Rep. Millicent Fenwick

I got my little work done this morning. When you get up in the morning last night you saw your car. Parked in your. Story. Well I did take the mail upstairs and I yeah. And what I have to point and what could throw away that's what I do in the night. And then what I have to work on. I take it in the morning. Oh boy. Well. You know I do feel exercise I told him to write me I will see what I can appropriately do. I think I'll get comfy. Yeah OK. I book these to sell for second hand $100 once. Yes music is not a buy especially and down filled cushions never hear. Yeah. Ok I'm ready. OK. There's been. Some suggestion and some actual remarks from other people in the Bel camp there are a lot of charm and no substance.

I I know I've noticed that. And then I'm accused of saying that he's an awfully nice young man. And this was in him that way. Well I don't know. I don't he is I think he is a nice young man. And I hope I have talked. I don't know I never thought of it. But the question is what is he really saying he's saying no substance and what am i really saying. I'm saying a young man with no experience of government a life at all. Who has never worked in. A local town has never worked in a borough council never worked in the state assembly never had any understanding of life and government and how it affects people. He's just a maybe a fine theoretician maybe he you know his economic theories are worthy of Mount Sinai. But I must confess. I do seem not to be working out quite perfectly. I think that it was a surprise to many of the supply side economists to Mr.

Bell clearly says that he persuaded Mr. Reagan to this point of view. President Reagan to this point of view. And they feel we need a mid-course correction of some of them are saying we need to examine the terrible budget deficit which is really causing this rise in interest rates and interest rates. Are choking the economy strangling the housing the housing industry and so many others and everybody agrees whether it's Mary when Reagan's economic advisor or whether it's the Big Business Roundtable whether it's the head of DuPont or whether it's the Small Business Association everybody agrees that until we get. Until business is convinced that Congress will get this deficit in hand and really intends to do something about it. We won't get the interest rates down. And this is not just this year's deficit

next year and the year after which is projected. Jeff Bell says this is where you part company on the economic issue that it goes beyond the deficit but that it's the Federal Reserve Board not the deficit that's causing high interest rates. I know. Do you disagree with that. Well I tell you the only person I know that agrees with Mr. Bell that you can order the Fed to do what you want is Senator Edward Kennedy who has suggested that perhaps we should change a law. That. Prohibits any political influence on the Federal Reserve Board. The members of the Federal Reserve are appointed for 14 year terms on purpose to avoid political pressure. There is no way of forcing the Federal Reserve to do what you want. Mr. Bell wants to his three point plan is a plan for action on the part of the Federal Reserve not on the part of Mr. Bell. It all depends on whether or not the people in Congress think it's wise. To

change a policy that we've had for now nearly 70 years. Since the Fed was the Federal Reserve board was set up. That you cannot have a Federal Reserve Board subject to the whims of politics and therefore they're appointed for a 14 year term so the numbers don't coincide with any political sea. And there's no way of forcing them to do it unless you find I mean you can shoot them. And but there is the I don't know the only person I know that supports Mr Bell. In the theory that you. Could. Do something to force them to change their policy. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts. And I read the other day in the paper and I thought you just said that once and maybe he's going to retreat from that stand because I think that many other people feel it's just not in the cards. Congress is not going to lightly and quickly change something so fundamental in the whole system. Mr. Bell wants them to have. Larger money supply. Well the answer to that but not by

me but by competent businessmen and other economists is that the minute that they start fooling around with that. They're going to have more inflation because at least you see we have cut inflation down to about 3 percent. Mr. Bell's other point from which in which I differ with him is he wants us to return to the gold standard. Right. Well we had the Depression of 1929 32 33 34 with a gold standard the worst we've ever had in the history has been when we won the gold standard. In addition to which. Two nations in the world now. Control the gold supply. South Africa and the Soviet Union the Soviet Union is desperate for hard currency. In January they sold 90 tons of gold in one month because they needed the hard currency. And it affected the whole international money gold market. Because of this flood of gold coming out of the Soviet Union. You see they have big mines and they mine it all the time like South Africa. Now I don't think it's wise with

what we've suffered from Okay maybe I'm wrong but I'm just saying my automatic commonsense reaction is hey wait a minute before you put us in the hands of Soviet Union and South Africa let's see whether the gold standard is so desirable. Well I was relieved that my automatic reaction was confirmed by the President Reagan's go Commission which studied the question as to whether or not we should return to the gold standard and they said Certainly not. So we have these differences of opinion. It doesn't mean that I don't respect him and that he isn't an awfully nice man. I hope I'm jamming him in but. Can't can you be a good Republican and can you be a good Republican and not support President Reagan 100 percent. Listen if I'm in this time. Listen I voted for the president in the clutch last summer. I voted for the tax cut. I voted for the budget I voted for the reconciliation I have. I heartily support the president's call for a

balanced mutually verifiable reduction of nuclear arms. In my opinion President Reagan has spoken on the nuclear issue. The best voice since I've gone so I'm hoping that. If we don't begin to get a hold of a balanced mutually verifiable reduction of violence. Interestingly enough the pope followed him one month after the president spoke like that. The pope's Christian Christmas message contained that now support the president. Look I'm a good Republican. I don't support. I'm no rubber stamp for anybody. And I don't think my district or the state of New Jersey wants a rubber stamp. I have supported the president any president when I think he's moving in the interests of the country. I don't care who's in the White House if they're doing something in the interest of the country vetoing some nonsense Public Works bills doing something that I think is good for the country I'll support it. I have so far supported Mr. Reagan there isn't anything that I bought it from Mr. Reagan. And. I do think that we

must. Any president deserves our support unless we have some principle or some informed intelligent reason to believe that what he desires is not in the public interest. I've even been I voted although I think the. The defense budget is huge. I voted for the conference report Mr. Reagan's defense budget. I think now of the Tower and other people who are very concerned with events have made some cuts which I think are wise and I don't think the president's going to mind that. Why do you want to be the junior senator from New Jersey. I want to be in a. Body where I'm part of the majority party. You know it's very interesting. Florio decided not to run right. And they said why aren't you going to run for the Senate. We also well known around the state. He said I want to stay in the house where I'm a member the majority party just wanted something fascinating about that. When I got down there. I've been concerned that a rep. And I had a couple of things I really wanted to get done for the

benefit of consumers something that had to be done by the federal government because I couldn't do it. A state director said one was to give consumers standing in bankruptcy. It seemed to me pitiful young couple. This was a case that brought it to my attention had. Tried to buy a set of furniture they were going to be married you know they put the downpayment down $400 a lot of money to young people getting married. And he went off in bankruptcy and he couldn't recover. So it was seen to be outrageous bankruptcy has to be done by the federal you know the Judiciary Committee. So that was one of my proposals the other one was to protect people from Housman a collection agency a poor woman who had lived in Illinois who was now working as a cleaning woman that had gotten in touch with me. She was being Iris by this Illinois collection agency and there was nothing I could do. I couldn't get the Illinois attorney general wouldn't pay any attention to me. I couldn't offer any protection. She was absolutely outrageous in the state. Collection

agencies were really out of hand. They were doing all kinds of things but tending to be sheriffs and things of that outrage as well. So I took this to the Democratic chairman of the Subcommittee on which I had to which I've been assigned and he was awfully nice and friendly and all you know. And he said Miss Fanny that's mother's idea about the collection agency. I'll put it right through and your name can be right after mine on the bill. I don't mind that. You know I'll take the cash any time that the credit go. But what I do mind is when I can get a good bill even for a good two hundred sixty co-sponsors the most popular bill in the House to repeal the tax on marriage. Now that was my idea why. Because a young person said to me when I was running you better do something. It's going to cost so much money from my boyfriend and me to get married. We're not going to get married. I thought I thought this is terrible. And I looked into it. Sure enough there's a tax on marriage to young people both working. They're not going to get married and.

Well I put this bill in I got a letter about a year later from a priest in Florida he said Hurry up with your bill. It's not only fair but it's having the present situation having disastrous social consequences. Well by the time we reached the last year I had 260 co-sponsors. It was frozen in committee. Why not get a hearing. Well. Look. I don't. You know there is a way of doing it. You have to have a destructor Titian in which the majority of the members of the House have to sign in saying let that bill out say that people don't like to do it you know why. Because then the chairman may not have a hearing on that bill. Right. So you have a little laws there and there's nothing evil about it. It's just that there are so many bills and if there's a good Democratic bill and some good Democratic member is need a little boost. How does Bill go forward. You can bet which bill is going to be brought forward. It's going to be the Democratic bill not Republican bill Florian knows it that's why

he wants to stay in the house. That's one reason why I don't get the Senate. One last question what happens Nelson Fenwick if she doesn't win. Well happens to Miss Bennett. Well look. So what. I have. A garden to tend I love God and I like good hard work outdoors. I love to travel. I have family in Italy and I may be able to go over in connection with my foreign affairs work when we're in recess as a private trip on my own but doings and also visit family. I would say don't go I go further. I I don't know travel writing. I've just written a book you know book of minds coming up my newsletter and. I used to do a lot of needlework. You can see all these cushions. No not at all. I did 12 seats in one summer.

I have lots of things. And then of course I tell you what I really would like to do too. When I wasn't working and when I wasn't in politics I worked in civil rights and prison reform and that kind of things Day. I go back to it. We have a wonderful warehouse but people just out of prison. They came they come out of prison and they're not supposed to see other criminals you know or what happens if that family happens to be in trouble. Where can they go. So what I mean. So this is a halfway house the Episcopal Church in Trenton. We rent it from them or they practically give it to them. But it's wonderful and we find jobs for them and if they have no skills we find skills for them. One man who's always in trouble getting in fights and everything. We found that he didn't know he was death almost completely deaf so you know we found that out. And so prison reform I go back to. And there isn't an

institution in the state a correctional institution I haven't been there when I saw a man last night down in Ocean County. He used to be running to James which was institutionalized for young boys and I go back to civil rights and prison phone. And what interests me very much to try to get employment. Look. Yes the business of government is justice. But the immediate business of government is jobs. If we don't pay some attention to the suffering of people who are laid off and the families of those people for every person that loses a job and feels so terribly stricken with unemployment or about a thousand who are frightened. We're going to have to direct attention to jobs. I'm practical. And if I were knocked out of the box I would certainly be involving myself with some of these urban enterprise zone plans. We are only going to have 25 in the country. That means we're lucky if we get to New Jersey as Governor Kaine is requested.

But. I'd love to see. Suppose we only get one. Suppose we get one and they put it New York. I'd like to see something happening down there. We've got a wonderful Roman Catholic priest in Trenton doing rehabilitating housing sweat equity stuff. If we can't get an enterprise zone with all that entails then we maybe can get this wonderful father McCormick who work and isn't very interested in fine member of the governor's cabinet. Leonard Coleman who understands all about the urban enterprise zones. He's been working on setting up the one in New York with Mr. unfastened Robert in Boston a very intelligent and very civic minded head of mutual benefit life I think. And then an executive on loan from the Rand and with Mel Gibson working to set up get ready for this urban enterprise zone see. So what I've already spoken to Mr. Coleman might greatly admire. He's remarkably intelligent able man I think and about getting things going like this in Camden

and Paterson in your brand wherever whenever there is unemployment to find if we found housing we need housing so badly. But you know the system is so good. You work a hundred hours on this abandoned house which is going to belong to somebody else and you work 100 hours on this abandoned. No taxes being paid. House which will belong to you. Then you can have it and you it's rehabilitated. He's done 35 houses of which 26 homes and others have businesses in them. And I think that's where the money went.