Every time President Obama speaks, he provides us with lib-quotes galore. This week's nugget is from his speech delivered in Osawatomie, Kansas:
These values gave rise to the largest middle class and the strongest economy the world has ever known. It was here, in America, that the most productive workers and innovative companies turned out the best products on Earth, and every American shared in that pride and success -- from those in executive suites to middle management to those on the factory floor. If you gave it your all, you'd take enough home to raise your family, send your kids to school, have your health care covered, and put a little away for retirement.
Today, we are still home to the world's most productive workers and innovative companies. But for most Americans, the basic bargain that made this country great has eroded. Long before the recession hit, hard work stopped paying off for too many people. Fewer and fewer of the folks who contributed to the success of our economy actually benefitted from that success. Those at the very top grew wealthier from their incomes and investments than ever before. But everyone else struggled with costs that were growing and paychecks that weren't - and too many families found themselves racking up more and more debt just to keep up.
The values to which he referred are those of the post-World War II era, a period of time to which liberals frequently refer as the rise of the modern American middle class. That part has a large amount of truth, but the reasons for the rise always escape them. And the differences between the American values then and now that brought about significant changes are purposely ignored.
Like other liberals I have heard making similar comments, President Obama leaves out an enormous number of inconvenient truths.
First, overall American moral values kept single parent families in check. While not all attitudes toward out of wedlock births were fair, there were fewer of them and, as a result, much less childhood poverty. The reality of American life is that intact father-mother-children families experience far less poverty than any other type. Modern immorality has assaulted these values to the point that the traditional family is derided as an unrealistic delusion. The inevitable result is more widespread poverty. If our president is serious about decreasing poverty, he should have the courage to address issues of sexual morality and purity.
Second, liberals love to talk about the "living wage" that middle class Americans used to receive. "If you gave it your all, you'd take enough home to raise your family, send your kids to school, have your health care covered, and put a little away for retirement." How about a closer look at this? If liberals like Mr. Obama are going to laud how the wages of the "good old days" used to adequately provide for the middle class family, then let them also consider how their income was used. Most families maintained one automobile; a few had two. They certainly did not buy a car for every driving member of the family. They shared one television, not one for every room in the house. The reception came from an antenna, not cable or satellite with premium channel packages. The household had one phone, not phones and plans for every member of the family. Dining out was the exception and considered a treat. They didn't spend money on tattoos and multiple body piercing. Most did not see any sense with purchasing houses beyond their financial means. Credit was carefully managed. The list is extensive. Think for yourself the many gadgets that have become "important" in our lives.
I don't mind folks having these things, and more. I merely believe that if liberals are going to draw upon the "good old days" to frame their contention that Americans used to be adequately rewarded for their hard work, then they make accurate comparisons. I contend that if we returned to the spending habits of the era to which President Obama and his liberal cronies like to refer, then we would discover that wages are adequate even in modern America.
But, you already know how twisted things can get in the land of left-believe.
