The Roosevelt Paradox

One of the things about FDR that people fail to understand (both his supporters AND detractors) is that he was not, NOT, a huge supporter of welfare. Yes, the dude was all about growing the size of government and controlling the economy from Washington BUT if you actually look at his specific policies pertaining to individuals, he almost always made these folks work for their benefits....Compare THAT, I ask you, to the approach of of subsequent Presidents such as LBJ, Nixon, Bush 2, and Obama in which the welfare state grew and grew exponentially and, no, FDR maybe doesn't seem quite so bad (all of these Presidents are basically a mixed bag - even Lincoln) upon further reflection (that, and the fact that he was strongly against collective bargaining for government workers and supported a partial privatization of Social Security).