C32—Lancaster Famine, Saturday, March 14,1981
Cattlemen ask congress to support budget cuts '
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S.
cattle industry strongly supports
current efforts to cut federal
spending, reduce tax rates and
ease the costly regulatory burden
on American agriculture and
business.
That was the message being
taken to Congress this week by
directors of the National Cat
tlemen’s Assn.
More than 100 NCA board
members, m connection with a
meeting in Washington, fanned out
across Capitol Hill to urge their
legislators to support fiscal
policies which will help bring in
flation under control.
The cattlemen urged lawmakers
to support:
1. Total federal budget cuts at
least as large as proposed by the
administration.
2. Individual i?nd business tax
rate reductions and acceleration of
depreciation; plus tax reforms,
including indexing the tax system
for inflation and amending estate
tax provisions.
3. Legislative and ad
ministrative changes which will
ease the current burden of ex
cessive government regulation.
“We are one special interest
group that believes the so-called
special interests of individual
segments of our society and
economy must be set aside,” said
J.W. Swan, NCA president. “We
believe that the only game in town
right now is reducing government
spending and adopting tax
programs which will promote, not
Give
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strifle, savings and capital in
vestment.
“We are going all out in support
of the administration and
lawmakers of both parties as they
push for across-the-board budget
cuts and reductions in tax rates. ’ ’
Swan noted that cattlemen
currently are in a devastating cost
price squeeze. However, he said,
the only sound answer to this
problem lies not in more govern
ment programs but in less
government-bringing less in
flation and a rebuilding of the
private economy.
“We believe in the free en
terprise system,” Swan said.
“Like the general public, we will
benefit most from the govern
ment’s standing up and saying ‘no’
to all those who ask for exceptions
to general tax and budget cuts. The
record of the critics who want to
change the current proposals
doesn’t speak well for the changes
they want to make.
“Past policies, which found
every group asking for and getting
its own special appropriations or
subsidies, obviously added up to
deficit spending, burdensome
government and raging inflation.
“Actually, this approach is in
our own ‘special’ interest. We
cannot stay in business if costs
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keep rising faster than cattle
prices. And demand for beef
cannot improve unless people’s
real incomes improve.
The NCA spokesman pointed out
that agriculture is m a particularly
vulnerable position because of
inflation. For one thing, farmers
and ranchers, selling commodities
as opposed to branded products
and services, cannot immediately
pass on cost increases They have
o'.cr the prices they
LEWISBURG - - At a dinner
meeting held at the County Cup
board Restaurant in Lewisburg,
over 100 Pennsylvania growers
were guests of Weis Markets.
The purposes of the
Grower/Distributor Meeting were
to build a better relationship
between growers and Weis
Markets through improved
communications, to build upon
successes already enjoyed and to
look for opportunities for continued
growth.
George Michalak, Vice
President of Perishables, for Weis
Markets, said Weis’ support of
local agriculture has been ex
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receive.
Unless the economy becomes
more stable and unless some of the
regulatory and tax burdens are
eased, cattlemen said, stilll more
producers will be squeezed out and
meat supplies will be reduced.
Citing the adverse effects of
excessive government and
counter-productive tax policies,
the NCA directors compared the
U.S. economy in recent years with
tremely beneficial. In addition to
having a consistent supply of high
quality local grown products for
their markets and providing the
consumer with more flavorful,
mature produce, it has helped the
local grower and kept spending
within the Commonweath, which
has a positive effect on the
economy.
The introduction of the Penn
sylvania Logo makes Penn
sylvania grown products more
visible to the consumer. Op
portunities for increased growth
through the expansion of variety of
products grown to meet consumer
• Aids in rehydrating
scouring calves
• 12 packs/box
20%
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Mon., lues., Wed., Thurs. 8 a.m.-6 p.m.
Fri. 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Sat. 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.
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• 250 towels/pack
• 8 packs per box
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• lodophor
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the economies of other industrial
countries.
During the past 12 years, the
U.S. has had (1) The lowest
growth in real wages; (2) the
highest rate of unemployment,
except for Canada; and (3) the
poorest rate of economic growth,
except for the Umted Kingdom
Real wages (after adjusting for
inflation) have risen 251 percent in
Japan and only 15 percent in the
U.S
demand were some of the positive
signs for the future.
Other invited guests were the
Deputy Secretary of Agriculture
for the Commonwealth of Penn
sylvania, E. Chester Heim and
Senator Edward Helfnck, the
chairman of the Senate
Agriculture Committee.
Sigfned Weis, the President of>
Weis Markets, who pioneered the J
company’s relationship with the
local farming community, an
nounced that the Dinner Meetings
will be continued as an annual
event to help provide for the ef
fective maintenance of the
Grower/Distributor program.
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