Editing 76-18-A2 (section)

= Cover Up =

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=== Transcript ===
There seems to be a cooling of the zeal on the part of those who were once
ready to cleanse government of covering things up. The fires have gone out and
the cauterizing tools are covered with rust.

Some time back I called attention to the 500-page report of E.R.D.A. (the
Energy, Research and Development Administration) which gives nuclear breeder
reactors a clean bill of health. The report had been -- forgive me -- covered up by
the Administration since last February, because the Administration had decided
breeder reactors were a dangerous "no-no". Then an enterprising journalist
threatened to invoke the "Freedom of Information Act" and the E.R.D.A. report was
made public. The bulk of the press greeted it with thunderous silence. The
Administration had said the reactors were dangerous and that's the way it had to be.
Now we learn E.R.D.A. has more secrets. We owe this discovery to a journalist
with the Wall Street Journal. Last April the Journal did an editorial on 1001 years
of natural gas. The Journal was immediately rushed by a variety of frantic officials --
public and private - - who were panicked by the thought that someone might scuttle
their crisis -- energy crisis that is.

The Journal was curious and curiosity paid off. It seems that way back in
January about 70 E.R.D.A. people were assigned to a task force to study potential
supply and demand. Their task force was called "MOPPS" for "Market Oriented
Program Planning Study", and for about five days in April they had solved the energy
crisis.

To brief this down, MOPPS had learned that at various prices -- higher than the
price fixed by government but not as high as artificial gas for example -- there
would be no natural gas shortage. E.R.D.A.'s top officials sent the members of
MOPPS off on other business, redid their charts and, lo-and-behold, we had the
energy crisis back just the way the administration said it was.

So much for energy. On another subject we find the Joint Economic Committee of
Congress -- chaired by Representative Bolling of Missouri -- sitting on a 59-page
study that has to do with the minimum wage for four months.

The report was written by Professor Walter Williams of Temple University at the
request of the committee. Just so you'll know all about him and in view of what
he has to say on the subject of minimum pay, he is black.

Professor Williams' report contends the minimum wage law hurts the employment
chances of teenagers, racial minorities, and the physically handicapped. The study
also looks unkindly upon the social reformers solutions for these groups, manpower
training programs and public service employment. He says the best way to help
marginal workers is to abolish state and federal minimum wage laws and to reduce
monopolistic union practices. His report cites survey after survey showing how
the minimum wage hurts young people.

Naturally, his findings struck at the deeply-held beliefs of the majority
party committee members and one minority member, Senator Javits of New York. The
report remains bottled up and staffers have admitted openly it is because the report
is contrary to the doctrinaire liberalism of the majority and it is counter to the
Administration's economy program. Other members of the committee urge its publication,
especially since it bears a notation that it does "not necessarily reflect the views
of the Joint Economic Committee.

Isn't there something in the 1st Amendment about the right to publish? 

This is Ronald Reagan.

Thanks for listening.
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=== Details ===
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<TR><TD WIDTH="150">Batch Number</TD><TD WIDTH="150">{{PAGENAME}}</TD></TR>
<TD>Production Date</TD><TD>08/15/[[Radio1977|1977]]</TD></TR>
<TD>Book/Page</TD><TD>[https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/public/2024-07/40-656-7386263-014-006-2024.pdf#PAGE=21 Online PDF]</TD></TR>
<TD>Audio</TD><TD></TD></TR>
<TD>Youtube?</TD><TD>No</TD></TR>
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===Added Notes===

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