Question about history?

Those that ignore the lessons of history are doomed to go through them again.

Well, you know the real quote I'm thinking of.

I think our current times most closely resemble the original Gilded Age? MY knowledge of thei history of that time is superficial and ignorant. what I got was the Robber and oil Barons were getting pretty greedy. Union Busting by machine gun greedy. I mean, they were greedy overlords that felt entitled to all of it. So, Teddy Roosevelt replaces the assassinated McKinley in around 1901 and gets reelected and BUSTS THE TRUSTS. Got laws made to make the systems more fair. Outlaw child labor and unjust working conditions, living wage, pure food and drug act. Lots of reforms.

Could someone with an interest tell us about the lessons of that era that we seem to have forgotten? Is there a Teddy Roosevelt in public life that will save Democracy with the best intentions of the Founders? Will OWS somehow be this era's Teddy Roosevelt?

-90% Jimmy

Oh - the Santa Clara County vs Southern Pacific Railway corrupt court clerk margin writing that made corporations people was in this era, also.

may show that people are becoming aware of what's happening and ware willing to do something. Progressives jave to communicate the truth to people work to get people registered and have ids. The internet can make a difference.

It's global this time, and it's too corrupt.

Capitalism is going down this time. And we are all Roosevelts (was just thinking how it was FDR who saved capitalism in the 30s).

I think that's what people who keep talking about OWS as a protest and asking for demands don't understand. It's not about negotiating with a wickedly destructive system. It's about creating something new to replace it. I was listening to a livefeed from Oakland, and they weren't like "Oh hey guys, what crumbs can we ask the owners for?" They were like "Hey guys, how can we become completely self sufficient and disengage from capitalism?"

We are going to save democracy. By destroying capitalism.

You've given me some new things to ponder.

First thoughts: There was no middle class in TR's day. (Well, a very very small middle class.) I think it's hard for today's middle class to relate to that era -- today's is more a post-WWI mentality, definitely a Depression-era, WWII to post-WWII mentality.

I definitely see the parallels between today and the Robber Baron days. No question there.

But I keep coming back to FDR as the man in public life who saved Democracy with the best intentions of the Founders. And he was no saint.

So, like I said, I've got to ponder this further. You've got some good points.

Thanks.

In those days, most Americans lived on the farm, in houses they owned because no bank would give them a loan. They know they were getting the short end of the stick, because they were barely participating in the economy. They grew most of their food, made their own clothes, had no electricity and pumped their own water from a well (no indoor plumbing either). It looked a lot more like how things are in the Third World now.

Now people are dependent on the corporate economy. A huge chunk of them buy their food and clothes at Wal-Mart and they are dependent on corporate controlled gasoline, electricity, natural gas and telecommunications. They can't simplify back to 1900, even if they wanted to.