We have older people delaying their retirements, more bankruptcies, a deep recession and a crashing stock market. More people are deeply in debt and the numbers of uninsured have become a national crisis. The Big Three are on the verge of going under, and we started a war to get a reliable source of oil.

Let's use the old question, are the majority of Americans better off now than they were 30 years ago? By just about any measure you want to use, the answer is yes.

Really?

I seriously doubt it!

American wages hit a peak in the mid-seventies and have been stagnating ever since. More Americans work today than did thirty years ago, and they work more hours than they did thirty years ago. Defined Pension Plans have been phased out, most employer don't offer anywhere near the quality health insurance today than they did thirty years ago. Most Americans have no savings and are a couple of paychecks from homelessness. The average American household has almost $9,000 in credit card debt.

OTOH we have far better electronics & technology than we had thirty years ago, and our upper classes (the top ten percent of the population) are substantially wealthier than they were in 1978, every one else is either in the same place or worse off.

And none of this takes into account our Federal Debt ( $10 Trillion) or our $700 to $800 billion trade deficit.

I also am very confused how you could say it is very likely we'll have a huge recession or depression, which by the latter by definition should never happen unless something is seriously wrong, and then claim that it doesn't matter to reevaluate the past and try to determine possible reasons because *somehow* things will be OK. Uh ok, how will things be OK if we don't know what caused problems in the first place.

Well there are many theories about what the economy should do and what it should respond to, but the theories that said we had unsustainable consumption and foreign debt are showing to be the most accurate. The measures of these things had a huge spike starting with Reagan and hasn't looked back. Oh and those criticisms are primarily from conservative economists and thinkers (of the pre-Reagan revolution vein), not liberals. So your summary doesn't align with a lot of the actual criticisms.

Plus, is Eisenhower not a conservative now?

Oh and if you want to talk about “revisionist” history, I think when all is said and done Clinton will actually be viewed much much more negatively than he is now and more so than Reagan who veered us away from an obviously unsustainable welfare environment.

Disqus sucks.

Let's use the old question, are the majority of Americans better off now than they were 30 years ago? By just about any measure you want to use, the answer is yes.

Is American life perfect, equal and just for all? No, and it never has been.

Are we heading into a recession, or maybe even a depression? Yes, very likely.

Does that mean the end of the American dream, or that we will never be prosperous again? No, it does not. That doesn't mean it is likely we will achieve the dominance of global affairs we once had (and which likely peaked in the 50's or early 60's), but that is different than saying we will never be a powerhouse again.

That has been a basic difference between conservatives and liberals since the 60's, at least. Liberals always manage to convince themselves that the best is behind us, and we need to accept a second class status. Conservatives believe the future holds new opportunities, challenges, and eventual success, even when things seem bleak.

Let's use the old question, are the majority of Americans better off now than they were 30 years ago? By just about any measure you want to use, the answer is yes.

Is American life perfect, equal and just for all? No, and it never has been.

Are we heading into a recession, or maybe even a depression? Yes, very likely.

Does that mean the end of the American dream, or that we will never be prosperous again? No, it does not. That doesn't mean it is likely we will achieve the dominance of global affairs we once had (and which likely peaked in the 50's or early 60's), but that is different than saying we will never be a powerhouse again.

That has been a basic difference between conservatives and liberals since the 60's, at least. Liberals always manage to convince themselves that the best is behind us, and we need to accept a second class status. Conservatives believe the future holds new opportunities, challenges, and eventual success, even when things seem bleak.

Let's use the old question, are the majority of Americans better off now than they were 30 years ago? By just about any measure you want to use, the answer is yes.

Is American life perfect, equal and just for all? No, and it never has been.

Are we heading into a recession, or maybe even a depression? Yes, very likely.

Does that mean the end of the American dream, or that we will never be prosperous again? No, it does not. That doesn't mean it is likely we will achieve the dominance of global affairs we once had (and which likely peaked in the 50's or early 60's), but that is different than saying we will never be a powerhouse again.

That has been a basic difference between conservatives and liberals since the 60's, at least. Liberals always manage to convince themselves that the best is behind us, and we need to accept a second class status. Conservatives believe the future holds new opportunities, challenges, and eventual success, even when things seem bleak.

So yeah, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that in 30 years Reagan will be seen as just an OK President. In fact a lot of conservatives (including Bacevich and many libertarians) have an unfavorable view of him for these very reasons.