John Stossel points to FDR’s innaugural address of 1937

To hold to progress today, however, is more difficult. Dulled conscience, irresponsibility, and ruthless self-interest already reappear. Such symptoms of prosperity may become portents of disaster! Prosperity already tests the persistence of our progressive purpose. (LINK)

I had to read the whole speech. FDR certainly did not believe in markets. He equated profits with evil. He must have believed economic exchange are part of a zero sum game…there is a winner and a loser in each purchase.

When you purchased a car to drive to work and make your life easier, did you feel like a loser?

FDR’s warped view of economics always reminds me of a story I heard about a manufacturer of electronics during the depression. An official from the FDR’s government came to him and told him that he was selling his products for less than his competitors. Low prices were unfair to his competition and he would have to raise his prices. He did. His product was so good that it continued to sell even at the inflated price. Soon another FDR man came by to tell him he was making too much money and he would have to lower his prices. He threw up his hands and told him that the FDR guys had to get together and decide what they wanted.

Progressives see the world differently than I do. They see prices as arbitrary. They see profits as evil. They see themselves as masters of the universe and everyone else as weaklings controlled by greedy self interest. They never see their meddling as self interest. Who is more greedy? A business man trying to sell a product to a willing participant or Gov. Blagovich trying to peddle a senate seat for influence and/or money?

FDR’s speech really is scary. You can see that this country was very close to socialism in the 1930′s. WWII opened our eyes to the socialist in Germany and communist in Russia. The prosperity that followed and the shocking truth about Hitler and Stalin made many American socialists and communists rethink their progressive ideals.

Let’s hope we are not back on that path to socialism…although I fear George Bush has already started us down that road. Barack Obama is about to jump in, pop the clutch and floor the gas peddle.

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