WTF FDR?

As much as I don't want to say it, Michael Moore taught me something last night. Not that I don't agree with Moore's politics, it's just his tactics have worn so thin over the past two decades that I just can't get behind him the way I used to. He's got this psuedo-compassion that's totally not believable. And it looks like he's had a stroke, too. No?

This is what he taught me though. In January of 1944, FDR proposed a Second Bill of Rights, outlining the new basic rights that should be allotted to each citizen, an "economic bill of rights" that would guarantee citizens some tangible measure of their quality of life reflecting the modern economy America was building at the time. In essence, these rights outlined the means toward the end that was the "pursuit of happiness." FDR proposed the following:

• 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.

Guess I should have learned this while getting that good education--and I did get a good education--but somehow I missed it. This struck a chord with me, as I'm sure Moore was hoping. I was thrown in the the "What the fuck?-This is brilliant!-Why didn't this go anywhere?-This would have solved all our problems!" tailspin that I'm sure Moore was trying to create, while creepily salivating and wringing his chubby hands. And despite his puppetry, I'm still there--WHAT HAPPENED TO THIS IDEA?

I dreamed that Obama would be a domestic policy president, that he would return the focus of our government to our own problems, the needs of our infrastructure, our social policies and departments, our suffering people and the needs of those who were given no bootstraps with which they've been told their whole lives they should use to pull themselves up. 17 months into Obama's presidency, I no longer hold much hope for the return of a strong domestic policy and the reemergence of programs that rebounded our economy, our infrastructure and our morale after the Great Depression. The Great Recession will not end with a similar fate, unfortunately.

I do think, however, that I will send the president an email every single day with these 8 inalienable rights, just to remind him that someone's already lit the fire. All he has to do is take and carry the horn and light the way.

New Beginnings

The question is -- when you start something new, do you get rid of what was there before? Generally, I answer 'yes.' In the instances of say, breaking up with a boyfriend or stopping smoking, I've learned that hatred is a tool you can use to your advantage. Hate something, make it your enemy and it tends to be easier to not be around it, sleep with it, smoke it anymore. But, in this case, the case of starting this blog off in a new direction, I decided to keep these old, sad posts. I could make up a reason for it, like it's necessary for context or it's important to know what the original idea was. But really, I don't want to delete any of my writing and I'm too lazy to move it elsewhere. So that's it. It stays.

What's new is an idea I've been kicking around for a while. It's not fully fleshed out so I will not try to put forth some kind of thesis here, but it has to do with my life and a particular position I think a lot folks my age find themselves in. A lot of it is vitriol for baby boomers. A lot of it is dismay about younger generations. A lot of it will be about being in the middle--the middle of the years of my life, the middle of the wealth spectrum of this country, the middle of what seems like the demise of a country. Probably not in the middle of the political spectrum, but you get the idea.

Also, expect pictures of food, cats, music postings and promotion of artists I admire.

And now, a song I love called Fisherman's Blues and a satellite picture of the BP oil spill.