I remember as a younge kid in the second grade when the hostages were released just after Reagan was in office.
I also remember coming home from school in the second grade seeing my father either sleeping on the couch or still in bed.
I had a strange feeling because before I only saw my father after 7:00 pm during the week or after noon on Sat. I remember my mom saying " I'm gonna try and get some foodstamps to help us out" We were denied because my dad owned a construction CO. Just before that he had 25 employee's with numerouse pieces of heavy equipment and doing really well. Since the time he was 14 yrs old he was self employed to some degree. In a matter of six yrs(during Carter and shortly after) he was on the verge of collapse. He pulled through and by 1990 his payroll was close to $50,000 or more a week. When Clinton was elected he hung up his hat because he was paranoid about what he had gone thru with Carter and a small recession followed.
I have a strong feeling Obama will be elected because the younger generation isn't even aware of the dark days of the eighties. Some think Bush is bad but with Obama the worst to yet come. I have friend who's an expatriate from France,he moved here because by the time he moved, the French Gov taxed 80% of his earned income. He told me "When I was young and made $3000.00 a year I was a commie, When I got older and made $30,000 a year I was a socialist, When I got even older and made $100,000 I became a REPUBLICAN and moved to the US because that $100,000 I made in France I netted $20,000." Today he say's the US attitude is heading in the same direction as France is now.