When Roosevelt uttered the phrase in his distinctive tone, Leo Wallace felt all the blood rush to his head.
It was not an unfamiliar term.
For a doctoral student who had dedicated his academic life to Roosevelt's New Deal, that phrase was like a lost passage from the Bible—the most radical ideal of Roosevelt's entire political career.
It was a new "economic Constitution" he had envisioned near the end of his life for the future peace and prosperity of the United States.
Leo found himself back in the warm, virtual study.
Roosevelt was still in his wheelchair, but he was no longer a somber historian recounting the past.
He had become a stern mentor, ready to explain this long-forgotten blueprint to his only student.
"Those who criticize me always say I betrayed my class, that I wanted to turn the United States into a socialist country," Roosevelt began, his voice calm yet powerful. "They're wrong. I never wanted to copy anyone's model. I only wanted to graft a solid foundation onto America's own democratic traditions—one that would guarantee the economic freedom of all its citizens. This bill is my answer."
"Now, let's look at its first right and upgrade it for the 21st century."
Roosevelt's gaze sharpened.
"First: The right to a useful and remunerative job."
"Pay attention to my wording, Leo," he stressed. "It's a right, not a welfare benefit, and certainly not a government handout. My Public Works Revitalization Bureau and Civil Works Administration back in the day were just temporary scaffolding, built with planks and glue for a national emergency. The real structure should be permanent."
As soon as he finished speaking, the most familiar images appeared in Leo's mind.
A rust-covered Pittsburgh. Shuttered factories stood like steel tombs. Countless unemployed workers—his father's generation—numbed their despair with alcohol in bars.
Then, the scene shifted.
In Leo's imagination, a massive flood of investment, guided by the state, poured into the Rust Belt.
The unemployed workers shed their greasy overalls and put on uniforms bearing the logo of the "American Green Infrastructure Corps."
No longer idle, they began to relay a high-speed rail network spanning the entire country.
They erected rows of massive solar panels in the western deserts.
They climbed electrical towers, upgrading the obsolete power grid into a smart grid capable of meeting future energy demands.
"You see, child," Roosevelt's voice rang out like a voice-over. "When private capital refuses to invest in the nation's future due to insufficient profit margins, when they'd rather let their money churn uselessly in the casinos of Wall Street than build a single bridge, the state must become the chief investor and the employer of last resort."
"To ensure every American willing to work can find a dignified, valuable position in the great enterprise of building their own country."
"This is the right to work in the 21st century."
The images vanished, leaving Leo's heart pounding with emotion.
Roosevelt gave him no time to catch his breath, moving on to the second point.
"The second right: The right of every family to a decent home."
"A family's shelter, a haven where children can grow up in peace," Roosevelt's voice took on a hint of anger. "It absolutely should not, and absolutely must not, become a financial instrument for those bastards on Wall Street to gamble with!"
Before Leo's eyes appeared the foreclosed homes scattered across the suburbs after the 2008 financial crisis—seized by banks and left vacant for years because their owners couldn't afford the mortgage payments.
They were like pairs of hollow eyes, staring at the nation's failure.
Then, the scene changed again.
These vacant houses were taken over and renovated by a newly established National Housing Authority.
Meanwhile, new, large-scale communities were rising up on abandoned industrial lands on the outskirts of cities.
The homes were designed to be modern, energy-efficient, and environmentally friendly. Between them were vast green spaces and parks, directly supported by well-equipped public schools, community hospitals, and daycare centers.
"Housing must return to its fundamental purpose: to be lived in," Roosevelt stated his core principle. "Using the power of the state, we will build massive numbers of citizens' apartments for rent only, not for sale. The rent will not be determined by the market, but strictly pegged to the median household income of the region."
"What we must do is transform the speculative real estate market, which holds countless families hostage, back into a fundamental public good."
The right to work.
The right to a home.
Leo was so engrossed he almost stood up.
Weren't these the very ideas he and his comrades had passionately advocated for countless times under the New Policy Ghost's Twitter posts and in various forums, only to be mocked by so-called "realists" as "naive utopian dreams"?
And now, these dreams were being articulated, one by one, by one of the greatest presidents in American history.
But his rationality still forced him to ask a question.
"Mr. President..." Leo's voice trembled with excitement. "All of this... it all sounds wonderful, but... where does the money come from?"
He paused, then added, "We're talking about astronomical sums. The Federal Government's debt is already high enough."
Hearing this question, Leo sensed the image of Roosevelt in his mind chuckle softly.
There was no mockery in the laughter, but rather a hint of approval.
"A good question, child."
"That is always the ultimate question they use to stifle all progress. And the answer to that question leads us to our next, most important battlefield."
"The third and fourth rights," Roosevelt continued, "the right to adequate medical care and the right to a good education."
"Let me explain this in the simplest terms: a person's life or death, and a young person's future, should never be determined by the thickness of their parents' wallets."
Another set of images immediately appeared before Leo's eyes.
He saw the bloated, massive, labyrinthine headquarters of private health insurance companies, and at his own university, an outrageously luxurious administration building where the number of administrative staff actually exceeded the full-time professors.
In his eyes, these two buildings were two giant tumors, sucking the nation's lifeblood.
Then, in the silent vision, the two buildings imploded, crumbling into a cloud of dust.
From the ruins rose a new scene: clean, bright, and efficient.
A terminal for a national universal healthcare system. A patient could swipe their ID and receive necessary treatment, with the bill settled centrally by the state.
On tuition-free public university campuses, students focused on their studies and research. Professors returned to their primary duties of teaching and scholarship, no longer needing to waste half their energy applying for pitifully small grants for their projects.
"Where does the money come from?" Roosevelt's voice cut in with surgical precision. "You've seen it. By returning healthcare and education from industries of infinite profit extraction to the public services they were always meant to be."
"Sever the financial and administrative tumors that feast on patients and students through layers of subcontracting, and the money will naturally appear."
"Leo, this isn't creating something from nothing. It is simply taking back the resources that have always belonged to the people from the hands of those legalized parasites."
The words sent a cathartic shiver down Leo's spine.
But he knew this wasn't the final answer. All of this was still just patching up a dilapidated house.
And then, Roosevelt told him where the real target lay.
"The fifth right," the President's voice became so sharp it seemed to slice through the air itself, "the right to freedom from unfair competition and domination by monopolies."
"This is the core of it all, Leo. And it's where I did the least, where I failed the most." For the first time, he admitted his limitations so bluntly. "I fought against the giant Trusts my whole life. I did win some battles, but I only ever trimmed their overgrown branches. I never truly touched their roots."
"Now, the time has come."
Roosevelt's voice was filled with resolve.
He showed Leo the true battlefield of the twenty-first century, and the enemy that must be targeted.
"Finance, energy, data."
"Remember those three words, child. These three sectors are the lifeblood of modern civilized society. Whoever controls them, controls everything."
"They can decide whether a nation's economy thrives or collapses. They can decide whether we have a clean future or suffocate on fossil fuels. They can decide whether people's minds are free or manipulated by algorithms."
"They cannot, and absolutely should not, be in the hands of a few private individuals whose sole purpose is profit."
Leo felt like his heart was about to leap out of his chest.
He knew this was the true blueprint for a revolution.
"Therefore, our solutions must also be direct and thorough."
"First, establish a national investment bank. Its sole purpose will be to serve the real economy and national infrastructure, completely replacing Wall Street's speculative function, which only serves to generate profits for itself."
"Second, through legislation, gradually nationalize the major oil, natural gas, and electric companies, or reorganize them into public utilities co-owned by the community and employees. Their operations must be guided by the highest principles of energy security and environmental protection, not shareholder profits."
"Third, and most importantly." His voice grew exceptionally solemn. "Legislate a declaration that all citizens' personal data is digital private property, sacred and inviolable under the Constitution. Tech giants like Omni, Google, and Facebook can act as custodians and provide services to citizens, but they have no right to use this data for their own profit."
"The ultimate ownership of data must be returned to every citizen who creates it."
This grand, clear, yet incredibly radical blueprint slowly unfolded in Leo's mind.
He was utterly stunned.
After the shock wore off, his mind, battered by reality, fixated on the most fatal obstacle.
"Mr. President..." His voice was hoarse. "To achieve any of this, even just one part... would be tantamount to declaring war on the entire ruling class of the United States."
The more he spoke, the deeper the chill in his heart grew.
"They would use all their power to stop us... The media would paint us as demons, Congress would use endless procedures to delay, the courts would declare our laws unconstitutional, and even..."
He didn't dare finish the sentence, but both he and Roosevelt understood the unspoken words.
The military, the police, and the intelligence agencies lurking in the shadows.
The image of Roosevelt in Leo's mind became extremely grave.
"You are correct."
"Therefore, this is not just an economic reform."
"It is a revolution."