Hillsdale Prof. Burt Folsom @ BurtFolsom.com: "Don't Copy Europe"

BurtFolsom.com ^ | 6/2/10 | Prof. Burt Folsom

[hillsdale1]

In 1850, the U. S. was a second-rate power. We were way behind Britain in steel, railroads, and textiles. In fact, it was 1848 before we finished building our first large railroad with American-made rails. Before that we just imported most of our rails from Britain. In the area of science and chemicals, the Germans were the leaders. They invented or perfected many chemical products in the late 1800s and early 1900s, including bromine, aspirin, and novacaine.

[stephenjohnbanker]

” The Europeans constantly thought in old patterns. They wanted to hold onto markets, not expand them. Europeans tended toward monopolies, toward cartels where they would divide up markets and split the profits. “

Obama..... The difference is that Obama is DELIBERATELY setting out to destroy the middle class, whereas Europe is doing it somewhat unwittingly.

[VOA]

Although I haven’t read the book, Folsom’s commentary on how FDR
prolonged The Great Depression by constant (and sometimes criminal) meddling
is certainly something I never heard in high school and college.

And both of my high school and college environments were definitely conservative.

[xsmommy]

i read the book and highly recommend it, it was fascinating. i liked the Forgotten Man also, but Folsom’s was better, in a way.

[VOA]

“
The good news for us was that the U. S. was not Europe. We could take
those inventions and make them work on a large scale in ways the
Europeans could never imagine.
“

I watched most of History Channel’s documentary “The Story of US”
about the history of the USA.

Many times I shook my head and muttered to myself “Obama regrets
he wasn’t present to prevent the USA from become the world leader
in infrastructure, technology, transportation, etc.”

I’m sure he learned this attitude at Harvard Law, Columbia U. and
Occidental U.
And at the knee of his fruity grandparents and mentors.

[VOA]

“
When our leaders go around Europe apologizing and saying we want t
o copy their health care system, that signifies that we may be falling
into a national decline.
“

“...may be falling...”
Heck, it’s Obama’s major plan to deal with that EVIL American exceptionalism
concept.

Yes I’m being sarcastic.
And truthful because that’s the way I see it.

[VOA]

“
i read the book and highly recommend it, it was fascinating.
i liked the Forgotten Man also, but Folsom’s was better, in a way.
“

Thanks for the recommendation on both books.
I need to “make time” to read both.

[xsmommy]

They are fairly easy reads. I read both of them on planes, as I recall. Admittedly, I knew NOTHING of FDR prior to reading the books, except from what I’d heard from my parents, in passing, so it was extremely eye-opening. I gave the Forgotten Man to my father-in-law to read, because he lived through that time period also[my parents are both gone now] I think it would be interesting for someone who lived it, to read this behind-the-scenes account. FDR was an appalling president, IMO.