The Washington Monthly: Opinion: Moshe Z. Marvit: a Liberal's Call to Real Liberty

The Washington Monthly: Opinion: Moshe Z. Marvit: a Progressive's Call to Real Liberty

So President Franklin Roosevelt's Four Freedoms were a Freedom of Religion, Freedom of Speech, civil liberties and Freedom from Want. Hum that is very interesting especially since The Roosevelt Administration essentially inspired the George W. Bush Administration in their call for reduced liberty for more security with the Patriot Act, government spying, indefinite detention and you can go down the line. But compared to locking up ethnic German, Italian and Japanese-Americans during World War II. Because the Roosevelt Administration believed these Americans were loyal to their mother countries. Germany, Italy and Japan the countries we fought during World War II. The Bush's look mainstream.

I could write a whole blog on why President Franklin Roosevelt wasn't a liberal. Simply based on his big government superstate beliefs when it came to civil liberties and the personal affairs of Americans. He also had a tendency to believe that Congress wasn't much more than an annoyance and that he didn't need them to make decisions on his own and went around them as often as he could get away with it. The Senate stopped him at least temporarily with the court-packing scheme.

As far as Freedom from Want. What do you mean by that? The freedom to not have to make your own decisions and manage your own affairs? The freedom to not earn a good living and be economic independent because Uncle Sam is going to take care of you for you with high taxes and a boat load of welfare programs? A big part of being a free American is the Right of Self-Determination. The ability for one to chart their own course in life and make the best of their life that they can. Since they are responsible for the good and bad that happens in their lives.

Forget about the Four Freedoms and then just look at the U.S. Constitution. Because that is really all we need to be able to live well in America just as long as the Constitution is enforced properly by government and enforced equally as well. And then I would add just one more that which would be the right to a good education however you want to phrase that. Because no one is free unless they have the education and tools they need to be able to govern themselves well and aren't hurting innocent people.

The only free society is an educated society. Once you have an educated society you at the very least have the potential to create a free society if you are not already free. Because you have the people that you need to build that economy that expands economic freedom for everyone. Individuals managing their own economic and personal affairs with everyone contributing to that. With the personal freedom and civil liberties as well that are also needed to live in that free society.