Perceptions

I just had a thought, actually a memory, and that is prompting this typing. Here it is:
In the 1960’s, I remember life as being quite good. We had saved some money and we were able to make a down payment on a brand new house. True, the house was located far out in the country and the commute was quite long, but it was all ours! (Or it would be after 20 years of payments) I made enough money as a carpenter so that my wife was able to stay home and work as wife and mother for our two children. Then a mistake was made; in 1966 Ronald Reagan was elected governor. California began to change as more taxes and more government were added. Incredibly, the people of California elected Reagan once again in 1970; as if he hadn’t done enough damage during his first term. Inflation soon made its appearance and the real wages of one job per family were no longer enough to support that family (mine) at the same level. My wife had to get a job. (1973) Taxes were increased. The beginnings of Proposition 13 were brewing…

You say that it didn’t happen that way? Have you ever heard of the saying that “perception is reality”? We lived through those years and that is exactly how we perceived them. If you were born after 1950, you only know what the historians want you to know about Reagan. Remember, only the winners write the history. For me, reality is quite simple. Prior to 1966, life was better than after 1966.

One memorable thing that struck me as wrong about Ronald was his closing of the mental health hospitals. Our new house was located about 2 miles from Camarillo State Hospital and I remember it as a haven for those who couldn’t take care of themselves. I thought that the hospital was a work that, as a society, we should do. I still think so…but now those who would be safer in a hospital are out on the street and we call it our “homeless problem – street people”. Again, perception is reality. How did Reagan sleep at night?

Another Reagan idea that created so much havoc was his idea of Supply-Side Economics, later tagged as “Voodoo Economics” by none other than the father of our current president. Government spending then increased by nearly 300 % as those companies with the right connections to the government got more than their share of the tax dollars. The premise was simple; spend lots of government money and the profits that the companies made would then “trickle down” through the many socio-economic levels and everyone would get a share. But humans have a perverse nature and a lot of them wanted to keep that money and stop the trickle. Many never saw even a drop from the trickle.

The trickle down economy has never worked and never will. There is no success story, but the current holder of the presidential office trots out this failed idea as if it were a new “horse” that we had never seen before.

As I was googling, (or is it googleing?) I found this interesting piece on economics.
http://mirrors.korpios.org/resurgent/23More.htm