Franklin Delano Roosevelt: "The Rulers of the Exchange of Mankind's Goods Have Failed..."

[laststeamtrain]

"The Rulers of the Exchange of Mankind's Goods Have Failed..."

"Only a foolish optimist can deny the dark realities of the moment.

"Yet our distress comes from no failure of substance. We are stricken by no plague of locusts.... Plenty is at our doorstep, but a generous use of it languishes in the very sight of the supply. Primarily this is because the rulers of the exchange of mankind's goods have failed, through their own stubbornness and their own incompetence, have admitted their failure, and abdicated. Practices of the unscrupulous money changers stand indicted in the court of public opinion, rejected by the hearts and minds of men.

"True they have tried, but their efforts have been cast in the pattern of an outworn tradition. Faced by failure of credit they have proposed only the lending of more money. Stripped of the lure of profit by which to induce our people to follow their false leadership, they have resorted to exhortations, pleading tearfully for restored confidence. They know only the rules of a generation of self-seekers. They have no vision, and when there is no vision the people perish.

The money-changers have fled from their high seats in the temple of our civilization. We may now restore that temple to the ancient truths. The measure of the restoration lies in the extent to which we apply social values more noble than mere monetary profit...."

Read the full speech here

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http://www.motherjones.com/mojoblog/archives/2008/09/10010_the_rulers_of_t.html

[Faygo Kid]

1. Great, as usual, by FDR. No hedging in his language. He took action.

And so must we.

[2speak]

2. Great post

[horseshoecrab]

3. Thanks and K&R n/t