They did a good job at what up to Bush? Training Osama and Al-Qaeda? Bombing the shit out of Nicaragua because it wouldn’t drop tariffs? Threatening to do the same to Jamaica when they would drop aluminum tariffs and calling their just elected right-wing leader a communist dictator? Iran-Contra? Electing a good actor as a frontman president for a non transparent cabinet? Making that actor a senile of man who in reality was barely in touch with this planet much less politics and believed aliens were ushering in an apocalypse because a psychic hinted at it?

Or were you talking about Gerald Ford pardoning Nixon? Or were you talking about Nixon asking the head of the IRS to conduct personal illegal attacks for him? Or were you talking about Nixon not only continuing, but elevating Viet Nam – a pointless and costly war started by *Democrats* – breaking his election promises, and American and International law in the process? Or howabout paying for rape camps in Timor?

Or were you talking about Eisenhower? It would seem so and I’ll forgive you for not understanding the concept of linear time because dumbshit American conservatives like you have trouble with basic skills instinctual to non-retards and most retards.

*has seen before the war = has seen since before the war.

Also, arguably, the only reason that there was a brief and minor economic turnaround during the Reagan years is that the economy was sliding down so fast that American industry and real estate that the Japanese could buy it on mass. The HW economic catastrophy happened maybe a month or two after the famous Japanese bubble burst, which is no coincidence. It was only Clinton who was able to undue Reagan’s abuse of the dollar and wasteful spending.

You talk about fiscal responsibility, but, you know, a lot of this sluggishness corresponds to escalating Viet Nam, arming Al-Qaeda, bombing Nicaragua… Before 9-11, as most people seemed to have forgotten that W Bush poured everything into speculative defence technology which still is in research.

You can call my objection to war idealistic, but it takes a lot of money to bomb the shit out of people. Money America has rarely had, and typically it occurs simultaneously with Republican administrations and congresses raising the tax burden disproportionately for those who can afford it the least.

The “spend more, shift the tax burden to the poor, cut funding for long term economic investments (ie education)” philosophy has been a hallmark of the GOP, and has never worked, has no pragmatic basis. If this pattern keeps up, you’re going to have the Reagan Years x10000: bloated self-important industry leaders with less and less of a market to sell to.

There’s nothing functional, logical or pragmatic about that. Enjoy your being the new Mexico, USA.