Exploring American Freedoms and Values

Imagine a cartoon 75 years ago tried to

warn us.

America is many things to many people.

To a 17-year-old kid, it's the malt shop on the corner.

To Grandpa, it's the front porch in the cool of the

evening.

To Mother and her family, it's church on Sunday morning.

And to Dad, it's his favorite relaxation.

It's the Cracker Barrel philosophers in Crabtree Corners,

and it's the tycoons in Wall Street.

It's all races, creeds, and religions.

It's freedom to work at the job you like.

Hey, wait up. Freedom of speech- Let me ride. And to peaceably assemble.

I'm getting there. Freedom to own property.

Security from unlawful search or seizure.

Where's your warrant, flatfoot? The right to a speedy and public

trial.

Protection against cruel punishments and excessive fines.

The right to vote,

and to worship God in your own way.

It is these freedoms that have made America strong.

Okay, okay, so we got our freedom, but management's lousing up

everything. Labor is at fault. It's ruining the country.

My constituents, as your elected representative,

I can assure you labor's right, management's right.

I'm strictly neutral.

Labor, management, politicians, phooey.

Oh, they can't tell corn from oats.

Why, it's only- Strike, strike, strike, strike. Taking money out of our pockets.

Hurry, hurry, hurry, step right up, folks.

Here's the answer to your problems, Dr.

Utopia's sensational new discovery, Ism.

Ism will cure any ailment of the body politic.

It's terrific. It's tremendous. Once you swallow the

contents of this bottle, you'll have the bountiful benefit of

higher

wages, shorter hours, and security.

Enormous profits, no strikes. Remember, you're

the big boss. Government control, no worry about votes,

name your own salary, bigger crops, lower costs.

Why, Ism even makes the weather perfect every

day.

And now then, because we are introducing this amazing item for the

first time in this country, it isn't going to cost you one

cent. All you have to do is sign this little scrap of paper,

and you'll get your bottle absolutely free.

I hereby turn over to Ism Incorporated everything I

have, including my freedom and the freedom of my children

and my children's children, in return for which said

Ism promises to take care of me forever.

I was here first. No, I was here first.

I paid

two bucks. Ah, get out of the way.

Pardon me. Pardon me.

And who are you, my good man?

I'm John Q. Public.

Oh, my fine friend, you're just in time to share this generous

and

gigantic offer. Sign right here.

Eh, mind if I read it first? Hurry up.

No, you don't. Ah, no, let me see. I was here first.

No, I was. Keep your shirts on, boys. ...

including my freedom.

Freedom?

What, sign away my freedom? Why, this is

ridiculous.

Don't be corny, brother.

Sure, our system of free enterprise isn't

perfect, but before we throw it away for some

imported double talk, let's turn the clock back a few

years to see what it's done for us.

For example, back in the 1890s, Joe

Doakes was just a guy who liked to tinker around his barn.

Some people thought Joe was lazy, some even thought he was

nuts, but one day he had an idea.

And because he was free to dream, and scheme, and tinker,

Joe had a chance to make something of himself and his idea.

So

Of course, some people didn't think so much of Joe's

idea.

But that didn't stop him.

So Joe got some money from young Aunt Minnie,

and Uncle Angus,

and Grandpappy,

and Mr. Titus.

When Joe's friends and relatives used their savings to help

him buy

tools and property, they were capitalists.

Don't blush, folks. It's nothing to be ashamed of.

Now, naturally, Joe needed some help,

so he hired Willy Lumpkin, who was out of work anyway,

and before long, Willy had the know-how and became

skilled labor.

Because capital, management, and labor worked together,

Joe's idea grew.

It grew and did things even he never dreamed of.

Today, the automobile industry provides millions

of jobs that

never existed before. And remember, this is a

story of only one industry. There are

thousands more scattered all over the United States whose history

of development is pretty much the same.

We've built a country under the American system that sends more young people

to high school and college than all the rest of the world combined.

Why, even in the Depression, our wages bought more food,

clothing, travel, and entertainment than the wages of any

other

people in the world.

Our country has a national income equal to the total national

incomes of any other six nations in the world.

With only 7% of the Earth's, we drive

70% of the world's automobiles. That's just a sample of the

things the capitalistic system has given us in only

160 years.

Before signing up, you boys ought to try a little taste of

doctorism's formula to see what you get in exchange

for your freedom. Go ahead, try it.

You can't do this to me! I'll strike.

The state forbids strikes.

Wait till the union hears about this.

Ah, yes, the union.

Welcome to our ranks, number

1313.

I'll take this case to the Supreme Court.

The state is the Supreme Court.

Our decision is as follows.

No more private property. No more you.

Well, the farm vote will put a stop to this.

Farmers don't vote anymore.

Well, what'll I do for seed next year?

You won't have to worry about next year.

The state will do your planning from now on.

We must fight to regain our freedom, or everything is

lost. Everything-

Everything is fine. Everything is fine. Everything is fine.

Everything is fine. Everything is fine.

When anybody preaches disunity, tries to pit

one of us against the other through class warfare,

race hatred, or religious intolerance, you know

that person seeks to rob us of our freedom and

destroy our very lives.

And we know what to do about it.

Now, gentlemen, no violence please. Hey, don't throw those bottles.

Don't throw those bottles!

No! Oh, don't!

No,

please!

Working together to produce an ever greater abundance of

material and spiritual values for all,

that is the secret of American prosperity.