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Keep Business Healthy

Click to see original imageSen. Jake Garn got in two plugs in support of a strong business community during the past week. In a speech before the National Petroleum Refiners Association in San Francisco Monday, the Utahn wamed that business is cutting its collective throat by supporting groups and politicians dedicated to its downfall and that it must get organizad and become intelligently involved in politics if it is to survive. And last Friday, at a Senate Banking Committee hearing in Washington, Sen. Garn rapped the panel for an “anti-business attitude” and blamed consumer groups for excessive regulations that are costing the consumers money, On the one hand, businessmen praise and support the free enterprise system, the Utah solon told the petroleum refiners in a talk on “Political Involvement vs. Apathy.” “But many of them then turn around and support with vast financial contributions the veg; people who will hurt them, wi the hope that a crumb or two will be thrown their way.” Sen. Garn cited a recently published study of contributions going from big business to various candidates. He said of the total dollar amounts given to 117 conservative or pro-business candidates for Congress and their opponents, 50 per cent put out by the new business political action committees went to left-leaning, anti-business candidates. A national association of lending institutions channeled two-thirds of its contributions to liberal candidates. And a leading airline gave over 60 per cent of its political contributions to antibusiness candidates. The senator said he agrees with John Hutchens, president of the U.S. Industrial Council, who considers as the true free enterprisers those of the business community who believe that economic freedom can’t long survive in a country dominated by a mushrocming federal bureacracy and a ‘privi1eged group off monopolistic labor unions. But Sen. Gam said he fears this group is in the minority. In last Friday’s Senate Banking Committee hearing, the Utahn delivered some straight talk in which he said he was “sick and tired” of the committee’s “antibusiness attitude.” He accused the group of insulting a representative of the business community while catering to consumer groups while building a “regulatory burden that’s going to destroy the housing industry in this coimtry.” We share Senator Garn’s belief that a strong business community is vital in this country. Businsss and industry mean jobs, payrolls, initiative in developing new products, and risk capital and – enterprise necessary to keep the t economy moving and the standard of living high.