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.

Old-age pensions for men and women sixty and over — Norman Thomas, 1932

Similar by solution solution · rationale

ScoreCycleCandidateIssuePosition
0.641932Franklin D. RooseveltOld-age pensions and social insuranceOld-age insurance under state laws
0.641932Norman ThomasSickness and health insuranceNational health insurance
0.621932Franklin D. RooseveltSickness and health insuranceSickness insurance as a "minimum requirement" alongside old-age and unemployment insurance
0.551936Franklin D. RooseveltOld-age pensions and social insuranceBuild on the Social Security Act toward economic security for all
0.521936Franklin 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
0.481936Alf 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
0.461932Norman ThomasUnemployment insuranceCompulsory unemployment insurance funded by employers and by higher income and inheritance taxes
0.451936Huey P. LongDistribution of national income and purchasing powerShare Our Wealth: cap fortunes, guarantee every family a homestead and income
0.401932Herbert HooverMaintenance of wage levels in depressionUphold wages and spread work by voluntary agreement of employers and labor; shorter hours in government service
0.391932Franklin D. RooseveltUnemployment insuranceUnemployment insurance under state laws
0.361936Franklin D. RooseveltBalancing the federal budgetBalance the budget within a year or two out of rising national income, without new taxes
0.331932Norman ThomasPublic works as employment policyA $5 billion federal public-works program — roads, reforestation, slum clearance, workers' housing — and idle factories and land turned over to the unemployed
0.331936Franklin D. RooseveltCrop insurance and storage reservesCrop insurance and a stable food supply
0.331936Franklin D. RooseveltBenefits for disabled and service-connected veteransContinue just treatment of war veterans and dependents
0.331932Franklin D. RooseveltOverall role and scale of the federal governmentAn "economic declaration of rights" — the right to make a living and the right to safe savings
0.321936Alf LandonEqual rights and opportunity for Black AmericansEqual opportunity for colored citizens: protect their economic status and personal safety; further their employment
0.321932Franklin D. RooseveltBalancing the federal budgetBalance the federal budget annually within revenues
0.321932John Nance GarnerVeterans' bonus and benefitsThe Patman cash bonus and $2.3 billion of greenbacks, passed by the House under his speakership
0.311932Herbert HooverBenefits for disabled and service-connected veteransFull relief for service-disabled veterans and dependents; review existing veterans' laws to remove inequalities and effect economies
0.301936William LemkeMinimum wagesA 'living annual wage' -- $1,800 for a family of five -- by federal law and a constitutional amendment if necessary
0.301936Alf LandonUnemployment insuranceLeave unemployment insurance to State experiment; no federal tax to compel it
0.301932Franklin D. RooseveltChild welfare and schoolingMaintain the Children's Bureau; keep children in school to sixteen; expand vocational education
0.291936Franklin D. RooseveltLevel of federal spendingDefense of the eight-billion-dollar deficit as an investment in America
0.291936Franklin D. RooseveltHousing and slum clearanceExtend the federal housing program toward adequate housing for those in slums; encourage private building
0.291932Herbert HooverFederal responsibility for reliefRelief through voluntary mobilization and local responsibility, with RFC loans to exhausted states — no federal dole