The advantage of Capitalism is that it leads to competition for the consumers' dollar. And this leads to better products and services. But by its very nature, Capitalism is fired by greed or something very much like it. This can get out of hand with such things as monopolies and cartels, so it has to be firmly regulated.

In the 1930s, Franklin D. Roosevelt and his progressive/ Democratic administration ended the Great Depression (precipitated by Capitalist greed manipulating Wall Street and the banking system) and ushered in a solid period of general prosperity following World War II.

And no, it was NOT World War II that got the U. S. out of the Depression, it was a combination of FDR's measures, such as the WPA and CCC, which put the 25% unemployed back to work on much needed infrastructure such as roads, highways, bridges, and National Parks, which we are still using and enjoying today. This jump-started the end of the Depression partly by putting money back in the hands of people who had to spend it right away on things like food and rent, returning the money immediately into circulation, and this, in essence, jump-started the economy. The regulatory agencies that FDR put into place, such as the Securities and Exchange Commission put the brakes on wild speculation on Wall Street and irresponsibility in the banking system.

This is an oversimplification of the extent and effect of FDR's policies, but it give the essence of it.

The Fifties was a period of general prosperity, despite a Republican administration, but Dwight D. Eisenhower was a moderate Republican and an intelligent man. He, after all, is the one who warned the country about the dangers of the Military-Industrial complex.

Kennedy and Johnson from the early to the late 1960s. Then Nixon and Ford in the 1970s, then one term of Jimmie Carter, followed by—

Ronald Reagan. Reagan set about disassembling the regulatory agencies the FDR put in place by, for example, replacing members of the Securities and Exchange Commission with banking executives and Wall Street brokers.

A prime example of putting the fox in charge of the chicken coop!

This, plus replacing a couple of Supreme Court justices with Conservatives, along with big tax breaks for corporations ("supply-side economics"). George H. W. Bush just continued Reagan's policies. He was followed by Bill Clinton who manage to get himself impeached (fooling around with a White House aide) without really accomplishing much for the country.

Then—George W. Bush, the walking disaster! 'Nuff said!!

Barack Obama is no FDR, but his heart is in the right place and he's doing his damnedest to put things right again, but he is being stonewalled by an ultra-conservative Republican Congress who don't give a damn about the good of the country as a whole, they just want to see Obama fail.

Two major reasons for this: he is a Progressive Democrat, which to the Right Wing is the equivalent of the Anti-Christ, and as far as the southern states (and parts of the rest of the country) he is the wrong color to be in the White House.

Can't have that, now can we!??

Interesting to note that many of the details of Obama's health care plan were first proposed by Republican Mitt Romney in Massachusetts and it was just peachy-keen then—but when Obama proposes essentially the same plan, the Republicans act like the Apocalypse is coming!!

Contrary to the lazy thinkers who avoid the effort of thinking by asserting that "they're both the same," there is a world of difference between the philosophical and ethical positions of Liberals and Conservatives.

And this goes back to long before King John was forced, kicking and screaming, to sign the Magna Carta at Runnymede in 1215. This was one of the first steps toward limiting the powers of the aristocracy and guaranteeing the common people some rights—a first step toward Constitutional government.

It becomes obvious that a distressing and depressing number of people apparently don't know the long-term histories of the issues the speak so authoritatively about. A goodly percentage of the voters in this (and apparently some other countries) are badly in need of a good Dope Slap!!

Don Firth