Martin Jade Dr. Bendler Upton Sinclair,"Epic Answers" In the 1934, during the time of the California gubernatorial election, Upton Sinclair spoke out about the EPIC plan he had for California to help stop bankruptcy and debt. In 1934 there was more than one million people dependant on public charity for their survival. By the end of 1934 the State of California alone would be more than one hundred million dollars in the hole, and bankruptcy will only have been averted by the Federal Government stepping in to take the burden for feeding the hungry. Also during this time period the Federal Government had supported the banks, insurance companies, railroads, and great industrial corporations. Sinclair questioned the Federal Governments ability to withstand bankruptcy any longer. To this problem he felt that there was but one solution. Sinclair felt that it was necessary to put the unemployed at productive labor. In order to accomplish anything Sinclair noted that citizens must be made self sustaining. Citizens should have access to land to grow their own food, have access to factories to produce their own clothing and building materials, out of which to make their own homes, must be taken off the backs of little tax-payers, and stop forcing the latter out of their homes and off their ranches. In Sinclair's opinion action should be taken promptly before things could get worse. In Sinclair's epic plan, the state would purchase idle land and factories at the current bankruptcy prices, and would then in turn institute a state system of production and exchange in which the unemployed could produce what they consume. Another aspect the epic plan proposed, is that the state of California would set up land colonies in
which the unemployed farm workers live would and produce the food required by the million impoverished citizens in the state. Eventually these farms would amount to new villages with all the advantages of modern civilization: kitchens and cafeterias operated by the community, a social hall with opportunities for recreation, a church, a schoolhouse, a store, a library a motion picture theatre, and many other things. The state would also maintain a system of distribution, whereby the food would be brought into the cities and the manufactured products would be taken out to the land colonies, and all the products of the system would be made at available cost. Upton noted that those who produced would receive the full social value of their product, so they would be able to buy what they had produced, and for the first time consumption would balance production. The next revision in the state would be to the tax system. People were losing heir homes and ranches because they could no longer pay their taxes. To solve this quandary, all homes occupied by the owners and ranches operated by the owners, which are assessed at less than $3000, would be exempted from taxation. Taxes on homes with much higher value, would pay one half of one percent for each $5000 of additional value. The final goal of the program promises that needy citizens over sixty years old who have lived three years within the state, would receive a pension of $50 per month. It also promises the same for the blind and disabled, as well as widowed mothers of dependent children. If there are more than two children it offers another $25 per month for each additional child. Sinclair made a tremendous effort to help bring his state out of depression. With his EPIC plan in mind his sights were set on attaining all of his goals.