That’s Right Nate

Tom Brokaw penned the term “the greatest generation” to refer to those Americans who grew up in the Great Depression and went on to fight in World War II, as well as those who made their contributions on the home front.  These were pretty impressive people right?  Not according to the Democrats.   President  Obama said that another Great Depression such as the on that produced the Greatest Generation would be a “national catastrophe”.  This irresponsible fear mongering is designed to get Americans so scared of a Great Depression that they would be more concerned with finding food, clothing, and shelter than with the size of their government.

Fortunately, Senator John Kyl (R-AZ) has emerged as a voice of reason in the congress.  Decrying the Democratic fear mongering that looks at inactivity as a bad thing, Kyl has called Obama out for “casually throwing out some careless language.”  Words like unemployment, homelessness, starvation, and poverty panic people and take their minds off the good things that are going on in the country right now.  Ask yourself, what these things have in common (Babe Ruth, Jack Dempsey, Gone With The Wind, The Wizard of Oz, Jazz, Superman, The Marx Brothers, Bing Crosby).   Give up?   They’re all part of the culture of The Great Depression.  “If it’s true that adversity and hardship can bring out creativity,” said Miles Orvell, professor of English and American studies at Temple University, “then the Great Depression was one of the great creative periods of our time.”

So before you Democrats decide to panic everybody by bringing up how much trouble they will have buying their next meal, maybe you ought to remind them just how much of our American character was forged out of this time.  We need the American people to remember, Depressions can be fun.  The most important thing is reducing the size of government–food, medical care, stuff like that has a way of taking care of itself.

I hate to take on dead people, particularly dead white males who are constantly under attack by femi-nazis and minori-fascists, but like many conservative commentators I am tired of the myth that FDR saved us from Herbert Hoover’s Depression.   Inspired by Michael Medved, I am going to use this space tonight to expose the myths of FDR and the new deal.

Myth #1 – Hoover and other hands off Republican Presidents caused the Great Depression and FDR had to save us.

This myth was probably caused by either FDR himself at the time.  The truth is that the Republican leadership had led the country to a period of unheard of prosperity.  However, when investors new that a short 2 years later Roosevelt would be running for President, they immediately began to pull their money out of the stock market.   Hmm, that sounds eerily like what has happened with Obama.

Myth #2 – Roosevelt’s liberal policies saved the economy.

FDR’s policies didn’t save us.  World War II saved us.  Before WWII we had an unemployment rate of 14 percent–double the current rate.  He had brought it down from the 24 percent rate  when he took over, but this country didn’t rebound until we went to war.  Instead of spending money on infrastructure and these ridiculous bailouts, Obama needs to invade Iran.  Not fixing potholes gives Americans incentive to buy SUVs.

Myth #3 – The New Deal accomplished anything.

Yeah sure the South got electricity–its overrated.   If social security was worthwhile, it would have been built with safeguards to stop us from raiding the fund over the last 60 years.

When Obama’s supporters say that he will do for this country what FDR did in the Depression I don’t doubt them.  If we want to get through this economic crisis, we need a President who isn’t afraid to get into another war.  This whole myth of FDR is a bunch of empty hope that leads nowhere.  Hmm, that sounds rather familiar.