The April 18 edition of the New York Times contained aneditorial by Bob Herbert titled “A Radical in the WhiteHouse.” Contrary to what one’s first impression might be,the piece is not about George Bush, but about Franklin Delano Roosevelt — FDR. It is a piecewell worth reading, not only for our cousins south of theborder, but for anyone who believes in a social system offairness, equality and mutual support.

Herbert focuses onFDR’s last State of the Union address delivered in 1944,which was referred to by FDR as the second Bill of Rights.The rights that FDR listed transcend time, and are as valid inour time now, as they were in his. They are worth repeating:

  • 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.

It is also worth asking ourselves how does society fare whenit comes to establishing and protecting such rights as theseenvisioned by FDR. Comparing ourselves to the U.S., we cansee that Canadian society has progressed further along in itsdevelopment of a fair and just society, in part thanks to ourown visionaries like Tommy Douglas.

But, as recent historyhas shown us, those opposed to equality and such basic rightshave been increasing their political and economic power overthe past several decades, and threaten not only the rights thatwe still aspire to, but are actively eroding the ones that wehave gained over the past several centuries.Those who oppose basic rights for everyone regardless oftheir social or economic status are reactionaries. Theyrepresent a return to the values of feudalism and class basedoppression. They represent a repudiation of what many who have gone before us fought for in World War II, and what many beforethem sacrificed for on the battlefields of Spain and other warsagainst tyranny, and on the picket lines in the centuries oldstruggle for fairer wages and decent working conditions.

The reactionaries have become the ruling establishment inmuch of the world today. Their god is the marketplace andone of their goals is to privatize every aspect of the publicdomain that they can except for the bare minimum ofinstitutions necessary to protect their interests. They areSocial Darwinists with little respect for the well being ofothers. They are driven by greed.

It is no surprise how they managed to turn the world awayfrom the progressive ideals that were expanding in the middleof the last century, ideals exemplified by FDR and manyothers. They used their resources to create a huge network ofinstitutes, foundations, research centres, and such, as well astake over much of the mass media. Through these outletsthey have been able to validate their ideas and drill them intothe public to the point that what was once seen as outdatedand unacceptable has become the norm, and that which isprogressive and once desirable is now portrayed as radicaland unpractical.

Where we go in the future is up to all of us collectively.While we still have the right to vote with real choices on theballot we can choose between progressives who value thevisions of FDR and Tommy Douglas, or we can be taken inby reactionaries like George W. Bush and B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell.