• DagwoodIII@piefed.social
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    32
    ·
    edit-2
    3 hours ago

    LBJ wanted to have social spending and have a massive knockout punch in Vietnam. Instead of a knockout punch, the War turned into a massive quagmire. It was costing the US a fortune, but LBJ didn’t want to raise taxes, so he printed money. Nixon got elected and doubled down on the War and using inflation to pay for it. Then the OPEC oil embargo hit and inflation went through the roof.

    Jimmy Carter’s plan [controlled by Fed chair Paul Volker] solved inflation, but by the time it kicked in Carter had been replaced by Reagan. Reagan deregulated a lot of industries and let them run wild.

    In 1968, ‘middle class’ was defined as one Union job supporting a family of four. At that time $1 million was a vast fortune. By the time Bush Sr. was out, ‘middle class’ meant two incomes to run the home, and $1 million was what a rich guy paid for a party.

    • tomiant@piefed.social
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      18
      ·
      9 hours ago

      Whenever you want to understand the state of the USA, consider George Bush, president, father of George Bush, president.

      We’re a fucking Middle Eastern dynastic fiefdom, with fucking nukes.

      • DagwoodIII@piefed.social
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        3
        ·
        3 hours ago

        The funny thing is that Bush Dr. castigated Reagan’s tax cuts as ‘voo-doo economics’ when they were running against each other in the primaries. Once Reagan won the nomination, Bush signed on whole heartedly