"Two months ago we were facing serious problems. The country was dying by inches. It was dying because trade and commerce had declined to dangerously low levels; prices for basic commodities were such as to destroy the value of the assets of national institutions such as banks, savings banks, insurance companies, and others.

"These institutions, because of their great needs, were foreclosing mortgages, calling loans, refusing credit.

"Thus there was actually in process of destruction the property of millions of people who had borrowed money on that property in terms of dollars which had had an entirely different value from the level of March 1933. That situation in that crisis did not call for any complicated consideration of economic panaceas or fancy plans. We were faced by a condition and not a theory."

If the above sounds familiar, you're probably a senior with a very good memory, a history buff, or you're just mistaken.

Not, it's not an address from President Bush, or even President-elect Obama, commenting on the nation's financial problems. It's from one of the President Roosevelt's Fireside Chats, this one -- "Outlining the New Deal Program" -- is from May 7, 1933.

We were reminded of those Fireside Chats because of an Associated Press story that appeared in Thursday's Salina Journal.

The news from Washington is that Obama's transition team will attempt to use his vast database -- 3.1 million contributors and more than 10 million supporters -- to help accomplish his goals as president.

With this online asset, Obama will be able to communicate more directly -- without going through the media -- with those who can help him put pressure on Congress. He'll also be able to directly continue his prodigious fund-raising efforts.

The story calls this a "communications shift," and it is, but not as much as you might think.

For years, presidents have sought to use the electronic media to influence Congress and bypass the news media. What Obama is trying to accomplish is nothing new, as we can see from Roosevelt's Fireside Chats, or even President Reagan's weekly radio addresses.

There are differences between the way Obama's Web army gets its marching orders -- online -- and President Roosevelt reaching out to a troubled nation via radio. But the goal's the same. To speak directly to the public, and advance politically.

We're all for presidents trying to inform the public. The danger is when people get all or nearly all of their information from that one source.

Read, watch, listen, discuss.

An informed citizenry is good for the nation. A well-informed one is much better.

-- BEN WEARING

Executive Editor

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