Nothing to fear but fear itself

The week before last, I visited Washington along with hundreds of fellow West Virginians and thousands of people around the country to rampage around about health care reform.

We rolled in at about 8 in the morning and had some free time, so three of us decided to walk over to the FDR Memorial. We were unaware at the time of the distance between Union Station and FDR. It turned out to be a few miles away, but it was a pilgrimage after all.

I have often referred here to my lifelong fascination with President Roosevelt and the New Deal. My parents grew up in the Depression and were ardent New Deal supporters. And New Deal programs built much of the infrastructure of my state. Growing up, it was less risky for me to make a sacrilegious joke than to dis the Roosevelts.

Recently, I've gone on another FDR reading jag, including Jerry Bruce Thomas' An Appalachian New Deal: West Virginia in the Great Depression and Jean Edward Smith's FDR. Thomas grew up in southern WV and Smith is a history professor at El Cabrero's alma mater Marshall University. I'm in the middle of a bio of Frances Perkins.

Over the next few days, I'm going to be posting on related topics.

NO LINKS THIS WEEK. El Cabrero is taking a week off. There will be regular posts this week but no links.

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