"There are many well-meaning people today who work at placing an economic floor beneath all of us so that no one shall exist below a certain level or standard of living, and certainly we don't quarrel with this. But look more closely and you may find that all too often these well-meaning people are building a ceiling above which no one shall be permitted to climb and between the two are pressing us all into conformity, into a mold of standardized mediocrity."
by:
Ronald Reagan
(1911-2004) 40th US President
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Not shooting the messenger, yes, absolutely.
 -- Mike, Norwalk     
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    Ronald Reagan could sure speak in plain english couldn't he, when he said something you knew what he meant without having to decode or translate any part of his statement.
     -- Jay, Fleming Island, FL     
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     -- Lilkidmom, Niles      
    Spread the wealth is the end of economic opportunity.
     -- J. Allen, Arlington, Va     
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    It is BS. We have more billionaires, more initiators and inventors, entrepreneurs than any country in the world. The Great Communicator created his fictions out of thin air for political reasons of his own. He created non existent issues, then fix them while running our nation into its current debt crisis.
     -- Waffler, Smith     
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    Another invention of a non-existent problem by the chief priest of the rich.
     -- Anonymous, Reston, VA, US     
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    Komrads Reston and Waff never disappoint, always on the socialist side of every argument. Obama and his minions are tirelessly working to make this quote a reality. They look you straight in the eye and tell you that the economy is better while jobless rates climb. Ahh, the wonderous mind of the liberal.
     -- jim k, Austin, Tx     
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    Waffler and Reston fail to remember that the Soviet Union failed using this floor-ceiling concept. And boy, what personal freedoms they had with this concept.
     -- cal, lewisville, tx     
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    Since when did The Teleprompter Of The United States ever look anyone straight in the eye? He looks to the left, he looks to the right, he looks to the left ....
     -- Bill, Madison, Wi     
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    Reagan makes an excellent point. Reston obviously has shown from his posts these many years that he simply hates 'the rich' no matter how they got their wealth, he hates them for wanting to spend it as they see fit, hates them for giving to their own causes, hates them for being successful, hates them for what they can do but he cannot/will not. It sure seems that Reston simply wishes everyone to be pushed down to his level which is obviously 'not rich.' I suppose working for a living and being successful is a sin to Reston and his ilk. This IS the hateful liberal philosophy in a nut shell: "MINE!"
     -- E Archer, NYC     
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    Read the news. Corporate profits are up. the stock market was up all year. But the right wing, the Repubs. blame Obama for not creating jobs while at the same time calling for government to cut jobs. Think guys think, the reason profits are up is because they have laid so many off.
     -- Waffler, Smith     
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    This is why the folly of raising the minimum wage does not work to improve the lot of the poor. Employers who have to pay more for unskilled labor will not hire. Because of minimum wage increases, everything else in the economy gets out of proportion and becomes more expensive, therefore lowering the quality of life for those who did not get a raise. The minimum raise would only apply to the lowest rung on the economic ladder. Reagan nailed it.
     -- Carol, Georgia     
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    Waffler must be reading liberal rags instead of factual information. The stock market is down, although we can't really use that as an indicator since it is so manipulated. However, the length of time unemployment has been down has now surpassed how long it lasted during the Great Depression. That, my friend, IS an indicator. Also, the only unemployment numbers being Counted are the ones actively looking for work. It does not count the people that have given up, the people that are near retirement age and just decided to formally retire because they've looked for a job for two years and no one is hiring. It does not count those people that are underemployed which is also a part of the foreclosure problem. And it does not count those people just graduated from college that did not work previously but are applying now and there is no work for them. We also have a historic record number of people on food stamps to the tune of 47% of Americans. Does that sound like prosperity? And Waffler, the reason government jobs must be cut is because too much money is being spent on them and government is supposed to be small, not the monstrous size it is now under Obama's regime. He has laid more debt on the people of America in two years than all the combined debt in the history of the United States since it began. NAFTA was passed during the Clinton Administration which allowed companies to move overseas, hence the American people lost most of the manufacturing jobs. Walmart originally was a "Buy America" store when Sam Walton was alive. Try finding something made in America in there now.
     -- Carol, Georgia     
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    Carol you fail to see the news. The STOCK MARKET HAS BEEN UP ALL YEAR. It is now entering its historic summer slide. IF YOU CANNOT GRASP THE FACT THAT THE MARKET HAS BEEN UP, I DUNNO HOW WE CAN REALLY COMMUNICATE. The other fact is that it is reported that American Corps are flush with cash, while they still fail to hire and people like you blame no jobs on Obama. I really do not get it. And Carol you can redeem yourself with me if you can inform me exactly where Obama increased federal jobs in his first TWO AND A HALF years as President. I really woudl appreciate it and I will keep an open mind.
     -- Waffler, Smith     
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    Waffler, the stock market, like the currency is nothing more than a bunch of paper trading hands. This system of falsely valued "paper" is going to collapse. Especially with The Kenyan administration printing so called "money" like its going out of style. Your delusional...
     -- J Carlton, Calgary     
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    The STOCK MaRKET IS uP. pERIDOD, NUFF SAID. ALL THE REST IS bs
     -- Waffler, Smith     
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    None of you really would like to know what I think of Mr. O all that I could say is not printable I will say this He Is A Looser. Lois North carolina
     -- Anonymous, high Point     
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     -- Ronw13, ID      
     -- jim k, Austin      
     -- Mary, MI      
     
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