It’s Time for “The Next New Deal”
Political Blog Diary
In 1932, at the rock bottom of the Great Depression,
President Franklin Roosevelt swept into office with the promise of bold reforms
to jump-start the American economy. Although conservative critics of the day cast
his ideas as too radical, policies implemented in The New Deal stabilized the
banking system within one month, cut skyrocketing unemployment in half and
increased our gross domestic product by 50 percent.
Over the past three
decades, the pendulum has swung from this New Deal ideology to conservatism.
Tax cuts for the rich were supposed to “trickle down” to the masses, spurring
job creation and an economic boom. The current economic crisis we are
experiencing has shown us that conservatism – tax cuts for the rich and bailing
out big businesses – has failed. Tax cuts for the rich have only made the rich
richer, the poor poorer… and the middle class isn’t doing all that well either.
Instead of the promised job creation, we find more and more of our jobs being
shipped overseas while unemployment has skyrocketed to the highest level in a
decade.
The recession is here and it’s real. Many are losing their
jobs, homes and health care. Others are maxing out their credit cards just to
keep their heads above water. While some politicians call for piecemeal
solutions and others declare that our problems are all in our heads, more and
more Americans believe that things are only getting worse. As the bad news
continues to pour in, people are looking to the government for leadership and
answers. Polling over the last few months shows that 69 to 82 percent of voters
now favor government intervention to save our struggling economy.
Our forefathers’ original intent, as stated in the
Constitution, was for government to “provide for the general welfare” of its
citizens. Of the people, by the people
and for the people has been corrupted into of the elites, by the lobbyists and for the very rich. It is time
for every day Americans to take back our country from special interests. We
need our political leaders to stand up to the right-wing political spin machine
and do what is best for all Americans. Today, we need “The Next New Deal” to
get our economy back on the right track.
Recently, more than a dozen members of Congress gathered
to voice their support for Invest in
America’s Future, a plan that would make public investments in our economy
and usher in a new era of economic security, opportunity and prosperity. The
plan would invest in 21st century jobs, guarantee quality,
affordable health care for all, strengthen our educational system and eliminate
our dependence on foreign oil.
We applaud the visionary members
of Congress – from Maryland to California – who have
chosen to step up to the plate before it was politically expedient. America is in
crisis and the time to act is now. People are hurting and demanding change. We urge you to visit our website where you
can show your support for the plan, contact your representatives and tell them
we need to invest in our economy right here at home.
For more
information on the Invest in America’s
Future plan, visit www.nextnewdeal.org.