4/6/11: During debate on the Upton-Inhofe bill H.R. 910 to block climate pollution rules, Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA) accuses the Republican Party of ruining the American auto industry by blocking higher fuel economy standards year after year.
4/6/11: During debate on the Upton-Inhofe bill H.R. 910 to block climate pollution rules, Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA) accuses the Republican Party of ruining the American auto industry by blocking higher fuel economy standards year after year.
Hey, don’t worry. The free market will sort all the problems out.
NOT.
I haven’t met very many people who didn’t like President Ronald Reagan. To many, he was a combination of father-figure, statesman, and political leader. But hindsight tells the world that the USA started going in the wrong direction during the Reagan years.
1) Tax cuts for the rich
2) Quadrupling American debt (did I mention tax cuts?) while allowing a virtually unlimited defense budget: “Peace Through Strength” resulted in a 40% increase in defense spending; meanwhile, the Star Wars scheme was a total waste of money; off-book funding (many billions over 10 years) of Afghanistan freedom fighters resulted in Islamic fundamentalists attacking New York (thanks for nothing)
3) Special legislation to allow Detroit to create SUVs (car-truck combos) by allowing them to bypass pollution standards as well as mileage standards. This vehicle was never popular outside of North America (no one could afford the fuel)
4) Firing all air-traffic controllers meant it was open season on all unions
5)Removal of solar panels on the White House roof meant that no American needed to worry about energy
click here to read more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronald_Reagan
Europe has has a long history of watching the rich-man control the poor (via feudalism) and every European remembers this whenever they see a castle. That’s why there are a lot more unions and social programs in Europe. These people know how easy it would be for Europe to slide back into the past.
Meanwhile, quite a large number of American jobs have been out-sourced to Mexico, China, India, and the Philippines. Many working Americans are told, don’t worry because these actions will support anyone who has a pension plan tied to the stock market. It will also allow you to buy things like computers and big-screen TVs for much less. In the long run this only wipes out the middle class by creating a schism between the rich and the poor.
Many Americans do not know that countries with the highest standards of living employ progressive tax systems to keep the rich-poor gap as small as possible. Republicans hearing this they like to yell “socialism” but anyone who has ever visited Germany, Denmark, Sweden, or Norway know it doesn’t matter what you call it because most people would rather have a job in a high-tax country than no job at all.
People wishing to research further should investigate these links:
http://www.equalitytrust.org.uk/ (has slides)
http://www.tvo.org/TVOsites/WebObjects/TvoMicrosite.woa?bi?1298152800000
http://www.tvo.org/TVO/WebObjects/TVO.woa?videoid?774652544001
http://podcasts.tvo.org/bi/audio/007921_48k.mp3
“I haven’t met very many people who didn’t like President Ronald Reagan.”
I thought he was a disaster then, and I’ve only seen that confirmed in the last 2 or 3 decades. Brain dead B actor, figurehead for the rape of the planet, murder of innocents, and destruction of the American middle class.
Yep. I would think that any democracy would want to have the smartest people in power. Carter, Bush 41, and Clinton were smart guys. Reagan and Bush 43 were not so smart. In fact, after running 3 companies into the ground, as well as the state of Texas, you’ve got to wonder how Bush 43 ever became president. The short answer will surprise most citizens: people running the campaigns for Reagan and Bush 43 reached out to the religious right. Even Al Gore (initially) distanced him self from the taint of the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal when Gore was running for the top job. Hindsight being 20-20, what kind of a president was better? A smart guy that made a few bad personal decisions or a dummy.