Just curious - Trump says let's make American Great Again - when was the last time it was great? (illegal aliens, Clinton)

[Miker2069]

Just out of curiosity, for those that subscribe to the "American isn't great now, so we need someone like Trump (or Cruz, or whomever) to make it great again." When was the last time it was great?

So if under the Obama if it's was so bad...let's unwind, was it the 8 years under Bush, or do we need to go further back - was it the 8 years under Clinton? Hmm, how about going back further, was it the Regan and Bush H. years (that's going back pretty far though). Not a loaded question, but tell me what "glory" did we once have that we no longer have now.

[uggabugga]

I think we already did this one.

[Myghost]

Trump is one of a small minority who thinks America is not great. (Or more likely, he's just badmouthing the country that afforded him so much, just to get a little more.....)

[Miker2069]

Originally Posted by uggabugga

I think we already did this one.

You are right sir, thank you!

[Miker2069]

Originally Posted by Myghost

Trump is one of a small minority who thinks America is not great. (Or more likely, he's just badmouthing the country that afforded him so much, just to get a little more.....)

Well I really wanted to find out, when it was really greater than now. Sometimes I think Trump's definition of "Great" is clubbing china over the head.

[mtl1]

America was great until about the mid '60s.

[oberon_1]

Originally Posted by mtl1

America was great until about the mid '60s.

Yes, in a way it was!

1) Leading the free world against Nazism, Fascism and blocking Communism expansion. Only US was able to do that.
2) The only economic superpower. $ was the world standard and the only currency that mattered. Nobody traded in Rubles, Yuan, Euro or Yen. US didn't need to borrow money from countries like China(!) Actually in the 1960s this would have sounded like a bad joke.
3) The industrial powerhouse of the globe. The US industrial output was unmatched by any other nation.
4) US led the world in scientific inventions. By far. For decades it also dominated the race to space.
5) The US food production (made by only a small fraction of its population) topped everyone else.

And the list goes on and on....

On a sidenote: Trump is just sh**ing. He doesn't even say what he means and HOW is he going to achieve that, but some folks nevertheless love his one liners.

[Packard fan]

Originally Posted by oberon_1

Yes, in a way it was:
1) Leading the free world against Nazism, Fascism and blocking Communism expansion.
2) The only economic superpower. $ was the world standard and the only currency that mattered. Nobody traded in Rubles, Yuan, Euro or Yen. US didn't need to borrow money from countries like China. Actually in the 1960s this would sound like a bad joke.
3) The industrial powerhouse of the globe. The US industrial output was such that couldn't be matched by any other nation. Not even close.
4) US led the world in scientific inventions. By far. For decades it dominated the race to space.
5) The US food production (made by only a small fraction of its population) topped everyone else.

And the list goes on and on....

As a sidenote: Trump is just sh**ing. He doesn't even say what he means and HOW is he going to achieve that, but some nevertheless love one liners.

Agreed and add in serious attempts to kill Jim Crow.

[Old Gringo]

He hasn't been specific on how far back he wants to turn the clock.

My guess would be the 90s, though.

Strong economy, no wars. A relatively good era before Dubya came along and wrecked it, leaving it all for Obama to clean up.

[BOS2IAD]

Yes, America was once great. It no longer is. Up until around 1965, we were doing very well as a country. There were many jobs that propelled people into the ranks of the lower middle class (such as factory, work, meat processing plants). Families were able to do well on one income. Whether or not you had a college degree, you knew that you could find honest work---much of which paid well enough.

We also had about 200 million people, which meant less traffic, more open land and better quality of life. Communities were more cohesive.

In 1965, Ted Kennedy introduced an immigration bill that was based on chain migration. He said that it wouldn't change this country at all. Before this bill was passed, we were in a period of reduced immigration, which worked very well. Allowing fewer people in meant that it was easier for newcomers to find work without displacing any Americans. Also, when you have immigration in small numbers, people in communities who received a new immigrant family would rally around them to help them adjust.

Slowly, things eroded. Ted Kennedy had lied. Chain migration changed the country in profound ways. Also, in the past 50 years, we've allowed 1 million legal immigrants per annum. After the disastrous 1986 amnesty, we've since been flooded with untold millions of illegal aliens. Then the H1-B visa was created and sold to the public with this message---there was (supposedly) a shortage of American citizen STEM/IT workers so H1-Bs would be brought in on a temporary basis. Once the supposed "shortage" was resolved (more and more Americans majored in STEM/IT fields), then there would be no need for H1-Bs. Instead this visa program morphed into something horrible. It's now being used to blatantly displace Americans. Not to mention so many Indians who came on H1-Bs and later got green cards are now in a position to hire so they discriminate against non-Indians.

All these actions have eroded the middle class and the quality of life. Many middle and working class neighborhoods have been destroyed by illegal immigration. We have politicians on both sides of the aisle who have allowed these problems to fester and put illegal aliens ahead of Americans.

Trump is shining a light into dark corners and addressing the elephant sitting in the room. Anyone who thinks he is all talk and nothing else, should take the time to research where he stands on the issues. Should he be elected, could he do everything he wants to do? That remains to be seen. However, if he is able to accomplish even a fraction of what he wants to do, then we will be on the way to recovery.