European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 08, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 18 the stars and stripes Friday november 3. 1985 columns & comments will Congress yield its authority by Russell Baker government is about Money la has always been about Money. The great questions Are and always have been 1. How is the Money to be raised 2. How is the Money to be spent 3. Who is 19 decide How the Money will be raised an spent or these the first two questions Are the meat and potatoes of the Day s news. They always concern every body. The Way they Are answered determines who gets taxed to the Hilt who gets off easy who goes Scot free and who gets the lion s share of the Gravy. Few people Are Muci interested in Trie third question although it is the one whose answer determines the kind of political system that governs us. It is the fundamental Issue for it determines whether there will be dictatorship or democracy. If Power to decide How to raise and spend Money it Given a the executive Arm of government As it is Given to the communist party in the soviet Union dictatorship remits. Tow nature of dictatorship is to tax people for the Money needed to perpetuate the dictatorship. In modern times this Means vast expenditures for police military Ami her Security forces required not Only to protect the dictatorship from assault but also to crush any proposal to give the nation i taxed population a voice i deciding How Money will be raised and spent. If we Seldom think about this ultimate question it is probably because it has been satisfactorily answered in the United slate for so Long that it no longer scene to be a question. Here the to Ilont about How much Money to raise what taxes to Levy Bow to distribute the to Burden anyhow to spend the Money Are Powers of Congress. News reporting that Speaks of the president s Bud get or the president s tax plan and so Forth May create an impression that this ultimate Power lies wit the president it does not. It it did. The presidency would be quite different fro the office so widely respected and admired by most americans. It would probably not be the police state dictatorship that has become so commonplace since Mussolini and Lenin blessed humanity with their vary ing versions of socialism applied with the Truncheon. Or would it it is too improbable a possibility to imagine. The question of who has Power to set taxes and direct spending was settled for us too Long ago in England More than 100 years before anyone on this continent even dreamed of forging colonies into a Republic. There the parliament first began seriously challenging the King s Money Powers soon after the death of Queen Elizabeth while tic first american colonies were being planted. The resists ?1 of the Stuart Kings James i and his son Charles i led to the English Rcv Lutio.  defeat for the King s army the beheading of King Charles i and 11 years of parliamentary Rule that effectively settled for All time at least in the English speak ing world the right of the people s elected representative to have the final say about taxing and spending. When the englishmen who created the United states Drew up their system for governing they adopted the measures won generations earlier by their forefathers. The president could Only propose Congress had the Power to dispose. But then of course they gave the president the Power to veto if the disposing displeased him. It is possible Given its druthers that the present con Gress would exercise in taxing Powers to reduce the immense deficit created by tax cuts and spending in creases it authorized at president Reagan s request. If it did though the president has said he would veto it. In a reckless moment of Campaign debate with Wal Ter Mondale last year he swore off any possibility of raising taxes and so both Congress and president Are stuck with their immense deficit. Now there is a scheme to end it. Congress will pass an act surrendering All of its most precious rights. Abandoning its Power to decide taxing and spending policy it will order fixed percentage cuts in spending Over the next five Yean until a budget balance automatically occurs in 1991. 1c new York Tymn costly lobbying for singles bars by Art Buchwald Friend who earns a living trying to persuade con Gress to help protect the singles bar Industry told me that political fund raising is gelling out of hand on the . Double Chin called last v sek and asked me to contribute to his election Campaign he told me. Isenhover a Check by messenger. This morning be phoned again and wanted More Money. Enough s  is it possible he forgot he called last week he did t forget. He s holding me up because he thinks i need  you perhaps. But he does t have to be greedy Stout it. I have other senators to feed As  you Don t Send him any More Money what happens then tic won t answer my  it in t just the Calls. It Means that he won t see me and if he refuses to let me in his office How can i persuade him the government has to subsidize singles bars when you donate Money to politicians you re not buying their votes you re purchasing Access to Powers you can Lay out your Case he said. How does a senator know How to vote when i can t Tell him he has to see you senators and congressmen can Only talk to so Many people a Day my Friend explained. They have no Choice but to see the people who gave to their campaigns As opposed to those who did  sounds reasonable. But you told me that you Al ready gave to double Chin s election. Would he punish you because you did t give twice that in t the Way double Chin sees it. He claim she s in a neck find neck fight and if i want to protect my first investment i have to give again. He intimate that if i did the would lose and then the singles bar Industry would never have a Friend in the Senate  you Send the Money Over i was about to when congressman Jingo called an asked me to make a donation to his  when it Comet to giving political Money does t senator outrank a congressman no sir. Congressman Jingo is the chairman of the House subcommittee on singles  does he tilt toward your Industry not yet. But the fact that he called and asked for Nch a heavy contribution indicates he s not Tilting theother Way. 1 sent him the Check without fear of  it s hard to believe that our system of government depends on senators and congressmen hooping to plead for Money Over the  be taken 250 Calls this year. What happens is the legislator sets aside four hours a Day and goes Down list his aides give him of every potential donor. They always Call me because i control a political action committee fund. The singles bar owners Forward the Pac Money to me and i dispense it to our friends Don t you feel bad about subverting the democratic process i  really. There would t be a democratic process if we special interests did t fund it. Every elected offi Cial i get out of the Hole swears to uphold the Constitution of the United states As Well As say a few Nice word about singles  c lot a Cwm the tit Nis hike amp tit a&mahn6a sucs 55tx1x&un, House girl 10 straighten11 Puzzle boo features at tour ton time 2 Meta. 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