Over the past few years a number of these have gone around. I know Shakespeare's Sister has done one, and I think someone connected to the Group News Blog has as well. But I like Guerrila Dove's for being simple and direct:What have liberals done for America? Here are some items to ponder:
- Lead America out of the great depressionOr perhaps this list from the Umatilla County Democrats
- Lead America and the world to victory in WWII
- Stood firm against communism in Berlin, Korea, Cuba and Vietnam
- Spoke out against racism and fought for the right of ALL Americans to vote
- Landed a man on the moon
- Negotiated peace between Israel and its former enemies Egypt and Jordan
- Gave America social security and Medicare to ensure that ALL Americans would have the right to retire without fear of living in abject poverty
- Elected presidents have balanced their budgets or at the very least reduced the deficits of their Republican predecessors
- Led the United States into becoming the most powerful political, economic and military power in human history
1919—Women’s Suffrage Ratified [Wilson]He then issued a challenge for anyone to come up with a list of 10 things the conservatives have done for the US. Here's a list from Broad Sunlit Uplands:
1920—Annette Adams, First Woman Appointed To An Administration Position
[Wilson]
1933—Federal Deposit Insurance [FDR]
1935—W.P.A. [FDR-put people to work during the depression]
1935—Social Security Act [FDR]
1938—Fair Labor Standards Act [FDR]
1944—G.I. Bill Of Rights [FDR]
1947—Military Desegregated [Truman]
1947—Marshall Plan [Truman-Rebuilt Europe after WW II]
1961—Peace Corps [John F. Kennedy]
1964—Civil Rights Act [Johnson]
1964—Medicare And Medicaid [Johnson]
1964—Fed Dept Of Housing And Urban Development [Johnson]
1965—Head Start Created [Johnson]
1968—Occupation Safety Act [Johnson]
1987—Clean Water Act [Dem Congress override of Reagan veto]
1990—Americans With Disabilities Act [Democratic Congress]
1993—Family Leave Act [Clinton]
1993—AmeriCorps [Clinton]
1996-- Largest expansion of college opportunity since the GI Bill [Clinton]
1997-- Converted the largest budget deficit in American history to the
largest surplus [Clinton]
1999-- Longest economic expansion in American history & Lowest
unemployment in 30 years [Clinton]
• Raised taxes on wages and lowered taxes on unearned income
• Three Quarters of federal debt accumulated by three Conservative Presidents
• Massive devaluation of the dollar by the logical outcome of their belief in invisible hands and cronyism
• Massive and expensive expansion of the military to fight nonexistent threat; one at the expense of social goods like infrastructure maintenance and care for the least among us.
• A distribution of wealth approaching Latin American levels.
• Largest number of homeless and unemployed ever.
• The judicial murder of people later found innocent.
• Imprisonment of almost 2 percent of the national population including those who committed no crime against property or persons.
• Wrecking in turn each industry that they have deregulated. Banks, Airlines, Energy and other deregulated sectors fail then require regulation.
• Wars for irrational beliefs that are against the national interest.
• Self-destructive and irrational fear, hate and ignorance.
To which I will add
- Were in charge during three of the greatest financial crises of the 20th century: The Great Depression (Herbert Hoover), the S&L crises (Ronald Regan) and the Great Recession (George W. Bush)
- Deny citizens their rights based on their sexuality
- Sanctioned the use of torture by the United States
- Took us off the gold standard and put us on the petrodollar (Nixon), thereby tying the value of our currency to foreign oil
- Had lots and lots and LOTS of sex scandals (source)
- Looked the other way while their Saudi friends trafficked in child sex slaves (George W. Bush) (source)
- And, oh yea, not only created Timothy McVey, but were in charge of our national security on 9/11
Now, which party has proven better for this country?
Have a good 4th
