2nd Bill of Rights - has the time finally come?

[KonaKane]

This comes from the memory hole, a bit of American history that was startling and wonderful in it's possibilities, but never made it into manifestation. The following is an excerpt from President Franklin D. Roosevelt's January 11, 1944 address to Congress. In it he boldly offers a "2nd Bill of Rights" which will lead to a greater nation. As I read through them, all I could do was nod and say to myself "THIS is why I'm a left wing liberal. Exactly why."

Has the time come to revisit his bold vision? Read it and see what you think.

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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. We cannot be content, no matter how high that general standard of living may be, if some fraction of our people—whether it be one-third or one-fifth or one-tenth—is ill-fed, ill-clothed, ill-housed, and insecure.
This Republic had its beginning, and grew to its present strength, under the protection of certain inalienable political rights—among them the right of free speech, free press, free worship, trial by jury, freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures. They were our rights to life and liberty.

As our nation has grown in size and stature, however—as our industrial economy expanded—these political rights proved inadequate to assure us equality in the pursuit of happiness.

We have come to a clear realization of the fact that true individual freedom cannot exist without economic security and independence. “Necessitous men are not free men.”<2> People who are hungry and out of a job are the stuff of which dictatorships are made.

In our day these economic truths have become accepted as self-evident. We have accepted, so to speak, a second Bill of Rights under which a new basis of security and prosperity can be established for all—regardless of station, race, or creed.

Among these are:

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.

All of these rights spell security. And after this war is won we must be prepared to move forward, in the implementation of these rights, to new goals of human happiness and well-being.

For unless there is security here at home there cannot be lasting peace in the world.

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[SocialistLez]

1. It's BEEN time

If we had a Congress with backbone, many of these things would have been implemented ages ago.

I think had FDR lived longer, we would have universal health care.

[frebrd]

2. K&R!

[suston96]

3. Good idea. Except - how about starting with a "Right to Life".......

...The original Bill of Rights left that one out.

[msongs]

4. hmm lotta those terms need defining first - decent, adequate, good - would be a SCOTUS field day

for sure

Msongs

[ThomWV]

7. Not at all - those are not matters of law, those are matters of social responsibility

Those are to be the guiding terms for our lawmakers, not the words to be found in the laws themselves.

[tmyers09]

5. It is FAR past time!

I agree with this endeavor wholeheartedly.

[bvar22]

6. Great Minds think alike.

I just posted this to another thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=433x292037

THATS the Democratic Party I joined 46 years ago.
It bears little resemblance to the political party using that name today.

[MIprogressive]

8. idk if id want THIS congress to do it, the repukes would mess things up

like they did with the health care bill. But it NEEDS to be done!

[Fla_Democrat]

9. We haven't got a handle on

the first Bill of Rights yet. :smoke:

[Donnachaidh]

10. it's past time - but Obama would treat it like kryptonite

And any second bill would be set up to help the capitalists in his posse suck the middle class even drier.

We need someone who actually thinks the word change can be a verb, and used as something other than a catchy campaign soundbite.