(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . The Most Important Way Ronald Reagan Screwed Up (and Continues to Screw Up) America [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.', 'Backgroundurl Avatar_Large', 'Nickname', 'Joined', 'Created_At', 'Story Count', 'N_Stories', 'Comment Count', 'N_Comments', 'Popular Tags'] Date: 2023-04-10 Dutch ain't much... First of all, let me acknowledge Kos writer JohnRichardson for his cogent, compelling story “How Did Ronald Reagan Screw Up America? Let Us Count the Ways!” My purpose isn’t to dispute a thing he said. I just want to point out the elemental truth that supports his arguments. The reason why Ronald Reagan should be relegated to the dank sub-basement of American history, to be reviled and despised, is something he said in his first inaugural address. This is a lethal dose of pure poison he chose to inject into the body politic, and it’s the toxic seed that continues to produce the fruit of Fascism that threatens the American experiment. Reagan said… “Government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem.” Everything that JohnRichardson listed falls out of this mendacious, malicious statement. To put this in other words: “The only hope the people have to govern themselves, the only defense they have against the worst elements of unchecked, rapacious big business, the only way they can right what’s wrong with their society...is a problem and let’s get rid of it!” This is the core doctrine of every odious right-wing fraudster and blowhard. “Get big guv’mint off our backs! Let the eagle fly!” Now imagine a world where government, the “problem” has been eliminated: Slavery. Yes, We the People came together to fight a great Civil War to defeat the Confederacy and then passed the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments to abolish it. Government, friends. Child labor. No government? 8-year-old children are working in sweatshops Workers work 100-hour weeks for whatever bosses want to pay them. Restaurants and businesses can refuse to serve anyone they choose (and realtors can do so as well.) Polluters can dump toxic chemicals in rivers and lakes with no consequence No Social Security, No Medicare — everyone is at the mercy of whatever Doctors and hospitals want to charge. Don’t have the money to pay? Sucks to be you! Welcome to Amazon/Nike/Starbucks “Yosemite” Park, Golf Resort and Condos! (Clear-cut by your friends at Weyerhaeuser, of course!) Big Pharma can charge whatever they want for healing medicines. (If you want to see how this works out, see “Shkrelli, Martin”) Banks can get into any business they want, and do whatever they want with your money. Bank goes bust, you lose everything. Toll roads every 10 miles, and the rates go up whenever the owner wants. Stalkers and psychopaths can carry concealed weapons without a permit (Oh wait, Floridians can do that already...) The ultimate expression of unfettered free enterprise is what happened at the end of the Roman Empire. In a sterling example of forward-leaning entrepreneurial initiative, the local Fire Department would set your house on fire, and then come to your door and demand a cash payment to put it out. “Government is the problem.” Ronald Reagan convinced half of America that their most powerful tool to make their world a better place was “the problem” and should therefore be shunned. No, government is nothing more or less than the things we decide to do together. What are those things? Here’s the great Howard Zinn: There is a power that can be created out of pent-up indignation, courage, and the inspiration of a common cause, and that if enough people put their minds and bodies into that cause, they can win. It is a phenomenon recorded again and against in the history of popular movements against injustice all over the world. Let me end with the words of an authentically great president, perhaps the greatest ever (well, after Abraham Lincoln): Let us never forget that government is ourselves and not an alien power over us. The ultimate rulers of our democracy are not a President and senators and congressmen and government officials, but the voters of this country. Franklin D. Roosevelt Government is nothing more or less than the things we decide to do together. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/4/10/2163238/-The-Most-Important-Way-Ronald-Reagan-Screwed-Up-and-Continues-to-Screw-Up-America Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/