Anybody who is younger than 45 does not have the experience of knowing how different the USA is now compared to what It was then. People were friendlier, neighbors were more apt to give a hand to a neighbor, they knew the favor would likely be returned. Kids were relatively safe and could play outside all day just be close enough to hear a mom call for dinner. People were not afraid of police, the police were the good guys. It really was like that. I never saw anyone with missing teeth. I lived a regular middle class childhood. Millionaires had diamonds, mink coats, swimming pools, tailor made clothes and Cadillacs. They lived in mansions, had yachts, they paid about 85-90% on income tax, never heard anyone complain about it. They made 3 or 4 times what their employees made. Workers expected to work 1 job for 30-40 years. Got yearly raises, vacations, and pensions. The biggest change was when Reagan and his voodoo economics, his trickle down wealth, much lower taxes for the wealthy. The 1st blow to workers rights was Reagan’s breaking the unions when he fired every air-traffic-controller. That was a shock; no President had ever fired a group of employees, period. It was against men with a stressful job who wanted shorter hours, a tired controller would make more mistakes, with tragic results. The pair of Bushes continued to lower taxes for the wealthy and corporations and further breaking of workers rights. Civil rights, progressing on race relations, but chipping away at personal rights to privacy, freedom, and personal choices. - Pam Miner
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