Tom Thompson wrote
>I agree that the original post on this issue was a lot of nonsense.  By the way, what 
>does it have to do with St Paul?  

Well, Tom, as far as I know, while Olson Memorial Highway does not run through St 
Paul, the man worked in St Paul and was as much St Paul's governor as he was 
Minneapolis and the rest of the state.

Dennis Tester wrote--but forgot to sign--
> Nonsense.
> 
> "Reagan's greatest achievement was in liberating corporations from any
> responsibility for their actions--other than making the most money as fast
> as possible."  The people in Eastern Europe would disagree with you, and
> Reagan didn't invent capitalism.

He didn't invent capitalism but he did his best to make it fashionable.  And don't 
forget that he switched from being a democrat to being a republican when he was hired 
as spokesperson for General Electric.

> "It was under his leadership that we began to hear about how government was
> bad and corporations were good." Show us the quote.  No one ever said this
> that I know of.

There are no direct quotes that I know of, there are only the rhetoric and actions 
such cutting back on regulations and taxes and urging us to put our faith in glorious, 
unbridled captialism with emphasis on "Free Trade" instead of "Fair Trade".

> "All our woes would be solved if we would just free up our corporations from
> silly regulations like the Clean Water and Clean Air Acts"  Believe it or
> not, corporations drink water too, and they don't have their own private air
> supply.

Yes, they do.  And when things get too bad they can always pack up and relocate where 
they can find clean air and water to foul up before they move again.

> "Of course, we aren't supposed to remember how the corporations used these
> windfall profits to buy out their competition and shut down competing
> businesses."  Think about it.  The only monopolies in this country are
> sanctioned by the government, such as public schools and utility companies.

Think about it, yourself.  When Reagan started his presidency there was a company 
named US Steel.  They complained that they were losing money because they had to 
compete with modern steel plants in Germany and Japan that WE had helped them build 
after WWII.  Reagan touted that the corporate tax breaks would allow US Steel to 
modernize and become a globally competitive steel producer instead.  But what did US 
Steel do with their tax breaks?  Build new plants?  Upgrade to modern equipment?  
Create new jobs?  Well, here is how their own website describes their history under 
Reagan
http://www.ussteel.com/corp/about.htm
      "The 1980s also brought significant changes to the corporation's steel 
operations. In response to economic changes in the steel industry, the corporation 
reduced its domestic raw steel production capability through a number of 
restructurings. In addition, the corporation entered into several steel joint ventures 
with both domestic and foreign partners.
     

      "At the same time, many of the units among the corporation's diversified 
businesses were sold or combined into joint venture enterprises. These included 
chemicals and agri-chemicals businesses, an oil field supply business, domestic 
transportation subsidiaries and raw materials properties worldwide."

     

In fact, 10 years after Reagan's first inauguration, US Steel was so little into steel 
they changed their name to USX Corporation.

> "After all, what did Floyd B Olson do except introduce ... a progressive
> income tax"  Right out of the communist manifesto.  Check it out:
> http://www.anu.edu.au/polsci/marx/classics/manifesto.html#Bourgoise
> 
> ... which is the Taxpayers League's point.

And with state finances being what they are, it is time we went back to a REAL 
progressive income tax.  We need to start fulfilling our children's needs at our 
expense instead of our needs at our children's expense.  Ask not what your state can 
give to you, ask what you can give to your state.
Capitalist greed and selfishness will destroy America as effectively as Communism 
destroyed the Soviet Union.  Government is meant to be the watchdog for the people not 
for the capitalist and 
corporate elites.

Steven M Nelson
Willard Hay
http://citizenshipchronicles.blogspot.com/
Get UP! Get OUT! & GET INVOLVED!!!
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