New Deal or Raw Deal?: How FDR's Economic Legacy Has Damaged America Book

Facts to the economics of the period between 1933 and 1945 are quite different from the myth you hear at school. This book illuminates reality for some of the major American cities (especially in the middle of the country once again) and for what "improvements" were actually most felt and were most lasting. And the processes and laws that FDR used.

This became rather personal in reading. How? Because my Mother adored FDR and thought of him as a god. And my Dad's Dad (my German grandfather who got half of my family to the USA in the 1930's and was separated from them for nearly 9 years with one two month break) HATED FDR. In two or three languages it was always a "fight" between them if his name was mentioned. LOL! Shades of these times, huh!

Well my Dad had his own thoughts and proofs but he mainly kept quiet. At least he didn't spit on the ground at the sounds of the initials as did my Grandfather. (My Grandpa was a gentle genius in mechanics and rarely loud or effusive so that really made an impression on me.)

But truthfully, especially in the authoritarian avenues FDR took and the avenues he transgressed in precedents for pure power (and for offense against individual civil rights and liberties)- and in his personal life path of "treatments" he actually lived daily as opposed to the "picture" he choose to advertise- my Grandfather was spot on.

But then he had fought in a war for the "other side" in WWI and also saw what "civic" power did to individual rights with the rise of Socialist Nazi Hitler adoration to everything he loved. And also spent 15 to 20 years of extreme suffering getting away from Germany too.

The facts upon Chicago in this book were of high interest and eye opening to me. It's absolutely the start of the "help" that has insured a 7 going on 10 generation lifestyle of misery in Chicago welfare and soup to nuts "free stuff" ghetto existence.

But most of all- if you read this clearly stated encompassing act to act book of outcomes for these altruistic ideas and real programs- there is always a winner and also large quotient of loser. And it's often not the one who seems apparently so by the titles.

WWII and huge quotients of manufacturing production and job output per adult populations is what got the USA economics on any kind of a restart after the world reversals and Great Depression. In some measures of real wealth and uses 1939 was worse than 1934 had been- it was only well into the war (WWII) and the 1940's that foods, lodging, any kind of actual appropriate service levels etc. were "enough" for the "at home" USA population.

So here we are more than 75 years later and in my earliest days' memories. And knowing how correct and valid my Grandfather was. Long term be damned, that's what he'd say about FDR methods. Oh so accurate. Actually each act that FDR pushed actually prolonged the Depression. He had 20% unemployment after 8 years of his autocratic dominance.

Highly recommend this read although it can be dry in portions as it contains so much numerical and truth reality. Which is often harder to swallow than pie in the sky theory reads.