Editing 79-07-A5 (section)

=== Transcript ===
Once upon a time (last year, actually) a Roman Catholic priest in Hartford,
Connecticut lent a total of $20,000 to 50 people with the understanding that in
his words "they would multiply the money for Christ". The money was given as part of
a plan to generate funds for a massive evangelization plan. The priest's hope was
that the 50 people, having been given an opportunity to do something useful--and
profitable -- with all that money would be able to pay back the diocese of Hartford
with interest.

Unfortunately, it didn't turn out quite that way. Reverend Edmund J. Nadolny
reports that he "lost $18,000. Only five people returned the money ... 50 percent of
the people who received loans gave the wrong address, wrong names, wrong phones and
can't be contacted."

In retrospect, Father Edmund Nadolny found that those who did not repay the
loan had several characteristics in common: "they were all in a state of financial
panic, had no financial reputation and couldn't get loans anywhere. They were
financial risks. They had no sense of commitment."

Father Nadolny's little experiment would appear to be a cautionary lesson
against unwise expenditure of funds. No matter how much you admire his faith and
trust in human nature, you have to admit that there just might have been better use
made of those church funds.

It seems to me that there must be some other choice to be made between giving
out hard-earned money to deadbeats and not taking any financial risks at all. Throw
money away and it will never come back -- take no risks at all and you miss chances
for growth.

What is true about this particular story is true about our nation today. Nobody
wants to see the poor and the- needy and the elderly denied the benefits of necessary
government aid -- but nobody wants to see tax dollars given away to poverty warriors,
special interest groups disguised as "Public Interest" groups and other varieties of
street smart con-men. When some congressman decides that his heart is so big that
he is bursting to give away your money in the hope it just might do some good, you
have a right to ask some questions. Asking questions doesn't mean that you don't
have a heart -- it does mean that you still have your wits about you.

I applaud the spirit that motivated the Connecticut priest's experiment. I'd
love to see it spread all across America, and especially the cold, marble halls of
government.

But, I'd feel a lot better if the spirit was accompanied by some spiritually
rewarding accounting methods as well. 

This is Ronald Reagan.

Thanks for listening.
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