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teherie · 11-28-2011, 07:44 PM

If I am to believe his biography, Gordon Lightfoot left the comfort of small town Orillia at the ripe old age of 19 and headed to music school in LA. I guess someone encouraged hime or at least gave him the freedom to go. I for one am glad they did. Maybe it was the same reason he showed up to support his daughter.

As Harry Truman once said, "the only new things to learn are the history you don't know." Here's the crux of the matter for Occupy Wall Street even if the waters (and the message) get muddied by the media and casual observers on the sidelines.

"Theodore Roosevelt was a product of the old gilded age; he knew his times, and those who dominated them, well. We are in another gilded age. What Roosevelt said then about the business leaders in 1907 seems very relevant today. He called them: “….Malefactors of great wealth….these men …combine to bring about as much financial stress as possible, in order to discredit the policy of the government…so that they may enjoy unmolested the fruits of their own evil doing….I regard this contest as one to determine who shall rule this free country—the people through their governmental agents, or a few ruthless and domineering men whose wealth makes them peculiarly formidable because they hide behind the breastworks of corporate organization”. His words sound pretty relevant to our situation today.

Theodore Roosevelt’s policies to rein in dangerous business practices did not give rise to left-wing revolution in our beloved country. It brought, rather, some greatly needed reform, something we need now, just as we did in TR’s day. Social stability based on fairness is part of that Common Good that helps all Americans, the rich as well as the poor. The absence of such stability led to horrendous results in Europe in the first half of the twentieth century as we all know. It required a great and terrible war to defeat the fascist regimes that exploited that social instability for their own nefarious ends. Investing in social stability, taking steps to pay for the government we need, adjusting the tax code to diminish income inequality, these are steps we all need if the America we love is to prosper."

This concept applies to all of us, regardless of our citizenship.

11-28-2011, 07:44 PM	#21
teherie Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Erie, PA Posts: 78	Re: Occupy Toronto If I am to believe his biography, Gordon Lightfoot left the comfort of small town Orillia at the ripe old age of 19 and headed to music school in LA. I guess someone encouraged hime or at least gave him the freedom to go. I for one am glad they did. Maybe it was the same reason he showed up to support his daughter. As Harry Truman once said, "the only new things to learn are the history you don't know." Here's the crux of the matter for Occupy Wall Street even if the waters (and the message) get muddied by the media and casual observers on the sidelines. "Theodore Roosevelt was a product of the old gilded age; he knew his times, and those who dominated them, well. We are in another gilded age. What Roosevelt said then about the business leaders in 1907 seems very relevant today. He called them: “….Malefactors of great wealth….these men …combine to bring about as much financial stress as possible, in order to discredit the policy of the government…so that they may enjoy unmolested the fruits of their own evil doing….I regard this contest as one to determine who shall rule this free country—the people through their governmental agents, or a few ruthless and domineering men whose wealth makes them peculiarly formidable because they hide behind the breastworks of corporate organization”. His words sound pretty relevant to our situation today. Theodore Roosevelt’s policies to rein in dangerous business practices did not give rise to left-wing revolution in our beloved country. It brought, rather, some greatly needed reform, something we need now, just as we did in TR’s day. Social stability based on fairness is part of that Common Good that helps all Americans, the rich as well as the poor. The absence of such stability led to horrendous results in Europe in the first half of the twentieth century as we all know. It required a great and terrible war to defeat the fascist regimes that exploited that social instability for their own nefarious ends. Investing in social stability, taking steps to pay for the government we need, adjusting the tax code to diminish income inequality, these are steps we all need if the America we love is to prosper." This concept applies to all of us, regardless of our citizenship. Last edited by teherie; 11-28-2011 at 07:49 PM.