er Nixon, direct payments from the federal government to individual American citizens in government benefits (including Social Security and Medicare) rose from 6.3% of the Gross National Product (GNP) to 8.9%. Food aid and public assistance also rose, beginning at $6.6 billion and escalating to $9.1 billion. Defense spending decreased from 9.1% to 5.8% of the GNP. The revenue sharing program pioneered by Nixon delivered $80 billion to individual states and municipalities.[92]
In 1970, the Democratic Congress passed the Economic Stabilization Act, giving Nixon power to set wages and prices; Congress did not believe the president would use the new controls and felt this would make him appear to be indecisive.[93] While opposed to permanent wage and price con
trols,[94] Nixon imposed the controls on a temporary basis[95] in a 90 day wage and price freeze.[96] The controls (enforced for large corporations, voluntary for others) were the largest since World War II; th
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felt cowboy hat
Subject: largest since World War II; th 
Mon Mar 21, 2011 10:31 am