The Second Bill of Rights?

It is quite a shame that so many prophets of social change die before they are able to implement their ideas or die before they see them take form. To name a few: MLK, JFK, Bobby Kennedy, and in this case Franklin D. Roosevelt.

I sure never heard about the proposed second bill of rights that FDR recommended right before he died during the hundreds of times we discussed the depression and WWII in elementary, middle, and high school.

Here is a list of the rights outlined by FDR in the above speech that he hoped to make a reality the war had ended. He says, "All of these rights spell security. And after this war is won we must be prepared to move forward, in the implementation of these rights, to new goals of human happiness and well-being."

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.

This era that we are living in frightfully resembles that time leading up to and during the depression. I hope and pray for a revolution of sorts that overthrows the systems in America that continue to widen the gap between the wealthy few and the many impoverished.