Most of the countries of Europe & Asia (Australia, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan) have laws in place that guarantee a healthy middle class: poverty, like in America, doesn't haunt their dreams
Whenever I see one of those polls rating presidents, I always choose Reagan as WORST. Todays GOP rave about him. And that’s exactly why we’re in the awful situation we’re in now. I felt a gut punch when I first heard the news he’d been elected. I knew he was going to be bad for Women’s rights. But I didn’t realize all the vast damage he would do. Trump was awful but Reagan started our terrible slide down to where we are. And likely led to an electorate capable of electing Trump. I was sick with a dire illness over an 11-year period leading to organ transplant. Because of our current system of healthcare, I ended up with none of my resources left. I had worked for 40 years of my life, but I am at net worth zero. Oh I’m very healthy now but I live on Soc Sec only and pay half of that to rent. Had to sell my car. So at age 74, though I was born into the middle class, earned a bachelors and masters degree with honors, I live in poverty. There’s something wrong with this picture. I’m a writer but life is so hard at this point I don’t work on any of my projects anymore. Just worry about what the GOP will do next
The most disturbing aspect of your story is that it is the story of millions upon millions of seniors in America's predatory jungle. People who say they "love" Reagan, Trump, or any of their favorite anti-democratic -- anti-people -- politicos need to seriously reassess their whole concept of love, which is not a "concept" at all.
What is wrong with you??? I wrote that I HATE REAGAN AND TRUMP. And I was sick far too long in the US of A to live a decent life. I’m a LIFELONG DEMOCRAT. Get over your prideful, mistaken self.
I'm sorry. You've taken what I said quite the opposite of my meaning. I was not criticizing and only meant my words to be empathetic to your plight that you so well described. And I certainly did NOT intend to insinuate that you loved Reagan and Trump but was trying to point out the larger issue of those who do. Again, I am genuinely sorry I failed to convey that in my first reply. 😟
Dear Thom - I believe that your newsletter needs to be required reading for The House of Representatives the Senate and the Supreme Court - plus read out loud every day in the oval office. In my humble opinion, too many people are unaware of how we got to where we are or they chose to conveniently forget. Your newsletters are so educational and well written. Thank you for all the books you have written and for all that you do to educate us.
When Ronald Reagan's press secretary was shot my mother was scheduled to be operated on by the head brain surgeon at ST. Joe's Ann Arbor Mi. for astro-cyctoma, a cancerous star shaped tumor. The surgeon called me very early in the AM. He had to postpone my mothers surgery. He was called to go to Washington DC to operate on then Press Secretary Brady. When the surgeon came back to Michigan He called me to say how sorry he was. We talked about my mothers horrible condition. This lead to him telling me the President of the United States was obnoxious and senescent about Brady. He said, he could not stop asking me what was wrong with Brady. If the President asked him once every other minute he asked me tens of times everyday I saw him. This upset the surgeon enough that he told me about it and asked if it was ok to postpone my moms surgery for a couple of days.
My wife's Mother came down with Alzheimer's disease and now my wife. I was the care taker for both. I fed them sang to them and answered questions repeatedly to each of them. I have studied and written articles about Alzheimer's disease. The research says what I personally can confirm. When a human is compelled to ask you over and over the same question, that person is in the last stage of cognizance with Alzheimer's disease. I can also tell you with any and all the research you can find and by my personal experience, that at this stage in the disease all ability to reason about anything except the current thought is at least 5 to 7 years in the past. This pore man, Reagan, was very ill when he became president. His whole life had been transformed by those around him leading him like a father leads his neighbors visiting 3 year old child. Caring for him but directing him little puppy. From this point it is for you to decide the results of this presidency.
I think he did an awful lot of harm, too. But as far as what America wanted, in a smooth talking "there you go again" and "government is your problem" candidate he was awfully good at getting people to love him and to remaining clueless to the true harm being done. I remember trying to tell parents and co-workers why I didn't like him. Often with little success. This piece really slammed me hard. There you go again, Hartmann! (smile)
What about income tax lawyers and lobbyists who serve the wealthy? Reagan didn't do it all by himself; the lawyers and tax professionals who devote their careers to hiding wealth, and of course we know the damage that lobbyists have done to our environment. I'm sure they're in your books somewhere Thom.
Here’s another example of getting distracted by the criminally stupid acts of Reagan’s administration and ignoring the root cause, for Reagan was certainly not the real decider. Of course it takes lawyers and lobbyists and tax guys to enable the oligarchs, but they’re just mid-level henchpersons contracted by the masters of the factions, so, yeah, they are also to blame, but they will always exist as long as money is speech and corporations are people. And never forget that the oligarchs also pay the propagandists to make our poorly educated vote for pro-oligarch candidates (and not even know it), thus completing the circle of the big grift.
Whenever I see one of those polls rating presidents, I always choose Reagan as WORST. Todays GOP rave about him. And that’s exactly why we’re in the awful situation we’re in now. I felt a gut punch when I first heard the news he’d been elected. I knew he was going to be bad for Women’s rights. But I didn’t realize all the vast damage he would do. Trump was awful but Reagan started our terrible slide down to where we are. And likely led to an electorate capable of electing Trump. I was sick with a dire illness over an 11-year period leading to organ transplant. Because of our current system of healthcare, I ended up with none of my resources left. I had worked for 40 years of my life, but I am at net worth zero. Oh I’m very healthy now but I live on Soc Sec only and pay half of that to rent. Had to sell my car. So at age 74, though I was born into the middle class, earned a bachelors and masters degree with honors, I live in poverty. There’s something wrong with this picture. I’m a writer but life is so hard at this point I don’t work on any of my projects anymore. Just worry about what the GOP will do next
The most disturbing aspect of your story is that it is the story of millions upon millions of seniors in America's predatory jungle. People who say they "love" Reagan, Trump, or any of their favorite anti-democratic -- anti-people -- politicos need to seriously reassess their whole concept of love, which is not a "concept" at all.
What is wrong with you??? I wrote that I HATE REAGAN AND TRUMP. And I was sick far too long in the US of A to live a decent life. I’m a LIFELONG DEMOCRAT. Get over your prideful, mistaken self.
I'm sorry. You've taken what I said quite the opposite of my meaning. I was not criticizing and only meant my words to be empathetic to your plight that you so well described. And I certainly did NOT intend to insinuate that you loved Reagan and Trump but was trying to point out the larger issue of those who do. Again, I am genuinely sorry I failed to convey that in my first reply. 😟
Dear Thom - I believe that your newsletter needs to be required reading for The House of Representatives the Senate and the Supreme Court - plus read out loud every day in the oval office. In my humble opinion, too many people are unaware of how we got to where we are or they chose to conveniently forget. Your newsletters are so educational and well written. Thank you for all the books you have written and for all that you do to educate us.
When Ronald Reagan's press secretary was shot my mother was scheduled to be operated on by the head brain surgeon at ST. Joe's Ann Arbor Mi. for astro-cyctoma, a cancerous star shaped tumor. The surgeon called me very early in the AM. He had to postpone my mothers surgery. He was called to go to Washington DC to operate on then Press Secretary Brady. When the surgeon came back to Michigan He called me to say how sorry he was. We talked about my mothers horrible condition. This lead to him telling me the President of the United States was obnoxious and senescent about Brady. He said, he could not stop asking me what was wrong with Brady. If the President asked him once every other minute he asked me tens of times everyday I saw him. This upset the surgeon enough that he told me about it and asked if it was ok to postpone my moms surgery for a couple of days.
My wife's Mother came down with Alzheimer's disease and now my wife. I was the care taker for both. I fed them sang to them and answered questions repeatedly to each of them. I have studied and written articles about Alzheimer's disease. The research says what I personally can confirm. When a human is compelled to ask you over and over the same question, that person is in the last stage of cognizance with Alzheimer's disease. I can also tell you with any and all the research you can find and by my personal experience, that at this stage in the disease all ability to reason about anything except the current thought is at least 5 to 7 years in the past. This pore man, Reagan, was very ill when he became president. His whole life had been transformed by those around him leading him like a father leads his neighbors visiting 3 year old child. Caring for him but directing him little puppy. From this point it is for you to decide the results of this presidency.
I think he did an awful lot of harm, too. But as far as what America wanted, in a smooth talking "there you go again" and "government is your problem" candidate he was awfully good at getting people to love him and to remaining clueless to the true harm being done. I remember trying to tell parents and co-workers why I didn't like him. Often with little success. This piece really slammed me hard. There you go again, Hartmann! (smile)
What about income tax lawyers and lobbyists who serve the wealthy? Reagan didn't do it all by himself; the lawyers and tax professionals who devote their careers to hiding wealth, and of course we know the damage that lobbyists have done to our environment. I'm sure they're in your books somewhere Thom.
Here’s another example of getting distracted by the criminally stupid acts of Reagan’s administration and ignoring the root cause, for Reagan was certainly not the real decider. Of course it takes lawyers and lobbyists and tax guys to enable the oligarchs, but they’re just mid-level henchpersons contracted by the masters of the factions, so, yeah, they are also to blame, but they will always exist as long as money is speech and corporations are people. And never forget that the oligarchs also pay the propagandists to make our poorly educated vote for pro-oligarch candidates (and not even know it), thus completing the circle of the big grift.