francis townsend. he proposed that every american over the age of 60 should get a check from the federal government every month. the only proviso is that you would have to spend that money every month. havee older citizens would a safety net. it would provide an income for older americans, they could spend it every month and it would generate jobs for local areas. this became known as the townsend plan. the townsend plan caught fire. within two years, townsend was touring the united states and creating townsend clubs. millions joined the clubs and paid monthly dues. for a while, he became a major political figure. this is 1933, the era of small government. the federal government was much smaller, tax receipts were much smaller. this is the issue about the great depression and the new deal, this is why franklin roosevelt was regarded as controversial. the government did not routinely step in and help people who found themselves in severe economic crisis, or national emergency. there was not a tradition

francis townsend. he proposed that every american over the age of 60 should get a check from the federal government every month. the only proviso is that you would have to spend that money every month. so the older citizens would have a safety net. it would provide an income for older americans, they could spend it every month and it would generate jobs for local areas. this became known as the townsend plan. the townsend plan caught fire. within two years, townsend was touring the united states and creating townsend clubs. millions joined the clubs and paid monthly dues. for a while, he became a major political figure. this is 1933, the era of small government. the federal government was much smaller, tax receipts were much smaller. this is the issue about the great depression and the new deal, this is why franklin roosevelt was regarded as controversial. the government did not routinely step in and help people who found themselves in severe economic crisis, or national emergency. there was not a trad