Editing 78-05-B5 (section)

=== Transcript ===
Almost a year ago the Wall Street Journal called attention to a fixation of
many who man the federal regulatory agencies. Encouraged by activist, special
interest lobbies, the regulators apparently are incapable of trusting the American
people to do the right thing.

The Journal gave some examples of this ingrained mistrust. The administrator
of the program set up to monitor and regulate pension funds who worried because his
investigators couldn't find more evidence of wrong doing was typical. This is the
program called "ERISA". Since its passage, thousands of smaller business pension
funds have closed down because of the costly administrative overhead required by
the act. But that isn't the point of this commentary.

The Director of "ERISA" complains that his investigators are not turning up
enough cases of wrong doing by pension plan administrators. Some of us would be
encouraged by that and conclude there was more honesty and less cheating than we
had anticipated. That however is not bureaucracy's reaction. The director wants
more investigators and greater use of computers.

The Comptroller of the Currency provided another example for the Journal.
His office wasn't getting enough complaints from consumers about the failure of
banks to comply with federal rules regarding disclosure and anti-discrimination.
Naturally there can be no doubt the banks are not complying and the customers
don't know how to make a proper complaint so the solution is, banks must give
their customers brochures explaining to them what to complain about and how to
do it, The banks will provide forms for their complaints addressed to the
Comptroller.

Mrs. Eleanor Holmes Norton, who heads the Equal Employment Opportunity
commission, has a different problem. She gets plenty of complaints from citizens
who think they are being mistreated by the boss but when the investigators look
into these complaints they find many don't have a case.

That does not give Mrs. Norton joy, The commission now will be more systematic
in digging up its own cases. Agents will be better trained in how to make a
complaint into a court case. She is sure there will be an increase in class action
suits as soon as this can be done.

There is danger in all of this bureaucratic witch hunting. When government
loses respect for the people, the people lose respect for government. It has been
said that each form of government has a particular characteristic. When that
characteristic is lost the government falls.

A dictatorship exists because of fear. Let the people lose their fear and
the dictator is ousted. A kingdom can only last so long as the people have affection
for the royal family, A constitutional republic can only last as long as the people
have virtue. Americans do have virtue. Will we continue to have it if government
treats us like criminals? 

This is Ronald Reagan.

Thanks for listening.
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