in the 1904 election is Eugene V. Debs.  I think it's important to remember in these harsh times that "Socialist" was not always a derogatory term; in fact it once referred to those who actually cared about the plight of the working poor.



Not out of the woods.  Clifton's Brookdale Cafeteria, 648 South Broadway, Los Angeles, CA  90014

Another great American who cared about the working man and the hungry poor was Clifford E. Clinton, who bought the Boos Brothers Cafeteria on Broadway in downtown L.A. in 1935 and redecorated the place to look like the redwood forests of the Santa Cruz mountains.  Clifford, whose parents were missionaries in China, was impressed at an early age with the suffering of the hungry and never refused food to anyone who couldn't pay. In one 90-day period during the Great Depression his restaurants served 10,000 free meals, in addition to the "penny cafeterias" he set up.  In 1946 he founded Meals for Millions, a non-profit organization dedicated to eradicating world food shortages.   

Clifford Clinton was not a Socialist, of course, but he cared about those in need.  It is interesting to remember that the last time the banks closed, businessmen like Clinton dug deep to help out their fellow citizens.  Just as Dr. Kellogg, for example, set up cereal lines to feed the hungry of Battle Creek, Michigan.  I doubt it would have occurred to either Dr. Kellogg or Clifford Clinton, when Americans were losing their homes and their jobs and unable to feed their children, to pamper themselves with expensive spa treatments.   Apparently these days however, it's okay to have taxpayers bail out corporate folk so they can do exactly that.  These days, when "Socialist" is a dirty word.   

It's hard to get a good picture in Clifton's without including diners who don't want their picture taken. 



But trust me, it's a dining experience.