1930s New Deal

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSZxmZmBfnU Somewhere Over the Rainbow – The Wizard of Oz[/youtube]

Somewhere Over the Rainbow – The Wizard of Oz  1939

Somewhere, over the rainbow, way up high
There’s a land that I heard of, once in a lullaby
Somewhere, over the rainbow, skies are blue
And the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true

Someday I’ll wish upon a star and
Wake up where the clouds are far behind me
Where troubles melt like lemon drops away
Above the chimney tops, that’s where you’ll find me

Somewhere, over the rainbow, bluebirds fly

If happy little bluebirds fly beyond the rainbow
Why, oh, why can’t I?

SONGWRITERS:  HARBURG, YIP / ARLEN, HAROLD

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EZ5bx9AyI4[/youtube]

FDR’s proposed second Bill of Rights was filmed after he delivered his State of the Union Address via radio on January 11, 1944.  When I saw it unearthed by Michael Moore in his trenchant 2009 documentary, “Capitalism, A Love Story,” I was overtaken by it’s prescient relevance  — and shocked by how far backward we’ve been dragged.

In FDR’s words, these universal economic rights should include:

  • 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;
  • And finally, the right to a good education.

(Source: Wikipedia & Jan 11,1944 FDR Fireside Chat)

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