The Heritage Foundation - Leadership for America

February 12, 2009 R Stegeman, Kansas City writes:

I remember those years. I bought my first home then. The interest rate was 13%. There were lines at the gas stations everyday. Inflation was eating up what we got to keep from our meager paychecks. Back then I wasn’t very active in politics and didn’t follow the political news. I was young (er) working a lot of hours, partially supporting a new wife in our new life together. Taking night classes at college. Some of you know, we were just trying to climb up out of a new and spartan beginning. We had orange crates for night tables and sawed-off whiskey barrels for end tables and planks on concrete blocks for a simple TV/stereo/book stand. Ah, those were the days.

February 12, 2009 Charles Troy, New York writes:

I think this is going to be far worse then the Carter years, it is more likely to be the Joseph Stalin years.

February 12, 2009 Terry Tuthill writes:

Ah….The Carter Years. I recall virtually all, if not all, times Carter came on TV it was either to tell us something had gone wrong, something had not gone as planned, or the US was somehow inadequate in what they did, or how they did it.

I learned early on of his micromanagement style; for the first 6-12 months of his Presidency if a staffer wanted to hit some balls at the White House tennis courts, you had to check the court out with Jimmy, and he OK’d it….Wow, what a manager…

He represented a core weakness to the world of a sorry and timid US, made the US an excuse for what is going wrong instead of a beckon of hope, and although the Camp David Accords happened on his watch, he again, like with most of what he did, could not get a real and honest long term commitment out of the Arab World, just more window Dressing, no results to be proud of. He looked weak, and was.

February 12, 2009 Ozzy6900, CT writes:

Does this mean that when President Obama leaves office, he is going to build mediocre housing for Habitat for Humanity?

February 13, 2009 kent, Virginia writes:

Jimmy Carter, the man who, in his latest book, said the greatest threat to America was Evangelical Christianity, was the weakest, most ineffectual President in the last 50 years.
Obama will not be a weak president. He’s much more dangerous than that. The SDS people he fronts for want to push this country into the Liberal Fascist mold of the “Progressives” in the Woodrow Wilson years.
Pushing this false “Stimulus Package” through Congress will be a giant step in their seizure of power over our once free society. If you don’t march lock-step with these Liberal Fascists you will be ‘Borked.’ Look what happened to ‘Joe the Plumber.’

February 13, 2009 Don Wallace, Louisville, KY writes:

The Obana philosophy seem so be, “it is easier to get forgiveness than permission”. I keep getting this gut feeling that with this Democratic majority, we are seeing creeping socialism in it’s purest form. In the words of Maxine Waters, “This liberal wants to “socialize”…..oops!

February 13, 2009 Will, Chatham IL writes:

I get a sick feeling every time I think of everything that has happened in the first 3-4 weeks of this Obama administration. Don’t these people read any history. Of course not, and they don’t want our children to read it either. Stimulus? No, nothing but liberal idealogy being forced on us. There is a reason why this bill is so vague and is pushed for rapid and premature passage. Even without knowing exactly what’s all in the bill 2 of 3 Americans are against it. God help us.

February 13, 2009 Jill Cincinnati, Ohio writes:

The only “Change” I see in Washington:

“Capitalism” becoming “Socialism”
“Great concern” for the National Deficit to “No” concern for the National Deficit

February 13, 2009 Jill, Cincinnati, Ohio writes:

Politicizing the census! Didn’t that happen in Germany before the war?

February 13, 2009 Alice, Cincinnati, Ohio writes:

Bravo to Senator Gregg for choosing principle over prestige!

February 13, 2009 Hozro1, Oregon writes:

Cater seems more like Regan than Obama! Obama is so adept in his speeches and his misdirection that he reminds me more of a man named Hitler.
Hitler also spoke of air pollution, Greenhouse effects from coal and “Fossil Fuels”, of how the few “Elite of the Nation”, had robbed the rest to the point of them losing their jobs, homes, separating their families, starvation, lack of Government response to certain classes of peoples and only responding to others, of promising to bring the Banks under control, the Military under control, industry under control, establishing more specialized welfare systems aimed at forming a unity of people.
To familiar for. Too sweet for me. Let us hope that History is not forgotten, so that the Tiger can be controlled since we chose to ride upon its back.
Hozro

February 13, 2009 Valerie Griffin Helena AR writes:

What was so bad? don’t think it could be worse
than the last eight years.

February 13, 2009 Mayme Trumble, NY writes:

Does anyone remember George’s hand in this crisis?

In June 2002, President Bush announced an aggressive homeownership agenda to remove the barriers that block American families from achieving homeownership with the goal of creating 5.5 million new minority homeowners by the end of this decade. The Zero Down Payment Program would move the nation significantly closer toward this goal.

http://www.hud.gov/offices/cir/test032404.cfm

We can thank him and our Republican friends for this fiasco.

February 13, 2009 John Clancy writes:

The light in this dark hour for our country is in the unity of the Republicans who voted against this reckless bill. The bill sets us on a path away from the freedom so carefully built and so heroically preserved over the last 250 years. The liberalism nurtured in our universities and promoted in our media at our great expense is morphing into a socialism that has and is surreptticiously changing the very foundation of our country. God help us. This is soul size.

February 13, 2009 Kandice HI writes:

How can anyone say the las 8 years have been bad?
I had a job because of President Bush. I was laid off this pass year because of Obama and the democrats.

February 15, 2009 Bill Adkins writes:

I remember the Carter years. Stayed up late on election night counting the electoral votes, celebrating every one that removed Carter from the White House. Voted for Reagan twice and would have a third time.

That said, my friends, Jimmy Carter should send George W. Bush a card a week (Hallmark has a card for everything) thanking him for making Carter the SECOND worst president in history. Eight years of that idiot makes Carter look presidential. How very sad.

February 15, 2009 Sheila Byrne, Sacramento CA writes:

Obama said he was a socialist during his campaign. No surprise. Let’s just hope he doesn’t turn into a dictator. When everyone is receiving a stipend from the government, we will have a one-party system. Particularly if there is an influx of people from other countries.

As for Carter: I hardly noticed. I had an apartment/roommate, so no mortgage. and I didn’t own a car. I did notice prices doubling and tripling at the local shopping center. But I just didn’t buy anything. No biggee.

February 15, 2009 Dennis A. Social Circle Ga. writes:

I remember the Carter years and the years thast followed, interest rates were at 15% on homes, inflation was at an all time high. I believe this will the Carter years look tame. We are well on our way to a socialist form of government, obama says we need to spred the wealth, I do not see him turning down his salary, nor do I see him keeping air force one on the ground. Why should he is the boss, do not do as I do , but do as I say.