First, Teddy Roosevelt gave us the Square Deal…
Then, FDR gave us the New Deal….
Sondra Wilson proudly presents
A Pretty Big Deal for Iowans
Learning from the past to prepare for the future
Updated July 17, 2025.

This article is designed to bring my comprehensive platform into historical context, “To know where you’re going, you must first know where you’ve been.“

First, there was
The Square Deal
(1901–1909)

The Square Deal was 26th President Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt’s domestic policy framework, which aimed for fairness and balance — ensuring government worked not just for industrial magnates and elites, but also for citizens, workers, and communities. It was built on three pillars he called the “Three C’s”:

1.) Conservation of natural resources — created millions of jobs planting trees, building trails, and fighting fires, leading to ~230 million acres of national forests, parks, and monuments, and creation of the U.S. Forest Service.

2.) Control of corporations — Teddy became known as the “trust buster” because he was the first President to encourage trust busting legislation. A trust is formed by multiple companies coming together under one corporate umbrella to dominate the market share or an industry. The rise of industrialization inspired many companies to collude and form trusts together to take advantage of multiple new inventions. Under his administration, the first major trust busting act was passed, the Sherman Anti-Trust Act. This allowed Roosevelt to sue monopolists and oligopolies in federal court to have them split up into smaller companies or have them dissolved to allow competition in the marketplace. Regulations were installed to prevent trusts from forming again once they were busted. Teddy brought about consumer protection reform, transportation regulation, and other economic reforms (Study.com 2023).

3.) Consumer protection (fair labor and food regulations) — During the Anthracite Coal Strike of 1902, 140,000 miners went on strike demanding higher wages, shorter hours, and union recognition. Rather than siding with mine owners as previous presidents had, Teddy invited both sides to the White House and brokered a deal through arbitration. Workers got a 10% wage increase and 9-hour workdays (down from 10). The strike marked the first time a U.S. president intervened on behalf of labor rather than capital, thus setting a new precedent for federal involvement in labor disputes. In 1903 he created the Department of Commerce and Labor (1903), which established a cabinet-level department to oversee business practices and labor issues. It included the Bureau of Corporations, which investigated monopolies and working conditions. In 1906 the Meat Inspection Act and Pure Food and Drug Acts were passed. Prompted by Upton Sinclair’s novel The Jungle, which exposed horrifying conditions in Chicago’s meatpacking industry, the MIA required federal inspection of all meat sold across state lines, and mandated sanitary conditions in meatpacking plants. The PFDA, which led to the creation of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), prohibited sale of misbranded or adulterated food and drugs, and required active ingredient labeling. It also targeted snake oil salesmen and false medical claims.

“All I ask is a square deal for every man. Give him a fair chance.” — Teddy Roosevelt

The Square Deal was a transformative moment in American history — proof that government can be a force for the common good when guided by courage and conviction. Roosevelt showed that the presidency doesn’t have to serve the powerful few — it can challenge monopolies, protect workers, and put public health and natural resources first, while at the same time strengthening the economy and ensuring amicable compliance by those in power via appealing to their sense of working toward the common good.. While the Square Deal didn’t fix every injustice, it set a powerful precedent: leadership grounded in fairness and action can serve as a checks and balances between the private and public sector, uplift everyday people, from the lowest in our society to the privileged few, and expand what is possible when we all work together toward a common goal, a clear vision, and strong sense of knowing the direction we are heading, and why we are heading that direction.

Teddy’s Square Deal helped create a blueprint my platform built upon in a manner that is catered to our needs here in the modern era. Today, we face new versions of the same problems faced in Teddy’s day: corporate greed, economic injustice, environmental destruction. But, if we lead with values, transparency, and with the people at the center of this equation, while simultaneously factoring in our shared industrial dependence and our need today for increased personal freedom, we can meet this moment with a movement like the world has never seen: one rooted in justice, sustainability, and dignity for every Iowan. We’ll model here, then go national. Iowa will be the one who started it all. That’s why our campaign motto is, “Heal the Heartland; Heal the World!” Let’s move on.

 

Then came the
The New Deal
(1901–1909)

In 1933, 32nd President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (“FDR”) launched a series of new federal programs, public work projects, financial reforms, and regulations in response to the Great Depression (1929-1939). The primary goals were to provide relief to the unemployed and poor, achieve economic recovery, and reform the financial system to prevent future depressions (Kennedy 1999).

Shitting in the Streets and Machine Politics: Life Before the New Deal:

Prior to the New Deal:

– People were defecating in alleys and streets in parts of major U.S. cities well into the early 20th century

– Tenement housing in cities like New York often lacked indoor plumbing, proper ventilation, or safe drinking water

– Open sewage and waste were common in slums. Diseases like typhoid, cholera, and dysentery spread easily

– Municipal investment in sanitation was slow and uneven, often limited by local corruption, lack of funding, and political resistance.

Progressive Era Reforms Proved Local Politics can’t Fix Major Infrastructure Problems, Thus Leading to the New Deal

From the 1890s–1920s, progressive reformers began pushing for:

1.) Sewer systems, trash collection, and clean water infrastructure.

2.) Tenement laws, such as New York’s 1901 Tenement House Act, requiring indoor plumbing and better ventilation.

3.) Public health boards and city planning departments to address urban squalor.

However, these reforms were local and state-based, often unevenly distributed and underfunded. This was largely because there was were no federal programs like we have today. Instead, people relied on urban political machines, or “machine politics“, controlled jobs, welfare, and housing through patronage. 

“Machine politics” is a phenomenon sometimes seen in an urban political context, especially in the 19th and 20th centuries. Political machines are characterized by tight organization and a strong centralized leadership, typically in the form of a “boss.” They operate by dominating the political landscape. The “machine” gets its name from its ability to reliably, even mechanically, turn out the votes needed to get its members elected and its measures passed (Political Dictionary).

While earlier reforms helped, the New Deal:

– Brought widespread, federally funded urban sanitation into the modern era, making indoor plumbing, sewers, and clean water a national standard.

– Introduced federal programs like the WPA, CCC, and Social Security that bypassed local bosses and distributed aid directly or through state/federal agencies.

– Reduced dependence on political machines for survival aid.

The Civil Service reforms already begun in the early 20th century were expanded under the New Deal. The programs hired workers through non-partisan applications, undermining the machine’s ability to hand out jobs as favors. This new class of professional civil servants who were not loyal to local political machines, laying the groundwork for modern, rules-based governance.

 

Alphabet Soup; Agencies that Uplifted America

The New Deal created numerous agencies, often referred to as “alphabet soup” agencies due to their acronyms. Some notable examples included:

CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) — Employed young men in environmental projects like reforestation and park maintenance… LEARN MORE.

PWA (Public Works Administration) — Funded large-scale construction projects like dams, bridges, and public buildings.  

CWA (Civil Works Administration) — Provided temporary jobs on public works projects.  

FERA (Federal Emergency Relief Administration) — Provided direct relief to the needy through grants to states.  

FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation) — Insured bank deposits to prevent bank failures.  

AAA (Agricultural Adjustment Administration) — Aimed to stabilize agricultural prices and production.  

HOLC (Home Owners Loan Corporation) — Provided loans to homeowners to prevent foreclosures.  

FHA (Federal Housing Administration) — Insured mortgages to encourage new construction and homeownership.  

WPA (Works Progress Administration) — Employed millions in a wide range of projects, including construction, arts, and research.  

NLRB (National Labor Relations Board) — Protected the rights of workers to organize and bargain collectively.  

Social Security System — Provided a social safety net through retirement and unemployment insurance (Lumen).

Before we move on, here’s a brief Crash Course video which provides historical context, as well as pros and cons of the New Deal:

 

Successes

The New Deal

1.) Provided much-needed relief to millions suffering from the Great Depression through programs like the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and the Works Progress Administration (WPA), which put people back to work.

2.) Helped restore confidence in the financial system by creating the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and regulating the stock market.  

3.) Established a precedent for the federal government’s role in social and economic affairs, including Social Security, which remains a cornerstone of the American welfare system.  

4.) Funded significant infrastructure projects like roads, schools, and hospitals, which continue to benefit the nation. 

Overview

Core Pillars:

  1. Relief for the unemployed and poor
  2. Recovery of the economy through jobs and infrastructure
  3. Reform of the financial system to prevent future depressions

Key Achievements:

  • Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC): 3 million jobs
  • Works Progress Administration (WPA): 8.5 million jobs
  • Public Works Administration (PWA): 34,000 major projects
  • Social Security Act, FDIC, SEC creation

Economic & Social Impact:

  • Stabilized banking and economic freefall
  • Reduced unemployment from 25% to ~17%
  • Created long-term programs that defined modern government responsibility

“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”  — President Franklin Delano Roosevelt

 

And now….
Sondra Wilson presents…
A Pretty Big Deal

Okay, it’s got a silly name, but it is a strong plan. If you haven’t read it yet, please do so here.

My campaign for Iowa Governor represents an opportunity for the Democratic Party and the Republican Party to get back on track with the best parts of their history and core values.

For displaced Republicans, we need to dip our torches in that old flame Lincoln lit, and use it to relight Lady Justice’s torch of liberty! In context wit my plan to prosecute government officials, this campaign is an opportunity to once against stand strong for civil rights.

For Democrats, the New Deal is a legacy we should be proud of, and that is what worked best for the party. Furthermore, it is under threat by the Trump Administration. If we elect a transgender woman as Governor, then model A Pretty Big Deal in Iowa, isn’t that the ultimate thumb-on-the-nose we’ve been needing?

For jaded Independents and those of you who have lost faith in the system who are tired of candidate hypocrisy or in seeing platforms you can’t get behind, I hope my campaign speaks to you. I hope it gives you a reason to get registered to vote, and so we can change history and do something that has never been done. Let’s get the country we were promised instead of the one we ended up with, and interrupt all the bad political agendas out there. 

 

A Campaign Promise You Can Count On: An Investment in Me  is an Investment in You

Every dollar I don’t spend during my campaign (and winnings from my lawsuit!) will be invested into hiring engineers, horticulture specialists, and business managers, through CyHire, to help get this pretty big, square new deal squared away. I’ll hire attorneys and law students from around the state to get each part of The Public Intelligence Agency and Civilian Restoration Corps up and running. You have my word, and my word is my bond.

 

Learning from the past to prepare for the future

Prior to the New Deal, the U.S. was in bad shape. A nation founded on ideals of freedom, justice, and liberty, instead was built on the backs of slaves and indentured servants, and on genocide, fraud, and land heists against Native Americans. That said, there has always been a resistance by people who strive for and speak of a better tomorrow… I’ll get back to this topic in a moment.

Reformers, believers, inventers, activists, and freedom fighters… these people, have carried the torch of our thus far endless march. That march is a march that United States Veterans allow us to continue to make, and so long as we never give up until that day comes… we keep petitioning.. we keep voting… we keep researching and compiling, striving and speaking up…. we shall one day carry that torch and finally light the freedom of the world. On that day, no LGBT+ shall ever be stoned to death or ridiculed, no person called a derogatory slur, and no person shall go hungry, for there shall be gardens across the planet instead of food being kept always and only behind lock and key… but we’re not quite there yet: we must somehow carve a path to get from “here” to there…

“We’re not tearing down Iowa. We’re rebuilding what made it great—good jobs, strong families, a knowledgeable citizenry, healing the rift between civilians and government employees, and putting food on every table.” 

 

I can’t do this without your support

None of this will happen unless the people of Iowa, by their own volition, mobilize. Campaign contributions are sorely needed and appreciated, however it isn’t just about sending money. There are:

Several Ways to Support

 

A Three-Layered Campaign

I have concluded that every strong campaign must have at least three layers:

The Top layer aka “The Hook”: This layer is the first thing people see: how they find out about your campaign. It includes slogans, taglines, memes, graphic designs – it gets people interested so that hopefully they want to know more.

Middle Layer – “The Overview”: This layer includes:

– One or two page handouts with summaries for each part of the campaign. For example, this one.

– Web pages with summaries for each part of your platform, along with “READ MORE” links for people who want to dive deeper to read the logistics for each part of the plan. Here’s mine. 

Bottom layer – “The Iceberg”: Many marketers will tell you to just keep things short because no one has time to read anything in-depth, however when you ask around, most people seem to be starving for more out of our political leaders. We want plans not platitudes, reason not rhetoric, and authenticity instead of puppet politicians. The bottom layer of the campaign is the platform, which a Pretty Big Deal.

It is also for the naysayers – the people who say, “Nice idea, but it will never work.” Well, people can only  say “It cannot be done” until it is in fact being done – which is exactly what we’re doing. 

 My Official Platform aka “A Pretty Big Deal”

Overview

Core Pillars:

  1. Regenerative labor through the Civilian Restoration Corps (CRC)
  2. Community resilience via local food, housing, and energy security
  3. Systemic redesign through fair labor practices, open data, and voucher-based economics

Key Proposals:

  • Paid work for Iowans in farming, solar, trail and housing restoration
  • Decentralized food systems, crop diversity, and Right to Repair
  • App-managed public service programs and CRC pay transparency
  • Vouchers that support local businesses and supply chains

Projected Impact:

  • Job creation focused on rural and sustainable industries
  • Economic revitalization through circular local economies
  • Environmental healing through carbon drawdown and habitat restoration

 

This article and related history lessons are continued within the following two links:

Iowa’s School Voucher Program Challenged as Unconstitutional in Federal Court

SondraCuffs: Wilson promises prosecution of Republican Lawmakers

 

References

All information cited herein it utilized for legitimate First Amendment purposes in accordance with the U.S. Copyright Office’s Fair Use Policy and the Fair Use Doctrine. 

Feuerherd, Peter. (April 2, 2020). Why Ulysses S. Grant was more important than you think. https://daily.jstor.org/why-ulysses-s-grant-was-more-important-than-you-think/JSTOR Daily. .

Kennedy, David M. (1999). Freedom From Fear: The American People in Depression and War, 1929–1945. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-503834-7.

MN House Research. (October 2020). Government Immunity from Tort Liability. https://www.house.mn.gov/hrd/pubs/tortliab.pdf

Module 9 Assignment: Alphabet Agencies. Authored by: Kaitlyn Connell for Lumen Learning. Provided by: Lumen Learning. License: CC BY: Attribution. https://courses.lumenlearning.com/wm-ushistory2/chapter/module-9-assignment-alphabet-agencies/.

National Park Service. President Grant Takes on the Ku Klux Klan. Ulysses S Grant National Historic Site. https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/president-grant-takes-on-the-ku-klux-klan.htm.

National Women’s History Museum. Ida B. Wells-Barnett. https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/ida-b-wells-barnett.

Neuman, Scott. (May 16 2025). Trump Denounces ‘Activist’ Judges. He’s Not the First President to Do So. NPR News. https://www.npr.org/2025/05/16/nx-s1-5393684/activist-judges-supreme-court-presidents-trump-fdr.

Political Dictionary. “Machine politics”. https://politicaldictionary.com/words/machine-politics/.

Study.com. (2023). Woerner, Jack. Trust Busting | Definition, President & Progressive Era. https://study.com/academy/lesson/trust-busting-and-government-regulations-on-economy-industry-in-the-progressive-era.html.

U.S. Congress. Amdt11.2 Historical Background on Eleventh Amendment. Constitution Annotated. https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay/amdt11-2/ALDE_00013676/.

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