Political Wisdom from inside the walls of an old Highland Park house - updates with pics

by: kwilkinson

Thu Sep 17, 2009 at 10:29:20 AM EDT

I was in D.C. recently, at the superb FDR Memorial, carved out of the Cherry Tree Walk along the Tidal Basin. The memorial is designed not only to remind and inspire, but inform too. It's built into 4 outdoor "Rooms," for each term in office. The first makes starkly clear how at risk Americans were, and how valuable Roosevelt's reform initiatives were. We count on them now. The same way future generations are counting on us now, to see healthcare as a fundamental right, not a privilege. Thanks for reminding us, Karina.
- - promoted by Rosi

[Update for those who've asked to see the article, I finally got a camera on it. Alas my archivist friend says it's not going to last too long, with the water damage and all --kw]

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We had to have our old leaky pipes replaced, opening up a wall in our entry hall, and the electrician found this gem from an old newspaper with no date on it, possibly 1935. I believe it was a Central Jersey paper, since there were ads nearby that were. It was the "Daily ??" and the first name of the columnist appears to by Byron:

Politics at Random
The present extraordinary situation in congress is difficult to understand without going back to fundamentals, and examining the 'new deal' philosophy which underlies it.
It is obvious that a large section of public opinion favors an early adjournment. Organized business, in particular, has asked for a legislative armistice, saying it would promote confidence. Congressional leaders themselves had planned to adjourn long since; many of the pending issues are so explosive politically that they would prefer to let the country think them over for the present.
Yet Mr. Roosevelt insists that his program be completed. Why? No comprehensive reply to that question has been made publicly by the White House, but certain otherwise unconnected features of the situation combine to shed some light on the President's mental processes.
Government's Duty
On numerous occasions Mr. Roosevelt has said he wanted [illegible] "reform" and "recovery" intertwined in the accomplishments of his administration.
[paragraphs missing] ... After the NRA's [National Recovery Administration] decision, the question was whether the "new deal" would fold up, or find new methods of carrying on. It never has been Mr. Roosevelt's habit to surrender without a fight. He showed fight plainly in his famous press conference remarks about NRA and the constitution.
To say he was angry might be open to question, but certainly he was aroused, and the result was [illegible] he enlarged his program and ... demanded action on it...

Maybe Obama could take a page from history?

kwilkinson :: Political Wisdom from inside the walls of an old Highland Park house - updates with pics

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Political Wisdom from inside the walls of an old Highland Park house - updates with pics | 6 comments

That's a quite a story (4.00 / 4)

We can only hope. But with the release of Mad Max Baucus's garbage health care bill, once again the Democratic Party has let us down. I actually urged Menendez to kill this this bill in committee - it's that bad:

1) No public option except co-ops that the CBO already said won't help.
2) Mandates with large penalties for not buying the insurance industries "product".
3) An exchange that is run by the insurance industry,.
4) Pre-existing conditions not covered for 6 months - similar to laws that currently exist in many states.
5) The insurance company can jack up rates by up to 5 times for "older" people.
6) A tax on insurance policies that will effect everyone in 10 years (not just so called gold-plaited plans).

This is not health care reform; it's extortion by the health care lobby. I will not support this bill in the current form.

by: rjsnj @ Thu Sep 17, 2009 at 14:58:26 PM UTC

by: you @ soon

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Baucus is a Whore (0.00 / 0)

If anything resembling Baucus-care ever passed it would be the end of the Democratic party for a generation.....and any president that signed it would be a one termer.

Shame shame shame on all the senate Democrats who don't have the nads to tell Max Baucus to his face that he's full of SHIT!

by: Nick Lento @ Thu Sep 17, 2009 at 17:26:33 PM UTC

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