Resumo de The Precedency

As the upcoming 2000 Presidential election approaches, numerous debates can be seen via the television, internet, or other forms of media which battle head to head on the varying benefits and drawbacks of a large national form of government. Questions arise as to how much assistance the government should provide in the daily lives of Americans, as opposed to encouraging the idea of individual responsibility. It is important for the young people of today to realize that this wasn?t always a controversial topic for the American people. Today?s youth, myself included, has grown up in the era of government programs and regulations with little knowledge of where exactly all the programs originated. More importantly, it is often hard for people of my generation to realize that the expectations they have for the government to meet their basic needs in times of distress was not always shared by the society that existed prior to the reign of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. FDR?s first 100 days created a plethora of programs in our country; many of which are still being run today. It is important for students to understand where our current form of government came from and thereby have a clear understanding of everything FDR did to help our country during one of it?s bleakest moments.
By declaring in his inaugural address that there was nothing to fear but fear itself, FDR instilled hope and courage in the people of the United States. He made clear that the time of waiting was over, that he had the people's interests at heart, and that he would mobilize the power of government to help them. Once in office, FDR issued two presidential edicts: the first called Congress into special session, and the second stopped the transactions in gold and proclaimed a national bank holiday. The emergency banking measure extended governmental assistance to sound bank to reopen their doors. The House unanimously passed the bill. When banks reopened, people were more eager to deposit cash than to withdraw it, ending the crisis. Sound banking had been reestablished. Meanwhile, the economy needed a boost. An accumulated deficit of $5 billion loomed over the government, whose credit had to be preserved. To bring the budget into balance, FDR had to cut at least a half billion dollars. Congress passed the Economy Act, giving FDR the power to cut hundreds of millions from veterans relief expenditures, millions from government employee salaries, and millions by reorganizing Federal agencies. The Economy Act protected the government's credit the dollar gained on foreign exchanges. FDR had preserved the government's credit and averted financial crisis. Beer had been on the public's mind since prohibition. Majorities in both houses of Congress pledged to change prohibition but monetary and fiscal matters took precedence. Then, on March 22, FDR asked Congress to legitimize beer, and they responded with a resounding yes. The brewing industry started up again, opening over a thousand plants and employing over half a million people. With a 5% government tax per barrel, the federal government received revenues of $125 million. The money would go toward the balancing of the budget, and the nation rejoiced to the flow of beer. FDR's attention turned to the crisis in agriculture.
Farmers organized to prevent by force, if necessary, the sale of their farms to satisfy mortgages by picketing roads to keep food out of cities. Farmer?s purchasing power had to be restored. FDR urged the passage of a bill that allowed the administration to apply a number of farm measures. The Agriculture Adjustment Act attempted to bolster farm incomes by setting price levels for certain commodities and giving subsidies to farmers who cut back production. The subsidies were paid through a tax on processors of farm products.

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