2026-10-02 Why Teddy? ****************************************************** I think some people might wonder: "Why is Theodore Roosevelt on Mount Rushmore?" What did he ever do? I think most agree that Washington, Jefferson and Lincoln are three of our greatest, most critically important presidents. But why Teddy Roosevelt? Sure, he was a president (1901-1909), but he wasn't a "wartime president", (although neither was Jefferson). So, why did people in 1927 think he was SO important that he should be honored on Mount Rushmore with the other three? The short answer is that at a critical moment in our history, he SAVED America from becoming a Plutocracy (Oligarchy). Our country would have been a SUBSTANTALLY worse place today if he hadn't done that. What Roosevelt did WAS as important as Lincoln's SAVING of the Union and freeing the slaves. He really IS as important as the other three! ****************************************************** We only have to look at Russia today to see a classic example of Plutocracy (Oligarchy). After the fall of Communism in the 1980s, Russia was taken over by a small handful of billionaires. They COMPLETELY control the government there. And the civil rights of the people evaporated with it. Do you really think the Russian people are as free as we are in America? Do you really want Plutocracy (Oligarchy) HERE? I don't think so. ****************************************************** We see in the news different political ideologies, like Fascism and Communism. There is a technical name for OUR traditional, American political philosophy, it's called "Egalitarianism". We don't use that name much, we just talk about "freedom", "liberty" and "justice" for ALL. "Egalitarian" is the technical name for that. It was invented in France in the 18th century and comes from the French word "Egalite" meaning "Equality". Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson spent a lot of time in France around the time of our Revolutionary War and brought Egalitarian ideas back and incorporated them into our new Government. Egalitarianism declares that ALL men are created equal and that we ALL have equal rights and that "we the people" are the only true government. No kings or aristocracy. No one has special, extra rights or privileges. Nobody is any better or more important than anybody else. It argues that the Middle Class is what's really important. Whatever is good for the Middle Class is good, whatever is bad for the Middle Class is bad. ****************************************************** We also see in the news different economic ideologies, like Socialism and Capitalism. In Socialism the government owns and operates things. For example, the Post Office is "socialistic". It's completely owned and operated by the government. It's employees are government paid employees. By contrast, the Federal Express company is "capitalistic". It is a business, owned by its investors and it is run for a profit. It has NOTHING to do with the government per se. ****************************************************** The American model consists of these two ideologies: Egalitarianism as our political model and Capitalism as our economic model. After 250 years this is what has made America the greatest, most powerful country in the history of the world. It IS the right answer. Anyone in America is free to start a business and earn profits from it. Capitalism is an extension of our Egalitarian political ideals. Every country has some socialism, but in America we prefer capitalism unless it doesn't make sense to do it that way - like the local Fire Department or paving city streets. We leave some things to government but as few as possible. ****************************************************** However, there's one big problem that can occur in capitalism. When businesses become monopolies, capitalism "flat lines". In a monopoly, there's no longer any competition and capitalism dies - relaced by monopolism. Monopolies dictate what you can or can't buy and how much you have to pay for it. And if you don't like it - tough - there's no competitors to turn to. And good luck trying to start your own company - they'll crush you like a bug. ****************************************************** By the end of the nineteenth century more and more major American industries were merging into larger and larger monopolistic entities controlled by fewer and fewer people. These large predator entities could then force smaller companies to either be absorbed or be run out of business - destroying competition. Plutocracy (Oligarchy) was starting to run rampant in America. ****************************************************** John D. Rockefeller, "one of the richest people in history", obtained control over 90% of the American oil industry that way. If you wanted to buy a gallon of gasoline you HAD to buy it from him - at the price HE decided you needed to pay for it. And if you didn't like it - tough. ****************************************************** John D. Rockefeller was only one of the "Big Four". John D. Rockefeller — oil Andrew Carnegie — steel J.P. Morgan — finance and corporate consolidation Cornelius Vanderbilt — railroads and shipping These were among the so called "robber barons" - industrialists and financiers who made fortunes by monopolizing huge industries through “trusts” and by using unethical business practices. ****************************************************** Monopolies lead to Plutocracy (Oligarchy) and that destroys our individual rights and freedom. The government degenerates into being just a tool controlled by the rich - no more "we the people" stuff. And no more freedom of the press - they own all of it. Theodore Roosevelt: "These international bankers and Rockefeller Standard Oil interests control the majority of newspapers and the columns of these papers to club into submission or drive out of public office officials who refuse to do the bidding of the powerful corrupt cliques which compose the invisible government." ****************************************************** What was Roosevelt's solution to this crisis? Government Regulation. We're not talking about Socialism here. The government didn't "take over" those businesses They were still privately owned and operated. It simply implemented regulations restraining businesses from certain "bad" behavior, often breaking them up into smaller entities in order to restore competition. Just as our civil laws outlaw murder and theft, Roosevelt's vision was that government should also act to restrain corrupt business activity. This also included "Consumer Protection" laws to protect the public from unethical and unsafe business practices. Roosevelt was the first president to implement such protections as we take for granted today. Roosevelt felt there needed to be a balance between the rich and poor, between capital and labor - and government was the only entity powerful enough to enforce it. Theodore Roosevelt: "This country will not be a good place for any of us to live in unless we make it a good place for all of us to live in." Teddy went after the “big four”, but not just them. He broke up the big monopolies by launching some 43 law suits against them, aggressively using the Sherman Anti-trust law of 1890. Hence Roosevelt's moniker as the "trust buster". Again, it's not Socialism, the government didn't take over the businesses - he merely wanted to assure there was a level playing field for ALL businesses. He protected smaller businesses from predatory take overs and restored competition. In a very real sense, Teddy Roosevelt SAVED capitalism in America. And in doing so he SAVED America from the tyranny of Plutocracy (Oligarchy). ****************************************************** He called for a “Square Deal” (his slogan) for ALL Americans. Theodore Roosevelt: "Our government, National and State, must be freed from the sinister influence or control of special interests. Exactly as the special interests of cotton and slavery threatened our political integrity before the Civil War, so now the great special business interests too often control and corrupt the men and methods of government for their own profit. We must drive the special interests out of politics." ****************************************************** So, yes, indeed, Theodore Roosevelt deserves to be on Mt. Rushmore. He truly IS one of our four greatest and most critically important presidents. ****************************************************** An example of how Plutocracy can trample our individual rights is the Ludlow Massacre (April 20, 1914). The so-called Ludlow Massacre took place at the mines of the Rockefeller-owned Colorado Fuel and Iron Company. Rockefeller had the National Guard called in to intervene in a coal strike. Not to "restore order" but to crush the strikers. The face-off raged for 14 hours, during which the miners' tent colony was pelted with machine gun fire and ultimately torched by the state militia. A number of people were killed, among them two women and 11 children who suffocated in a pit they had dug under their tent. April 21, 1914: New York Times' account of the massacre The Ludlow camp is a mass of charred debris, and buried beneath it is a story of horror imparalleled [sic] in the history of industrial warfare. In the holes which had been dug for their protection against the rifles' fire the women and children died like trapped rats when the flames swept over them. One pit, uncovered [the day after the massacre] disclosed the bodies of 10 children and two women. The public was outraged at Rockefeller and blamed him personally for the deaths. He became the most hated man in America as a result. The government isn't suppose to be a tool of the rich for their own personal gain. It's suppose to be the protector of the rights of all of us. Lord Acton: “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” ****************************************************** I'm reminded of the famous quote by Benjamin Franklin when exiting the Constructional Convention during the writing of our Constitution (1787). Elizabeth Willing Powel asked him: "Well, Doctor, what have we got, a republic or a monarchy?" “A republic, if you can keep it.” ****************************************************** Keep the faith, baby. And Stay Jazzed!