The test of our progress

"The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have too much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little."--Franklin Delano Roosevelt

Had I not worked this past Monday, I would not have known that today is the sixth-eighth anniversary of the death of the greatest American President, Franklin Delano Roosevelt.  I work in a thrift store, and each day we get (much appreciated) donations to keep us in product to sell to customers to help us provide for the needy. On Monday I happened to go through a box of donated goods that contained a series of articles from the issue of Life magazine that was released the week after his death.  Considering the articles were from 1945, they were in surprisngly good condition, and yesterday I had the chance to read through them.  While the articles themselves contained nothing extraordinary, they did paint a picture of a man who was beloved by American because he loved Americans.  Franklin Roosevelt put human dignity, moral conviction, and human compassion at the forefront of his agenda.

It is sad that two days before the anniversary of President Roosevelt's death, the American people were betrayed by our current President, in a wisdom that is evident to no one, when he decided to embrace cuts known as Chained CPI to President Roosevelt's signature economic accomplishment, Social Security.   Social Security is the most successful government program in history, and has kept millions of Americans out of poverty.

In the midst of the Great Depression, with millions of Americans in need, Franklin Delano Roosevelt showed courage and worked to provide enough for those who have too little.  In the midst of the Great Recession, with millions of Americans in need, Barack Obama decided to stroke his own ego in search of a Grand Bargain.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt touched greatness because he cared about the American people, and didn't give a damn about his legacy.  Too bad for the well-being of ordinary Americans that we will never say the same of Barack Obama.

Peace,
emaycee