FDR one of the worst presidents in history
Background: In response to this letter: Nolan Finley can criticize Barack Obama all he wants, but he should keep his hands off Franklin Roosevelt, who almost singlehandedly saved this country from an economic abyss that Republicans and their hacks thrust upon the people in the name of capitalism and free enterprise. The only thing that saved us from the Depression was the massive government spending for World War II. Raymond T. Jackson, Detroit
Apparently Raymond Jackson has not read much about the Great Depression since learning the myths promoted in grade school. The general consensus among economists who have studied the era is that FDR's policies completely and utterly failed to do anything but prolong the depression. His strategies of handouts, federal jobs, subsidized loans, demonizing businesses, and public works projects in swing states worked well politically and not only failed to stop the depression but exacerbated it. On top of all that, FDR's gravest sin was to abandon constitutional principles setting government on its current path toward total domination over our lives. For that, FDR qualifies as one of the worst presidents in history.
[Online comment - The Detroit News. Posted 01/27/2010.]
8 comments:
Hey Steve - you should read your history. FDR's programs, namely his GOVERNMENT spending on WWII set the United States and the WORLD on the path toward the GREATEST ECONOMIC EXPANSION IN HUMAN HISTORY. Like all of the right wing republican creed, you claim that you are against "government domination" of American lives, when you would rather have government and the people be dominated by business and the rich. I have read plenty about the great depression and have actually talked to people who were affected by it and they will also testify that it was Franklin Delano Roosevelt that almost single-handily save this entire civilization from an abyss. If you read your history - Sutton - you would know that it was blatant, runaway capitalism that brought on the depression and that FDR was the only thing that stood between this civilization and communism. The Russians weren't so lucky.
Your class didn't give a damn about any constitution, the only thing that your kind cared about was your profits - to hell with the people and any one with the compassion to actually look out for them... What capitalist was looking out for them? You? - what are you smokin' pal? The unemployment rate during the great depression was 25%, and that was before FDR was elected to office. And if it weren't for these "handouts", "federal jobs" and "subsidized loans", people would have starved. But believe me, before they let their children starve, we would have had a "regime change" in a very big way, and had an American form of communism taken root in this world, it would be a very different world indeed. You don't know what you are talking about with all that good American crap you are trying to pretend to spout. Either you are a fool, who knows nothing about how the government works, or you think I am. Either way, you do not have the right to even mention Franklin Delano Roosevelt's name, let alone criticize his policies, policies, of which you are obviously a great beneficiary of. You Mr. Sutton, should just shut the hell up!
Sierra,
Just a couple quick points in response to your expression of love for FDR.
Given your familiarity with history, you are obviously aware of what FDR’s Secretary of the Treasury Henry Morgenthau told the House Ways and Mean Committee in 1939:
“We have tried spending money. We are spending more than we have ever spent before and it does not work. And I have just one interest, and if I am wrong…somebody else can have my job. I want to see this country prosperous. I want to see people get a job. I want to see people get enough to eat. We have never made good on our promises…I say after eight years of this administration we have just as much unemployment as when we started…And an enormous debt to boot!”
Even his own treasury secretary knew FDR’s policies were a failure. As far as the mythical belief that WWII brought us out of the depression, you apparently don’t understand what drives prosperity – wealth creation. War destroys wealth and misallocates resources. Neither promotes a healthy economy.
We could engage in a debate about the issue but given your statements that I "do not the right to even mention Franklin Delano Roosevelt's name" and I "should just shut the hell up", intelligent discussion is a bit much for you.
FDR was a power monger who caused millions of people to suffer needlessly and set this country on a path towards dependence on government handouts.
Steve,
I am not beyond "intelligent" discussion (I don't think), but you are wrong when you discount the affect of WW2 on the world economy. True, the war itself (which I am sure you probably though we should have stayed out of) destroyed much wealth, at least twice as much as it created. But, the rebuilding of much of the industrialized world afterward fueled an unparalleled plane wide expansion and added exponential wealth to the worlds economic coffers. Low and behold, the vast, vast amount of this expansion was financed by government spending that took place after the war. As far as the person in FDR's cabinet saying that the spending up to that point had not did any good, I think that it is obvious that he had no idea how deep we were in and what it would have taken to get us out of the republican tailspin that our country was in.
The very root of the problem was that way to much wealth was being concentrated in too few hands, all in the name of free enterprise. The result of this concentration was that people ran dry of financial-economic resources and wealth, unable to buy. This pulled the country into the event horizon of an economic abyss, which, yes, took a global catastrophe, caused by this unnatural wealth concentration, to pull the industrial economy out of. The Russians chose communism, the Germans chose fascism and we chose a gentler form of capitalism, which though continued to reward human endeavor and ingenuity, recognized the reality that inevitably, a government is responsible for it's people and their well being, giving the people true freedom to pursue their dreams.
Just a word about FDR. True, he was a man of short comings and faults, but he was a man. By God's grace, he carried this entire world through what can only be called a nightmare, not of his doing. I am sure that he himself probably had no idea of the evil that he was against, but he fought and we fought tooth and nail against a tyranny, against two monstrous regimens who were hell bent on cloaking the world in darkest night that it had ever imagined, up to that time. Though people like you disrespect and besmirch the man (FDR), as you idle away your afternoons in absolute freedom, it behooves you to face reality and realize the great deed he did, which cost him his very life, to provide you the freedom you so enjoy. FDR saved capitalism and had he not been elected at the time he was elected, I have not doubt that a fervor of communism and socialism would have swept this county, if it had or if it does, capitalism would never see the light of day on this Earth again.
You and your republican ilk are using your fear, division, hatred and now violence to undermine the United States government and part of your strategy is to rewrite history to support your lies, distortions and exaggerations. You can always pick something apart and twist it into something that it is not and your disrespect of this great man shows just how low and desperate you are.
FDR used a crisis which he exasperated to push Americans to accept trade liberty for security. However, today we see that security is based on the literally bankrupt idea that government can provide us with retirement and medical care. For that you praise FDR and I despise him.
Steve, Steve, Steve... FDR did not have to "exasperate" the great republican depression or WW2 and its ramifications. That's something that republicans do, as they are doing now. To prove my point, a recent republican rebuttal by Senator Mitch McConnell to a Presidential weekly address made point after point criticizing the Obama/Democratic health plan and each and every point was either a lie, an exaggeration or distortion of the facts. This has come to be very typical of republicans and it is very sad.
Yes, I believe that government can and should provide health care and retirement and you can add to that lifelong education and training, which Steve, only government can provide. You think that you are doing businesses a favor by your private sector stance, and though you are appeasing your insurance company and Wall Street masters, you are in fact crippling the other 99.9999999% of American businesses by shackling them with outlandish health care and retirement expenses, which their foreign counter parts have long been relieved of. In fact, even the recent health care reform does not go far enough, which, in an attempt to please the republicans, did not include the public option. The public option is a necessary component to provide health care for everyone and to even the field with foreign competitors.
Hey Sierra - going back to your claim that WW2 pulled us out of the depression: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQFhm4s_-Pk
Steve,
Sorry that I hadn't gotten back to you sooner. I am not ignoring you, but if you insist on rewriting history to suit your views there is nothing else I can say. Once I point out the Truth to you and I know that you have heard me and yet you persist in contradicting known fact, I have to let it go and turn you over to a greater power that myself. Anyway cheers! (Check out my latest blog). Later dude!
RTJ
More FDR history for you Sierra: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304024604575173632046893848.html#articleTabs%3Darticle
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