERRY FORD
February 16, 1970
A revised HEW appropriation bill is scheduled to be considered by the House of
Representatives this week. President Nixon who vetoed the original bill because it
exceeded his requests by $1.3 billion, has proposed a reasonable and responsible com-
promise increasing his request by $449 million. He would add $70 million for basic
vocational educational grants, an additional $30 million to intensify health research
in high priority fields, and $238 million more for impacted school areas (as opposed
to the $400 million in the first bill), to mention just a few items. Mr. Nixon also
asked Congress to restore two priority education programs which were reduced from his
original budget: $10 million for projects to prevent school dropouts and $9.5
million for experimentation and evaluation to improve school performance.
At this writing final details on all the items in the bill have not been worked
out but the bill is expected to be ready for House action by the middle of the week.
COMMISSION ON POPULATION GROWTH AND THE AMERICAN FUTURE: Also scheduled for
House approval this week is a bill to establish for two years a Commission on Popula-
tion Growth and the American Future. Proposed by President Nixon, the Commission will
make recommendations to meet the needs of our country whose population is expected to
increase by 50 percent in the next 30 years. It will be concerned with providing food,
shelter, clothing, education, and transportation for a nation of 300 million people
in the year 2000. It will gather data and predict the social consequences of this
growth. It will report on the resources which will be required to deal with this
number of people and the ways by which all units of government may be affected.
POTATO MARKETING ORDERS: Legislation on potato marketing orders approved last
week illustrates the changes in food processing in the last 35 years. Passed by a
voice vote after only a few minutes of debate was a bill to exempt from federal mar-
keting orders potatoes for dehydration, potato chips, and potato shoestrings. When
the law was first passed in 1937 vegetables for canning were exempted from the law.
In 1946 vegetables for freezing were exempted. This year we are to exempt dehydrated
potatoes. This enables smaller potatoes to be sold where there is a marketing order
against their shipment in general, if the potatoes are to be used for chips or shoe-
strings and the like.
THE 1971 BUDGET: President Nixon has submitted a balanced budget for 1971 of
more than $200 billion. Much has been written and said about this record budget but
I want to mention just a few facts on defense and non-defense spending.
The 1971 defense outlay is some $9.5 billion less than President Johnson's
request for fiscal year 1970 and $5.3 billion less than currently estimated for fis-
cal year 1970. Other federal outlays are up by $8.6 billion. This is the first time
in 20 years that the federal budget provides more funds for human resource programs
than for national defense. The Nixon Administration is not increasing defense spend-
ing while cutting down on domestic programs. In fact President Nixon and Secretary
Laird have been pretty tough on the Defense Department. About 550,000 military per-
sonnel and 130,000 civilian employees will be dropped during their first two years in
office. In addition, the cut in defense purchases will cause the loss of 640,000
defense jobs across the nation.
Furthermore, defense spending under the new budget will be 7 percent of the
Gross National Product as compared with 13 percent a few years ago. In fiscal year
1960 military expenditures represented 49.8 percent of the federal budget; it is now
down to 36.7 percent, the lowest ratio since 1950.
In any discussion of defense and non-defense spending by the federal govern-
ment one most significant fact must not be overlooked: the federal government alone
is responsible for the defense of our country. It maintains the Army, Navy, Air
Force, and Marines. But the states and local governments, and the private sector
spend billions of dollars on education and health services. These expenditures must
be recognized and included when we compare spending for defense and the expenditures
for health and education. It is estimated that federal, state, and local governments
and the private sector spend annually for health and education about $126 billion.
Defense expenditures for 1971 will be about $73.5 billion.
POST OFFICE INCREASES SERVICE: Greater home delivery service is to be pro-
vided to the patrons of nineteen smaller post offices in Kent and Ionia Counties
according to an announcement made last week by Postmaster General Blount. Persons
living more than a quarter mile but less than a half mile from a post office that
does not have city delivery are now eligible to receive delivery at home. Previously
they had to go to the post office for their mail. Since they did not live 1/2 mile
from the post office, they were not eligible for rural delivery service; and there
was no city delivery.
Post offices to receive this expanded service in Kent County are: Ada, Alto,
Belmont, Byron Center, Caledonia, Cannonsburg, Cedar Springs, Comstock Park, Kent
City, and Sand Lake. In Ionia: Clarksville, Hubbardston, Lyons, Muir, Orleans, Palo,
Pewamo, Saranac, and Smyrna.
The only requirement to obtain this new service is that it must be requested by
postmaster, and a majority of those living in the area must desire the service.
DISTRICT OFFICE: On Friday, February 20, my District Assistant will be in the
City Manager's office at ROCKFORD from 12:00 to 2:00 and in the Council Room at CEDAR
SPRINGS from 3:00 to 5:30.
Your Washington Review
KENT
5
IONIA
Congressman
JERRY FORD
February 23, 1970
Legislation to implement President Nixon's anti-pollution recommendations were
introduced in the Congress last week. I co-sponsored the seven bills designed to
wage a constructive and effective campaign against air and water pollution. On the
positive side, the bills will encourage better soil conservation and the development
of parklands and public recreation areas. They are also concerned with means of dis-
posing of trash and all "solid wastes." These bills are all designed to clean up our
water resources, to improve the quality of the air we breathe, and to remove from the
landscape the litter and trash which has become a national eyesore.
The legislation encourages the construction of sewage treatment plants, and
strengthens the power of the federal government to halt stream pollution. It pro-
poses that the federal government establish and enforce nationwide air quality stan-
dards. Specific attention is to be given to automotive exhaust pollution and the
development of engines and fuels to curtail poisoning of the air. The legislation is
also concerned with the disposal of solid wastes such as cans and bottles, paper and
all tresh, and old automobiles.
Many of us were surprised when the President reported that in 1969 more than
50,000 cars were towed away as abandoned on the streets of New York City alone. Mr.
Nixon has urged the study of a bounty payment or somemother system to promote the
prompt scrapping of all junk automobiles. Likewise, studies are underway to develop
new packaging methods so that the containers will be more readily disposable or more
easily re-used.
Mr. Nixon is also suggesting the development of additional park and recreational
areas, and the expansion of our efforts to control erosion in order to prevent stream
pollution and to preserve our soil.
All of this is going to require the cooperative efforts of all ofus. Special
responsibilities rest on governmental units at every level. Private industry and
private individuals must meet their responsibilities. Enormous sums of money will be
required. In the future this means the expenditure of substantial federal tax dol-
lars. But, the health and lives of all of us, now and in the future, are at stake.
In the past I have supported all constructive anti-pollution measures. I will con-
tinue to do SO. For as the President said: "This task is ours together. It summons
our energy, our ingenuity, and our conscience in a cause as fundamental as life
itself."
THE NEW HEW APPROPRIATION BILL: The Committee on Appropriations recommended a
new LABOR-HEW money bill cutting $445.6 million from the bill recently vetoed by the
President. However, the Committee bill was still $693 million more than the Presi-
dent's original budget recommendation, Of the amount cut, $160 million was from
funds for federally impacted areas, the most controversial item in the bill. The
1969 appropriation for these areas was $521 million. President Nixon originally
requested $202 million while the Congress initially voted $600 million. In the new
bill these school districts which educate children of federal employees and those
from federal installations would get $440 million, the amount suggested as a compro-
mise by Mr. Nixon.
The Committee's new bill stated that federal aid may not be cut off from
school districts that permit students to attend the school of their choice, nor may
federal funds be used to force districts to bus students. It provided further that
no federal money can be used to formulate or carry out any plan to outlaw freedom-of-
choice plans. An attempt to eliminate this provision was defeated in the House by a
vote of 122 to 145. I voted to support the Committee.
The Committee's bill also authorized the President to withhold the expenditure
of funds appropriated. This was to satisfy one of Mr. Nixon's principal objections
to the original bill--the mandatory spending provision. The new bill supplied the
money but did not order the President to spend it. However, this provision was
stricken from the bill by the House on a "point of order," as being legislation in an
appropriation bill which is prohibited under House rules. I then voted for a motion
to limit expenditures to 97th percent of the total funds available in the bill. But
this lost 189 to 205. With the fiscal and school year more than one-half over, there
must be some relaxation of the mandatory spending provision.
The House also added $80 million for impacted areas bringing the total in the
bill to $773 million over the President's recommendation. When all of this happened
I could only vote against the bill on final passage and express the thought that
there may be another veto.
THE PRESIDENT ON BUSING AND THE NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOLS: On February 12 the
White House issued a statement which, among other things said: "The President has
consistently opposed, and still opposes, compulsory busing of school children to
achieve racial balance. This practice is prohibited by the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
The Administration is in full accord with the provisions of the statute.
"School desegregation plans prepared by the Department of Health, Education,
and Welfare
will be directed to the greatest possible extent toward preserving
rather than destroying the neighborhood school concept. It is the President's firm
judgment that in carrying out the law and court decisions in respect to desegregation
of schools, the primary objective must always be the preservation of quality education
for the school children of America." I agree thoroughly. The President's statement
is consistent with what I have said repeatedly and which was reported on the front
page of the GRAND RAPIDS PRESS on September 16, 1969.
DISTRICT OFFICE: My District Assistant will be in the Council Room at LAKE
ODESSA on Friday, February 27, from 2:30 to 5:00.
Your Washington Review
KENT
5
IONIA
Congressman
JERRY FORD
March 2, 1970
The House of Representatives last Thursday refused to consider the National
Forest Timber Conservation and Management Act. By a vote of 228 to 150 it turned
down a resolution under which the bill would have been debated for two hours and
opened for amendments. The legislation was controversial; we received a sizable num-
ber of letters and telegrams on both sides of the issue. But the bill was recommended
with bi-partisan support by the Committee on Agriculture. Nothing in the bill would
allow the cutting of timber in wilderness areas or the National Parks. It referred
only to land managed by the Forest Service.
The Committee had made a number of changes in the original legislation to meet
objections pointed out in public hearings by various conservation groups, labor and
farm organizations, the Forest Service, and the timber industry. After these changes
were made and the final version of the bill was written, only one member of the 35-
man Committee (20 Democrats; 15 Republicans) voiced his opposition. This member did
not see any need for legislation to increase timber production and felt that the bill
would weaken and curtail other activities of the Forest Service: soil and water con-
servation, wildlife habitat management, and recreation.
Had the bill been taken up, the proponents of the legislation were prepared to
offer and support an amendment to meet this objection. The amendment would have ear-
marked a portion (at least 10 percent and possibly more) of the total timber sale
receipts for multi-uses, particularly soil and water conservation, wildlife habitat
management, and recreation. This amendment would have guaranteed funds for these
conservation programs and would have substantially increased (100 percent or more)
federal funds for wildlife habitat management and soil and water conservation. I
would have strongly supported such an amendment.
I voted for the resolution to take up the measure in order to give the House
an opportunity to improve the Committee's bill by adding the above amendment and to
make any other necessary changes. Certainly such proposed legislation should have
been permitted to come to the House floor for debate, amendment, and final judgment.
The bill as approved by the Committee set up a special "High Timber Yield
Fund." Money received from the sale of timber and other forest products from the
national forests would be deposited in this fund and used for increasing the produc-
tion of timber in our national forests. The money would go for tree planting,
thinning, pruning, fertilizing, and for developing better seed and stock. It is
estimated that over $200 million would have been available for these purposes under
the bill this year. Under current law most of the money from the sale of timber from
our national forests goes into the general fund. This bill earmarked the money for
reforestation and forest management improvement in the timberlands administered by the
U.S. Forest Service. It would have meant a major increase in funds for this purpose,
and the amendment I endorsed would have guaranteed, and I emphasize "guaranteed," in-
creased federal funds for wildlife habitat management and soil and water conservation.
The Forest Service administers 186 million acres, only about half of which are
suitable for the production of trees, and for recreation, wildlife, water, and
grazing. About 97 million acres provide more than half of the nation's softwood tim--
ber inventory. Much of this is composed of decadent old-growth timber. Other areas
amounting to 13 million acres have young timber stands in need of thinning and
weeding. Still others include 4.8 million acres that need reforestation. In each
case, the area is not producing to its potential. Tree harvests on the national
forests could be increased by 5 billion board feet per year if the backlog of cultural
and reforestation work were done. With other sustained yield management, including
the salvage of dead and dying trees, the annual yield could be raised a total of 7
billion board feet in the next 10 years, according to the Forest Service. H.R. 12025
would have provided the means to accomplish this.
The Committee urged adoption of the bill in order to manage our national
forests more efficiently, to insure a timber harvest under sound conservation princi-
pals, and to provide sufficient lumber to meet our national housing needs. The na-
tional forests contain 19 percent of the 510 million acres of commercial forest of our
country. The forest industry owns 13 percent, other public agencies 9 percent, but
the bulk of the commercial forests, 59 percent, are privately owned as farms, etc.
NATIONAL ALLIANCE OF BUSINESSMEN: Recently in Grand Rapids I was briefed on
the status of the local National Alliance of Businessmen JOBS program by Fred Meijer,
Carl Eschels, Gerald Greene, and John Hodge. I also had an opportunity in Washington
to discuss this fine program with Donald Kendall, the national chairman of JOBS.
It was good to learn that in Grand Rapids they have put together a consortium
of 23 employers under the Chamber of Commerce with pledges to hire over 250 disadvan-
taged workers. This brings their total to 65 Kent County firms pledging over 650
jobs.
The National Alliance program is receiving top priority from President Nixon,
as a good example of cooperative effort between government and business on the diffi-
cult but necessary task of hiring, training, and retraining the disadvantaged workers
in our community. I urge every employer who is not involved in the NAB program to
give it serious consideration, and to call in Fred Meijer and his NAB staff to come
out and to go over details.
DISTRICT OFFICE: My District Assistant, Gordon Vander Till, will be in the
Council Room at PORTLAND on Friday, March 6, from 2:30 to 5:00.
Your Washington Review
KENT
5
IONIA
Congressman
JERRY FORD
March 16, 1970
I voted for the revised Labor-HEW appropriation bill which has been signed by
President Nixon. The $19.4 billion appropriation is $365 million less than provided
in the bill vetoed by the President. However, under the approved bill, Mr. Nixon is
authorized to make an additional cut of two percent or $347 million. This flexibility
accorded the President is one thing many of us fought for. We opposed the original
mandatory spending provisions which permitted no discretion to the Chief Executive.
The Congress did include a provision that no specific item funded in the bill could
be reduced by more than 15 percent. In other words, the President cannot cut the
entire $347 million out of the bill by simply reducing or eliminating a few items.
In announcing my support of the revised bill on the floor of the House I said
that I would work with both Democrats and Republicans in writing good, substantive
legislation as it affects impacted aid. The present impacted aid legislation pro-
viding federal funds for certain school districts is a distortion of the basic intent
of the law passed in the 1950's.
RAILROAD LEGISLATION: I also voted for the bill extending for 37 days the
period during which the threatened railroad strike could not take place. President
Nixon had recommended legislation putting into effect the contracts that were agreed
to by the union negotiators and the railroad officials in December 1969. But the
Committee having jurisdiction over this matter felt that it did not have time to con-
sider the President's plan for the settlement of the long-standing dispute. It also
expressed the hope that the railroads and unions could settle the strike themselves
during this period.
Frankly, I preferred the President's plan which imposed a settlement. Of the
19 railroad brotherhoods, only four are involved in the labor-management dispute.
The bargaining committees of all four unions had agreed to the terms of a compromise
settlement. The membership of three of these four brotherhoods approved the agree-
ment rather overwhelmingly. Only one, the Sheet Metal Worker's International Associa-
tion, with a membership of between 6000 and 9000, voted 2200 to 1100 against the
agreement. This is what the threatened nationwide railroad strike was all about.
Although I voted for the Committee's proposal, I thought the President's plan to vali-
date the settlement agreed upon by union and management negotiators was preferable.
Furthermore, when the 37 days have passed, regrettably the problem may be right back
on the doorsteps of Congress. This critical situation emphasizes the need for
Congress to act affirmatively on the President's proposal to improve the overall pro-
cedure for the settlement of labor-management disputes.
In his message of February 27, Mr. Nixon suggested that the President be given
additional options to handle disputes in the transportation field. Currently, when
the "cooling off" period expires, the President has no recourse than to let the
strike occur or to request special legislation from the Congress. Mr. Nixon has pro-
posed that the President be allowed to extend the cooling off period, or to require
partial operation of the troubled industry, or to invoke compulsory arbitration.
STOCKPILE DISPOSAL: The House also passed, and I endorsed, nine bills autho-
rizing the sale of surplus materials from the national stockpile. The various stock-
piles are designed to assure a sufficient supply of critical, strategic materials in
a national emergency. The bills approved last week permit the sale of a limited
amount of excess materials and would mean an increment to the government of $407
million. The federal treasury needs the "cash" and the President believes the stock-
piles can be reduced. These materials include bismuth, cobalt, fluorspar, magnesium,
tungsten, shellac, and castor oil.
The government has 18.5 million pounds of castor oil to sell at about 14½ cents
per pound. To many older folks castor oil has a disagreeable connotation. But most
of the surplus will be sold for use in paints and varnish, linoleum, oilcloth, print-
ing ink, soap, lubricants, and hydraulic brake fluids.
Over 4 million pounds of shellac will be offered for sale at about 15¢ a pound.
Shellac is the product of an insect that lives in southern Asia. It is used as a
sealer and primer, in cements for basing electric bulbs and tubes, as a glaze for
candy and medicinal tablets, and in self-polishing floor and furniture waxes.
JOINT COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENT AND TECHNOLOGY: I have joined with the Majority
Leader and others in introducing a resolution to establish a joint congressional
Committee on Environment and Technology. The Committee composed of members of both
houses will carry on a continuous study and make reports on all types of pollution
control, on means of improving environmental quality, and on methods of promoting
"conditions under which man and nature can exist in harmony.'
FOREIGN STUDY SCHOLARSHIP: I am pleased to announce that in cooperation with
the American Institute for Foreign Study, I am offering a $1000 scholarship to one
high school junior for six weeks of study and travel in Europe this summer. Any 11th
grader in a Kent or Ionia County high school who is interested should consult his
principal who has been sent a memorandum on the scholarship.
AT HOME: I am planning to be in Grand Rapids next Monday, March 23rd to visit
with these groups: At noon I will meet with the Wyoming Kiwanis Club and in the
evening participate in a panel discussion at Aquinas College on American ecology,
population and pollution. During the afternoon I will be available for appointments
at my 425 Cherry Street office.
DISTRICT OFFICE: My District Assistant will be at the Cascade Township Hall
(28th St. and Cascade Road) on Friday, March 20 from 2:30 to 5:00.
Your Washington Review
KENT
5
IONIA
Congressman
JERRY FORD
March 23, 1970
President Nixon's "family assistance act" has been approved by the Committee
on Ways and Means and recommended to the House of Representatives for passage.
Designed to replace the current welfare program with a "workfare" program, the act
will provide for the basic needs of the poor while requiring them to register for
work or training. Adult family members must agree to work if physically able and if
not required to care for an ill or small member of the household. If willing to work
but with no jobs available, recipients are eligible for job training in skills for
which jobs are available. Those who refuse to cooperate will be penalized.
A family of four would be granted an income of $1600 a year but could earn up
to $3920 before its last dollar of assistance would cease. This has been called by
some critics a "guaranteed annual income" but it actually is no more so than the
allowance guaranteed to welfare recipients under the present system. It can be
fairly stated that the existing welfare program has a guaranteed annual income for
idleness. Under the "workfare" program, the family members are encouraged, rather
than discouraged, to seek employment and to train for a better job.
Another provision of the legislation would hold a parent who deserts his family
responsible to the government for repayment of the amount of assistance received by
his family. Under current welfare programs fathers are actually encouraged to desert
their families and get a job elsewhere so the family can qualify for welfare. Many
low-paid workers are actually worse off working than they are on welfare, because if
they work and support their families they become ineligible for welfare under current
law. The bill would change this, and at the same time require a deserting parent,
when located, to reimburse the government or make direct payments to his family, in
which case the federal assistance could be reduced by a like amount.
This workfare program is not going to cut family support costs drastically and
suddenly. However, we do expect costs to be reduced in the long run. The proposal
will be vigorously debated in the House but there is general agreement that we must
find a constructive substitute for the current expensive and unsatisfactory handout
programs.
WARRING AGAINST OBSCENITY: The number of complaints from those receiving ob-
scene material through the mail has declined recently. This may be a reflection of
the fact that the Nixon Administration has zeroed in on 20 of the nation's larger dis-
tributors, whose mailings of sexually oriented materials have prompted about 90% of
all public complaints. Of these, four have been convicted and indictments have been
obtained against the remainder. During the last four months, there have been 38 in-
dictments and seven convictions of those who traffic in pornography. Sixteen addi-
tional cases have been formally presented to U. S. Attorneys for possible prosecution.
There are signs, too, that the courts are taking a firmer and less tolerant
attitude. The Supreme Court recently refused to disturb the conviction of eight
Boston sellers of pornography. Immediately after the decision was handed down, city
detectives closed in on 14 other operations--only to find them all closed. If the
courts will continue to cooperate, this problem can be licked.
CENSUS 1970: On Saturday of this week about 43 million census questionnaires
will be delivered to households throughout our country. A short form consisting of
seven basic questions and about 15 questions on housing will go to four families out
of five. Every fifth family will receive a longer form containing additional ques-
tions on living quarters, education, employment, earnings, etc. Whether a household
receives a long form questionnaire or a short one depends entirely on chance.
All of us are asked to fill in the form and mail it back on Census Day, Wednes-
day, April 1. I urge everyone to cooperate fully in this nationwide effort to gather
valid statistics to serve both the public and private interests of our country. All
answers are confidential and cannot by law be disclosed to any person outside the
Census Bureau for any reason whatsoever.
The total cost of the 1970 Census of Population and Housing is estimated at
$219 million, or slightly more than $1 per person. Over 60 percent of the population
will be questioned by mail but we will still need about 160,000 census takers. They
will gather data where the mails are not used, and will collect information from
those households which fail to mail back a complete questionnaire.
THIS AND THAT: When President Nixon took office there were 532,500 American
fighting men in Vietnam. As of March 12 this number had been reduced to 460,800. By
April 15th the President's Vietnamization program will accomplish a total reduction
of 115,000 in the U.S. manpower ceiling in Vietnam
The Committee on Appropriations
has released a schedule calling for House action on the first regular money bill of
this session during the week of April 13 with the last of the regular appropriation
bills to be considered during the week of June 15. If this happens it will be a far
cry from last year when the House did not take initial action on the last funding
bill until Sept. 19
The Senate has approved lowering the voting age to 18 in
local, state, and federal elections. When Michigan voted on this in 1966, the Fifth
District (Ionia and Kent Counties) voters cast their ballots: No - 71,170; Yes -
31,223.
DISTRICT OFFICE: My District Assistant, Gordon Vander Till, will be in the
Council Room at BELDING on Friday, March 27 from 2:30 to 5:00.
KENT
Your Washington Review
5
IONIA
Congressman
JERRY FORD
March 30, 1970
The Capitol is filled with visitors these days. In one day last week over
11,000 went through the building. A greater number is expected this week and our
records indicate that many will be from the Fifth District. Washington belongs to
the nation; it is unique among American cities.
But there are American citizens who fear to visit their nation's capital.
They are familiar with the crime situation here. In the District of Columbia last
year there were 289 murders, over 12,000 robberies, nearly 23,000 burglaries, and 335
cases of forcible rape. Over 11,300 automobiles were stolen. The number of felonies
reported in 1969 totaled 51,419. Arrests were made in only 11,504 cases and of these
but 2,583 were indicted, and 1,461 convicted. The most shocking aspect of the whole
crime picture in Washington is this fact that only 2½ percent of the felonies
reported resulted in convictions. Moreover, between 1956 and 1969 serious criminal
offenses increased by 288 percent while at the same time there was a drastic
reduction in the percentage of crimes solved by arrest and punishment. This is a
serious and discouraging development.
I am not reporting these facts to frighten anyone away from Washington. It is
still safe to visit here and to enjoy the beauties of the city and observe the ma-
chinery of government. But one must exercise proper caution as to where and when he
goes. I do make this report to emphasize why President Nixon has been urging special
crime legislation for the District and why the House recently approved a D.C. Court
Reform & Criminal Procedures Act, a strong anti-crime bill which will enable the
police, prosecutors, and the courts to do a better job in protecting the public.
Some have been critical of the so-called "no-knock" provision. This permits a
police officer, armed with a search warrant, to make a surprise, and possibly forced,
entry into a home, building, or vehicle.
The police officer must have a search warrant and one which expressly authorizes
entry without notice. The warrant is to be issued by a judge only when he has been
convinced that a crime is being committed in the building, and that for the police of-
ficer to knock or otherwise announce his presence would result in the evidence being
destroyed, the suspect escaping, or the police officer being recognized or injured.
Twenty-nine states (not Michigan) already allow "no-knock" entry and I believe
officers in our Capital City need this tool in their fight against crime.
No law-abiding citizen need fear the no-knock provision. New York has had
such a law since 1965. Of 1,800 cases since then, police officers in New York have
applied for no-knock warrants in only 14 instances and have actually used them in
only 12. The constitutionality of the New York law has been upheld by the courts.
VIETNAM EDUCATIONAL BENEFITS: Congress has approved, and I supported, a bill
which increases from $130 to $175 per month the educational allowances for veterans
of the Vietnam War era. A married veteran would get $205 per month with $25 for the
first child and $13 for each additional child. Payment will be made on the basis of
1½ months for each month served with a maximum of 36 calendar months.
Widows and children of men killed in action or who died from service-connected
disabilities are also eligible for educational benefits.
LOTTERY AND DRAFT PROBABILITY: In my newsletter of December 22 I warned that
it would be "unwise for any draft eligible registrant to assume that he is certain
not to be reached for induction in 1970 simply because of his draft sequence number."
This is still true, but Selective Service Headquarters tells us that it is determined
to make the lottery system work the way it was supposed to work. Because of the
reduction in draft calls by President Nixon and the adoption of a plan of equalization
among the local boards, Selective Service is limiting pre-induction examinations for
the time being to registrants with numbers under 216. Those with 216 and higher will
be given pre-induction examinations as armed forces requirements indicate.
MILITARY SALES ACT: The United States does sell arms abroad. Although we
continue to encourage arms control and disarmament, the Congress recognizes that some
nations have legitimate defense needs in order to deter aggressors and to provide
internal security. In amendments to the Foreign Military Sales Act approved last
Tuesday, the House prohibited sales of defense articles and services to countries
who seize American fishing vessels in international waters. It also set a permanent
ceiling of $75 million a year for Latin American countries, and halted sales to
countries which deny the growth of fundamental rights or social progress to their own
people. The law already bars sales to military dictators who deny such progress to
their people.
OBSCENITY LEGISLATION: A bill to strengthen the government's fight against
the smut peddlers has just been reported to the House. It includes some of the
President's recommendations which I have co-sponsored. It defines material which may
not be mailed to minors and provides a means for keeping it out of our mail boxes.
More on this when the House considers it.
DISTRICT OFFICE: My District Assistant will be in the City Hall at IONIA on
Friday, April 3 from 2:30 to 5:00.
NO NEWSLETTER NEXT WEEK--EASTER RECESS.
Your Washington Review
KENT
5
IONIA
Congressman
JERRY FORD
April 13, 1970
Local officials everywhere are distressed and baffled by the increasing costs
of our welfare system. The number of individuals receiving aid under the program of
Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) has more than doubled between 1961 and
1969; costs have nearly tripled. Today, 7.1 million individuals receive $3.8 billion
at an annual rate in welfare payments. In New York City one out of every seven
persons receives welfare assistance.
In Kent and Ionia Counties there is a monthly average of 5300 cases involving
old age assistance, and aid to dependent children, the blind, and the disabled. The
annual cost comes to over $7.9 million. In addition there are 1000 cases of direct
relief with a total annual cost of $1.8 million. These figures do not include the
child welfare costs, the county hospital, hospitalization not covered by medicare, and
administrative costs. The present welfare program is growing in caseload and cost.
The AFDC program also encourages family breakups. In all states, no aid is
available to poor families with a full-time employed father. In one-half the states,
no aid goes to poor families with an unemployed father at home. These facts simply
encourage some men to desert their families.
Under the present system many people are better off on welfare than they are
working. A family of four in Michigan has to earn $1.94 per hour to be as well off
as a family on welfare; anyone earning less would be better off quitting his job.
THE FAMILY ASSISTANCE PLAN: To eliminate these defects and to provide an in-
centive to work or to train for a job, President Nixon and the Committee on Ways and
Means have proposed the Family Assistance Plan (FAP). The House is scheduled to
debate and vote on this Plan this week. Recommended by a Democratic-dominated com-
mittee, the Plan has also been endorsed by the House Republican Policy Committee.
Each family with children would be eligible for assistance even if there were
a working father in the family. A family of four with no income would be eligible
for a FAP payment of $1,600. A family of four (father, mother, two children) could
earn $200 a month and still receive a FAP payment of $63.33 plus $34 as a food stamp
bonus for total government assistance of $97.33. The family would then have an
annual income of $3,568. Parents would be required to participate in a work training
program to upgrade their skill and increase their earning power. The aim would be to
get their own income above the minimum for FAP assistance. Those participating in the
training program would receive an allowance of $30 a month.
A family with more than $1,500 in resources, other than the home, household
goods, personal effects and property essential to the family's means of self support
would not be eligible for FAP. Parents who desert their families would not be eli-
gible for any federal payments made to their families. This point must be emphasized
--any persons who refuse to accept employment or training without an acceptable rea-
son, will receive no funds, and family benefits will be paid to a person outside the
family under a protective payment arrangement. The entire concept is to encourage
acceptance of family responsibility and to require training which would help the
family to become self-reliant. This is a "workfare" rather than a welfare program.
SOME OBJECTIONS ANSWERED: Some have objected to this program as a "guaranteed
annual income." The existing welfare program is a guaranteed annual income for
idleness.
The FAP is oriented to work; it is not a proposal for a guaranteed minimum
income. Those who are able to work or to be trained are required to register for and
accept suitable training or employment or lose their benefits. Benefits are limited
to families with children, which is not true of guaranteed income schemes.
Others insist that $1,600 for a family of four is too low as a minimum benefit.
The President has proposed more than $1,600 since a family of four will be eligible
for a food stamp bonus of about $860, bringing the federally financed portion of the
benefits to $2,460. In addition, the program ensures that 42 states will continue to
provide supplementary payments above the $1,600 in order to maintain present benefit
levels.
It is alleged that most welfare recipients are unemployable or untrainable. It
is true that 57 percent of those who may be eligible for FAP benefits have a limited
employment potential because of age, disabilities, or are needed at home or in school.
But 43 percent have a reasonable employment potential. They could benefit from
training, employment or a better job.
A fourth objection centers around the increase of over $4 billion in federal
welfare spending. In reply it can be said that the estimated federal cost of AFDC in
1975 is only $300 million less than the estimated cost of FAP. The cost of the
family portion of the welfare program for the federal government will be about the
same as the cost which would be incurred without any change to FAP. About $600
million of the additional cost represents fiscal relief to the states. The reforms
resulting from these costs should reduce the welfare caseload, restore family sta-
bility, and strenghten work incentives.
AT HOME: I was in the Cherry Street office for appointments last Saturday morn-
ing after addressing the Michigan Dental Association in Grand Rapids Friday evening,
and before attending the junior bowling competition at the Westgate Bowl Saturday noon
DISTRICT OFFICE: My District Assistant will be at the Village Hall in
CALEDONIA on Friday, April 17, from 2:30 to 5:00 p.m.
Your Washington Review
KENT
5
IONIA
Congressman
JERRY FORD
April 20, 1970
Some years ago when we were concerned with high water and flooding on the
Grand River, I sponsored legislation calling for a survey of the Grand River Basin.
Now as a result of that survey, the Corps of Engineers is proposing a dam and sizable
reservoir on the Rogue River. At a meeting in my office last Friday with top
officials of the Corps, it was confirmed that the Rogue River project is not being
proposed as a flood control measure. The Corps is recommending it only for
recreational purposes and for the development of fish and wildlife.
On the basis of such a proposal, I am vigorously opposed to the construction
of a dam on the Rogue River. We cannot by any means justify the inundation of 6000
acres of land and the destruction of 300 homes to create another lake; Michigan
already has over 6500 lakes plus the Great Lakes. I so informed the Corps officials.
You may be assured that I will object strenuously to the authorization and the
appropriation of any federal funds for the Rogue River Reservoir.
APPROPRIATIONS: Three 1971 appropriation bills were approved by the House of
Representatives last week. The Treasury and Post Office Departments and the Executive
Office of the President were voted $9.5 billion, an increase of $695 million over
this year. However, postal receipts between $6.5 and $9.1 billion, depending on the
rate schedule, will be used to offset the total expenditure.
The legislative appropriation bill, providing funds for the House, Library of
Congress, Government Printing Office, etc., came to $347 million but the Senate must
add funds for its own operation.
For the first time funds for the Office of Education are being provided in a
separate appropriation bill. Previously these funds ($4.1 billion for 1971) were
included in the Labor-HEW bill, usually approved later in the session. Early con-
sideration of a separate bill is designed to let the states and local school districts
know before school opens in the fall what federal assistance will be available.
Included in the bill is $425 million for federally impacted school districts, an
item which figured prominently in the President's veto of the 1970 HEW bill. The
Democratic-dominated committee said it "is in full sympathy with the President's
objective of reforming this program so that the funds go to the school districts
which are clearly under an economic burden imposed by the federal government."
THE POST OFFICE---SERVICE, DEFICIT, AND RATES: The post office next year will
be delivering over 86 billion pieces of mail through 31,000 post offices to more than
56 million addresses in our country. If the proposed pay raises are approved and if
postal rates remain unchanged, the postal deficit for next year will reach $2.5 billion.
Even if we charge off $1 billion as capital investments and public service we still
have an enormous deficit of $1.5 billion in one year.
From the revenue side, this deficit can only be met by enacting new postal
rates or paying it out of taxes. Authorities tell us that 70 percent of our mail is
business mail and 64 percent of our taxes are paid by individuals. If we do not
raise rates so that users of the mail will be paying their share of this deficit, the
individual taxpayers of the country will be making a sizable contribution to subsidize
the business institutions of our country.
I'm certain that most of us will agree that those who use the mail should bear
the major cost of the postal service. That is why the President has recommended an
increase in rates on all classes of mail. But we must also be sure that each class of
mail pays its fair share of the total cost. What is a "fair share" can become a
debatable question. Should each class pay its own way? Some insist that it should.
Others argue for instance that second class mail, newspapers and magazines, should be
subsidized as a contribution to general education.
We hear from many who insist that third class advertising material should pay
100 percent of the cost of handling. The Congress must, therefore, not only develop
a basic policy but also analyze carefully the Administration's recommendations. I
can say at this point that I have not endorsed the package rate increase recommended
by the Postmaster General.
I say this because the figures provided by the Post Office Department suggest
that second and third class mail may be paying less than their fair share. Taking
into account about 50 percent of total postal expenditures which the Department feels
can be attributed to each class of mail, the chart below shows the percentage of cost
paid by each class of mail during 1969, and the percentage for next year provided the
proposed pay raises and rate increases become effective. It should be noted that
second and third classes do include mailings by many non-profit groups.
Class
1969
1971
First (letters)
185 %
204 %
Second (newspapers, magazines)
42
51
Third
(advertising material)
170
196
Fourth (parcel post)
154
155
FOREIGN STUDY SCHOLARSHIP: Miss Margaret Hefferan, 37 Burr Oak, N.E., Grand
Rapids was selected by a panel of school superintendents to receive the $1000 scholar-
ship for study abroad this summer which I offered in the newsletter of March 16. A
junior at West Catholic High School and the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Hefferan,
Margaret will spend six weeks in Europe with major study in France.
AT HOME: On Wednesday I will be participating in the "teach-in on environment"
at Grand Valley State College at noon and at the Civic Auditorium in the evening.
Your Washington Review
KENT
5
IONIA
Congressman
JERRY FORD
April 27, 1970
The major item of business before the House of Representatives last week was a
$3.6 billion authorization bill for NASA. The near disaster of Apollo 13 may have a
decided effect on the seven additional Apollo landings originally scheduled: two in
1970, two in 1971, one in 1972, and two in 1974. But the bill includes funds total-
ing $1.1 billion for the Apollo program next year.
The second single largest item in the bill is $670 million for the Space Flight
Operations program designed to place a Workshop in Space to which crews will be dis-
patched to remain up to 28 days and carry on a series of experiments and observations.
I do not share the view of those who say we should abandon or sharply curtail
our efforts in space. But I do think we must exercise restraint and common sense.
This is not the time to waste our substance in deploying missions to far off planets.
However, the continuation of a reasonable effort in space can be justified, especially
as knowledge and techniques are gained which are of value to us on earth.
President Nixon has recommended the smallest federal appropriation for NASA
since 1963. The 1971 request of $3.4 billion is more than $500 million under the
total outlay for the current year. In 1966 NASA received $5.9 billion which repre-
sented 4.4% of the total federal budget outlay. The 1971 request is only 1.7% of the
total budget. I agree with the President's cutback and feel that an appropriation of
not more than $3.4 billion will permit us to continue "a reasonable effort in space."
THE HOUSE AND JUSTICE DOUGLAS: Our mail last week was primarily concerned with
the proposed impeachment of Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas. We have re-
ceived over 1800 letters and telegrams running 3 to 1 in favor of impeachment.
The Constitution says judges shall hold office "during good behavior. A prac-
tice or pattern of misbehavior is impeachable. Resolutions have been introduced by
over 100 members of the House (about equally divided between Democrats and Republicans)
calling for the establishment of a special committee to determine whether impeachment
proceedings against Justice Douglas should be initiated. The resolutions list speci-
fic charges against Mr. Douglas. Among these are: practicing law as a member of the
Supreme Court contrary to a federal criminal statute, hearing and deciding a case in-
volving a person with whom he had a personal financial relationship (i.e., conflict of
interest), acting as president of a foundation which received substantial income from
gambling interests involved in litigation before the federal courts, publishing a book
encouraging violence, anarchy and civil unrest, and permitting a portion of that book
to be used in a magazine which regularly features pornographic and obscene material.
On April 15 I addressed the House outlining in detail the case against Justice
Douglas. I urged his impeachment on the basis that he had violated the "good
behavior" clause of the Constitution. The House of Representatives is charged by the
Constitution with the supervision of the federal judiciary and has the responsibility
of impeaching judges who no longer exhibit "good behavior." Copies of the full text
of my address may be obtained by calling on my Grand Rapids office (456-9747) or
writing me in Washington.
On April 21 the Judiciary Committee named a five-man subcommittee to investi-
gate the impeachment charges. Included on the subcommittee is our colleague from
Michigan, Congressman Edward Hutchinson.
GRAND RIVER DAM AND RESERVOIRS: Last week I mentioned my opposition to the
construction of a dam and reservoir on the Rogue River in Kent County. The Corps of
Engineers is also proposing four dams and reservoirs in or affecting Ionia County.
Duck Creek reservoir ($9.1 million) would serve no flood control purpose. Prairie
Creek dam ($14.1 million) would have a minimum effect on flood control. The Portland
Reservoir on the Lookingglass River ($12.3 million) is only partially for flood
control; other purposes are more significant. Fish Creek Dam ($14.4 million) would
be only for recreation and fish and wildlife development.
The Labarge Reservoir ($5.5 million) on the Thornapple and Coldwater Rivers in
Kent and Barry Counties is listed mainly for flood control. But the Corps agrees
that it is not economically feasible because of the adverse ratio of cost to benefit.
In other words, none of these projects can be justified on the basis of flood control.
In view of this fact and of the enormous costs involved, I shall object to any autho-
rization or appropriation for these projects in Kent or Ionia Counties. Our original
purpose for initiating the survey of the Grand River basin was to determine means for
preventing floods and extremely high water.
LOWERING THE VOTING AGE: The House will soon have to pass on the Senate amend-
ment to the Voting Rights Act lowering the voting age to 18 for federal, state, and
local elections. In 1966 when Michigan voted on this subject I cast my ballot in
favor of the lower age limit. However, the voters of Michigan overwhelmingly defeated
the proposal. The vote in the 5th District was 31,223 in favor with 71,170 opposed.
My questionnaire last fall indicated that 64 percent of the citizens of Kent and
Ionia Counties object to the lower age. Moreover, the Constitution seems clearly to
indicate that voting requirements are under the jurisdiction of the various states.
A federal law setting the voting age for all elections is of doubtful constitution-
ality. While therefore I favor lowering the voting age by a state or federal consti-
tutional amendment, I cannot endorse this specific Senate proposal.
DISTRICT OFFICE: My District Assistant will be at the Cedar Springs City Hall
on Friday, May 1, from 12:00 to 2:00 and at the Rockford City Hall 2:30 to 5:00 p.m.
Your Washington Review
KENT
5
IONIA
Congressman
JERRY FORD
May 4, 1970
Following two days of debate the House of Representatives on Thursday decided
to postpone until this week further action on the $20 billion authorization bill for
the purchase of aircraft, missiles, naval vessels and other weapons, and for defense
research. The bill includes $6 billion for aircraft, $3.5 billion for missiles, and
$3 billion for naval vessels. The authorization recommended in the bill is $473
million less than for the past year. An authorization simply sets the upper limits
of spending; an appropriation bill, to be approved later, sets the actual amount to
be spent.
Much of the defense research is conducted in our universities and colleges.
The Committee on Armed Services has served notice that this research must proceed
under an absolute assurance of complete academic freedom, meaning "freedom to present
both the pros and cons on any issue without disruption by proponents or opponents."
The Committee is requiring an accounting of all research funds going to those colleges
where student disruptions have taken place, particularly in those institutions where
administrators have condoned heckling, picketing, etc. The bill as passed prohibits
any funds to those universities which have barred recruiting personnel of any of the
armed forces.
PROTECTION AGAINST OBSCENE MAILINGS: President Nixon recommended and the
House has approved legislation to protect those under the age of 17 from mailings of
obscene matter, and to protect any family which objects to receiving "sexually
oriented advertising through the mail."
The bill defines material which cannot be mailed to minors as that which "(a)
predominantly appeals to the prurient, shameful, or morbid interest of minors; and
(b) is offensive to prevailing standards in the adult community concerning what is
suitable material for minors; and (c) is substantially without redeeming social value
for minors. " No distributor of such material can mail it without a purchase order
from an adult. To do otherwise will subject the distributor to criminal prosecution.
Adults may order what they wish but children are protected.
The bill also permits any postal patron-who objects to receiving "sexually
oriented advertising through the mail" to register his name with the Postmaster
General. The advertising matter does not necessarily have to be "legally obscene."
Any registered individual or family receiving the offensive material may ask the
government to take legal action against the mailer. Here the emphasis is on keeping
unwanted advertising matter out of the mail box.
I strongly supported the bill which passed the House last Tuesday by a vote of
375 to 8.
UNSOLICITED CREDIT CARDS: The Senate has approved a bill which prohibits the
issuance of unsolicited credit cards and limits the consumer's liability for a lost
or stolen card to not more than $50.00.
A House committee has recommended a bill requiring that an unsolicited credit
card must be sent by registered mail with delivery restricted to the addressee and a
return receipt required. The thought is that the high cost of registered mail will
discourage the practice and its use will prevent theft from the mail. It is generally
agreed that something must be done to stop or discourage the mailing of credit cards
except when requested or to replace an expired card. The Senate committee listed six
objections to unsolicited credit cards. Among these are an encouragement to spend
beyond one's means; danger of non-receipt or loss with accompanying liability or
other difficulties if someone else uses the card; many persons find the "unsolicited
credit offensive per se and an unwarranted intrusion into their personal life;" and
the cards are prone to theft in the mails and put an undue burden on law enforcement
authorities.
I agree that some action, along the line of either bill, should be taken by
the Congress this session.
ARMS CONTROL AND DISARMAMENT: It may seem incongruous to talk about disarma-
ment in a newsletter which mentions a $20 billion defense procurement authorization.
Yet the House last week with my full support also authorized $17.5 million for the
next two years to finance the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency.
The work of the Agency has assumed added importance because of the strategic
arms limitation talks (SALT) now going on with the Soviet Union. The Agency is also
involved in the efforts of the United States to negotiate agreements with respect to
chemical and biological warfare. The unanimous report of the Committee on Foreign
Affairs stated: "In general, the outlook in the arms control and disarmament field
is somewhat brighter today than in past years The Soviets have exhibited a co-
operative attitude on arms control at the Committee on Disarmament in Geneva and at
the United Nations."
CALVIN CHOIR AT WHITE HOUSE: With the enthusiastic approval of President
Nixon, the Calvin Seminary Choir of Grand Rapids will participate in the White House
religious services next Sunday, May 10. It was my privilege to bring to the Presi-
dent's attention the excellence of this male chorus. President Nixon in my conversa-
tion with him on the invitation well remembered his several past appearances at Calvin.
DISTRICT OFFICE: My District assistant will be in the Village Hall at Lake
Odessa on Friday, May 8, from 2:30 to 5:00 p.m.
Your Washington Review
KENT
5
IONIA
Congressman
JERRY FORD
May 18, 1970
AS OF 8:00 A.M. ON THURSDAY, MAY 14, UNITED STATES AND SOUTH VIETNAMESE FORCES
HAD CAPTURED THE FOLLOWING ENEMY WAR MATERIEL IN THE CAMBODIAN SANCTUARIES:
Rifles
7,540
Large Rocket Rounds
869
Machine Guns
1,071
Smaller Rocket Rounds
8,536
Rounds of Small Arms
Recoilless Rifle Rounds
9,418
Ammunition
8,474,425
Vehicles
178
Anti-Aircraft Rounds
4,072
Boats
40
Mortar Rounds
13,384
Rice (lbs)
4,998,000
Grenades
12,843
Man Months
109,956
Had these weapons not been seized by U.S. and South Vietnamese forces they
would have been used against American troops in Vietnam. The rice captured would
have fed a Communist army of over 109,000 for a month, or an army of 36,000 for three
months. In addition 3,318 bunkers were destroyed. All of this was accomplished in
a period of two weeks.
This action was taken as a result of President Nixon's decision to clean out
the North Vietnamese sanctuaries in Cambodia. The President's action was aimed only
at further protecting our troops in Vietnam. He has made it clear that this is a
limited action (total withdrawal by July 1) designed to shorten the war in Vietnam
and to enable a more prompt withdrawal of our American forces.
Those familiar with the facts have indicated with concrete evidence that the
results of Operation Cambodia are "spectacular" and an "enormous success."
The President's decision will help protect our men from enemy attack; it will
strengthen the Vietnamization program, and it will permit the withdrawal of our
troops at the scheduled or an accelerated rate, and I believe in greater numbers.
The President's decision does not make this Mr. Nixon's war. Let's take a
quick look at the record: President Truman sent 36 American military advisors to
Vietnam; President Eisenhower increased their number to less than 700; President
Kennedy sent over 16,000 soldiers to Vietnam, and President Johnson had increased
this number to 532,500 by the time he left office.
President Nixon has reversed the trend. He is bringing Americans home. As of
May 7, the number of American troops has been reduced to 428,750 which is 103,750
less than when President Nixon took office. An additional 150,000 men will be home
by next spring. Mr. Nixon is determined that the South Vietnamese assume the major
responsibility for their own defense and welfare.
To help achieve this goal of withdrawing U.S. forces and to protect the lives
of the dwindling American forces, Mr. Nixon could not tolerate an enormous enemy
armed camp within a few miles of Saigon. Those who object to our limited operationin
Cambodia seem to forget that the Communist North Vietnamese have invaded Cambodia,
violated its neutrality for over 6 years, and established what had been a military
sanctuary from which to attack American soldiers and to destroy all our efforts at
U.S. withdrawal and pacification. We have no designs on Cambodian or Vietnamese
territory.
The House of Representatives supports the President's decision on Cambodia.
For two days a week ago the House debated legislation involving the Department of
Defense and our military policies. Amendments were offered to restrict the Presi-
dent's use of appropriated funds in Vietnam and Cambodia. When all the words were
said and the votes taken, the House had refused to place any restrictions on the
elected Commander-in-Chief who has prime responsibility for the safety of American
G.I.'s. A majority of members, Democrats and Republicans alike, realized that if
there is one man in the United States who wants peace in Vietnam it is Richard Nixon.
The President, like all of us, wants to end the war so we can complete the task of
reordering our priorities by expending more federal funds on domestic problems.
While we are receiving hundreds of letters and telegrams on this subject, and
some of them are quite critical, I believe that a majority of the American people are
also behind the President. A mother in the City of Wyoming wrote me to say: "I would
like you to know we fully support President Nixon's decision to go into Cambodia.
There are a lot of people in your district who feel this way. Our son has just
returned from a year in Vietnam and he understands the problem, having seen it first
hand."
May I also point out that my support of President Nixon is not politically
motivated. You may remember that I consistently endorsed President Johnson's efforts
to achieve peace. I would like to quote from my newsletter of January 26, 1966, over
four years ago. Discussing the War in Vietnam and Senator Dirksen's comments on the
Republican Party's policy on the war, I stated: "We will support anything which Mr.
Johnson does to obtain a prompt, just and secure peace Our only objective is a
just and secure peace. Our only aim is to promptly bring home all American servicemen
-- alive and whole. Our only opposition is to getting bogged down in an extended and
massive land war in the jungles of Southeast Asia, a war which could go on for many
years and produce thousands of casualties." That was written in January, 1966. Our
objection to such a war still stands.
BUSINESS EXPANSION CONFERENCE: On Friday afternoon (1:30-4:00) I will be par-
ticipating in a Business Expansion Conference for the 5th District at the Pantlind
Hotel. Any interested citizen is welcome to hear a discussion of the services of the
SBA, FHA, Department of Commerce, and the Michigan Department of Economic Expansion.
DISTRICT OFFICE: My District Assistant will be in the City Hall at PORTLAND
on Friday, May 22, from 2:30 to 5:00.
Your Washington Review
KENT
5
IONIA
Congressman
JERRY FORD
May 25, 1970
A young soldier in Vietnam on May 4 wrote his grandfather in Grand Rapids
about President Nixon's Cambodian decision. I would like to share a portion of his
letter with you. He wrote: "My enemies are the Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese
army. One of their most effective tactics is to construct bases just inside the
Cambodian border from which to launch attacks on allied units and towns in South
Vietnam. Until recently, VC troops would strike at a camp such as mine, and when
allied units counter-attacked, the VC would simply run back to Cambodia and be safe.
There they would be able to rest and prepare for new attacks. Our inability to
follow them into Cambodia has kept the VC the strong, effective combat force that they
are today, and it has cost many American lives in the process. As an example, there
is a VC stronghold in plain sight of us only a mile and a half away on the other side
of the Cambodian border. It is these VC who attacked our camp four nights in a row
last week. Luckily we took no casualties, but there is no way of telling when the VC
will strike again. They may be moving toward me as I write this letter tonight
"The only way to insure my safety, and probably the only way to end the war is
to ceaselessly attack the reds in Cambodia and resume the bombing of North Vietnam.
Despite what many people in the United States are saying, many lives, and maybe my
own, have been saved by the President's wise decision, and I along with every man
here most heartily support what he has decided to do." A copy of the entire letter
has been sent to President Nixon.
SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS INCREASED: An additional 5 percent increase in Social
Security benefits was voted by the House of Representatives last Thursday. This will
become effective January 1, 1971. The bill also increased the earnings limitation
from $1,680 to $2,000. This means that a person can earn up to $2000 without losing
any benefits. If he earns between $2,000 and $3200, he loses $1 in benefits for each
$2 of earnings.
The bill makes a number of other changes in the law which the Committee be-
lieved were most urgently needed at the present time and which can be financed from
funds to be available. The House overruled the Committee 233 to 144 and approved
President Nixon's proposal for an automatic increase in benefits whenever the cost of
living goes up by 3 percent or more beginning in 1972.
To pay for the new benefits the Social Security tax base is increased. Now
there is no tax on income over $7,800. Beginning January 1, the base limit will go
up to $9,000. This year the tax on employees and employers each is 4.8 percent. Next
year the tax will go to 5.2 percent. The maximum social security tax on an employee
today is $374.40 based on wages of $7,800 or more. Next year the maximum tax will be
$468 based on wages of $9,000 or more.
SOCIAL SECURITY IN THE FIFTH DISTRICT: Over $5 million a month is distributed
in Social Security benefits to more than 53,800 persons in Kent and Ionia Counties.
Approximately one half of these are retired workers but over 2400 are disabled persons
and about 13,000 are survivors. We generally think of Social Security as benefiting
our senior, retired citizens. But in December 1969, Social Security benefits were
paid to 6858 individuals in the 5th District under the age of 22. Parents recognize
Social Security as an excellent form of life insurance for their surviving children.
APPROPRIATION BILLS: Since my last report on the essential money bills, the
House has approved three regular 1971 appropriation bills. HUD and the independent
agencies were voted $17 billion, a cut of $201 million from the amount requested but
over $1 billion more than supplied for this year. Included in this bill is $9,411,000
for the construction of a federal courthouse and office building in Grand Rapids. I
testified in support of this project pointing out the need and explaining how this
facility fits into the development of our civic center.
The Departments of State, Justice, Commerce, and the Judiciary were given $3.1
billion, a cut of $137 million from the request but $574 million more than this year.
The story is the same for the Department of the Interior. The $1.6 billion voted was
$358,000 under the President's budget but $185,000 over this year.
MILITARY CONSTRUCTION: The House last week also approved a $1.9 billion
military construction authorization after cutting $95 million from the request of the
Defense Department. Included in the bill is $483,000 for a radar flight control
center, an inspection facility, and an addition to the sanitary sewer system at K. I.
Sawyer Municipal Airport at Marquette, Michigan. Wurtsmith Air Force Base at Oscoda
gets $663,000 for additions to its laboratories and a sewage treatment facility.
AT HOME: This evening I plan to be in Grand Rapids to address the Child
Evangelism Fellowship meeting at Knollcrest Campus. On Wednesday I am scheduled to
speak at the Grand Rapids Township Social and Civic Club dinner party. Thursday noon
I will meet with the Grand Rapids Rotary Club and that evening will speak to the
Grand Rapids Home Builders Association. During the day I will be in the 425 Cherry
Street office.
Last Saturday I participated in the Saranac Community parade and had lunch
with the Saranac Jaycees. In the afternoon I took part in the Lions Club Water
Pollution Forum at the Pantlind. Friday afternoon we had the Business Development
Conference and a meeting with Mayor Robert Boelens to discuss projects involving the
City where the federal government is involved. That evening I addressed a Convention
of the Michigan Lions Clubs in Grand Rapids.