Letter from John L. Griffin to President Johnson, 4/24/64

103 d HR3920 4/27 (HR medical 3920) ack 5/5/64 206 Harrison Street Davenport, Iowa April 24, 1964 President Lyndon B. Johnson White House Washington, D. C. Dear Sir: As an interested citizen I wish to express my total opposition to the King-Anderson bill H.R.-3920 which provides for medical care for the aged financed by Social Security taxation. I have expressed my views to my various representatives, and at the suggestion of one of the, am writing your good office to ex- press this opposition. The social security approach is just strictly distasteful to many people such as myself who see it as only the beginning of addit- ional heavy taxes. The initial H.R.-3920 as embodied in the King- Anderson bill, I am sure should it ever be passed would just merely be the beginning of a continuous and rising tax through social security as the facets of the bill would be continued continuously broadened to provide more and more various types of care. I have been under social security myself since its inception in 1937 and am fully aware of the extent of its growth during that time from a relatively minor matter in one's income to where it now becomes quite a sizable item with no promises at this time of any curtail- ment. These proposals while no doubt very desirable for many people, re- present to people, and I am sure there are many such as me, a phil- osophy of socialism and welfare statism which is eventually going to ruin this country. I realize that you are probably pretty well committed to certain groups who will indicate their approval at the ballet box, but I assure you there are many people such as myself that will never be in a position to indicate support of yourself and future can- didates through the continued support of such socialistic measures as this and many others. John Yours L. truly, Griffin