PresidentialPositionsIssuesReceptionTimelineDocuments

Work in progress — cycles are added one at a time. Every quote is machine-verified against an archived source; follow the links to read it.

The Patman cash bonus and $2.3 billion of greenbacks, passed by the House under his speakership — John Nance Garner, 1932

Similar by solution solution · rationale

ScoreCycleCandidateIssuePosition
0.671932Herbert HooverVeterans' bonus and benefitsOppose cash prepayment of the veterans' bonus, especially by fiat money
0.571932John Nance GarnerPublic works as employment policyThe Garner-Rainey $1.2 billion public-works bill — and a pledge to reintroduce it
0.561932Franklin D. RooseveltVeterans' bonus and benefitsNo early payment of the veterans' bonus until the budget is balanced with a cash surplus
0.541936Alf LandonHow to finance old-age and unemployment insurance (contributory reserve vs. pay-as-you-go)Repeal the compulsory old-age insurance plan; pay every needy citizen over 65 a pension from a direct, widely distributed tax
0.461936Huey P. LongDistribution of national income and purchasing powerShare Our Wealth: cap fortunes, guarantee every family a homestead and income
0.461932John Nance GarnerRegulation of banks and securitiesRFC loans to individuals and corporations generally — 'the Government into personal banking' (the Rainey bill)
0.441932Herbert HooverPublic works as employment policyFederal construction at three times normal and $1.5 billion of RFC loans for self-liquidating works — but no pork-barrel or non-productive projects
0.441936Franklin D. RooseveltHow to finance old-age and unemployment insurance (contributory reserve vs. pay-as-you-go)Defense of the payroll-tax financing: the employer pays an equal share and the reserves are safe
0.441936Franklin D. RooseveltBalancing the federal budgetBalance the budget within a year or two out of rising national income, without new taxes
0.431932Herbert HooverLevel of federal spendingCut federal spending $1.5 billion below fiscal 1932 and reorganize the executive branch
0.431932Franklin D. RooseveltBalancing the federal budgetBalance the federal budget annually within revenues
0.421932Franklin D. RooseveltFarm prices and agricultural surplusRaise staple farm prices by a tariff-equivalent benefit plus voluntary production control, at no cost to the Treasury
0.411932Franklin D. RooseveltBenefits for disabled and service-connected veteransFull justice and generosity for veterans disabled by actual wartime service — silence on the bonus
0.411932Norman ThomasFederal responsibility for reliefA $5 billion federal appropriation for immediate relief of those in need
0.401932Herbert HooverGold standard and currency basisHold the gold standard and the 'honest dollar'; no fiat money, no 'rubber dollar' price-fixing
0.391936William LemkePublic control of the central bank and money creation'Drive the money changers out of the temple': public control of money and credit, further inflation of the currency
0.391932Herbert HooverEuropean war debts and reparationsNo cancellation of war debts; apply any annual payment to opening foreign markets for American farm products
0.391932Herbert HooverRegulation of banks and securitiesThe RFC and the 'shield of Government credit' saved 5,000 institutions and must continue — but no direct government lending to everyone
0.381932Herbert HooverFarm and home mortgage reliefThe Federal Home Loan Bank system to stop home foreclosures and finance new homes
0.381936Franklin D. RooseveltBenefits for disabled and service-connected veteransContinue just treatment of war veterans and dependents
0.381932Norman ThomasUnemployment insuranceCompulsory unemployment insurance funded by employers and by higher income and inheritance taxes
0.371936Franklin D. RooseveltOld-age pensions and social insuranceBuild on the Social Security Act toward economic security for all
0.361932Herbert HooverBalancing the federal budgetA balanced budget as 'the foundation of all public and private financial stability'
0.361932Franklin D. RooseveltRegulation of utility rates and holding companiesEight-point federal utility program: publicity, Federal Power Commission control of holding companies, prudent-investment rate base
0.361936Alf LandonFarm prices and agricultural surplusCash benefits on the domestically consumed portion of export crops to make the tariff effective, limited to the family-type farm; no scarcity program, no processing tax