The Legacy of the Reagan Revolution

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... in pictures.

http://www.ourfuture.org/blog-entry/2010062415/reagan-revolution-home-roost-charts

Reagan Revolution Home To Roost -- In Charts

By Dave Johnson

June 15, 2010 - 10:46am ET

It seems that you can look at a chart of almost anything and right around 1981 or soon after you'll see the chart make a sharp change in direction, and probably not in a good way. And I really do mean almost anything, from economics to trade to infrastructure to ... well almost anything. I spent some time looking for charts of things, and here are just a few examples. In each of the charts below look for the year 1981, when Reagan took office.

Conservative policies transformed the United States from the largest creditor nation to the largest debtor nation in just a few years, and it has only gotten worse since then:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4041/4700723674_f1171437b0.jpg

Working people's share of the benefits from increased productivity took a sudden turn down:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4022/4700012209_18276d0c46.jpg

This resulted in intense concentration of wealth at the top:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4048/4700060215_0477b289de.jpg

And forced working people to spend down savings to get by:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4017/4700643546_80a3d84fef.jpg

Which forced working people to go into debt: (total household debt as percentage of GDP)

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4070/4700668450_970ffe0d65.jpg

None of which has helped economic growth much: (12-quarter rolling average nominal GDP growth.)

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4022/4700714208_cc79961841.jpg

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This is the true legacy of Fiscal Conservatism in America: it has lead to thirty years of problems. And yet, modern Republicans still worship the guy and believe that we have been nothing but prosperous in this time period.

How much evidence does it take, to prove to people that lowered taxes on the rich do not grow the economy or help the poor in any way?

Cycloptichorn

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Type: Discussion • Score: 4 • Views: 5,885 • Replies: 19

@Cycloptichorn,

The worst U.S. president is George W. Bush. The second worse president is Ronald Reagan. The people who persistantly voted for them have some responsibility, too.

Why do I assign them as the worst presidents? They caused more long term damage to the U.S. and it's people, especially the middle and working classes, than any other presidents. I also consider them to be Social Darwinists, as survival of the fittist advocates.

President Bill Clinton added to their damage by not vetoing the deregulation bills approved by the Republications and a few stupid Democrates.

I think I evaluated them accurately by not voting for Reagan, Clinton or Bush---before their elections.

The other most responsible destructive persons who influenced them is Conservative Economist Milton and Alan Greenspan who were adorers of the fool, Ayn Rand

BBB

2 Replies

That's pretty much the way I see it.

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@BumbleBeeBoogie,

Oops! In my post above, I omitted Milton Friedman's last name.

BBB

1 Reply

@BumbleBeeBoogie,

It is Milton Inferno!!!

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@BumbleBeeBoogie,

That is close to my opinion.

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@Cycloptichorn,

There a probably a lot of whores who celebrate their pimp's birthday too; but what is that to real people??? Reagan hurt this people and this country with all his flag waving anti communism, less government routine... He hurt us bad; but as Carter showed: They could not handle the truth... The truth would have forced them to move... Lies telling people they are great and can sit on their asses are always welcome...

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Seeing that real wages have remained flat since 1979, it might be said that Raygunomics exacerbated a situation that had just begun.

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Never a bad time for,

Remembering Reagan

http://hungryblues.net/2004/06/11/remembering-reagan/

1 Reply

@JTT,

I've spread Remembering Reagan around to people who will appreciate it.

2 Replies

@plainoldme,

I hope there are many who appreciate it, POM. Everyone can certainly grasp the realities. When it comes to war criminals/terrorists, Reagan is right up there with the worst of them.

2 Replies

@JTT,

JTT wrote:

I hope there are many who appreciate it, POM. Everyone can certainly grasp the realities. When it comes to war criminals/terrorists, Reagan is right up there with the worst of them.

He was an ideomaniac, and that generation produced a lot of them... Some people use ideas to think and some people use ideas as a substitute for thought... Reagan was one of the later, though it is wrong to presume that anyone whose sees the world through such thick idological lenses would ever be fully competent to answer for his actions...

1 Reply

@JTT,

I agree.

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@Fido,

He slept thru most of his meetings. Of course, he was later diagnosed with Alzheimers (?) disease.

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@plainoldme,

I've started spreading it around to my friends that won't.
<evil chuckle>

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Looks like working American have been robbed blind for a generation or so. I have seen some of the statistics before but not as complete. I did notice the economic growth in the Reagan years to be inflated by spending on the militairy.

I get sad to see the peoples interest being harmed so much. The situation in Europe is much the same I suppose. Is it a defect of the democratic system that a big part of the population can be robbed blind by it´s oligarchy ? Or is it a fault of the scholing system ?

1 Reply

@Pepijn Sweep,

Pepijn Sweep wrote:

Is it a defect of the democratic system that a big part of the population can be robbed blind by it´s oligarchy ? Or is it a fault of the scholing system ?

as comedian Bill Hicks said in 1993

Go back to bed, America. Your government has figured out how it all transpired. Go back to bed, America. Your government is in control again. Here. Here's American Gladiators. Watch this, shut up. Go back to bed, America. Here is American Gladiators. Here is 56 channels of it! Watch these pituitary retards bang their ******* skulls together and congratulate you on living in the land of freedom. Here you go, America! You are free to do as we tell you! You are free to do what we tell you!

but replace American Gladiators with 1000 reality tv shows and the cable news network of your choice

1 Reply

@djjd62,

So it´s TV to blame !

1 Reply

@Pepijn Sweep,

a general malaise, too many distractions, you see folks wandering around glued to their smart phones, they don't seem to know what's really going on, only what's going on as it's filtered through the newest social medium of choice

1 Reply

@djjd62,

That´s familiair. I lived very sober for a decade. Since last year I use a mobile and a pc again which is hilarious to start over again, I had become a digibeet (no computer skills) as we call it here.

I now say ´sober` but it was actually really rich not to worry about being called, computers falling apart and always running to be in time. I try to keep this relaxed life-style as long as possible.

No high tech trills anymore, not more than needed. My microwave now serves as a breadcontainer and the coffee-machine just exploded and won´t be replaced.

People -myself included- follow people. Maybe mediums like Facebook and Forums will inspire us to a different life-style...

PS I am following U now

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