I do not know what the Depression "felt like" in 1932. But we do have a historical record. It took from October 1929 until early 1932 before America really began to feel the effects of the Great Depression.
Sanguine historians and the historical record argue persuasively that FDR's New Deal Socialist Programs, begun in 1933, prolonged the Depression in America long after Europe and elsewhere had begun sustained economic recovery. Amity Shlaes' excellent book,
The Forgotten Man, shows [among other things] how FDR shamelessly politicized the Great Depression in order to consolidate Progressive Democrat political gains. In 1937 economic and employment conditions were simply awful in America. Unemployment in 1937 was higher than it was in 1931, fully two years after the Crash of '29. Yet, FDR was elected to a Third and a Fourth Term.
Henry Morgenthau, FDR's Treasury Secretary, recognized eventually that all of the Keynesian spending had not worked. In 1939, Morgenthau even testified before Congress that the spending had not worked. This made him very unpopular, but he remained very loyal to FDR to the end. In 1939, the unemployment rate was still above 17% and much higher in minority neighborhoods and isolated areas. It was mobilization for World War II that brought the US out of the Great Depression, not the New Deal. One wonders how the revisionist progressive history has survived this long. Amazingly, President Obama doggedly pursues the same failed Keynesian strategies eighty years later. Progressive is apparently not progressive. The "true believers" of this form of Socialism may claim that this is Conservative cherry-picking of statistics. But the total record of the New Deal is no lie, and the total record of the New Deal era is dismal failure.
Obama's transformative Progressive-Socialism, redistribution, collectivist economic strategies
Obama's transformative Progressive-Socialism, redistribution, collectivist economic strategies, government takeover of private industry, crony capitalism, and the emphasis on Party Ideology at the expense of "We the People" is leading us down a path to financial collapse and statism. This is a dangerous time for the US. There are serious ideological splits in American politics today. President Obama has transformed these divisions into a deep polarization. Note how Obama in full campaign mode every day: Bush is a demon; and the Republicans and Conservatives are the Devil. FDR used the same tactic against his ideological opponents and the GOP throughout his Presidency. To this day, Democrats still trot out the ghost of Herbert Hoover in order to scare the older generation. Bipartisanship? Tell me another fairy tale.
[Note: There have been deep political divisions in this country since the assassination of JFK. The Liberal media of the day tried to blame conservatives for that assassination. Many on the Left persist in asserting this nonsense. Their disappointment was shattering when it was adjudged that Lee Harvey Oswald, an avowed Marxist educated in Moscow, and an axe to grind with America's young President Kennedy, was deemed to be the lone assassin. It is not beyond speculation that Oswald was employed by Fidel Castro. Castro clearly had motive and opportunity. Is it any wonder that the full Warren Report has never been released? Hence, Oliver Stone and others still manage to push the ridiculous CIA-Big Business-Republican Conspiracy theories.]
I don't believe most of us fully understand what a full collapse of our economy would bring. A collapse of the economy means that our country's credit-worthiness is seriously downgraded. There would be unemployment levels possibly 3-4 times higher than the current unemployment rate. The economy would seriously contract. Everything would be in short supply, including cash in your pocket. Collapse would call for folks to support each other and help one another. It could possibly be much worse than I describe depending on levels of crime and civil unrest.
However, in Obama's ideologically divided America, blaming George Bush and the Republicans will ensure that this "crisis does not go to waste." It might well be "Full Speed Ahead" for the Obama Fundamental Transformation of America. Collapse plays into the hands of unscrupulous politicians, demagogues and would-be tyrants. A collapse today, with Obama's vision of governing, could result in a claim to vast and sweeping emergency powers. Would he use the Obama-friendly Mainstream Media to further demonize the opposition? Would he restrict or shut down the Internet? Would he use the FCC to shut down Talk Radio? Would he take over or shut down private enterprise in the name of the workers? Would he recruit Party members and demand loyalty to a new one-party state? Would a Progressive Party Card ["Card Check" anyone?] be the only ticket to finding a job? Would membership in a Labor Union Front create special privileges for Progressive Party members? Would a collapse facilitate a gradual, and ever more public, blaming and purge of dissent and dissidents? This happened in Russia in 1917-30 during the Marxist-Communist Revolution and was narrowly averted in Western Europe in 1919 only to see them fall prey to Fascism and National Socialism from 1921-1935.
People may say: "This is nuts! This can't happen here! This is crazy talk!" Oh really?
American Revolution was about individual liberty and freedom
Ideological divides, when pushed, historically often lead to civil war and revolution. Become a student of History. The American Revolution was distinctly different in character, purpose, and level of violence from the later French Revolution, the Russian Revolution, and the Nazi and Fascist Revolutions. Those later Revolutions were about collectivism, class warfare, and subjugation, not freedom. The American Revolution was about individual liberty and freedom. Our Constitution is a covenant between "We the People" and a subservient Government that protects our borders and our rights. But, Progressives like Obama believe that too much information is dangerous and that government knows what is best for you. This is not American thinking, this is collectivist thinking.
I recommend that everyone read [or re-read]
Brave New World, 1984, Animal Farm, Anthem, Atlas Shrugged, and
We the Living, to see where all of this leads. These works' authors all saw the horrors of the Totalitarian State and the Cult of Personality up close and personal. These works will inspire and motivate you to learn more and do more to protect our unique American way of life.
"
We the Living is not a novel 'about Soviet Russia.' It is a novel about Man against the State. Its basic theme is the sanctity of human life ... using the word "Sanctity" not in a mystical sense, but in the sense of "supreme value." - Ayn Rand, 1958.
It is ironic isn't it? Whether or not we celebrate another "traditional" Independence Day may depend on:
- Studying history, and applying the lessons from history that extend freedom and personal responsibility.
- Studying the Declaration of Independence, the US Constitution, The Federalist, and other period writings.
- Going to the polls this November and voting for Freedom, even in the face of voter intimidation.
- Electing Candidates in November who faithfully execute their Oath to the Constitution of the United States.
Freedom is never free; the price is knowledge, vigilance, and action.
