January 20, 1981, the day when all this bullshit started.

[Comatose Sphagetti]

The day Reagan was sworn in.

That's where it all began: The greed, stagnation of wages, willful ignorance, the full embrace of the religious right, a willing President manipulated by oligarchs for personal gain.

[Zorro]

11. It began in that era

Another key source of our current problems was the attack on the Supreme Court over school prayer, which led to an erosion of support for public education -- and has created a sizable population of jackasses and ignoramuses.

[Initech]

14. I think it started with McCarthy.

And escalated from there. Nixon and Reagan took McCarthyism to extremes, and Trump has taken it to further extremes.

[Woodycall]

21. Earlier

Back in the late 20's and through the 30's. The capitalists in this country (and other countries) were enamored with Fascism. They supported Fascist causes in Italy, Spain, and of course Germany (reference the business plot of the 30's). They continued their support until we entered the war and in some instances, beyond. After the horrors of the war were revealed, they backed off for a short time but came back in the 50's. They have continued working towards a Fascist America since and really got "legs" in 1980 with Ronald Reagan. Fascism is the preferred and natural form of government for capitalists. It has another name. Organized Crime.

[crazycatlady]

2. And there are at least two generations that don't know life otherwise

Personally speaking, on that date I was 9.5 months old. Most of Gen X were kids then. Millennials (depending on how you define them) were toddlers or not yet born. That doesn't even touch on Gen Z.

[lunasun]

10. My extended family has tried to keep the younger gens up to Z , informed of the past

Including facts about evil Reagan
Teach your children well or someone else will

[crazycatlady]

12. No children here

My sister has two adorable little girls, but their father works for a conservative think tank. I don't dare bring up politics (for fear of losing access to them). It's ashame because my older niece REALLY likes pussyhats and I really want to give her one.

[lunasun]

15. I just gave a middle school nephew The People Speak DVD by Howard Zinn . One of my kids got e on

environmental history from a doggie dad uncle at the holidays

Maybe slip your nieces a few holiday gifts to keep them informed as they grow . It all can be done under the title of history . Music that has social comment is another good gift to support to teens if it's music they like.

All extended adult family are on the same slant here so that's the difference and we know, even the adult ones without kids , the crap they are going to hear like what a great prez Reagan was etc., so we make sure they hear how he has affected life negatively in the US for others.
Never hate talk, just facts on what his policy meant for some.
Same for other subjects - just give them facts that they don't get in school or are not popular.
Just saying something sucks or that person is no good doesn't set a foundation to seek truth

It hasn't back fired they are all aware and none have rejected what we offer they are interested and add their own perspective and educate us back keep us in the loop on today's world they live in and we have good gatherings where we respectfully disagree too.
The young in the extended family all can enter in to many conversations and debates better informed than many adults.

[crazycatlady]

40. They're 3 and 5 right now

AS babies, they wore anti Democratic onesies that their dad got them. The older one was asked to appear in a Romney ad as an infant (my sister said no).

AS of right now, I'm grooming them to be crazy cat ladies and get them only toys/clothes with cats on them. The 5yo's Christmas present was a book about drawing cats.

I don't debate my BIL either. I check politics at the door.

[lunasun]

42. Just love of animals is a good thing to expose them to imo . I wish them well

[Ohiogal]

3. Don't forget his famous line

"Goverment is the problem."

Creating the belief that the smaller the goverment, the better.

( except when it comes to lady parts!)

[progressoid]

18. Lady parts and corporate welfare.

[YOHABLO]

4. Absolutely 100% right!!

[LarryNM]

5. November 22, 1963. n/t

[RandomAccess]

30. THIS

Absolutely. Not just the assassination, but that we let it go unpunished.

[unblock]

6. Elements of it have always been with us.

We were a country that tolerated slavery in half the country ffs.

Rich bastards corrupted administration after administration through the 1920s.

Fdr set us on a great path, but the rich bastards have been plotting their revenge ever since.

Nixon created the modern right-wing/bigot/evangelical alliance, Goldwater made greed a “philosophy”, Reagan repeals the fairness doctrine and made greed fashionable, foxnews extended the propaganda that hate radio began, and shrub and Cheney pushed their idea of the “unitary executive”, which was a huge f*cking clue as to in what direction republican governing thought was headed.

Donnie’s not remotely an aberration, he’s the logical next step. The only worry republicans have is that he’s too obvious and might be a tad premature.

Which, in turn, makes that our only hope.

[gopiscrap]

7. Exactly I have been saying for a long time

that idiot Reagan who couldn't even remember his own name, was the worst president we have ever had

[Freddie]

8. My granddaughters elementary school

Is located on Ronald Reagan Drive. Formerly Fairview Ave. Pisses me off every time I go there that my tax dollars were spent changing a street name because some asshole on borough council just had to honor St. Ronnie when the new school was built. The very person responsible for this country’s downfall.

[lunasun]

9. Imo yes. Don't forget the racist part of his campaign too.

All the women are big Cadillac driving welfare queens and a drug war aimed to imprison minorities
http://theinfluence.org/how-ronald-reagans-drug-war-fueled-americans-addiction-to-racist-ideas/

Plus the move on unions the start to destroy working and middle class lives He was the end of unions being seen as a good thing by joe six packs
and work safety -cut OSHA etc to 1/2 of its size
http://www.dickmeister.com/id89.html

[Brother Buzz]

13. One could make the argument it happened on August 4, 1987

the date the FCC abolished the Fairness Doctrine.

[lunasun]

17. Yes Another part of the Reagan legacy .... Reagan's Veto Kills Fairness Doctrine Bill 1987

[StevieM]

16. I partly agree but I would add that Oliver North was also a significant moment

in our downward spiral.

[NRaleighLiberal]

19. I see it as starting with Watergate - endless tit for tat after that. Politics got visibly really

dirty

[AllaN01Bear]

20. started with nixon

[tclambert]

22. I blame Ford pardoning Nixon.

That's when the rule of law died. Before then, we used to proudly say to schoolchildren, "In America, no one is above the law." I mentioned that to a current schoolteacher and he laughed for a good five minutes.

[Scalded Nun]

23. Agreed!

Lots of things here and there, Nixon getting his pardon was a big one.

But Reagan's inauguration started the big bus rolling and it rolls still.

[Mr. Ected]

24. It's a virus that has plagued mankind for ages

It is omnipresent and indestructible. In America, the Republican Party has become it's chief host and disseminator. It has infected the minds of the weak. It spells doom for the rule of law. It threatens our Constitution and our very way of life. And it is upon us.

[BigmanPigman]

25. When I was 18, my first election, I voted for Carter.

Then when I was a freshman in art school (commie artists) and he was shot everyone on my floor in our apt building in NYC was jumping for joy. Over the next 8 years I wrote to him often complaining about the economy mostly. My grandmother lived until she wad 103 and when she died a few years ago she was muttering about how much she hated him, Nancy, and "read my lips". I must have Dem DNA.

I am so sad that most of my life I have had to suffer through Repub BS, stagnant wages, hypocrisy, fake morals, greed, etc.

[LeftInTX]

33. He deserved the same fate as Kennedy, but it barely fazed him.

[BigmanPigman]

39. Yeah, and John Lennon was killed the same year blocks from where I lived

yet Reagun lived. The universe is pretty screwed up.

[mtngirl47]

26. August 23, 1971-- the day the Powell Memo was published.

[TwistOneUp]

27. YES!

I completely agree.

Ford was a "decent" republican - one with whom one could argue and leave as friends.

Rayguns put the wrong in right wing. Wrong wing. Suddenly the GOP was full of fundagelicals.

I knew we were toast when Rayguns made that pompous asshat Ed Meese the Pornography Czar. Why should the gov't get involved in one's pants? Porn isn't snuff films...
And it's been a steady downhill slide from there.

You talk to women and the only ones that are behind Chump are the fundagelicals. "Big stories" now in the National Review and from other RW / Christian sources on how the pussy hats don't represent all women - trying to drive wedges into the women's movement. Who's behind that? Neocons, of whom a significant percentage are fundagelicals.

I don't know about you, but I won't survive in a country like Gilead in The Handmaid's Tale. I can't reproduce, and am no use to that type of "government."

[cilla4progress]

28. Yep

You listened to Terri Gross today, didn’t
You?

[shadowmayor]

29. Reagan was what we got after Nixon

But, what Ronnie Raygun was able to do that Nixon could only dream of, was to get the media on-board. And today, we have the fawning corporate media, bought and paid for, delivering piles of crap. And that is the legacy of RR. Robert Parry was one prime example of how speaking truth to power can be costly. RIP Mr. Parry.

[betsuni]

32. My parents had a subscription to Time magazine and I noticed when Carter was president

articles about him had small unflattering photos, somehow he was a joke and a failure. Then came Reagan and suddenly pages of full-page colorful photos and glowing prose. A stark contrast. Reagan became a celebrity as did CEOs and their trophy wives, and of course Donald Trump. Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.

[LeftInTX]

35. Carter did not have a WH photographer

All presidents had them, but Carter decided against it.

[betsuni]

38. Thanks, didn't know that.

No wonder then. The Christians who raised me went on and on about not being vain and not thinking you're better than anyone else and then voted for Reagan twice. What the hell, I thought at the time, how do you not see that Carter is the genuine Christian?

[bsiebs]

31. Please. It was never better

This continent was invaded by Europeans.. the natives were slaughtered. Our “founding fathers” were slave holders, no equality..only for male white property holders... civil war was followed by Jim Crow and worse... blacks had no equality to this day... same for women. Same for gays. Fuck anyone trying to say when this “bad stuff” began... it never ended...

[mvd]

34. Yes, there are many bad things in our past, but..

we were starting to evolve past that. Nixon was a step back. But Reagan truly gave voice to those who wanted to turn back the clock.

[JI7]

36. Reconstruction

[susanna]

37. So true. I've watched it all. n/t

[disillusioned73]

41. Yes, Included in the "resistance"..

there needs to be a collective push back on the rewriting of not only Reagans tragic presidency but Bushes as well.. it's troubling to see Dubs poll #'s go up at this moment... people constantly need to be reminded of how horrible these far right wing presidencies were & how they affect modern politics, economics & foreign policy..

The corporate media will not do it for us..

[raven mad]

43. "A day that will live in infamy" is what comes to mind.

When we LET the dunces take power.