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Tag(s): Books; Corporations; Democratic; Economic; Government; Healthcare; Iraq; Legacy; Lies; National Debt -Trade Deficit; (more...) National Priorities; Policy; Reform; Republican; Republicanism; Slogans; Trade (less...)
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March 21, 2008 at 10:16:33

National Regrets and Paying for Reagan-Bush Policies

by Stephen Crockett Page 1 of 1 page(s)

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Our current list of national economic difficulties and governmental failures is a direct result of nearly 30 years of failed Republican policies. We are paying the price in many ways for our national love affair with slick, emotionally appealing Republican political rhetoric and candidates. We can no longer ignore the harsh reality behind the deceitful words.

We have all experienced bad relationships and failed romances. Long after the romances are over, we are still dealing with the negative consequences both emotional and financial. We keep paying the unhappy costs.

The legacy of distrust, dealing with debts accumulated based on lies, self-doubts for believing the nice sounding lies and living with an awareness that we all are subject to the weakness of emotional reasoning remain long after the relationships have collapsed. There is always the possibility that the burden of dealing with the problems is so great that we go into denial and repeat the same mistakes by buying into slightly repackaged versions. It plays hell on emotional, physical and financial well-being. We all have been there.

It is long past time for the American public to end our soured love affair with deceitful Reagan-Bush Republicanism and start cleaning up the mess left behind. It will be emotionally upsetting but has to be done. The damage is great. It will require a real change in both our behavior and thinking to undo the damage and avoid repeating the same mistakes. It can be done!

In 2008, we are finally be forced to start paying the price for the falsely named set of economic policies once labeled “economic deregulation” that became the national political creed with the election of Ronald Reagan in 1980. We shifted the tax burden to those least able to bear the strain by raising taxes on both the poor and the middle class. We cut dramatically the tax burden of the wealthy and even more so for the Super Wealthy. We encouraged paper financial profits over real economic growth. We exported our industrial base weakening our nation because it temporarily profited our economic elite.

We ended usury laws, weakened government regulation of our financial institutions, permitted government “no-bid” contracts to go to political powerful corporations and ignored anti-monopoly traditions. Consumer protections were weakened. Our federal courts were packed with Republican Right-Wing Radicals willing to overlook any kind of corruption by government officials, corporations or Republican politicians as long as the results favored the wealthiest of the wealthy and the politically powerful.

Our dollar is in the toilet because we exported debt in exchange for cheap imported goods. Wal-Mart raked in a fortune by lowering wage rates in community after community, fighting all efforts at unionizing their workers, and undermining our manufacturing base by encouraging American factories to relocate to China. A government truly serving our national interest would have adopted trade and tax policies that would have stopped Wal-Mart from pursuing these policies. However, the Reagan-Bush Republicans did the opposite.

Even during the brief periods of Democratic Presidential rule under Clinton, Republican policies were often still pursued. The NAFTA and WTO deals received White House support although the majority of Congressional Democrats often opposed these falsely-named “free trade” deals. They were passed largely with Congressional Republican votes. Media consolidation resulted as a direct result of some Democrats buying into the Republican “economic deregulation” arguments. Media consolidation reduced competition instead of promoting it. It hurt small business advertisers and media consumers. Both policies have been severe failures for the American nation. They have undermined the health of both the American economy and American Democracy.

The Republican Presidential candidate John McCain promises to deliver more of the same failed policies. Although McCain has an impressive past military record, his services in the political arena are not impressive. His record on economics or finding a quick exit from the Iraq quagmire inspire little hope or confidence. McCain is simply not prepared to deal with the modern challenges facing the nation in the 21st Century.

For most Americans, a McCain victory will mean a lower standard of living and even less real influence on government policy. McCain is certainly no friend of American workers or consumers. McCain will do nothing to restore America’s industrial base or basic economic health. The “100 Year War Man” has no answers for the real fundamental problems facing our nation today! He is a real threat to our long-term national security.

Both leading Democrats are likely to be a big improvement over McCain. However, we still will need to elect Senators and House members willing to support more populist economic reforms that actually reverse some of the damage done over the past 30 years. We need to elect the right kind of Democrats and to keep pressuring them to restore economically responsible policies. We need to demand more open government, more civil liberties protections and democratically responsive governance.

I urge strongly that voters educate themselves before voting in November. Two excellent books that we all should read by then are Free Lunch by David Cay Johnston and Bad Samaritans by Ha-Joon Chang. A daily visit to Buzzflash.com or Mid-Atlantic Labor.com would certainly help you become a more informed voter. Listening to talk radio shows like The Rick Smith Show, Thom Hartmann, Andy Johnson, Ed Shultz, Guy James, Democratic Talk Radio or Air America programs would help with the brain rot resulting from listening to Rush Limbaugh, Michael Savage, Sean Hannity and the like.

You can count on the Republicans feeding you, as voters, lots of crazy emotionally charged slogans and arguments. The Corporate media will go after reform minded Democrats like resigned New York Governor Spitzer with zeal and venom while largely ignoring similar or worse behavior by currently serving Republican Senators like Louisiana’s Vitter or Idaho’s Craig. Vitter and Craig are reliable votes supporting the failed Reagan-Bush Republican policies while Spitzer actually prosecuted some of the worst Corporate abusers.

Only by educating yourself about policies can you avoid making the same mistakes over and over again. For your own sake and that of your children, this year break the cycle and vote based on substantive issues like healthcare, trade policies, re-industrializing America, shifting some of the tax burden back to those most able to pay higher taxes, resumption of usury laws, jobs, consumer protection, balancing the budget, ending an unaffordable war and a return to anti-monopoly law enforcement.

———————————————————————————————————
Written by Stephen Crockett (co-host of Democratic Talk Radio http://www.DemocraticTalkRadio.com and Editor of Mid-Atlantic Labor.com http://www.midatlanticlabor.com).

www.DemocraticTalkRadio.com

Stephen Crockett is co-host of Democratic Talk Radio and author of the Democratic Voices opinion column.

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14 comments

i am a stay at home mommy of the best baby in the world. i love God, my husband and my son, America, and freedom. i like to read, work out, and shoot guns.
shielah jonesi am a stay at home mommy of the best baby in the world. i love God, my husband and my son, America, and freedom. i like to read, work out, and shoot guns.

huh?

Hey, are you an honest-to-Gosh, real-life commie, or are you just totally stoned?

I'd really like to smoke what's in your bong...

:-)

by shielah jones (1 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 72 comments) on Friday, March 21, 2008 at 11:29:11 AM

GW is a proud American from NY State, concerned about media manipulation and overconsumption. He believes in fiscal responsibility, small government and strict ethics. He recently changed careers to become an inner city schoolteacher. A firm proponent of international adoption and curbing overpopulation, he hopes to adopt a third child and enjoys history, "honest" music and art and obscure vinyl records.
Gustav WynnGW is a proud American from NY State, concerned about media manipulation and overconsumption. He believes in fiscal responsibility, small government and strict ethics. He recently changed careers to become an inner city schoolteacher. A firm proponent of international adoption and curbing overpopulation, he hopes to adopt a third child and enjoys history, "honest" music and art and obscure vinyl records.

Conservatism = Fiscal Responsibility

To use your tactics:

Are you a total fascist or are you just dizzy from goose-stepping so long?

OK, I apologize for that. Now that we've demonstrated how useless and insulting name-calling and exaggerating is, let's start all over with a substansive, civil discussion on the actual issues:

Do you think Reagan's economic policies were helpful when the economy was boosted while increasing the deficit that we have to repay with interest to our greatest economic rivals? Please explain.

Also, do you truly believe in free markets and less government interference? Because in the last few weeks, we've seen almost daily "regulation" of US economic markets: cutting Fed rates, bailing out corporate welfare recipient Bear Stearns, and a "stimulus" package (that only adds more debt to the deficit). Can you explain how this busy, busy government interference reflects Conservatism?

by Gustav Wynn (60 articles, 38 quicklinks, 5 diaries, 281 comments) on Saturday, March 22, 2008 at 10:55:10 AM

KEVIN STODA has been blessed to have either traveled in or worked in nearly 100 countries on five continents over the past two and a half decades. He sees himself as a peace educator and have been a promoter of good economic and social development--making him an enemy of my homelands humongous spending and its focus on using weapons to try and solve global issues."I am from Kansas so I also use the pseudonym 'Kansas' when I write and publish. I...

to see more of bio, click on member name
ALONEKEVIN STODA has been blessed to have either traveled in or worked in nearly 100 countries on five continents over the past two and a half decades. He sees himself as a peace educator and have been a promoter of good economic and social development--making him an enemy of my homelands humongous spending and its focus on using weapons to try and solve global issues."I am from Kansas so I also use the pseudonym 'Kansas' when I write and publish. I...

to see more of bio, click on member name

I don't think you are writing to Crockett. Crockett said:

"Both leading Democrats are likely to be a big improvement over McCain. However, we still will need to elect Senators and House members willing to support more populist economic reforms that actually reverse some of the damage done over the past 30 years. We need to elect the right kind of Democrats and to keep pressuring them to restore economically responsible policies. We need to demand more open government, more civil liberties protections and democratically responsive governance."

click here

by ALONE (130 articles, 1 quicklinks, 4 diaries, 282 comments) on Sunday, March 23, 2008 at 3:27:55 PM

This article has so much truth in it, it blinds the worshipp

This article has so much truth in it, it blinds the worshippers of capitalism as sister faith to right wing radical right christiandom.

by ALONE (130 articles, 1 quicklinks, 4 diaries, 282 comments) on Sunday, March 23, 2008 at 3:24:55 PM

Stephen Crockett is co-host of Democratic Talk Radio and author of the Democratic Voices opinion column.
Stephen CrockettStephen Crockett is co-host of Democratic Talk Radio and author of the Democratic Voices opinion column.

Typical Republican answer

Insult and name-calling instead of any issue or fact based response. Absolutely typical.

by Stephen Crockett (127 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 113 comments) on Friday, March 21, 2008 at 1:34:10 PM

Born in Philadelphia, grew up on a farm, which my parents lost in the Great Depression. I suppose my political inclination began when I watched Dad ride our horse across snow-covered fields to vote for FDR. Married, three great sons, divorced. Still learning.
L.M. ArndtBorn in Philadelphia, grew up on a farm, which my parents lost in the Great Depression. I suppose my political inclination began when I watched Dad ride our horse across snow-covered fields to vote for FDR. Married, three great sons, divorced. Still learning.

Crockett tells it true

Probably one of the most astute analyses I've ever read. Stephen Crockett stands back and looks at the full panoply of wrong-wing policies and their deleterious effects on our citizens, our economy, our nation's status in the world, and our future. We need only look around us to see what the corporatocracy and its tremendous power upon our government has done. And yes, if McCain becomes our next President, our future will be bleak indeed. A hundred-year continuation of the illegal occupation of Iraq, an economy that benefits only the very rich, and continuing deterioration of our schools, infrastructure, and environment. Self-styled "patriotic Americans" may not want to admit this.

by L.M. Arndt (3 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 42 comments) on Friday, March 21, 2008 at 1:59:53 PM

Darren Wolfe is the former Eastern Vice Chair of the Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania. He grew up in Puerto Rico and lived in Venezuela for seven years, including the first year of Chavez' rule. His articles have appeared in OpEdNews.com, the Libertarian Penn, and the Nolanchart.com. News services such as the New York Post.com and Rational Review have published links to his work.

*****************************

"Rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our wi...

to see more of bio, click on member name
Darren WolfeDarren Wolfe is the former Eastern Vice Chair of the Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania. He grew up in Puerto Rico and lived in Venezuela for seven years, including the first year of Chavez' rule. His articles have appeared in OpEdNews.com, the Libertarian Penn, and the Nolanchart.com. News services such as the New York Post.com and Rational Review have published links to his work.

*****************************

"Rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our wi...

to see more of bio, click on member name

Republican Socialism

Stephen,

I would remind you that much the so called deregulation you refer to started under the Dem prez Carter with the "deregulation" of the trucking, petroleum, & airline industries:

(snip)

President Jimmy Carter devoted substantial effort to transportation deregulation, and worked with Congressional and civil society leaders to pass the Airline Deregulation Act (October 24, 1978), Staggers Rail Act (signed October 14, 1980), and the Motor Carrier Act of 1980 (signed July 1, 1980).

(snip)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deregulation

This and the other "dergulations" the Wikipedia article address made a difference. The problem is that we didn't go far enough in implementing a free market. What we're seeing now is just the usual boom & bust cycle the mixed economy goes through:

Boom and Bust

by Darren Wolfe (5 articles, 155 quicklinks, 93 diaries, 695 comments) on Friday, March 21, 2008 at 2:50:19 PM

Nonsense

All economies are mixed economies. The idea that a "Free Market" in the ideologically pure sense the critic implies exists or has ever existed in modern times is pure nonsense.

Logically, the critic implies that all economies in modern times have been disasters on the scale of the current one. It just is not the reality we all know and live in as a society or individuals.

Buying into the Republican "economic ideology" myths are indeed low points for some Democrats. Almost all examples have been unhappy experiences for consumers, workers, small investors and taxpayers.

by Stephen Crockett (127 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 113 comments) on Friday, March 21, 2008 at 3:31:54 PM

Sense

The US economy had a productivity crisis in the '70s so inflation took off & the ecomomy slowed, that's why people wanted "deregulation", the old interventionist ways had failed. Since these modest reforms things got better not worse. We no longer have shortages of petroleum products, for example. The standard of living in the US is up.

Could it be better? Of course. Your pure free market arguement is a strawman. The market doesn't have to be perfect, what we see is that the freer the market the better the results. The present slowdown is, again, because of the business cycle caused by the Fed's inability to know what the proper interest rates should be causing malinvestment, followed by the inevitable correction. It is most definitely not the result of market failure.

I'll give you an example. I lived in Venezuela for 7 years. Much more controlled economy at the macro level, also a poorer country despite all it's oil & mineral resourses. Especialy since Chavez took over it's gotten worse. (How he managed that with such high oil prices is quite a sad feat.) Fortunately, I had the US to return to. Believe you me, things are better here than in the red paratrooper's land. All his interventions in & stimulations of their economy have failed miserably.

Lastly, there is no 'Republican "economic ideology" '. There are just the Demopublicans who do mostly the same things. From Carroll Quigley's "Tragedy and Hope" (1966):

"The argument that the two parties should represent opposed ideals and policies, one, perhaps, of the Right and the other of the Left, is a foolish idea acceptable only to doctrinaire and academic thinkers. Instead, the two parties should be almost identical, so that the American people can throw the rascals out at any election without leading to any profound or extensive shifts in policy. Then it should be possible to replace it, every four years if necessary, by the other party, which will be none of these things but will still pursue, with new vigor, approximately the same basic policies."

To think otherwise is to be like my buddy P. Artie Hack. LOL

by Darren Wolfe (5 articles, 155 quicklinks, 93 diaries, 695 comments) on Friday, March 21, 2008 at 4:25:45 PM

Our Standard of Living is way up thanks to CREDIT!

I'd ask Darren to simply observe the OVERALL economic balance sheet. If our SOL is up but savings are down and personal debt is at an all time high, isn't it merely an illusion?

Also, let's talk "free markets" - Bush's government interference (cutting rates, stimulus packages, bailouts) is all blasting the "free market" theory apart. Don't Conservatives want LESS interference?

Let's talk fiscal responsibility - why do we have such a huge deficit? What is the plan to reduce it? Why don't we stop adding to it? Is there some point where increasing security in Iraq will become too financially burdensome or do we keep doubling the deficit forever until the US is completely foreign owned.

I'm completely confused about how Conservatives can talk at all about economic theory while adding more and more to the deficit. It's simple accounting.

by Gustav Wynn (60 articles, 38 quicklinks, 5 diaries, 281 comments) on Saturday, March 22, 2008 at 11:15:52 AM

Our Standard of Living is way up thanks to Productivity!

Our Standard of Living is way up thanks to CREDIT!

Actually, credit & the government's manipulation of interest rates is why we're having problems these days.

I'd ask Darren to simply observe the OVERALL economic balance sheet. If our SOL is up but savings are down and personal debt is at an all time high, isn't it merely an illusion?

Yes, to a degree. Though we do live better here than most people around the world. That's not an illusion. The problem is the things the government does that hurt the economy, like what you mention above. Our prosperity is increasingly built on a foundation of sand.

Also, let's talk "free markets" - Bush's government interference (cutting rates, stimulus packages, bailouts) is all blasting the "free market" theory apart. Don't Conservatives want LESS interference?

Perhaps you think I'm a conservative, I'm not, I'm a libertarian.

Conservatives are so confused anymore who knows what they want. They talk a great game but when it comes to walking the walk they expand the government as much, if not more, than the "liberals".

Let's talk fiscal responsibility - why do we have such a huge deficit? What is the plan to reduce it? Why don't we stop adding to it? Is there some point where increasing security in Iraq will become too financially burdensome or do we keep doubling the deficit forever until the US is completely foreign owned.

At some point the cost of empire will become too much. Then, finally, the US can become just a normal country, minding it's own business.

I'm completely confused about how Conservatives can talk at all about economic theory while adding more and more to the deficit. It's simple accounting.

I think it's the neocon influence, they're the ones that openly embrace big government. The rest just keep supporting the percieved least of 2 evils. Fools.

by Darren Wolfe (5 articles, 155 quicklinks, 93 diaries, 695 comments) on Sunday, March 23, 2008 at 7:11:29 AM

Economic considerations

Pleasure to discuss this with you - I think the "productivity" argument is an illusion too, at least in part. The most popular "stats" used to crow about this economy are the overall worth being up and productivity. Overall worth is up, this is true, but vastly skewed to benefit the richest, so the other 99.9% of us should feel no need to celebrate.

Productivity is also mentioned independent of hours put in - we are working more hours then ever before, but if we compare "productivity" to our past stats by the month or the quarter without computing the extra time, it looks great.

Another key is the 11-20 million undocumented workers doing so much work for such little pay. They are not figured in to the numbers, so it makes us look like we are doing so much more.

We both know that numbers can be cherrypicked or spun a million ways - but I know my family's economic picture is worse then it was, as is that of my co-workers, friends and family. I don't know if you're doing better then before, but costs are way up everywhere and I for one don't believe the hype.

by Gustav Wynn (60 articles, 38 quicklinks, 5 diaries, 281 comments) on Sunday, March 23, 2008 at 8:39:48 PM

Capital & productivity

Gustav,

Thank you, it's always a pleasure to have an intelligent debate with a civil person.

I must disagree that productivity is an illusion, it's actually the real part of the economy, the production of goods & services. The level of productivity is determined by the level of capital accumulation. In other words, the having of tools, machines, & other assets one needs to work efficiently. So, the more capital goods to work with, the more that is produced. Higher levels of production mean a higher SOL since pay is based on productivity, how much a worker produces determines his worth to his employer.

Sadly for them, the undocumented workers usually do manual labor using little capital. They're not terribly efficient (that's not saying that they don't work hard, they do, they just can't produce that much).

Lastly, yes, I'm doing fine, though it takes me 2 jobs & my wife's income to make it that way. Now if we only didn't have to pay income tax......

by Darren Wolfe (5 articles, 155 quicklinks, 93 diaries, 695 comments) on Sunday, March 23, 2008 at 9:28:50 PM

Carter-Reagan arms build up, too

Almost universally, political scientists and historians also refer to the Carter-Reagan arms build up, too. Whereas radical Bushites and Reaganites claim it only started under Reagan.

Spending at high levels began in 1979 with Carter. Thiswas the first step towards the bad spending of the Reagan Bush administration that almost broke our USA economy by 1990--by which time, luckily, Breshnev and his peers had died off and made it possible for Gorbechav to sue for peace and save the US from going broke on defense spending.

click here

by ALONE (130 articles, 1 quicklinks, 4 diaries, 282 comments) on Sunday, March 23, 2008 at 3:32:47 PM