Federal power grab: Déjà vu all over again
By Robert T. Smith
web posted March 15, 2021
Today's progressives advertise as the forward-looking, advanced thinkers of our day. Taken in the context of history, to quote the famous baseball player Yogi Berra, "this is like déjà vu all over again."
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt had certain progressive individuals surrounding him that acted as the driving force of his New Deal. These advisors became known as the Brain Trust. Mr. Biden has surrounded himself with like-minded progressives, as did FDR.
We have become familiar with measuring the first 100-days of a presidency. This phrase was coined based on FDR's slew of fundamental changes at the beginning of his first term in office. FDR's first 100 days saw the powers of the administrative branch of the federal government expanded comprehensively. This expansion virtually consumed the powers of the states and of the people, specifically targeting America's capitalist economic system. Reflecting on Mr. Biden’s term in office thus far, we are once again at that "déjà vu all over again" moment.
Louis Howe, secretary to FDR, expressed the philosophy of the New Deal during a radio interview that was cited in the Saturday Evening Post, in an article by Garet Garrett ("The Hundred Days," August 12, 1933). Mr. Howe was quoted as saying that the laws being enacted "were leading where no one knew," that they were the "most amazing legislation this country or any other country has ever seen," and that the FDR administration had the courage to go on not knowing where the agenda may lead because it "wasn't afraid of the dark."
The New Deal laws were enacted to achieve an agenda. The Brain Trust progressive thinkers were so smitten with their cognitive prowess that they had no concern over unintended consequences or consideration of "what then?" Those issues would simply be “worked out” as they arose -- no fear of leaping into the darkness after all. Our current president and his administration have met the "déjà vu all over again" standard.
America's progressivism appears to stem from the belief that our founding paradigm of America was incorrect or inferior to progressivism. The notion that equality of opportunity does not exist if outcomes are not equal for all, and that government plays a role in ensuring the equal outcomes. When manipulating such a large and complex society to a goal of an equal outcome for all, the need for a dictatorial hand in governing is a veritable necessity. How can they achieve their intended outcome if we won’t let them?
The notion of a superior ideology, in conjunction with government control by those who hold themselves as superior decision-makers for all their fellow citizens is reflected in our current government. The current regime clearly intends to make the most of its power. The chaos, the disruption, and the economy be damned -- ideology takes precedence over any other consideration. As reflected in the quote from FDR's secretary, Mr. Howe, our current administration is not afraid of the darkness that lies ahead as they progress the country toward their intended destination.
The Biden administration is smart enough to run the entire economy by rule and regulations, with the alleged intent of an equal outcome for all. Biden’s appointees are qualified to regulate even the breath we exhale (CO2). The Biden administration appears to believe that any issue that arises as a consequence of achieving the progressive agenda can simply be handled by the same advanced thinking that spawned the idea.
For many Americans, there is great concern over the future of our country. Economic and monetary issues fester and grow against a backdrop of insurmountable debt and now high unemployment. Not only have we ignored the existing debt, but most recently, we have put our debt on steroids prescribed by our progressive regime in the guise of an approximate $1.9 trillion COVID-19 emergency funding bill that was passed without a single Republican vote in favor. Their newest expenditure of our borrowed money goes in some part to we the people who have been assigned this loan debt, and in large part to support the progressive agenda, unrelated to the Coronavirus emergency.
One of the primary figures of FDR's Brain Trust, Rexford Guy Tugwell, was quoted later in his life as admitting that the New Deal's policies and laws "were tortured interpretations of a document [the Constitution], intended to prevent them." History tells us of further bad times ahead if, as so eloquently stated by baseball's philosopher, we are experiencing "déjà vu all over again." 
Robert T. Smith is an environmental scientist who spends his days enjoying life and the pursuit of happiness with his family. He confesses to cling to his liberty, guns and religion, with antipathy toward the arrogant ruling elites throughout the country.