Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Barack Obama Father's Day Speech

"The third thing we need to do as fathers is pass along the value of empathy to our children. Not sympathy, but empathy – the ability to stand in somebody else’s shoes; to look at the world through their eyes. Sometimes it’s so easy to get caught up in “us,” in “me,” that we forget about our obligations to other people, to one another. There’s a culture in our society that says remembering to look out for other people is somehow being soft. We hear that even our politics in Washington, that it’s all about you, look out for your self-interest, don’t look out for others."
-Barack Obama Father's Day Speech 2008 

          What President Obama is emphasizing in this passage is the idea that the role of the individual human would not be significant if no one else was around, so we should take into consideration, those who we surround ourselves with. By taking ourselves out of the spotlight and considering others we are giving recognition and we are giving a voice and we are meeting needs of others. He says to teach empathy rather than sympathy because to sympathize with someone only shows that you see the struggle or you see the pain, and you feel sorry for them, but to empathize with someone designates that you feel for the other person, you can take yourself away from your "higher standing" or "lack of struggle" and put yourself in their shoes to show that you might not be able to understand their problems but you respect it. 

          His reference to Washington and politics is very legit as it seems most political leaders are out to ensure that their well being is met as well as their needs; neglecting the fact that the remainder of the nation is still in dire need of plenty of things. When laws are made or taxes go up, it is always to benefit the leaders rather than the workers. If Political leaders practiced empathy rather than sympathy, all social classes would be flourishing and doing better because to pity the lower classes does nothing for them.  

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Roosevelt and the Depression

"...even Jefferson realized that the exercise of the property rights might so interfere with the rights of the individual that the government, without whose assistance the property rights could not exist, must intervene, not to destroy individualism but to protect it.”

Roosevelt; The CommonWealth Club Address

What this passage says to me is that Roosevelt supports the concept of government involvement in the life of the individual. If government did not have impact on society people would be running rampant and because of the presence of government officials, citizens have the ability to roam about as they please without having to worry. I chose this passage because as much as I question the role of government in the personal lives of citizens, I understand this concept because it is a fact whether we like it or not that government impact has some positive effects, like limiting outsiders and protecting the individual. 


Great Depression: 
Industry and Labor
The National Recovery Administration (NRA), established in 1933 with the National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA), attempted to end cut-throat competition by setting codes of fair competitive practice to generate more jobs and thus more buying. Although the NRA was welcomed initially, business complained bitterly of over-regulation as recovery began to take hold. The NRA was declared unconstitutional in 1935. By this time other policies were fostering recovery, and the government soon took the position that administered prices in certain lines of business were a severe drain on the national economy and a barrier to recovery.
It was also during the New Deal that organized labor made greater gains than at any previous time in American history. NIRA had guaranteed to labor the right of collective bargaining (bargaining as a unit representing individual workers with industry). Then in 1935 Congress passed the National Labor Relations Act, which defined unfair labor practices, gave workers the right to bargain through unions of their own choice and prohibited employers from interfering with union activities. It also created the National Labor Relations Board to supervise collective bargaining, administer elections and ensure workers the right to choose the organization that should represent them in dealing with employers.
The great progress made in labor organization brought working people a growing sense of common interests, and labor's power increased not only in industry but also in politics. This power was exercised largely within the framework of the two major parties, however, and the Democratic Party generally received more union support than the Republicans.


dustbowl.jpg (128466 bytes)
Farmer and sons, dust storm, Cimarron County, Oklahoma, 1936. Photographer: Arthur Rothstein.
The drought that helped cripple agriculture in the Great Depression was the worst in the climatological history of the country. By 1934 it had dessicated the Great Plains, from North Dakota to Texas, from the Mississippi River Valley to the Rockies. Vast dust storms swept the region.
Source


          This passage "Industry and Labor" highlights the approaching of a bell curve for the depression. Labor unions being formed for workers and the NRA was found being unconstitutional. This gave workers a voice and more power in their political stances as the Democratic part had more support in this than the Republican. I chose this passage because it is similar to today's day in age, where the working class is outspoken and are mostly Democratic; and are all supported by some form of union. The image I chose looks as though it completely sums up the Depression. Everything just looks scarce and dry, and it reminds me of a book I read in 6th grade called Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse.