Pure Food And Drug Act

Theodore Roosevelt, The Food And Drug Administration, And Conservative Attack On Medical Expertise!

In 1906, after reading the novel THE JUNGLE, by Upton Sinclair, President Theodore Roosevelt took leadership and pressured Congress into forming the Food and Drug Administration, under the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906.

Now, 117 years later, a right wing Federal District Court Judge appointed by President Donald Trump, Matthew Kacsmaryk, is trying to destroy the right of women to an abortion drug Mifepristone, which has been safely used for a generation since it was approved in 2000, and is safer than many other drugs approved by the FDA.

This is a clearcut religious extremist decision, without concern of the effect it will have on millions of American women, and it cannot be allowed to stand.

The FDA is appealing this intervention, and this is a tense time as it will have a dramatic effect on the whole political system, at a time when vast majorities support a woman’s right to control her own body and reproduction!

Theodore Roosevelt, were he here in the present times, would roundly condemn this attack on the most basic federal regulatory agency, added to by later Presidents and Congresses who understand the federal government’s need for regulation in support of the American people, and the lack of religious groups having the authority to control Americans’ lives!

If one is religious, do not have an abortion, but do not dictate in a country based on separation of church and state what other Americans’ rights are!

The Empathy Of Clinton, George W. Bush, Obama, And Also Lincoln, TR, LBJ, And Carter, As Compared To Trump

One of the most important traits that any President should have, but not all do, is to have empathy, an understanding of the struggles and difficulties of people’s lives, and the ability to relate to the tragedies of others.

Donald Trump has not an ounce of empathy for anyone, as he is a total narcissist, and clearly does not care about others, only his own advancement financially, and to control others to his own benefit.

Trump does not lose sleep over the devastation wrought by the CoronaVirus Pandemic that could have been dealt with two months earlier, and made the tragedy far less deadly.

The three Presidents before him had empathy as, for example:

Bill Clinton at the time of the Oklahoma City Bombing in 1995.

George W. Bush after the attack on New York City on September 11, 2001.

Barack Obama and the Sandy Hook Elementary School Massacre in 2012 in Newtown, Connecticut.

Many other earlier Presidents also displayed empathy, with a few examples being

Abraham Lincoln mourning the loss of life at the time of the Battle of Gettysburg and the later Gettysburg Address in 1863.

Theodore Roosevelt demanding action on protection for workers and consumers with the protection of the Pure Food and Drug Act in 1906, after Publication of Upton Sinclair’s realistic novel, “The Jungle”, that same year.

Lyndon B. Johnson making a commitment to civil rights legislation and the War On Poverty despite his Southern heritage.

Jimmy Carter’s entire life of empathy, including his post Presidential activities even now at age 95.