Peach
Gold Member
- Jan 10, 2009
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The leave-it-alone liquidationists headed by Secretary of the Treasury Mellon felt that government must keep its hands off and let the slump liquidate itself. Mr. Mellon had only one formula: Liquidate labor, liquidate stocks, liquidate the farmers, liquidate real estate. He held that even panic was not altogether a bad thing. He said: It will purge the rottenness out of the system. High costs of living and high living will come down. People will work harder, live a more moral life. Values will be adjusted, and enterprising people will pick up the wrecks from less competent people.
Telling.
We hear conservatives now making the same failed argument with regard to the December 2007 recession note how conservatives today are just as callous as they were 82 years ago with regard to the suffering of the American people. Note also the typical conservative arrogance and elitism, they presume to know whats best for the people, including their moral life and values.
The conservative failure to learn from history is as dangerous as the failed policies they advocate.
Harry agrees:
"Republicans approve of the American farmer, but they are willing to help him go broke. They stand four-square for the American home--but not for housing. They are strong for labor--but they are stronger for restricting labor's rights. They favor minimum wage--the smaller the minimum wage the better. They endorse educational opportunity for all--but they won't spend money for teachers or for schools. They approve of social security benefits-so much so that they took them away from almost a million people. They think modern medical care and hospitals are fine--for people who can afford them. They believe in international trade--so much so that they crippled our reciprocal trade program, and killed our International Wheat Agreement. They favor the admission of displaced persons--but only within shameful racial and religious limitations.They consider electrical power a great blessing--but only when the private power companies get their rake-off. They say TVA is wonderful--but we ought never to try it again. They condemn "cruelly high prices"--but fight to the death every effort to bring them down. They think American standard of living is a fine thing--so long as it doesn't spread to all the people. And they admire of Government of the United States so much that they would like to buy it."
President Harry S. Truman
Truman remains head & shoulders above our current crop..............or perhaps we see it that way because we are looking at history? No one can judge the present while it happens.