Reaganomics Worked

Ronald Reagan has been called many things by his detractors. His economic policies have been called: voo-doo economics, trickle down economics and Reaganomics. The 1980s have been called the "decade of greed" when the "rich got richer and the poor got poorer." I am here to tell you, first hand, that those characterizations of the 1980s are complete bunk.

My family has never been rich. My mother had an eighth grade education (she has since earned here GED), and my dad has a two-year degree. They have worked hard all their lives, and still do to this day. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, our family was in financial trouble. I really do not remember it too much, but in looking back, it was pretty bad. I was in early elementary school at the time, so my parents did not exactly include me in financial discussions.

At one point, when my dad was out of work, we were nearly homeless. We had to sell our house fast, and we moved an old house. I remember walking around town collecting aluminum Coke cans so we could sell them. My mom and I did this while my dad was at the unemployment office. Couple that with the stagflation that is Jimmy Carter's real legacy, and we were in dire straits.

Everyone seems to forget that lovable old Habitat for Humanity codger, namely James Earl "Jimmy" Carter hurt numerous families with his failure in the White House. Thanks to President Carter, my family was nearly on the streets.

Enter President Ronald Wilson Reagan. His brilliant policies, allegedly to benefit the rich, benefited all Americans. By the end of the 1980s, my family was much better off. We were not wealthy, but we had more wealth. We were in a better position financially.

Reaganomics worked. Anyone who tells you anything else is out of their mind.

This nation owes a great debt of gratitude to our fortieth President. He cleaned up a huge mess. I just wish we had a candidate like him to vote for this year.

What Can You Afford?

In a time of inflation, such as we have now with rising gas and food prices, the media often trot out sympathetic folk who complain about the fact that they cannot afford food, gas, etc. While I empathize those who suffer financial burdens (we all do, to one extent or another), I am a bit dubious about some the claims made by these people. Call me skeptical.

About ten years ago, while my beautiful bride and I were youth leaders, this point came home to me. The issue came up at the church related to babysitting. The church was planning an adults only function, and said that youth of the church volunteer their services to babysit. We offered the suggestion that families could pay a nominal fee (something like a buck or two per child) to help fund the youth group trip we were planning. Someone spoke up that many of the families could not afford the pittance. Many of these families had no trouble supplying their children with money for movies and snacks, and other recreational activities.

We came to this conclusion: People can afford what they want. In America, people can pretty much afford anything they want. (Sure, most people cannot afford a private jet or something wildly extravagant.) Most households have at least one car (often two or more), a couple TVs (often hooked up to DVD players, VCRs and cable TV), and so on.

I am tired of everyone being a victim. I am not a victim. I pay the same (rising) prices for gas and food as everyone else. Our family has made adjustments to deal with it. We do not drive nearly as much as we used to. We do not eat out as much. We do not have cable/satellite TV. Sometimes we just have to make due with what we have.