Teddy Roosevelt: Progressives and Global Warming

I am currently read the autobiography of President Theodore Rossevelt. The following comes from the forward of his book.

  It seems to be that, for the nation as for the individual, what is most important is to insist on the vital need of combining certain sets of qualities, which separately are common enough, and alas, useless enough. Practical efficiency is common, and lofty idealism not uncommon; it is the combination which is necessary, and the combination is rare. Love of peace is common among weak, short-sighted, timid, and lazy persons; and on the other hand courage is found among many men of evil temper and bad character. Neither quality shall by itself avail. Justice among the nations of mankind, and the uplifting of humanity, can be brought about only by those strong and daring men who with wisdom love peace, but who love righteousness more than peace. Facing the immense complexity of modern social and industrial conditions, there is need to use freely and unhesitatingly the collective power of us all; and yet no exercise of collective will ever avail if the average individual does not keep his or her sense of personal duty, initiative, and responsibility. There is need to develop all the virtues that have the state for their sphere of action; but these virtues are as dust in a windy street unless back of the lie the strong and tender virtues of a family life based on love on the one man for the one woman and on their joyous and fearless acceptance of the common obligation to the children that are theirs. There must be the keenest sense of duty, and with it must go the joy of living; there must be shame at the thought of shirking the hard work of the world, and the same time delight in the many-sided beauty of life. With soul flame and temper of steel we must act as our coolest judgment bids us. We must exercise the largest charity towards the wrong-doer that is with relentless war against the wrong-doer that is compatible with relentless war against wrong-doing. We must be just to others, generous to others, and yet we must realize that it is a shameful and a wicked thing not to withstand oppression with high heart and ready hand. With gentleness and tenderness there must go dauntless bravery and grim acceptance of labor and hardship and peril. All for each, and each for all, is a good motto; but only on condition that each works with might and main to so maintain himself as not to be a burden to others.

  We of the great modern democracies must strive unceasingly to make our several countries lands in which a poor man who works hard can liver comfortably and honestly, and in which a rich man cannot live dishonestly nor in slothful avoidance of duty; and yet we must judge rich man and poor man alike by a standard which rests on conduct not caste, and we must frown with the same stern severity on the mean and vicious envy which hates and would plunder a man because he is well off and on the brutal and selfish arrogance which looks down on and exploits the man with whom life has gone hard.   

                                                ~Theodore Roosevelt

                                                Sagamore Hill, October 1, 1913

These words, though reflecting the language of the times are a wonderful expression what common values should drive the political thinking of a country whether one is a Republican or Democrat, a liberal or a conservative.

Teddy Roosevelt was an amazing man. He was a member of the Republican Party as he says folk were in his time and at the same time he is the very epitome of progressive thought.

I find it interesting that in times of need in our nations history two Roosevelts rose to Presidential leadership; Teddy and Franklin Delano Roosevelt. One Republican, Teddy and one a Democrat, FDR and both progressives. Both men lead their nation with integrity and clear vision of what was necessary to make the nation live up to the American dream, where all may excel and achieve the good life, materially, morally, political, socially and spiritually.

These men and their contemporaries that followed their leadership stand in sharp contrast to modern America which has devolved from a democracy to and oligarchy and where a caste system is raising its ugly head and crushing the American Dream.

Teddy (or Teedie as he preferred) in his time was a life of privilege and service; He is known for his leadership in the Spanish-American War in is “Rough Riders” day. He is also well known for his taking on the monopolies of his time with the Sherman Antitrust Act and was known as the “Square Deal” president. Many call him the first “modern day” president who dealt with the same issues we deal with today. He worked for civil rights, and is best known as the country first environmental president with his signing of the National Monument Act and preserving many wildlife sanctuaries, national forests, and federal game reserves.  Though one could take on a number of issues these men stood for I will pick a single thread for this article that of environmental responsibility.

In today’s America the debate on our environment has degenerated in mindless doggerel coming from the far right that ignores responsible science and the global warming issues of our planet and a lack of resolve by the right to work as hard as they must for the human survival on this planet. The so-called left (really the old right) Democrats seem little better.

If we are objective at all and pay attention to climate scientists we know that climate change has led to extreme weather and only promises to get worse if we do not address this issues. We know that carbon pollution is the primary reason why our planet is warming which causes weather disasters, flooding, drought, etc.

Here is Wisconsin in 2012 we had record-breaking heat in 42 counties with 123 high heat records. At the same time 14 counties had record breaking snow falls, 20 of them. We also had 1 large wildfire. I would suggest going here to check out the data for your and other states. We have the worst drought in 50 years and 1,300 counties in 29 states were declared drought disaster areas. Wildfires burned over 9.2 million acres in the country.

Everybody ought to know this stuff and it is stupidity itself for extreme right radicals to call this a political scare tactic.

It is not as though we don’t know how this happened; industrial revolution et al that dumped carbon into our atmosphere. And it is not as though we don’t know what to do. We need to set limits on global warming pollution; invest in green jobs and clean energy, drive smarter cars, create green homes and buildings, and build better communities and transportations networks.

Instead we let the nations infrastructure decay and continue to subsidize fossil fuels. We, or special interest groups look for quick bucks at the expense of the future.

It is my belief that only when we get big money and their vested short term interests out of politics will we be able to address these issues properly and follow leaders that have a vision the wellbeing of future generations as did Teddy and Franklin Roosevelt.

Both Democrats and Republicans need to heed the history of progressives in each party. They need to work for the common good rather than just figure out how to get reelected. See this web site   for a more complete discussion.