August 13, 1975 (8 pages)

8 The Nevada County Nugget Wed., August 13, 1975 Earl G. Waters cy Letter of protest In a strong letter of protest Kirk. West, executive vice president of the California Taxpayers Association, has the lawmakers are proposing to pass the buck to a permanent commission established to set legislative salaries and adjust urged President Gerald Ford to them on a continuing basis. This oppose the granting of automatic cost of living salary lawmakers but raises the same increases for Congress and other top level federal officials. objections as to insulation which West has made with respect, to “Our concern is that when lawmakers are themselves Congress. There is a better way to resolve the legislative pay issue. The lawmakers should volun insulated against the ravages of inflation, it is inevitable they will sense less vividly its impact upon ordinary citizens. You might be faced with a Conyress which is less responsive to antiinflationary proposals,’’ he warned. ‘‘Additionally, up to this time, Congress has had to vote its own salary increases. This requires deliberate actions. We believe such a system is consistent with representative government, more so than automatic increases.” West also objected to the provisions for the automatic increases for top level: federal officials who he said ‘‘are already the most highly paid’, pointing out that such a provision ‘will adversely affect would take the heat. from the tarily surrender their excessive fringe benefits of a free car for personal use, living expenses, and unlimited telephone and gasoline credit cards, district offices shared with their private ventures, and settle for a proper salary together with such ex penses as are necessary, alloted in the same manner as for other state officers. The question of course is what is an appropriate salary. No permanent commission is needed for this but a one time blue ribbon panel selected from industry, completely _independent of legislative domination, could be helpful in determining that. the competitive position of state From that point on the and local government’’ in the hiring of executives. His point about those in Washington being insulated from the rest of the country is a telling one. Both the and the ‘ bureaucrats Congressmen seem to travel in Legislature should accept its responsibility and set its own salaries, relating to the recommendations of the panel. an exclusive set dedicated to convincing each other of the wisdom of their great solutions to the problems of the nation. This syndrome constantly demonstrates _its total unawareness of the realities of living outside the nation’s capital. _Just recently Senator Herman Talmadge of Georgia made clear justhow inept those in Washington are at managing the country’s affairs. Decrying the philosophy which has led the country deeper and cr into debt, Talmadge wryly observed “Virtually everything nowadays is under federal control, except the federal budget.” The Georgia Senator pointed out the. national debt ceiling is now $577 billion, having risen 50 per.cent in the past six years. The interest on that debt, Talmadge said, of $70 billion is as much as the total national budget when he first came to Congress less than 20 years ago. While the feckless spending of the federal government includes . far more than salaries, it has fostered the inflation which has led to the spiraling of wages. And, although salaries may be only a small part of the federal budget, the impact of those salaries upon state and local government has been devastating. As West complains, it forces higher salaries upon Adjustments thereafter should remain their responsibility with direct and deliberate action required of the lawmakers to avoid the very insulation from the needs of others which West demands. Shakespeare comes to Harassed by’ criticisms of their ‘self-voted fringe benefits, NEVADA COUNTY DISTRICT Lake Tahoe Shakespeare in the park and the Ehrman Mansion Art Show will be a two-week mid-August feature on the shore of Lake Tahoe in Sugar Pine Point State Park, 12 miles south of Tahoe City along Highway 89. The New Shakespeare Company of San Francisco, directed by Margrit Roma, will present “As You Like It,” on Tuesdays, August 12 and 19; “Merchant of Venice’’ on Wednesdays, August 13 and 20; “Hamlet” on Thursdays and Saturdays, August 14, 16 21, and 23; and ‘“‘Midsummer Night’s Dream” on Fridays, August 15 and 22. The plays will begin at 8 p.m. During the first week, the Shakespeare plays will share billing with the Eighth Annual Ehrman Mansion Art Show and Fair, August 10 through 17. The show will be presented at the Ehrman Mansion each day from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The art show is sponsored by the Lake Tahoe Basin State Parks Association, a nonprofit local government and their organization to aid the inbudgets in many cases are terpretive program of the largely salaries and wages. area’s state parks. All sales West’s objections to Congress during the art show will be getting off the hook on the issue subject to a 10 percent comof setting their own salaries has mission to be used for inan appropriate application to , terpretive projects in state California’s Legislature. GOOD THINGS FROM the garden sometimes come in strange shapes as. John Wiles demonstrated when he plucked this swan shaped zucchini squash from his home garden on Forest Glade Circle. parks ‘throughout the. Lake. . FAIRGROUNDS, GRASS VALLEY THURSDAY thru SUNDAY, Aug. 21 to 24 KID’S DAYS THurspaAY & FRIDAY EVERYBODY'S DAY SATURDAY &/ SENIOR CITIZENS DAY SUNDAY CHAMPIONSHIP RODEO .... FRIDAY & SATURDAY NIGHT LOGGERS OLYMPICS ..... SATURDAY AFTERNOON DESTRUCTION DERBY ...... SUNDAY NIGHT CONTINUOUS FREE ENTERTAINMENT EVERY AFTERNOON e Teen Dancing e Horse Show e Free Drawings e Carnival e Square Dancing@ Junior Livestock Auction -.»:Plan 4 Big: Days of Enjoyment.and Entertainment. ARS ie ’ os ’ ‘ : Ce I Be .

8 The Nevada County Nugget Wed., August 13, 1975 Earl G. Waters cy Letter of protest In a strong letter of protest Kirk. West, executive vice president of the California Taxpayers Association, has the lawmakers are proposing to pass the buck to a permanent commission established to set legislative salaries and adjust urged President Gerald Ford to them on a continuing basis. This oppose the granting of automatic cost of living salary lawmakers but raises the same increases for Congress and other top level federal officials. objections as to insulation which West has made with respect, to “Our concern is that when lawmakers are themselves Congress. There is a better way to resolve the legislative pay issue. The lawmakers should volun insulated against the ravages of inflation, it is inevitable they will sense less vividly its impact upon ordinary citizens. You might be faced with a Conyress which is less responsive to antiinflationary proposals,’’ he warned. ‘‘Additionally, up to this time, Congress has had to vote its own salary increases. This requires deliberate actions. We believe such a system is consistent with representative government, more so than automatic increases.” West also objected to the provisions for the automatic increases for top level: federal officials who he said ‘‘are already the most highly paid’, pointing out that such a provision ‘will adversely affect would take the heat. from the tarily surrender their excessive fringe benefits of a free car for personal use, living expenses, and unlimited telephone and gasoline credit cards, district offices shared with their private ventures, and settle for a proper salary together with such ex penses as are necessary, alloted in the same manner as for other state officers. The question of course is what is an appropriate salary. No permanent commission is needed for this but a one time blue ribbon panel selected from industry, completely _independent of legislative domination, could be helpful in determining that. the competitive position of state From that point on the and local government’’ in the hiring of executives. His point about those in Washington being insulated from the rest of the country is a telling one. Both the and the ‘ bureaucrats Congressmen seem to travel in Legislature should accept its responsibility and set its own salaries, relating to the recommendations of the panel. an exclusive set dedicated to convincing each other of the wisdom of their great solutions to the problems of the nation. This syndrome constantly demonstrates _its total unawareness of the realities of living outside the nation’s capital. _Just recently Senator Herman Talmadge of Georgia made clear justhow inept those in Washington are at managing the country’s affairs. Decrying the philosophy which has led the country deeper and cr into

debt, Talmadge wryly observed “Virtually everything nowadays is under federal control, except the federal budget.” The Georgia Senator pointed out the. national debt ceiling is now $577 billion, having risen 50 per.cent in the past six years. The interest on that debt, Talmadge said, of $70 billion is as much as the total national budget when he first came to Congress less than 20 years ago. While the feckless spending of the federal government includes . far more than salaries, it has fostered the inflation which has led to the spiraling of wages. And, although salaries may be only a small part of the federal budget, the impact of those salaries upon state and local government has been devastating. As West complains, it forces higher salaries upon Adjustments thereafter should remain their responsibility with direct and deliberate action required of the lawmakers to avoid the very insulation from the needs of others which West demands. Shakespeare comes to Harassed by’ criticisms of their ‘self-voted fringe benefits, NEVADA COUNTY DISTRICT Lake Tahoe Shakespeare in the park and the Ehrman Mansion Art Show will be a two-week mid-August feature on the shore of Lake Tahoe in Sugar Pine Point State Park, 12 miles south of Tahoe City along Highway 89. The New Shakespeare Company of San Francisco, directed by Margrit Roma, will present “As You Like It,” on Tuesdays, August 12 and 19; “Merchant of Venice’’ on Wednesdays, August 13 and 20; “Hamlet” on Thursdays and Saturdays, August 14, 16 21, and 23; and ‘“‘Midsummer Night’s Dream” on Fridays, August 15 and 22. The plays will begin at 8 p.m. During the first week, the Shakespeare plays will share billing with the Eighth Annual Ehrman Mansion Art Show and Fair, August 10 through 17. The show will be presented at the Ehrman Mansion each day from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The art show is sponsored by the Lake Tahoe Basin State Parks Association, a nonprofit local government and their organization to aid the inbudgets in many cases are terpretive program of the largely salaries and wages. area’s state parks. All sales West’s objections to Congress during the art show will be getting off the hook on the issue subject to a 10 percent comof setting their own salaries has mission to be used for inan appropriate application to , terpretive projects in state California’s Legislature. GOOD THINGS FROM the garden sometimes come in strange shapes as. John Wiles demonstrated when he plucked this swan shaped zucchini squash from his home garden on Forest Glade Circle. parks ‘throughout the. Lake. . FAIRGROUNDS, GRASS VALLEY THURSDAY thru SUNDAY, Aug. 21 to 24 KID’S DAYS THurspaAY & FRIDAY EVERYBODY'S DAY SATURDAY &/ SENIOR CITIZENS DAY SUNDAY CHAMPIONSHIP RODEO ....... FRIDAY & SATURDAY NIGHT LOGGERS OLYMPICS ......... SATURDAY AFTERNOON DESTRUCTION DERBY ........... SUNDAY NIGHT CONTINUOUS FREE ENTERTAINMENT EVERY AFTERNOON e Teen Dancing e Horse Show e Free Drawings e Carnival e Square Dancing@ Junior Livestock Auction -.»:Plan 4 Big: Days of Enjoyment.and Entertainment. ARS ie ’ os ’ ‘ : Ce I Be .