This caucus season, remember Roosevelt’s “four freedoms”

It can be depressing to watch the nightly news and see the divisions in our world being played out before our eyes. More troubling are the divisions we witness in our own communities between the comfortable and homeless, the well-fed and hungry, between the educated and uneducated and between the gainfully employed and unemployed. In all the rancor between and within political parties, something has been lost. Namely, the welfare of the country as a whole. Our first president, George Washington, warned that special interests should be avoided in favor of the general welfare. It is no less relevant today.

How can one define the general welfare? Again history provides a clear and unchanging definition in the words of another of our great president Franklin, D. Roosevelt. They were given to the nation in a speech to the 77th Congress entitled, 'The Four Freedoms.” The four freedoms are:

The Freedom of Speech and Expression

The Freedom of Religion

The Freedom from Want

The Freedom from Fear

These freedoms are a universal expression of the common good. They are the foundational principles upon which individuals within the society can productively build the private and public institutions that together form the multidimensional fabric of a nation. The 'freedoms” are as relevant to our current social and political environment as they were seventy five years ago. Expressed in political and economic terms, 'we, the people” expect our government to provide, in the words of Roosevelt:

'Equality of opportunity for youth and others.”

'Security for those who need it.”

'The ending of special privilege for the few.”

'The preservation of civil liberties of all.”

'The enjoyment of the fruits of scientific progress in a wider and constantly rising standard of living.”

Roosevelt warns that we must never lose sight of these goals. 'The inner and abiding strength of our economic and political systems is dependent upon the degree to which they fulfill these expectations.”

Let us consider the current political and economic environment. Does public policy create equality of opportunity regardless of age, sex, race or wealth? What is the path to creating an upwardly mobile middle class? According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), there is a direct correlation between educational attainment and income and an inverse correlation to unemployment. Education has historically been the path to a better paying job and more rewarding work. But for over half the population, it is unaffordable. A new survey of 5000 adults conducted by Google revealed that 62 percent had less than $1000 in savings and 26 percent had no savings account! If the average American does not have the cash to weather an emergency, how can they hope to fund higher education for themselves or their children? For the vast majority, the only source of cash is student debt. Seven in ten college seniors who graduated from public or non-private colleges in 2014 has an average student debt of $29,250. This is an anchor around the necks of our youth who are just beginning their careers and families. The problem is only getting worse with student debt increasing at twice the rate of inflation over the last decade. There is no equality of opportunity if higher education is unaffordable to a large segment of the population. It should be equally obvious that our nation cannot compete in the world economy without highly skilled workers.

Over the last forty years there has been a steady erosion of the middle class. According to BLS data adjusted for inflation, there has been no hourly wage growth since 1979! Where employers once paid worker health insurance premiums and provided a retirement pension, workers are now expected to pay part or all of their insurance premiums and retirement account contributions. Meanwhile, the American worker has steadily increased his productivity. Corporate profits are at all-time highs. From 1982 to 2015, big company executive compensation has ballooned from 42 to 373 times the average worker salary.

The nation's security and stability require the government to bestow the 'freedoms” to all citizens, regardless of age, sex, race, religion or sexual orientation. Justice must be blind. We can't abide a system of laws that are enforced or non-enforced based on wealth or race or class distinctions. That can only breed resentment and hatred of government. There can be no security if half the population is one health emergency away from financial ruin. It is destructive to the individual, the family, and business.

Together we can reverse the decline of the middle class and create a more just society. We must elect civic-minded candidates who are not beholden to special interest money and who will serve the common good, not the special interests of the few. We must be vocal in our support for legislation that unites our citizens around national priorities, such as free higher education, universal health care, and repairing and updating our eroding infrastructure. Together we must denounce the politics of division and exclusion. 'One nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

' David G. Gerleman is a retired University of Iowa College of Medicine Engineer.