There is little that makes me nostalgic for WWII (even though I wasn't born until thirty-nine years after it ended) more than a movie like "Point Rationing of Foods". Although created by Leon Schlesinger Studios, this short film is nothing at all like the Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies cartoons. It explains the process and purpose of wartime rationing, and how one can substitute certain foodstuffs so as to save money.
Yes, it's true. Even though WWII (you know, the war in which we fought the political alliance that had attacked us, rather than invading a country that had nothing to do with the attack?) was a very jingoistic era, our government established a system of rationing to ensure that we could supply our troops and allies with whatever they needed. Furthermore, Franklin Roosevelt imposed very high taxes on the ultra-wealthy so as to pay for the war. But now, during the so-called "war on terrorism", our government allows - if not encourages - consumerism; on top of that, George W. Bush is the first wartime president who didn't raise taxes. Obviously, he's got no time to worry about giving the troops the necessary body armor as long as he enriches Blackwater and ignores New Orleans.
In the future, people are going to look back at the early 21st century and wonder why we didn't take the steps that we took in WWII. If I may make a suggestion, the United Nations needs to pass a binding resolution banning extremists from seeking political office. Had they done that after WWII, the world probably wouldn't be in this big mess in which it finds itself today; heck, if the League of Nations had done it after WWI, we might have never had WWII. Had either organization set about enforcing democracy from the start, I bet that the United States would have established universal health care a long time ago. Of course, hindsight is far easier than foresight.
But I digress. While this short film is very much a product of WWII, I still really liked it, if only because of what it teaches us about the past and how we should be running the current war (as long as we choose to fight wars).
Yes, it's true. Even though WWII (you know, the war in which we fought the political alliance that had attacked us, rather than invading a country that had nothing to do with the attack?) was a very jingoistic era, our government established a system of rationing to ensure that we could supply our troops and allies with whatever they needed. Furthermore, Franklin Roosevelt imposed very high taxes on the ultra-wealthy so as to pay for the war. But now, during the so-called "war on terrorism", our government allows - if not encourages - consumerism; on top of that, George W. Bush is the first wartime president who didn't raise taxes. Obviously, he's got no time to worry about giving the troops the necessary body armor as long as he enriches Blackwater and ignores New Orleans.
In the future, people are going to look back at the early 21st century and wonder why we didn't take the steps that we took in WWII. If I may make a suggestion, the United Nations needs to pass a binding resolution banning extremists from seeking political office. Had they done that after WWII, the world probably wouldn't be in this big mess in which it finds itself today; heck, if the League of Nations had done it after WWI, we might have never had WWII. Had either organization set about enforcing democracy from the start, I bet that the United States would have established universal health care a long time ago. Of course, hindsight is far easier than foresight.
But I digress. While this short film is very much a product of WWII, I still really liked it, if only because of what it teaches us about the past and how we should be running the current war (as long as we choose to fight wars).