MAY 26, 2009 --

This website has long been calling for an end to predatory economic practices.

Joseph Aaron, writing in the Chicago Jewish News two months ago, has offered an explanation for what he calls our "economic mess" -- an explanation that has nothing to do with partisan politics, an explanation that makes a lot of sense to LPR.

Aaron believes the absence of "menschlichkeit" in our business world is responsible for such predatory practices as "obscene penalties and mob-like interest rates." He uses the word in its Yiddish context.

In German, "menschlichkeit" is defined as "humanity." In Yiddish, it means kindness, consideration for others, decency. A mensch is a person with those qualities. An unmensch is unkind, inconsiderate -- I'd add predatory.

Perhaps it might be said that a "mensch" is someone who lives by "the Golden Rule," reaffirmed by President Obama speaking at the Notre Dame commencement.

In recent years -- if not decades -- the Golden Rule, it seems, has come to mean business by acquiring gold, not providing service.

Thanks to Aaron's insight, LPR now sees that "menschlichkeit" among our leaders is what Federalist 57 is all about.

All of a sudden, Congress is drafting legislation to reform the way the credit card companies do business. LPR would ask: why only now? Why didn't congressman express concern long ago about "outrageous penalties and mob-like interest rates"?

And look, today, at the numbers on gas pumps -- the price is again going up rapidly. This, LPR believes, is not good. Greed, it turns out, is not good. And millions of Americans are suffering, today, because our political and business leaders did not call for "menschlichkeit," and did not conduct themselves as "menschen."

(LPR read the Aaron column in the "Jewish Sentinel." It is reachable by these search words: "menschlichkeit" and "Joseph Aaron")

Pitchforks and Menschlichkeit

LPR learned, only last week about President Obama's "pitchfork" warning to bankers. "My administration is the only thing between you and the pitchforks," the president is quoted as saying, March 27. It would have been better had the president simply asked the bankers, "where is your menschlichkeit?"

It is fairly clear that the president's "pitchfork" comment was a threat -- a threat that if the bankers don't watch out, the administration will look away as the common people assault the Bastilles of our business world.

This is not good, at least for LPR. The president's remark insults the people, not being much different from the Henry F. Potter's reference to the people as "rabble." (Potter was the fictional banker in the movie "It's a Wonderful Life.")

LPR believes that the "pitchfork" reference is attributed to the South Carolina politician Ben Tillman who, in 1896, threatened to poke President Cleveland with a pitchfork. (Today, perhaps, that comment would be an indictable federal offense.) "Pitchforks" came to be understood as referring to poor white farmers in the south. The context was demagogic, not populist -- but likely got "populist" to be another term for "demagogue." See Federalist No. 1, attributed to Alexander Hamilton -- who viewed demagogues as leaders pandering to the people so as to become dictators.

LPR is a bit surprised that the president used this term which gained usage, if it did not originate, in remarks by Tillman, who was as evil a racist as one can be.
Governor -- and later Senator -- Tillman was, alas, a true unmensch, even if he did found Clemson University.

Progressive Unmenschlichkeit

Googling the president's use of "pitchfork," LPR brought up Pajama Media, and a long column by Oleg Atbashian. Last LPR posting wondered if the administration
used Edward Bellamy's novel "Looking Backward" as a policy source. Atbashian suggests that the administration is aiming for the "utopian goal of forced quality,"
a goal that achieves heavy-handed government and a passive people.

There is, for LPR, no trace of "menschlichkeit" in that goal, which, Atbashian points out was not the intention of the Founders.

The lesson of the great depression, for LPR, is that recovery is not the result of regimentation, which easily becomes repression. There is, for LPR no substitute
for liberty with "menschlichkeit."

LPR offers the prayer that our nation will now look for "menschlichkeit" in its political and business leaders, and keep the vision of the Founders as permanent guide.

(The Atbashian column is reachable by these search words "pitchforks pajamas Oleg.")

"Pitchfork" Post-Script

President Obama indicated, May 21, that "fear-mongering" on the closing of Guantamo "ill-serve[s]" the country. But fear-mongering on the economy is okay?