I get tired of these articles that lump Teddy Roosevelt in with all of these early 20th century progressives. The only thing this article attributes to TR is the passage of the food and drug act.
This act gave powers to an already existing government agency (FDA) to inspect food processing plants to ensure that they were not throwing garbage into things and calling it sausage, or beef. That when they said something was beef, it was actually beef. The act also required the labels that are put on food packages. In other words, a truth in advertising. I think that act protects consumers against unscrupulous businessmen. Perhaps some people out there think that truth in advertising was a bad idea. I don’t. People were dying from garbage that companies were putting in food packaging.
This BS about Teddy Roosevelt supporting nationalized healthcare comes from the platform of the Progressive party which he ran for as President in 1912. Let’s remember, Teddy wanted to be President again and thought he got a raw deal in the Republican primary (which he did). He got more votes than Taft in the primarys that were held but through parlimentary manuevering at the convention, Taft got the nod. Mostly because Republican party bosses disliked Teddy. Teddy went to a party that would nominate him. For proof of this, all of this reporting about Teddy Roosevelt campaigning on National Health care, has anyone seen one quote from Teddy about it? I haven’t and I don’t think there is one. If it was so important to him, wouldn’t we have at least one quote from a campaign stump speech about nationalized health care?
Here’s the plank from the Progressive party platform: “The protection of home life against the hazards of sickness, irregular employment and old age through the adoption of a system of social insurance adapted to American use.” This isn’t exactly a call to universal health care.
Let me give you something Teddy did actually say:
“The first requisite of a good citizen in this republic of ours is that he shall be able and willing to pull his own weight.”
Doesn’t sound like someone who liked lazy people on the dole to me.
“Every immigrant who comes here should be required within five years to learn English or leave the country.”
Not a big fan of illegal immigration either I imagine...
This is just one more way that the left is trying to re-write history about a great American.
I get tired of these articles that lump Teddy Roosevelt in with all of these early 20th century progressives. The only thing this article attributes to TR is the passage of the food and drug act.
Agree completely. TR advocated steady, mild progression when necessary to avoid abrupt, radical change.
“The two enemies of the people are criminals and government, so let us tie the second down with the chains of the constitution so the second will not become the legalized version of the first.” Thomas Jefferson