Collapse (Post-Amerika)

[jpmonk91]

Last edited Fri May 20, 2016, 08:00 PM - Edit history (2)

Hi there friends at DU! this is part 2 of a series of posts that I am doing.
you can read part 1 here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/1280194197

The topic of this post is how the American dream still lives on! but in Europe. the other part of the topic is how we started going away from our FDR progressive roots because of Ronald Reagan.

The Passing of the Torch


I talked in great detail about how FDR changed the USA and brought about real progressive reform to our nation. But FDR's reforms took root in the EU after the war. You can pretty much say his ideas still live on but the live on in the EU. Many of Europe's nations have adopted the progressive policies of FDR. Lets start with Italy, Germany, and France. In Italy they really care about their work force. They have a 36 hour work week with paid leave and Italy also has a law that it is illegal to make some one work more than 40 hours a week. not only is it illegal for your boss to email or call you after work but the Italians also have fully paid maternity leave. now imagine that in the USA! We all know Germany has some of the strongest unions in the world and a great work force as well. what is amazing about Germany's economy is how they got it. After the war we were left with a choice. We could help rebuild Germany or say its not our problem. Our country took the high road and helped shaped Germany into a great country with a thriving economy. People just had a different attitude back then and cared about how we treated each other. Even when we were wronged by Hitler we still were able to forgive. Now we move on to France. Nutrition in the school system is very important in France.

In Frances public schools lunch time is a 60 minute class where they learn about diet and manners at the dinner table. Because lunch is a class the kids in France don't have problems with obesity and they don't go hungry like they do in the United States. The UK has even adopted a single payer healthcare system from their rebuilding after wwii. The Scandinavian countries have socialized medicine and because of that they have some of the best healthcare on the world. One important holiday they celebrate in Europe is May Day. May Day is celebrated in many countries as a traditional springtime festival or as an international day honoring workers and the People get the day off to celebrate and protest current events. So as you can see the American dream is alive and well in Europe but unfortunately we lost touch back in the USA.

This is Cardiac Arrest



Unfortunately we are Losing our progressive values as a country. Ronald Reagan Brought in a bizarre anti Roosevelt way of thinking into the United States. Reagan Replaced progressive taxation with tax cuts for the top and the elite. Therefore the money needed to provide services was cut as well. That is why we have the anti welfare mentality from the crazy conservatives. Reagan also gave us supply side economics or voodoo economics. This goes against traditional economics where supply is supposed to meet demand. We also started to focus all of our spending on the military instead of the schools and our health as a nation. Ronald Reagan has ruined our political system and is one of the worst presidents we have ever had. He was the first step to the oligarchy that we have today.

We have to fight for all of our rights. If you want to know what our country can achieve with progress ideas then Europe is a great place to look at.

My challenge for all of you is to watch Michael Moore's Where to Invade Next and also watch Pay to Play. Part 3 will be about the economic collapse and what caused it which I will post here. I Hope Y'all enjoyed this post.

[mmonk]

1. Indeed. We abandoned the American Dream (our dreams)

and exported it like our jobs and know how. Great post.

[jpmonk91]

5. Thanks dad

[libdem4life]

2. We're #27... Rah Rah.

[jpmonk91]

4. America is not number 1 at a lot

But we are #1 in gun related homicides

[libdem4life]

6. I'll raise you one!

[jpmonk91]

7. Lol

Think of what we could have accomplished with a second bill of rights.

[libdem4life]

9. Ii noticed the "Dad" thing...pretty cool Dad.

[jpmonk91]

18. mmonk is

Mike Monk. Mike Monk is my dad.

[JDPriestly]

3. One thing you never hear about is how the West was really settled.

We hear so much about the wars and the covered wagons. But we don't hear much about the farmers who wanted simply a plot of land and the ability to build a house and feed and clothe their families.

What I am saying is that we do not hear about the homesteading, the gifts or near gifts of land to the earlier European Americans in the Middle West who still feed our country.

When I read about how people don't want to pay taxes so that others can have health insurance, I ask myself where we would be had early Americans sold the land to wealthy landowners from England, France and Spain. Most of us would be no more than slaves today in my opinion.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

8. When I lived in Britain I had most of these things

NHS, paid maternity leave, free college (until Maggie Thatcher got rid of it), we didn't have any corporate money in our campaigns only a little help from the local unions. People in America are exploited.

[libdem4life]

10. Well Americans can get that now...as long as they join the military.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

11. not all of us can!

this country is an overgrown war machine

[libdem4life]

13. Indeed. That was my sad point. A bit facetious, I admit.

[jpmonk91]

14. Yes we Americans are exploited

We need to adopt a lot of what Europe has now. Like healthcare and free college

[libdem4life]

12. Just a passing comment...the reason Europe has it so great is that we

like to play Global Policeman. They don't need a huge military...we'd prefer to have control and pay for it. After WW2, we just stayed and they said OK. NATO.

[jpmonk91]

15. That is why wwii

Is interesting to me. It was the only moral war we have ever had in my opinion. I do think how ever the every war we have fought since then has not been moral in any way. These proxy wars are fought for the multi conglomerate corporations that try to always control everything.

[libdem4life]

17. Agreed but now they should take over a larger

part of their defense. But our MIC likes the business and they have money to treat their citizens much better than we do. Works for all except the US Peasant class. That would include many here.

But still we pay out the ears for wars of convenience and to protect Europe largely from Russia. They got together for the Euro but I'm not holding my breath.

Bernie surely understands this. Has to do with the obscene profits from the MIC and lures our Peasant Class into the military for the "benefits"

Another bottom up needing fresh eyes and focus, IMO.

[Baobab]

16. In order to do anything like that we would need to get rid of GATS which bars it all.

http://www.adaction.org/media/TradingLives.pdf