Thom Hartmann: Is America better off than 30 yrs ago when the Reaganomics experiment started?

[thomhartmann]

The Democratic National Convention kicks off this week in Charlotte, North Carolina. And already, we’re seeing pretty stark differences between this week’s DNC and last week’s RNC. One week after Republicans unveiled the most radical major party platform in American modern history - Democrats have put forward their own political platform. Some of the planks include: a full embrace of marriage equality and a woman’s right to choose, comprehensive immigration reform, the right for unions to collectively bargain, support for Obamacare, protection of Medicare as we know it, increased funding for the arts, and cutting off tax breaks or job outsourcers like Bain Capital.

You might remember the Republican platform included things like a ban on pornography - a ban on marriage equality - and a ban on gays openly serving in the military. While there are too few differences between Republican and Democrats when it comes to the big issues facing the nation like war, free trade, and the corporate takeover of our democracy, there are still huge differences between the two parties as reflected in each platform. Differences that will affect millions of Americans. While Democrats want to keep moving the nation forward - extending civil rights and economic opportunity to more and more Americans - Republicans want to drag us all backward to the era of the Robber Barons.

And the way Republicans plan to win this battle - is to ask a very simple question, which is this: "Are you better off today than you were four years ago." The answer is fairly simple: yes. Considering what was going on in September of 2008 - there's no doubt that America is better off today than we were four years ago. As ThinkProgress points out today - newspaper headlines from September 2008 warned of a coming Great Depression - a U.S. economy on the brink of collapse - and an impending world crisis. We were losing hundreds of thousands of jobs a month four years ago - today - we're creating jobs every month.

In the year leading up to 2008 - under Bush - we lost a net of 609,000 jobs. But in the year leading up to 2012 - under Obama - we've gained a new 1.8 million jobs. In the year leading up to 2008 - under Bush - household wealth plummeted nearly $6 trillion dollars. But in the year leading up to 2012 - under Obama - household wealth increased by over $600 billion dollars. And for all the rich guys out there corporations are doing better too. In the year leading up to 2008 - under Bush - corporate profits dropped nearly $177 billion dollars. But in the year leading up to 2012 - under Obama - corporate profits have surged up more than $186 billion dollars.

There's no question about it - the United States of America is in far better shape than it was four years ago. But that's not the important question. Democrats needs to be asking their own question back to Republicans - and it's a question that should be the theme of the DNC over the next few days. The question isn't, "are you better off today than you were four years ago?" - it's, "are you better off today than you were thirty years ago when the Reaganomics experiment started?"

The Big Picture with Thom Hartmann on RT TV & FSTV "live" 9pm and 11pm check www.thomhartmann.com/tv for local listings

[sinkingfeeling]

1. That one's easy to answer: No. The entire world would be a better place if the USA

hadn't fallen for 'free market' capitalism and forced the rest of the world at the point of a gun to follow into selfish greed.

[Kalidurga]

2. That didn't start four years ago...

So I am not really getting your point. Yes, the US is better off. Yes, most people say they are better off, it is a somewhat small margin, but it is still a majority. And we have more rights than we did four years ago. The repeal of DADT is major, we are all better off for that. When the rights of the few are suppressed by the majority we are all oppressed.

[sinkingfeeling]

3. Couldn't disagree with you more. We aren't better off than we were pre-Ronnie. Just look at

any chart plotting wages across the decades. We weren't the 'owners' of several Mid-East countries then and didn't spend 50% of our wealth on the military. 30 years ago I could get on a plane without taking off my shoes, cross the border into Canada or Mexico without anything but a drivers' license, didn't have to worry about my phone being bugged by my government, etc. Yes, I'm glad DADT was repealed, but I sure don't believe we have more rights.