kentuck
kentuck's JournalHow the Republicans tore down our country
We don't have to go back very far. Only to about the 1980's.
It was at that time that they decided government was evil. Never before had they been so bold at stating their long held belief about government.
They took simple economic theories printed on napkins and made them a national policy. Their aim was to destroy the beast called "big government" by starving it to death. If there were no taxes, they would have nothing with which to feed the beast.
So they deliberately lied. They told the people that they could cut taxes and it would bring in more money to the Treasury. Simply because, businesses would have more money to expand and create jobs, thus bringing in more tax revenues. But, unfortunately, it did not work that way. They created huge debt and deficits, unlike any we had ever seen in history.
However, America did get sort of a reprieve in 1992 when Bill Clinton was elected. He was lucky to come in at a time when technology and computers were revolutionizing the American economy. By the end of his second term, he was able to balance the budget and forecast a surplus far into the future, without using SS funds to fund the government. Of course, the Republicans jumped on the bandwagon. They were partners in balancing the budget they argued. Of course, every single Republican voted against the Clinton economic plan in 1993 and said that it would create a terrible economy. Once again, they were able to lie themselves out of a hole.
But they were desperate. This money belonged to the people, not to the government, Bush argued in the 2000 campaign. They had to take back the government by hook or crook. They ended up taking back power by crook and decided to double down on the voodoo economics that had failed so terribly in the 1980's. Not only that, they would get rid of every regulation possible to make it easier for business to make their fortunes without the yoke of "big government". They had already reformed welfare under Clinton, before they impeached him. So they were well on their way to destroying the "beast" of big government.
Every conscious American knows what happened under George W Bush and the Republicans, who were in control of everything for 6 years. Terrorism, wars, pestilence, lies, and neglect of our Constitution, torture, rendition, etc. We all know what happened, even if some prefer to continue in denial. The Democrats were weak and helpless during this time. They offered little resistance.
Then, when Barack Obama was elected in 2008, many thought there was hope to turn everything around. Unfortunately, the mess created was so deep and destructive, and the willpower so weak and timid, that we were unable to make the progress that the country needed. We made some progress but it was minute compared to the need. The Republicans fought every effort to make the changes necessary.
So, there you have it. A short history of how the Republicans tore down our country and are looking for an opportunity to finish the job. America was such a great country with such hope and opportunity. The people bought the lies and were not vigilant and they lost it.
Obama inherited an economy that lost 750,000 jobs in his first month in office.
If he had not turned that around, we could have lost over 27 million jobs in the last 3 years.
There was no guarantee that it could be turned around. After all, the stock market was dropping like a rock, eventually getting down into the 6000's. The banks had collapsed and the world economy was teetering on the edge of the abyss.
That is no exaggeration. It was not a "normal" recession.
But we did not lose 27 million jobs. In fact, the Obama Administration has created almost 2 million new jobs. It's true that many states have cut police, fireman, and teachers in efforts to balance their budgets and those jobs are adversely affecting the unemployment rate.
To say that it could have been worse is true. The voters will have to decide if they think the Republicans could have done better at stopping and turning around the trend of losing a possible 27 million jobs. Mitt Romney is saying that he could have done a better job at turning around the depression which his Party mostly created. When pressed, Romney admits that he would continue the same policies of George W Bush that got us into this economic catastrophe. The voters need to go into the voting booths with their eyes wide open.
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