Progressive Economic Policies Always Fail
by Jeff Davidson
“The Federal Government must and shall quit this business of relief.”
“The lessons of history, confirmed by the evidence immediately before me, show conclusively that continued dependence upon relief induces a spiritual disintegration fundamentally destructive to the national fiber. To dole out relief in this way is to administer a narcotic, a subtle destroyer of the human spirit. It is inimical to the dictates of a sound policy. It is in violation of the traditions of America. Work must be found for able-bodied but destitute workers.”
“I am not willing that the vitality of our people be further sapped by the giving of cash, of market baskets, of a few hours of weekly work cutting grass, raking leaves, or picking up papers in the public parks. We must preserve not only the bodies of the unemployed from destitution but also their self-respect, their self-reliance, and courage and determination.”
On many levels, the quotes above by U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt, in his 1935 State of the Union Address, are astounding. Less than three years into his presidency, Roosevelt realized that having legions of citizens dependent on the federal government, long-term, would not benefit anyone. Yet, he could not put the brakes on the train he had sent running down the track.
And Enormous Debt to Boot
Another four years passed when Roosevelt’s close friend, lunch companion, confidant, and U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, Henry Morgenthau, Jr., stated:
“We have tried spending money. We are spending more than we have ever spent before and it does not work. And I have just one interest, and if I am wrong, somebody else can have my job. I want to see this country prosperous. I want to see people get a job. I want to see people get enough to eat. We have never made good on our promises, I say after eight years of this administration — we have just as much unemployment as when we started. And, an enormous debt to boot!”
Coming nearly a decade following the stock market crash of 1929, which reverberates to this day, the above quote represents a stunning admission, no less than by the top U.S. financial official. Morgenthau discovered that deficit spending does not work, does not effectively stimulate the economy, and does not create long-term, meaningful jobs.
Results? Who Cares?
Progressives, liberals, Green New Dealers, and the Left in general, however, do not care at all about the historical record. They are steeped in their own rhetoric. If a policy sounds good, then by golly, it must be good! Never mind about the results. Never mind about decades of research on human motivation, incentive, and drive.
Dr. Thomas Sowell, in a three-article series, documented the failings of progressives when it comes to results. Now 57 years following Lyndon Johnson’s initiation of “The Great Society,” in 1965, with $22 trillion spent – and gone – on massive progressive programs, the U.S. poverty rate by 2016 was higher than it had ever been. This monetary outlay is equivalent to far more than $13,000 per year, for every minority person in America, for all the years from 1965 to 2016. That’s more than one quarter million dollars, per person, in two score. Yet, Great Society target group members are banging on the doors of Congress, demanding reparations.
Devastation on Multiple Fronts
The black family has been devastated, rising from 25% out- of-wedlock births or one parent households in 1964, to above 70% one-parent households today. “The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it,” observed author Flannery O’Connor. Progressives do not want to take responsibility for what they have done and so they have resurrected racism as the all-purpose excuse as to why large percentages of minorities have not effectively entered the economic mainstream.
We thus have the perfect “Catch 22.” Over many decades, create and enforce policies that lead to miserable lives, rioting in the streets, more crime, and cultural depression. Then, blame everything on the opposition party and the majority group that had little or nothing to do with enacting such policies, call them racists, make them feel guilty, and induce Congress to throw more money at the problem.
In sum, progressivism is a crippling, cultural cancer that erodes a nation. It is delivered in a sugar cube by committees of “benevolent” leaders.