And the real motive is…..
Those who fail to study history are deemed…….you know the rest.
Ronald Reagan is clearly my favorite president and leader in my lifetime. I miss him. We (there are millions of us) miss him. I digress.
He had a quote that I read recently that has stark relevance today. See if you agree or not…
“Now, where do some of these attacks originate? They are coming from the very people whose past policies, all done in the name of compassion, brought us the current recession. Their policies drove up inflation and interest rates, and their policies stifled incentive, creativity and halted the movement of the poor up the economic ladder. Some of their criticism is perfectly sincere. But let’s understand that some of their criticism comes from those who have a vested interest in a permanent welfare constituency and in government programs that reinforce the dependency of our people. Well, I would suggest that no one should have a vested interest in poverty or dependence, that these tragedies must never be looked as a source of votes for politicians or paychecks for bureaucrats. They are blights on our society that we must work to eliminate, not institutionalize.”
Is that a terrific quote or what? Unless if you do not subscribe to notion of American or human exceptional-ism.
Hi Kevin, don;t you just love the way politicians change their tack when it suits them?
Enjoy the journey.
Mandy
I offer the following from Howard Baker, Reagan’s former Chief of Staff, “I My late father-in-law, Sen. Everett Dirksen of Illinois, famously said of federal spending, “A billion here and a billion there, and pretty soon you’re talking about real money.” Now we talk about trillions of dollars for bank bailouts, stimulus packages, healthcare reform, and who knows what else, and it’s nothing less than breathtaking. But it may also be necessary, and I admit I have no better plan to offer than the one President Obama has skillfully championed. The president’s loyal opposition in the Congress—my fellow Republicans—have an obligation to either propose a comprehensive alternative for America’s economic recovery or give the Obama plan a chance. With all respect to my dear friend Nancy Reagan, “Just say no” is not an economic policy—certainly not for times like these.” See complete article at:
http://www.usnews.com/articles/opinion/2009/04/28/obamas-100-days-a-reaganesque-start-despite-risky-policies.html
In sum: 8 years of spending that doesn’t lead to sound investments in our country is what got us into this. I find it refreshing that Obama states when a change of course is necesary or a policy needs to be reversed – it means that he is looking at the facts. We sure as hell never heard that with W. Only dogma until the wheels fell off the wagon and he couldn’t get out of office quick enough, leaving the next administration with the most colossal mess witnessed in my lifetime.
A bit more of James Baker’s article, “President Obama has handled himself very well in his first 100 days. I do wish he did not appear quite so certain about everything, but perhaps that is an essential position for presidents, particularly in times like these. I would urge him, however, to take a page from President Franklin Roosevelt’s playbook and encourage experimentation on a smaller scale where possible before committing to national, trillion-dollar solutions whose failure is too scary to conceive. With that caveat, I believe he has the makings of a very fine leader. His obvious intelligence does not stand in the way of seeking advice from others—and taking it. His rhetorical skills are impressive, whether delivering a major address or in more free-form news conferences. His priorities are right, whether or not his solutions are, and his response to external crises has been reassuringly surefooted. Indeed, he has demonstrated a cool and graceful command of his new circumstances that I find positively Reaganesque.”
Hi Kevin,
A post to keep you on your toes! My grandfather always said that there are two things in life that are certain: taxes and politics … he left out the death part and lived to be 94
Thank you for the post!
Svenja
Hi Kevin,
Theres no doubt over history politicians from nations all over the world are very good on using the power of the word, but none are so great at following them through!
Great post Kevin!
TTFN….Ed.