The Time Has Come

The day was January 11th, 1944. The Battle of Monte Cassino was waging on the Italian front in Europe while the 1st Marine Division had successfully taken Aogiri Ridge on a small island in New Guinea. Across the world President Franklin Delano Roosevelt gave what was to be his last State of the Union address. As he neared the end of the speech, he presented a vision for America. “It is our duty now to begin to lay the plans and determine the strategy for the winning of a lasting peace and the establishment of an American standard of living higher than ever before known.” FDR pointed out that while the original Bill of Rights served us well it was insufficient for the reality of our industrial economy. He then stated that it was time for a “second Bill of Rights.”

This Economic Bill of Rights, as it would become known, included:

• The right to a useful and remunerative job in the industries or shops or farms or mines of the Nation;
• The right to earn enough to provide adequate food and clothing and recreation;
• The right of every farmer to raise and sell his products at a return which will give him and his family a decent living;
• The right of every businessman, large and small, to trade in an atmosphere of freedom from unfair competition and domination by monopolies at home or abroad;
• The right of every family to a decent home;
• The right to adequate medical care and the opportunity to achieve and enjoy good health;
• The right to adequate protection from the economic fears of old age, sickness, accident, and unemployment;
• The right to a good education

The time has now come when, through the establishment of an Economic Democracy, we can finally create the America that President Roosevelt dreamt of.