Something that Zoe posted in another thread(see my 'Kennedy Assassination' thread) got me thinking. Zoe's parents are virulently ring-wing - and sorry Zoe but they come across as being almost as pathetic as medieval peasants desperate for the approval of the Lord of the Manor.
Here in GB we have always had a preference for Democrat presidents. Obama, Clinton, Jimmy Carter and of course JFK were and are all popular here. Republican presidents in contrast are seen as being either sinister(Nixon), incompetent(Bush I & II), or non-entities(Eisenhower, Gerald Ford). This leads me to Ronald Reagan.
Americans seem to think highly of the presidency of Ronald Reagan, in sharp contrast to the British and continental Europeans, who thought that Reagan was a fiscally incompetent, warmongering puppet president who funded terrorism all round the world. Don't forget it was during the Reagan administrations that American corporations went mad selling of factories, down-sizing the work force and shipping America's manufacturing base to Mexico, and the Philippines. It was during this time that those lucky enough to still had a job saw their pay go down in real terms and their conditions slowly but surely worsen. This was the time that people were expected to work harder, for longer and do more with less. Meanwhile America's millionaires and billionaires were getting as rich as Crosesus all at the expense of the poor and the shrinking middle-class. This was the time when 'greed was good' and it was perfectly acceptable to bash the poor. Do you remember the so-called 'welfare Queens' that Reagan said drove in their Cadillacs to collect their dole money and then drove off to the off-licence for a bottle of vodka? That is why you are flipping burgers and cold-calling people on the telephone when your father and grandfather worked in factories and did something useful to society and the economy. That is why families need to have mom working full-time and dad holding down two jobs. Think of all the state-sponsored terrorism that America indulged in during the Reagan years. The funding of proxy armies in Central America through illicit arms and drug sales for example. Think of that complete scientific fiasco and gigantic financial black hole known as the 'Star Wars' program. Ronald Reagan's two terms in office were triumphs of style over substance. Reagan's folksy manner appealed strongly to the American psyche. His 'jes plain folks' manner meant that he could sweet-talk the public into accepting anything however ridiculous or costly.
So next time you go on about Obama just remember that it was that 'All-American Hero' ole Ronnie Raygun that gave the 'Masters of the Universe' carte blanche to decimate the economy, deregulate the media, start wars and fund terrorism abroad, and turn the Stock Market from a means for companies to raise capital into a huge Derivatives powered casino. Everything that has happened in the last few years is just the sour poisonous fruit of the tree that Reagan planted and watered with your blood sweat and tears.
