Capitalism, A Love Story
Michael Moore’s film, “Capitalism, A Love Story,” is a depressing, because it is so accurate, account of the failures of this country to act in favor of humanity over money. Capitalism has indeed trumped Democracy and anyone who thinks unregulated financial markets lead to freedom, in any compassionate sense of the word, has been severely brain washed. Such a system mostly, if not only, gives human greed and fear near complete control and dominion over human compassion and openness. Are derivatives still legal?!?! Towards the end of the film he reads Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “Economic Bill of Rights” from 1944, which was never acted upon. I’ve listed it here if only to show that there have been political leaders in our history who have held human wellness, as opposed to corporate wellness, as the most important motivating factor in any over-arching socio-political decisions to be made. The profit and production/consumption motive CANNOT reign supreme if we are to find any degree of true happiness and freedom.
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.” 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.
America’s own rightful place in the world depends in large part upon how fully these and similar rights have been carried into practice for our citizens.
