US National debt has reached $64 Trillion

and ended when his successor threw the entire Treasury plus a few odd billion at the problem to make it better

Like Reagan did?

[Zachstar]

Originally Posted by Tribesman

Like Reagan did?

ZING!

[SteamWake]

If I remember correctly Regan was handed a recession and did an admirable job of turning it around.

[Stealth Hunter]

The same one Carter inherited from Ford and Nixon.

If I remember correctly Regan was handed a recession and did an admirable job of turning it around.

Which he did by nearly quadrupling the national debt in a very short time .
Though of course Reagan had one big advantage , the legacy he recieved didn't include a crazily expensive unwinnable war .

[August]

Originally Posted by Tribesman

Which he did by nearly quadrupling the national debt in a very short time .
Though of course Reagan had one big advantage , the legacy he recieved didn't include a crazily expensive unwinnable war .

The cold war was plenty expensive, and as of 1980 still hadn't been won although it had been going on for 35 years.

Originally Posted by UnderseaLcpl

It is possible to fight for your country even if you don't agree with all of the government's policies.
I only wish it were true that we were being sent to fight by the "fat capitalists" They'd probably pay us a lot better.....

Yea well for example the drug companies could afford to fix up Walter Reed ten times over and still have billions and billions of profit to stash away. They decide to not do so because they don't want to pay to the veterans or soldiers any more then they have to. They are what the US military defends.

But it doesn't surprise me that an American would be willing to trade their flag for a buck.

The cold war was plenty expensive, and as of 1980 still hadn't been won although it had been going on for 35 years.

Big difference , the cold war was winnable

[UnderseaLcpl]

Originally Posted by OneToughHerring

Yea well for example the drug companies could afford to fix up Walter Reed ten times over and still have billions and billions of profit to stash away. They decide to not do so because they don't want to pay to the veterans or soldiers any more then they have to. They are what the US military defends.

Notwithstanding the fact that the government let Walter Reed get that way to begin with, having pharmaceutical companies throw billions of dollars at the problem wouldn't solve it for long. Walter Reed's problem wasn't that the facility was inadequate, the problem was that it was not well-maintained and provided poor service. That's what happens in a government monopoly.
Our private hospitals, on the other hand, are amongst the best in the world, if not the best overall, and consistently provide first-rate service because of the profit motive. If I had my leg blown off, I'd rather be at one of those.

But it doesn't surprise me that an American would be willing to trade their flag for a buck.

Why trade when you can have both? That flag represents a nation built upon individual liberties and free trade. There is nothing unpatriotic about private industry, certainly not moreso than government in any case.

[August]

Originally Posted by Tribesman

Big difference , the cold war was winnable

Nobody in 1980 thought so and that's the whole point. The future is never as clear as the past.

Originally Posted by UnderseaLcpl

Notwithstanding the fact that the government let Walter Reed get that way to begin with, having pharmaceutical companies throw billions of dollars at the problem wouldn't solve it for long. Walter Reed's problem wasn't that the facility was inadequate, the problem was that it was not well-maintained and provided poor service. That's what happens in a government monopoly.
Our private hospitals, on the other hand, are amongst the best in the world, if not the best overall, and consistently provide first-rate service because of the profit motive. If I had my leg blown off, I'd rather be at one of those.

Strange because here in Finland a soldier or a veteran would have top of the line in the world care and it'd be all expences paid. The same for everyone who gets sick. We take care of our veterans, and they care about defending the nation. Not just some company.

Why trade when you can have both? That flag represents a nation built upon individual liberties and free trade. There is nothing unpatriotic about private industry, certainly not moreso than government in any case.

Well obviously you have neither. Your country is bankrupt and hated all over the world and the same goes for your companies.

[Digital_Trucker]

Originally Posted by OneToughHerring

Well obviously you have neither. Your country is bankrupt and hated all over the world and the same goes for your companies.

That's funny. I don't see any of those countries that hate ours so much turning down the free aid that our bankrupt country ships to them. Your hatred for the US is already well documented, why don't you just let it stand?

[UnderseaLcpl]

Originally Posted by OneToughHerring

Strange because here in Finland a soldier or a veteran would have top of the line in the world care and it'd be all expences paid. The same for everyone who gets sick.

It would be hard to compare Finland to the U.S. in that regard because there are so many differing factors. I expect that Finland's healthcare system can be administered more effectively because there are more competing political parties and there are only a few million Finns. Government gets a lot less efficient as the size of the population increases.
Just because the system works in Finland doesn't mean it will work in the U.S. Look at the state healthcare we have now. It sucks and it is very expensive.

We take care of our veterans, and they care about defending the nation. Not just some company.

Our veterans also care about defending their nation, and other nations as well. U.S. citizens also try to care for our military personnel, the government just botches it sometimes, suggesting it may not be the proper agency.

Well obviously you have neither. Your country is bankrupt and hated all over the world and the same goes for your companies.

I'm not going to try to make this into some sort of nationalist argument. I disapprove of my government (and its' spending) as much as you do, if not more. It has become something it was never intended to be, and I'd like to see less of it.
However, the world does not hate our companies as much as you might suppose. If people disapproved of them, they couldn't do business. No one would buy their products.
You shouldn't hate them, either. U.S businesses have never invaded a country, nor have they ever legislated foreign policy. All they do is create jobs and generate economic activity. They do a better job of such things than the state does. In fact, I think they might do a better job administering veterans' healthcare and providing military services (to some extent, obviously they cannot have a monopoly on military force, like the state does).

[antikristuseke]

Originally Posted by August

But America IS the best thing ever! Don't you agree?

Fistonia is clearly superior.

[August]

Originally Posted by antikristuseke

Fistonia is clearly superior.

Never heard of it. but assuming it isn't some made up name I would expect it's residents to love their country as much as i love mine and you should love yours.