To add to your points bpd24 George H W Bush had to renege on his "read my lips" pledge by raising taxes to pay for the savings and loan debacle brought about by eliminating some of the regulatory policies of the Reagan (or is it Regan) administration. His economic policies truly represented fiscal responsibility and he sure paid the price for it unlike the ones that promise everything that they can't possibly deliver. Not to bash Reagan but the "trickle down" economic policies certainly created growth as it generated more capital but it wasn't offset by spending cuts or raising tax revenues to offset the deficit. The new mantra was deficits don't matter as long as the GDP grows enough to offset the deficits, it's all "relative".
Well actually Reagan DID have to raise taxes as his initial tax cuts were too severe and the deficit exploded. When Jimmy Carter left office, not to use him as a shining beacon of anything, the budget deficit was 69 billion. But there is one thing he did leave, a solar water system on the White House roof that was symbolic of what he saw as America's future, alternative energy development. Reagan in his first act of symbolic contempt towards alternative energy was to remove the collector or why else would he have done it?
So there is no hero in this continuing saga. One thing for certain though, up to the Obama administration there was some degree of civility it not total agreement on issues. In the current atmasphere compromise is a poisonous word to a politician. I certainly hope that the democrats don't get into a quid pro quo with the "just say no" Republican Congress starting in 2010 did or else we'll all get what's coming and most likely deserve. Let's ALL hope that this "tax plan" of the current administration can be refined to meet the needs of our collective nation rather than represent, what I see happening to a greater extent, the gradual phasing in of a plutocracy bought and paid for by rich special interests. As the middle class shrinks more and more this will likely be the outcome. And God forbid if laws only require a majority vote to pass in the Senate! If that happens as it did with the Supreme Court pick it is clear to me that we'll have to sink considerably more before the wake up call sounds off. The scary part of that scenario is how much more damage?
A revamping of our educational system and retraining is the long term answer and it needs to be funded and paid for by tax payer funds, we all need to pay for it! But in the current climate of "what have you done for me today" it is a tough sell. After all, when you can't make ends meet from one day to the next, why should it? People just want to see a brighter future and while it seems the current AND may I add last President wants to deliver, lets hope his understanding grows beyond what he has demonstrated some of us to date, time will tell. Real change will necessarily come from the grass roots of this country. Wake up and be counted people and quit complaining, DO SOMETHING!
PS "
bdp24 not picking on you in any way and I am not dem or rep
just a person who understands economic polices and and has studied
economics, budgets, etc,. that the government indicates on its website."
.....and Paul Krugman the liberal Nobel prize winning economist doesn't understand? Don't know what your point is bigkidz. Having said that I agree totally with you regarding pricing in a business, things that consumer's often don't take into consideration. So far as 150K amps and 500K speakers, it really has nothing to do with me as I certainly am quite unfamiliar with this industry and the cost of things as you are but one thing I can do is :). The new business model and more of what's to come maybe?
