Greed has poisoned Men's Souls

Just finished breaking the replay video on this www.youtube.com/watch?feature=…! Mind-Blowing Video of Charlie Chaplin's speech at the end of the movie "The Great Dictator".
After drying my manly tears, I was inspired to write on the subject.


Everywhere I look in the world today, people constantly try and place the blame for the sorry state of world and national affairs on a specific individual or group. Yet that in itself is more proof of just how the "mighty are fallen....". People have became so indoctrinated to the concepts of "Left vs Right, Black vs White, etc etc, they are stuck perpetually chasing their own tails, or the tails of their "opponents". Whilst the real enemies laugh in high places, with their brandy and and expensive cigars.

The enemy, Ladies and Gentlemen, "We must especially beware of that small group of selfish men who would clip the wings of the American Eagle in order to feather their own nests."........is GREED.  Yes, that's right, not a person, or a people, or a nation; but a concept, wrapped in the justification of "capitalism".  It is an concept created by the stupid, to control those who are stupider than they. They argue that it is their "right" to make a profit, to charge you as much as they want, for whatever they want, (gas, food, clothing,etc etc), and they argue thus, because we let them. They use the Constitution and its great words and precedents, as an "OK", that Greed, and moral apathy are acceptable.

I'm going to counter any possible attempt at a counter argument by quoting the words of a great man, and a great leader, the only president to EVER be elected to 4 consecutive terms of office by over 80% of the popular vote(the largest in history!). If you don't know from that, grab a History book, I'm talking about FDR, Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

"We find our population suffering from old inequalities, little changed by vast sporadic remedies. In spite of our efforts and in spite of our talk, we have not weeded out the over privileged and we have not effectively lifted up the underprivileged. Both of these manifestations of injustice have retarded happiness. No wise man has any intention of destroying what is known as the profit motive; because by the profit motive we mean the right by work to earn a decent livelihood for ourselves and for our families.
We have, however, a clear mandate from the people, that Americans must forswear that conception of the acquisition of wealth which, through excessive profits, creates undue private power over private affairs and, to our misfortune, over public affairs as well. In building toward this end we do not destroy ambition, nor do we seek to divide our wealth into equal shares on stated occasions. We continue to recognize the greater ability of some to earn more than others. But we do assert that the ambition of the individual to obtain for him and his a proper security, a reasonable leisure, and a decent living throughout life, is an ambition to be preferred to the appetite for great wealth and great power." - From Second State of the Union Address (4 January 1935)

1935! Almost 80 years ago, he was railing against the very same problem; Greed. Truly magnificent words!

"The savings of the average family, the capital of the small-businessmen, the investments set aside for old age — other people's money — these were tools which the new economic royalty used to dig itself in. Those who tilled the soil no longer reaped the rewards which were their right. The small measure of their gains was decreed by men in distant cities. Throughout the nation, opportunity was limited by monopoly. Individual initiative was crushed in the cogs of a great machine."
"For too many of us the political equality we once had won was meaningless in the face of economic inequality. A small group had concentrated into their own hands an almost complete control over other people's property, other people's money, other people's labor — other people's lives. For too many of us life was no longer free; liberty no longer real; men could no longer follow the pursuit of happiness." - Choice paragraphs from Speech to the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (27 June 1936)

The final counter for those who argue that Greed is their right! Again FDR tells it like it is.

"These economic royalists complain that we seek to overthrow the institutions of America. What they really complain of is that we seek to take away their power. Our allegiance to American institutions requires the overthrow of this kind of power. In vain they seek to hide behind the flag and the Constitution. In their blindness they forget what the flag and the Constitution stand for. Now, as always, they stand for democracy, not tyranny; for freedom, not subjection; and against a dictatorship by mob rule and the over-privileged alike." - from Speech to the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (27 June 1936)


And there it is, the root of the problem people. The Constitution is OLD. It was written over 200 years ago, at a time when things like Honor, Chivalry, Honesty, and Courage where still traits that defined a man. Written by men of Intelligence, it defined the ideals of mankind......when those aforementioned principles still actually meant something. Now however, the Constitution has become a crutch that the Stupid use as an excuse, and the Greedy use as a scapegoat; a means of justifying their "right" to be greedy.

This, is no longer acceptable. The Constitution has become a mockery of everything it stood for. It needs to be removed from service as a standard of law.

*waits for the shock to subside*

Yes. I did indeed just say that, but don't stop reading there and jump into the comments with gusto on "communist" just yet, (we talked about this didn't we?) finish reading before climbing atop your soap boxes people.

I'm not saying do away with the Constitution, I'm saying the current form of it is no longer applicable to modern society. When the Great Document was written, people aspired to be more than bottom feeding Welfare Leeches or Politic Controlling armchair Douchebags that think having money makes them God.

At Founding, the Nations smartest, it's brightest, were tasked with writing up a document which would outline the basis for all men's happiness. And that it what we **MUST** do again.
Keep all the original text, but with addendum's to each "line of law." Make it fit the world we live in today, with the Laws and Amendments to the Constitution being spelled out for ANY** circumstance, removing any doubt or chance of argument in the case of whether your rights or freedoms had been violated or encroached upon. As it stands now, we rely on a single(or a handful) of Judges to decide the fates of millions! Judges who sit for 30 or 40 years, people who have NO CLUE how the world is now! They are old, geriatric sacks of shriveled skin that won't be alive to see the repercussions their "rulings" have on the people or the wider world.

Why do we stand for this?

The largest point of contention is always Right to Free Speech. The ability to express ourselves to our hearts content. This was a Law written at a time when to speak Ill of Monarchs and Nobility was quite literally sedition and treason, punishable by death.

This line of Law needs clarification! So people like Neo-Nazis, the KKK, those bunch of nut-jobs the Phelps(the church that protests at soldiers funerals) and others of like volition to spout and/or encourage the spread of ignorance and stupidity, just saying whatever they please whenever they please because "its their right to free speech", are yoked and shackled, as well they should be!

This isn't right! These people and organizations are **TEXTBOOK** Terrorists! They promote mindless Hate, Intolerance, and Persecution of those different from them, for no other reason than they were born stupid. It's nobodies fault, they can't help that they were born with a lower intelligence than everyone else, and we can't punish them for it. However we shouldn't REWARD them for it either, by allowing them to attempt to infect others with that same stupidity.
We proclaim our reverence for the ideals and accomplishments of Martin Luther King Jr.; Even as we willing allow those who seek to destroy all that he held dear, walk and talk amongst us OPENLY!

Why do we stand for this?

I use these examples to press home my point. And that is, if America, and indeed the entire world, is to be made Great again, then Greed **MUST** be stamped out, that is the only way the World will ever change. FDR tells us how to start.......

"The task on our part is twofold: First, as simple patriotism requires, to separate the false from the real issues; and, secondly, with facts and without rancor, to clarify the real problems for the American public.
There will be, their are, many false issues. In that respect, this will be no different from other campaigns. Partisans, not willing to face realities, will drag out red herrings as they have always done; to divert attention from the trail of their own weaknesses." - Address at the Democratic State Convention, Syracuse, New York (29 September 1936)

(He's referring to all the "Left vs Right" business I mentioned earlier.)

I would take a moment to clarify my own position on these matters, as such will most likely feature prominently in many counter arguments. FDR sums up it for me rather nicely..........

"The true conservative seeks to protect the system of private property and free enterprise by correcting such injustices and inequalities as arise from it. The most serious threat to our institutions comes from those who refuse to face the need for change. Liberalism becomes the protection for the far-sighted conservative.
Never has a Nation made greater strides in the safeguarding of democracy than we have made during the past three years. Wise and prudent men, intelligent conservatives, have long known that in a changing world worthy institutions can be conserved only by adjusting them to the changing time. In the words of the great essayist, "The voice of great events is proclaiming to us. Reform if you would preserve." I am that kind of conservative because I am that kind of liberal." - Address at the Democratic State Convention, Syracuse, New York (29 September 1936)

(Author's Note: Roosevelt here slightly misquotes Thomas Babington Macaulay, who in a speech on parliamentary reform (2 March 1831) asserted: "The voice of great events is proclaiming to us, Reform, that you may preserve.")

I will step down from my soap box with these parting words, again FDR says it better than I could hope to.

"There is a mysterious cycle in human events. To some generations much is given. Of other generations much is expected. This generation of Americans has a rendezvous with destiny."

And a harsh Destiny it is, for this great nation teeters on the bring of foundering. The bilge pumps have been worked far too hard, for far too long, and are shutting down one by one. No handful of patch jobs or spot welds is going to fix the problem either. Unless We, the People, put the ship into dry-dock for an overhaul, we won't survive the storms that are surely yet to come.

Second State of the Union Address (4 January 1935) en.wikisource.org/wiki/Frankli…

Speech to the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (27 June 1936) www.austincc.edu/lpatrick/his2…

Address at the Democratic State Convention, Syracuse, New York (29 September 1936) www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/ind…