After I have watched Michael Moore's film, I am inspired to do something. Riot on the street with a pitchfork and torch? Not really, although it causes a scene, it's probably not the most effective way to change things. The internet has made it much easier to get people's attention and make something happen. YouTube, Twitter, Facebook...all these websites make it very easy for something to potentially go viral and create effective change without causing a ruckus. So this is what I am inspired to do.
The Second Bill of Rights was a proposal made by United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt during his State of the Union Address on January 11, 1944 to suggest that the nation had come to recognize, and should now implement, a second bill of rights... Roosevelt's stated justification was that the "political rights" guaranteed by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights had "proved inadequate to assure us equality in the pursuit of happiness." Roosevelt's remedy was to create an "economic bill of rights" which would guarantee:
A job with a living wage
Freedom from unfair competition and monopolies
A home
Medical care
Education
Recreation
Roosevelt stated that having these rights would guarantee American security, and that America's place in the world depended upon how far these and similar rights had been carried into practice.
Here is the link to the Wikipedia page that goes into detail about it. One thing we can credit Michael Moore for doing is digging up a forgotten piece of history. Now in a time when corporate greed is rampant and affects the decision making of the people we elect to represent us, having a second bill of rights would be more important than ever to ensure that we, as American citizens, can continue living in a sustainable, prosperous society for all. We won't last for long the way we are headed now. We will probably end up like a Latin American country and we are well on that path.
I want everyone to post this onto their facebook status, tweet it, write your congressperson to create a bill, do anything to create a movement for this:
"If you believe that every American has a right to a job with a living wage, freedom from unfair monopolies and competition, a home, medical care, a decent education, and recreation, then ask your representative to pass FDR's second bill of rights" (facebook)
"Post this if you believe that every American has a right to a living wage, fair competition, a home, medical care, education, & recreation." (Twitter)
Michael Moore said that he wanted to fire the first shot with this film, now it is up to us to build upon what he has started.