The four freedoms

On 6 January 1941, in his State of the Union address, US President Franklin Delano Roosevelt proposed four fundamental freedoms that people everywhere in the world ought to enjoy:

1. Freedom of speech and expression
2. Freedom of worship
3. Freedom from want
4. Freedom from fear

Is Switzerland enjoying these freedoms?

The Swiss media owners have the right to publish what they desire but the journalists working for them must write what the publisher approves or risk being fired.

One cannot call someone “the son of a motherless goat” even if that description is absolutely accurate!

Freedom of expression?

Switzerland forbids the building of mosques on Swiss soil as it is seen as going against the purity of Swiss culture.

Freedom of worship?

Switzerland has well over 200,000 of its citizens (not counting unregistered residents or foreigners) dependent upon welfare or the working poor living hand to mouth from low paycheque to another.

Freedom from want?

Over 9,000 Swiss people were victims of sexual violence last year, while police in Switzerland have over 15,600 registered cases of domestic violence on file.

Freedom from fear?

Switzerland enjoys one of the highest standards of living in the world, but not all of its citizens are reaping the benefits that a high quality of life is supposed to ensure.

Clearly money canĀ“t buy everything.

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