Did President John F. Kennedy know he was saying the opposite of what President Franklin D. Roosevelt thought during his famous line in his inaugural address? FDR said the government owed the people and not the people owed the government. JFK said “And so, my fellow Americans: Ask not what your country can do for you – Ask what you can do for your country.”

            FDR said, “We have millions of people living in extreme poverty.” JFK said much the same and put together programs to try to solve the problem. Today we have millions still living in extreme poverty. Today’s millions still lack enough food, local medical and dental care, and a living wage or any job prospects of a decent life.

            Most Americans don’t believe our government should be just giving those in poverty money but to give them a job to earn their money. Medical help is a larger problem because our country is short 65,000 doctors now and over 75 million live in areas with a shortage or no medical help at all within an hour or two or more drive. Millions lice in a food desert where the grocery store may be miles away within a city and ten of miles away in rural areas in Appalachia or the South.

            Small towns have closed up leaving the area of people without anything. I like to stay in Cave-In-Rock State Park where its local stores and gasoline convenience store are closed. The park has a small café which serves as the only place to eat within an hour’s drive inside Illinois or cross the Ohio River on the Ferry and drive the narrow highway about 40 minutes to Marion, Kentucky. Many places in Illinois are in the same situation. Many states are the same.

            We must follow a Presidents Program – which one will work best today?