Ronald Reagan on Socialized Medicine

[Tarheel]

Wow.  Reagan spoke these words 48 years ago and they are just as relevant today regarding Obamacare.  If you don't do anything else this weekend please take 10 minutes and listen to this (audio only):

[AUTiger1]

Thanks for posting Tarheel.   You know how I feel about Reagan.  He was one of the greatest Americans to ever live IMO.  Things were a lot better back then.

[jesus]

Thanks for posting Tarheel.   You know how I feel about Reagan.  He was one of the greatest Americans to ever live IMO.  Things were a lot better back then.

If you don't mind explaining to a doddering old fool that actually lived thru "back then", Exactly how were thing{s} better back then? 

I won't ask you to show your work because I'm just curious about your answer.

[AUTiger1]

If you don't mind explaining to a doddering old fool that actually lived thru "back then", Exactly how were thing{s} better back then? 

I won't ask you to show your work because I'm just curious about your answer.

Really?  You think things are better now?

I guess if you don't like having a maximum 25% income tax, didn't mind that the national debt was was 5 times less, or disliked the toppling of a nuclear armed communist regime, or hated the 7 years of the longest sustained economic growth since WWII, or bitched and moaned at bringing unemployment from 13% down to right below 6%, at a time when economic guru's said that we would never see anything below 8%, and got pissed when he cut the size of the federal government, then yeah I guess you could say it was a shitty time in American History.

[GH2001]

If you don't mind explaining to a doddering old fool that actually lived thru "back then", Exactly how were thing{s} better back then? 

I won't ask you to show your work because I'm just curious about your answer.

Just the fact that our debt was nearly non-existent during much of the time period from 1776-1988 should be in itself enough. I said MUCH of the time period, not all of it...Although this can be misleading due to inflation. Some years, such as Hoover's term in office, Harry Truman's, and even some of FDR's, were marked by a Debt Ceiling that represented a higher % of the GDP that today's debt does. But on the flip side, THAT statement can also be misleading as well, since much of our GDP today, is now based on money that doesn't exist, or CREDIT, printed money, whatever you want to call it - which ultimately is what causes inflation. Wow - I've come full circle huh? LOL

Anyway, aside from the Roosevelt and Bush years, most other administrations in office have spent money more wisely. Under Roosevelt's 3rd term, the debt increased almost 5 fold from 42 billion to 185 billion and believe it or not, most of this was not WWII related. Under one term! Under Bush's 8 years, it increased 2 fold from around 5 to 10 trillion approx. Reagan also drove the debt up but with the recession in swing in 1981 from the Carter years and the cold war in high gear, spending money seemed like a wise investment at the time. And in hindsight it was.

I think the fact that more REAL money was floating around the economy during the 1940's, 50's, 60's and even up to 1988, tells us a lot. Everything now in our economy is based on worthless Fed Reserve Notes that are printed at will, and CREDIT. No one owns anything anymore. People buy everything on credit, whether they can afford it or not. We have overextended ourselves in a way, and at a %, never seen before. People are broke, and much of it is our own fault.

I think the above two reasons, are valid enough to say things were better "back then" than today.

Just my .02.