May 3, 2008
May 17, 2008
June 7, 2008
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, 1944.