grown tired of unemployment and insecurity, of seeing their children hungry while they sat helpless in the face of government confusion, government weakness, -- weakness through lack of leadership in government. Finally, in desperation, they chose to sacrifice liberty in the hope of getting something to eat.
Opposing the new deal and its high government expenditures was suddenly transformed into negligence bordering on treason. FDR made people believe that he was saving the vision of the founding fathers by putting people back to work. Both were things the electorate wanted to hear.
Those who argued that the government has become communist by taking control of failing industries got no further with FDR.
It is wholly wrong to call the measure that we have taken Government control of farming, control of industry, and control of transportation. It is rather a partnership between Government and farming and industry and transportation, not partnership in profits, for the profits would still go to the citizens, but rather a partnership in planning and partnership to see that the plans are carried out. (Outlining of New Deal Plan)
FDR made a huge extension of his power in the National Recovery Act. The Great Depression had the same depressive effect on wages as illegal immigration does today. Because there is no oversight, the employers paid as little as they wished. With a surplus of people desperate to work to eat, there was no market force to drive wages up again. National Recovery Act simply assumed authority to set minimum wage, abolish child labor, etc., with the provision that codes arrived upon by industries would be substituted as long as they met with government approval. When FDR spoke to the people about it for the
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