Question 1
The idea of the emphasis of government being strong business and economic development versus the need for ordinary people to have purchasing power is an ideological and political divide that remains today. What theories are behind these 2 perspectives and what are the pros and cons of each? Which perspective do you think is more valid?Question 2
Roosevelt expressed his condemnation of relief as the "subtle destroyer of the human spirit." In what ways did this statement guide his legislation and in what ways were his actions contradictory?Answer 1
This question is a matter of opinion to many. Marxist theory did strongly support the idea that people must be able to consume and the economy cannot maintain and/or grow without consumption. Capitalism functions more on the idea that growth and economic development produces success of a society. If you look at the failure of older societies, there is some evidence that when income disparity is too great and too few have consumption ability, the civilization collapses. Ideas such as "trickle-down economics can be explored, as well as the impact of recessions and these theories.Answer 2
There was large contradiction in his actions. He emphasized cash relief and worked to fund this adequately. He also believed that the ability to consume is important. He also worked to develop the Social Security Act and unemployment compensation which provided financial insurance. There is a sense of trying to separate more worthy poor from the less worthy poor. There was a heavy emphasis on jobs programs. There was an effort to substitute work relief for cash relief. Another important development during this time was the effort to create federal rules and regulations that states needed to abide by that created the separation of private and public and that all relief needed to administered by public entities.