“For Negroes are not the only victims. How many white children have gone uneducated, how many white families have lived in stark poverty, how many white lives have been scarred by fear, because we have wasted our energy and our substance to maintain the barriers of hatred and terror?
So I say to all of you here, and to all in the Nation tonight, that those who appeal to you to hold on to the past do so at the cost of denying you your future.
This great, rich, restless country can offer opportunity and education and hope to all: black and white, North and South, sharecropper and city dweller. These are the enemies: poverty, ignorance, disease. They are the enemies and not our fellow man, not our neighbor. And these enemies too, poverty, disease and ignorance, we shall overcome.”
Where did we go wrong? I am inclined to believe complacency plays a large role but more than this is the determined actions of those shadow and moneyed figures who have for nearly 60 years worked aggressively to turn back the hands of time.
Some believe this is a dial back to the 1950’s; a time when the little woman met hubby at the door with a Martini and dinner was on the table at exactly six pm. Dysfunction hidden behind a wall of smiles and silence, everyone in agreement to speak softly and pass the mashed potatoes. Children, bright and shiny faces smile up at their teachers and learn by rote their ‘A,B,C’ and who the enemy is, the big bad Communist behind the brick and razor wire 
wall.
It is the world of Beaver and Wally Cleaver.
The fifties were a time many look back on with great affection, considering this the idyllic time in our nation’s history, but was it? What is it about the era that is so attractive to so many; shall we explore the difference sixty year’s makes in the history of a nation and our memories.
- Taxes – could it be we had a lower marginal tax rate during the idyllic 1950’s? Is this what the attraction is? No, this isn’t it, the average top marginal tax for those wonderful ‘job creators’ during this time was 85%, that’s right one of the highest rates in our history; of course back then we didn’t call them job creators, we called them wealthy and expected them to contribute to the health of our national coffers for the good of the nation.
- Jobs – we had them back then, at least some of us did. Minorities weren’t in the workforce in any meaningful way, certainly not as a threat to the “American” way of life! Women? Well we have put a
real dent in things! Our numbers have grown since the 50’s by 394%. We have girded our dainty loins for battle and skipped blithely into every single arena of high crimes, chicanery and flimflam and demanded our seat at the table! I suppose this does cause angst, the competition likely makes many uncomfortable. - While we are talking about jobs – we should look at the other reason we had jobs, fair trade policy and practices! That is right, since the 1950’s our borders for trade have sprung wide open. While this prying loose of trade polices began after WWII, the grease was applied by the Lord of Free Trade, President Ronald Reagan with GATT and applied even more liberally by his predecessors in trickery, right up through present day WTO trade agreements. These agreements keep import Tariffs at all-time lows while doing nothing to address trade imbalance with those nefarious ‘Favored Nations’ and slips through the cracks the idea that Americans are ill prepared, to stupid even to fill the jobs available in the market those requiring on-going infusions in the tens of thousands from other, smarter temporary forces of resources who will work for half as much while Americans languish.
- Civil Rights – perhaps the most reprehensible problems of the time machine bunch. Why you ask? What we are seeing today is a return to the policies and programs of that time, a return to a time of Jim Crow and Plessy
v. Ferguson; a time when it was legal to separate, abuse even kill a man or woman based solely on the color of their skin. Segregation, voter suppression and separate but equal were all at play and fully supported by the courts and those elected to offices both high and low. - Now we have the issue of SEX, that’s right SEX. Blue laws throughout the land controlled who had it and with whom it was legal to have it with, even in some cases in what position it was legal to have it in and on what does of the week. But it wasn’t just sex it was the purpose of sex and women were the receptacles, the bearers of children! Both contraception and abortion were illegal in all cases. In most states so was pre-marital sex but only women were ever prosecuted as lewd women. Men? Well they were just being men.
“ I pledge allegiance to my flag and the republic for which it stands, one nation indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
Recognize the above? No? It is the original Pledge of Allegiance written by Francis Bellamy (1855-1931), a Christian Socialist who frankly would be rolling in his grave were he to know that his simply pledge of commitment to the Flag and Country has become such a historical point of contention. The Pledge of Allegiance was said in schoolrooms throughout the nation daily by schoolchildren from Kindergarten 
through High School, with exactly the words above. It was not until June 14, 1954 by Joint Resolution of Congress after being introduced by President Eisenhower the words ‘One Nation Under God’ were added to the Pledge, hardly historical and certainly not the intent of our Founding Fathers.
So let’s do a quick synopsis, shall we? What do these historians want to return to?
- Higher taxes
- Jim Crow
- Voter Suppression
- Segregation / Separate but Equal
- Protectionism, return of tariffs
- Blue Laws, criminalization of Abortion and contraception
- Removal of God from Public sector including money and Pledge of Allegiance
No, I don’t think they want the list above. They want a selected set of the list above. Clearly, we are moving on a fast track toward achieving some of these. I think President Johnson had it dead to rights in his Civil Rights speech of 1965; the enemy is poverty, ignorance and disease. It is truly unfortunate today we have all these running rampant and even being promoted.
What think you?
QBG_Tilted Tiara 
I didn’t know that about the tax rate. Interesting!
Tax rates today are at an all time low, well not lower than their inception but lower than anytime since pre-depression era. You can see a chart of tax rates tied to presidential terms here https://valentinelogar.com/2012/05/21/tainted-meat/ if you are interested.
thanks for stopping in
Val
Greed, ignorance, lack of respect …. a vocal aspect of society simply scares me.
I believe we need to be vocal, no matter where we fall on the political spectrum. What causes my fear is the desire to take us backward as a nation without truly considering what this means. I agree the elements of greed and ignorance are frightening. The lack of respect we show for each other, our inability to have civil discussion about our differences is terrible these days.
It is always the same, everyone
looks back with rose tinted glasses
not realising the full impact of what
those years actually represented 😦
A great posting Val 🙂
Androgoth XXx
Those glasses need a bit of polishing don’t you think? I tire of the on-going battle we seem to be fighting to move forward rather than back. I don’t understand why so many people think it was better in the past.
I guess peeps only think of the good points
and totally miss out the horrible bits, rather
like tunnel vision don’t you think? 😦
Androgoth XXx
Indeed, unfortunate. I suspect though many of those today hammering away for a return to past times were either not alive or still in diapers during the time they are looking backward toward. Sad really.
X Val X
Yes the past can seem favourable but when taking a closer look it can also be the worst thought ever…
I hope your evening is a lovely one, here in the UK it is raining skeletons and zombies at the moment, and at 02:00 i should be getting some tea and Van Helsing, well I am out at 07:00 so time for a few Zzzz’s 🙂 I will be back on your morrow 🙂
Androgoth XXx
Val,
you must run for something. You’d be SOOO doggone awesome.
& you are absolutley informed and SMART and empathetic.
Do it! Change the World.
Xxx
Kim, you lift me up thank you. I think I will continue to make my small contributions where they serve best and keep me out of the way of those who would beat me bloody with my history.
Perhaps from my small corner I can change the world a small bit.
Val
XX
I pray not, Valentine and I sure wouldn’t want to go back to the ’50s. Greed vs poverty need to be addressed wholeheartedly.
I am 100% with you, that was not a decade I would choose to return to either. Poverty, ignorance and a host of other terrible things need addressing. We teeter on the edge of either greatness or utter failure and it is only us, individually and as a nations that can decide the outcome.
Me, I follow the money. I think it all relates to greed, pure and simple. The 1% of the 1% who want it all, not just almost all of it, and don’t care at all about anyone else.
This was a great post, Val.
Thanks Elyse, just a short list of the 50’s time machine. When we consider those signs of ‘take back our country’ I always have to ask myself, to what and from whom. Don’t you wonder though, what decade are they wanting?
I agree with you greed is the overriding factor.
Hmmm, the Guilded Age comes to mind. Just before 1929! Gotta go bob my hair, now. Bye!
Mine isn’t a bob, mine is currently bright platinum and damned near military regulation short. Love it, no comb no brush required just a short shake of the head and a finger swipe.
Val— I want to know why you are not running for President!!! I would Vote for you.
Well spoken and so right. Even if I do not know all your USA politcs you speak truth from your heart. Bless you. Sue xx
I think I said somewhere in my “About” my closet was full of skeletons. They prevent me from ever living my life in public. I would never, never never ever run for public office. People are simply far to ugly and nasty these days believing every single hangnail you have ever had, every single drunken brawl and one night stand (not that I have a history of either) are their business. Nope I think I will let my skeletons dance the Minuet quietly in the closet I built just for them.
Thank you for your vote of confidence though, I appreciate it!
XXX Val OOO
🙂 😉 xoxox
I agree with a lot of the above . . . but I’m a Libertarian-Republican and I don’t wanna argue politics (gah!). All I will say, with 100% confidence, is that you and I both wanna do what’s right, and best for everyone. Such an important thing to remember whenever we get down to talking philosophy and politics!
Never an argument, civil discourse though we should always be able to have that among people of intellect and good faith.
I am and always have been an Independent.
Social Progressive
Fiscal Conservative (which does not mean destruction of the social safety net)
PeaceNik
What we have today is a bastardization of everything that was once good of all the platforms and ideologies across the board. It is unfortunate. What we have today is a complete breakdown and I weep for this nation.
I wouldn’t want to go back if there were such an option. No, I think I stay right here to see all that’s going on now, and hope to live to see what happens next.
I couldn’t agree with you more on who the real enemies are, Val.
Hugs xx
The real enemy? All those things and an adherence to ideology over human beings. We are at the crossroads as a nation, we have a choice to make; do we choose to move forward, invest in ourselves as a nation? Or alternatively do we choose to fail, slide backwards and declare the once great United States of America a failure.