lot of great books and the national curriculum that WilliamnBennett was designing during his tenure as secretary ofnEducation. Institute a new program of National Servicenalong the lines recommended by William Buckley. Giventhese kids uniforms and empower them, as Paul Weyrichnsuggests, to clean up the slums and harass drug dealers andnother undesirables. Engage in a series of pointless foreignnwars to rebuild pride in the nation and distract the votersnfrom the unpleasant facts of contemporary American life: anneconomy in decline, a crumbling infrastructure, ethnicnstrife, and a growing “public sector” that will soon deprivencitizens of even the shadow of civil rights they think theynpossess. If you remember the World War II propagandanfilms in which a platoon is forged out of a Southern redneck,na northeastern patrician, an Italian, and a Jew who all learnnto respect each other in their fight against fascism, then younhave the general idea. If these measures didn’t work fornMussolini, that is only because the Italians are not worthy ofnempire.nUnfortunately, we apparently are no more worthy thannthe Italians. What was the New Deal, if not an experimentnin National Socialism? Roosevelt did not unify the nation bynattacking Jews, because the Germans and the Japanese werenconvenient to his purposes. Roosevelt the Second did notneven begin the process. That honor goes to WoodrownWilson and even to Roosevelt the First. All three hadnswallowed Herbert Groly’s vision of a new America andnwere eager to trade in the old historical republic for a newnmodel. It was the New Deal and its monstrous children thatnsapped all the authority from local communities and tried tonunify the country around the ideology of democracynmilitant.nIf another round of Neonational Socialism is not to yourntaste, then you might consider my plan: decentralization ofnthe government structure to the point that Italian andnSwedish neighborhoods in Rockford can be free either tonpreserve their ethnic heritage or to amalgamate into a newnRockford identity. Before there can be an America, therenmust first be a Rockford and an Illinois that are real, organicncommunities as opposed to artificial administrative unitsncarrying out the will of the Washington government. Thencitizen populations of Athens or Florence were hardlyngreater than Rockford’s, but both created great civilizationsnthat enriched neighboring states who in turn enriched them.nThey were great because they believed in themselves andnpitied the rest of the world. Rockford needs to burn thenPlaces Rated studies in the public square, to thumb its nosenat Chicago and New York, and despise the weaklings whonmove to the Sunbelt. Like Chesterton’s Notting Hill, thenRockfords of America need to learn that the only honorablenform of imperialism is local.nTHE WISDOM OF THE PLANNED GIFTnThere are a variety of ways to give to educational and charitable organizations, likenThe Rockford Institute, publisher of Chronicles: A Magazine of American Culture.nMost people make outright gifts which result in a “charitable deduction” from theirntaxable income in a given year. But there are other ways to give that can preservenincome or assets for a donor and his beneficiaries, avoid capital gains and estatentaxes, and benefit the Institute or other charities of your choice. These are oftennreferred to as “planned gifts.”nPooled Income Funds provide income to a donor or his beneficiary and can benestablished at the $5,000 level. The amount in the fund can be added to each year,nand the amount of income depends on the performance of the pooled fiand. This fundnhas both high income and growth-oriented investments, and the return is generallynmuch higher than stock dividends. The amount of charitable tax deduction for the giftndepends on the fair market value of the assets contributed (there is no capital gains taxnon stock contributions) and is related to the age of the donor or beneficiaries. There is no capital gains tax to thendonor on the increased value of the fund over time. Upon the death of the donor or beneficiary, the assets go to thenInstitute and bypass estate taxes.nLegacy Program, The Rockford Institute, 934 North Main Street, Rockford, IL 61103nD Please send me general information on the various “Planned Giving” options.nn Please send me information on the Institute’s Pooled Income Fund.nNAME ADDRESSnCITY STATE ZIP PHONEnIf you have a specific asset, such as stocks, that you are considering for a contribution, and if you would like the Institute to evaluate the fmancialntax implications for your gift, please include the following information:nSS # SS # (SPOUSE)nCOST OF ASSET ESTIMATED MARKET VALUEn18/CHRONICLESnnn<^n