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04/18/2005 Entry:
GWB vs. FDR
The story of FDR is hitting the media. Twenty five percent of the working population had no work when Franklin Delano Roosevelt was elected president. All his speeches were delivered to give hope to the people. He not only delivered the most memorable speeches of the 20th century, he worked ceasely to make a better life for ordinary Americans. His famous speech about the 4 Freedoms - freedom of speech, of religion, from want and from fear - declared to the world what America stands for. Today, George W. Bush (GWB) is trying to subvert FDR's legacy.
I remember FDR well. I was 12 or 13 when Franklin Delano Roosevelt was elected president. Like everyone else, I wanted to hear his great first Fireside Chat. But right after FDR's voice came through the radio saying the emotionally-melting words "My friends," my mother told me to go to the grocery to buy some food. I protested, but I went.
Do you know that I heard every word of his speech? EVERYBODY had the radio on: my apartment neighbors, vendors and others on the street, and of course, the grocer. I heard FDR's words while descending the stairs of the apartment building, walking down the sidewalk and at the grocery. The grocer filled my order quietly while we listened intently, and I walked back and up to the apartment hearing everything. I was thrilled!
The 4 Freedoms speech, however, is considered to be FDR's most powerful speech. Here are the 4 Freedoms in FDR's own words:
"The first is freedom of speech and expression - everywhere in the world.
The second is freedom of every person to worship God in his own way - everywhere in the world.
The third is freedom from want - which, translated into world terms, means economic understandings which will secure to every nation a healthy peace time life for its inhabitants - everywhere in the world.
The fourth is freedom from fear - which, translated into world terms, means a world-wide reduction of armaments to such a point and in such a thorough fashion that no nation will be in a position to commit an act of physical aggression against any neighbor - anywhere in the world."
Today we have GWB as president. What a contrast. What a disappointment. Though he often quotes FDR, GWB does his best to trash Roosevelt's conception of the 4 Freedoms:
- Freedom of Speech - We are told to be careful what we say, and if we dissent from the president's policies, especially with reference to Iraq, we are called traitors. The Patriot Act allows law enforcement people to see which books you took out of the library!
- Freedom of Religion - GWB and his Republican underlings (like DeLay and Frist) are trying to introduce prayer in the schools, abolish abortion, substitute creationism for evolution, seek amendments against same-sex mariage and impeach judges who disagree with their moral views. They are building a theocracy.
- Freedom from Want - GWB has transferred much of the tax burden from the rich back onto the backs of the poor. As far as the world goes, we give less to poor countries than most of the industrial countries in the world do. GWB is also destroying unions and is trying to kill Social Security.
- Freedom from Fear - Ever since 9/11, GWB has been doing everything he could to scare Americans out of their wits. We are now a paranoid nation.
Pundits say that Democrats do not have a message. They are wrong. We have the message of FDR: the 4 Freedoms! All we need to do is bring them up-to-date:
- Freedom of Speech - Dissidents are patriotic. All those expressing opinions about public affairs have a right to express themselves. They may read and write as they wish.
- Freedom of Religion - Democrats believe that each individual should be free to follow his or her religion, whether it be Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism or Atheism. The government should not impose tenets of a given religion upon the rest of us. We abhor theocracies.
- Freedom from Want - The minimum wage should be increased so that everyone who works for a living can live above the poverty level. Taxes should be applied equally to both investment income and wage income. We also need a comprehensive health care system that serves the needs of all our citizens. Social Security needs to be strengthened.
- Freedom from Fear - Let's drop the constant military talk. Instead of dependng on arms, we should build communities with other countries. We should settle the Israeli-Palestinian problem as a way of introducing a peace culture in the Middle East. Let's settle the many conflicts in Africa and bring it into the 21st century.
Truly, there's no comparison between GWB and FDR. The essence of FDR's approach, the essence of the Democratic philosophy, was summarized by FDR as follows:
"The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little."
Join the party of FDR.
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