What happened to America's Gilded Age Families | The Astors
Vložit
- čas přidán 3. 07. 2022
- Have you ever wondered what happened to the #GildedAge families of America? Then stick around!
Patreon: www.patreon.com/AdelaideBeema...
Instagram: / adelaidebeemanwhite
Email: a.r.beemanwhite@gmail.com - Zábava
Like the saying: The first generation makes the money, the second generation enjoys the money, the third generation loses the money.
Proven to be true over and over again.
Well, according to this video, a lot of Astors did not do too badly.
Also think about it. By the time we get to the third generation, the pie is divided into a lot more, smaller slices.
We 🇬🇧 say from “shoes to clogs in three generations “
Three generations, a.k.a. Thunder, wonder & plunder
I had the pleasure of meeting Brooke Astor several times as I consulted with several of the charities she helped support. Wonderful lady -- an old-fashioned grande dame -- and very, very gracious!
Yes, she was a first class human being!
I live in a brick Victorian Mansion in old Louisville. It was built in 1890 and has 5000 sf. Most of the interior is from 1890. Stain glass, tigerwood floors mahogany 10 ft foors, etc!! They really could build in the guilded age!!
It sounds gorgeous! Antique architecture is fascinating.
I agree, there is a reason these home have survived over 100 years! I live in Chicago, and love viewing those homes!
Yes it's true but the reason is back then and up to prewar buildings the quality of material was high and labor was cheap. Now it's the opposite.
That is amazing! I love old Victorian homes! They definitely don't make em like that anymore. I love the layout, the craftsmanship, the decor and furnishings, everything! U are so lucky to have been able to live in such an incredible home.
Brook Astor in the 70's was the queen of NY high society and was a great philanthropist. She showed the rich how to spend their money. Clearly she took a lesson from the great families of the Italian Renaissance and the city is better for it.
It was Brooke's grandson who blew the whistle on his father's and his ("socialite" -- in reality,
"social-climbing") stepmother's fraud. They left Brooke alone in her NYC home without a
care or hiring a skilled nurse to look after her! They also almost emptied her country home
(not a cabin in the woods by any means) of its artwork and antiques!
Fun Fact: On the British Branch - the 2nd Viscount Astor - was a MP but when he inherited his father's title he moved to the House of Lords, so his wife Nancy Astor was elected in his place in 1919 and became the first Women to sit in the House of Commons as women (over 30) got the vote in 1918
Although an Irish MP Constance Markievicz had been elected in 1918 but her party Sinn Fein didnt take their seats - they still don't
The English one owned hever castle and made it look beautiful, I went today and apparently the queen mother was courted there by Bertie aka the king ie parents of queen Elizabeth.
This was awesome! Ive been seeing these peoples houses all over the country. The Newport mansions are the epitome of gilded age. The biltmore down south is one of the best. Even been to the originator or the term guilded ages home. Out of all of them it would be Mark Twains home I would personally live in. Im sooo looking forward to more of these. Ive even been to the private Vanderbilt tomb. Its fascinating to follow the peoples lives that shaped America.
Robber Barons.
The Astor's we're Rothschild agent.
Wow! How sad. How fast it all goes away. The money, the houses -- the clothes. Very interesting.
The Actors were wealthy e ause they got lucky, not because they knew something profound about life that the rest of us don't. They are not a genius family, obviously.
jj the first told his heir to burn all of his communications and business contacts when he died, which he did and told his son to do the same when he passed. By tht time they owned most of manhattan😭 no one was getting tht money. pretty genius if you ask me
Edit: terrible but still
Great video. Thank you. Amazing how the grandkids always waste perfectly good money on lawyers in an attempt to get even more money than they're due. Good for the women for making so many donations.
- Cathy (&, accidently, Steve), Ottawa/Bytown/Pimisi
Another wsy the American Astor Family got rich is because they owned a lot of New York real estate, including slum property. When Vincent Astor found out he was getting rich from slum property, he sold it and gave the proceeeds to charity. Vincent Astor and President Franklin D. Roosevelt were distant cousin's. FDR's step brother married Helen Astor. They were also good friends and they went deep sea fishing on Vincent's yacht.
If you haven't found the info yet, Charlene Marshall Astor is currently 77 years old (she was born in July 1945).
Your sense of humor is *chef's kiss*
So glad I found your channel.
There are many wealthy people I know or have known. I'm comfortable with my income. Having learned a lot from wealthy friends, then, applied it, I do okay.
The two lessons I learned from my friends are to remain humble, neither dish out nor accept BS.
John Jacob Astor IV American business magnate died on the Titanic !!!
You forgot the second son of John Jacob Astor’s (the one who died on the Titanic) second son born posthumously to his second wife Madeline
The problem with equating past wealth to current wealth is that the cost of what mattered then was way different than today. Labor and material were much cheaper so they had these huge houses with cheap labor (servants). Everyone thinks it would be grand to live then and be wealthy but there were also great drawback to this period. Even the wealthy lost many children to an early death. Healthcare was very limited compared to today and even electricity was only around for the end of the Gilded Age. In fact in many respects what pass for the poor today live better lives the wealthy 150 years ago or even the Emperor in ancient Rome!
Imagine how the future will be so much better than the life we live today.
Our reality is a hell compared to what the future holds for human kind.
The future is so bright, so beautiful.
Jacob Astor was the richest man in America when he died in 1848. There is a street named Astor Place where a subway station with that name and it is 1 block away from where my late mother paid her union dues. I ought to know. I am a New Yorker who grew up in NYC during the Mad Men era of the 1960s.
That's an incredible lamp!
This was fantastic! Just found your channel and can't wait to watch more!!
They got rich due to their business, not because of corrupt dealings with China or Ukraine.
If I had HBO max, I would have happily shared my password with you 😁
Nice initiation of series. Keep it up 😊
Love your delivery and humor. Definitely subscribed. I enjoy history as a hobby, so this is right up my alley. Thank you.
For a family of untold wealth, for the present British Astor to be worth only a couple million, is sad. It’s isn’t difficult to have a million dollar net worth by his age
William Astor was Briefly engaged to Ellen Gellespie 1916-2008 who apparently broke off the engagement bc. she found him in her words " Too Irresponsible and immature". Her family Founded Brown University .
I get a real kick out of your sense of humor 🤣
Great video and really appreciate all the information you really did some research 😃
I’m so pleased I discovered your channel. Looking forward to enjoying all of your videos. Cheers 😉🌹
I wonder if all of these confusing John Jacobs is the origin of the silly song. His name is my name too!
You have to remember that the Gilded Age didn't have taxes, but those later on did have to pay taxes.
must say, I clicked because of the Astor's, haven't watched the show. I stumbled upon the audio book "Astoria" during a 2 for 1 audible deal and it's so good. highly recommend!
will check out Astoria, but I stumbled on this great segment because I was inspired to look up JJA IV after just finishing the marvelous "The Second Mrs. Astor," about him and his 18-year-old bride Madeleine Force, their tragic tale which ended on the Titanic. It was excellent, and very moving, so if you liked Astoria, I'm sure you'd love this.
Did it dwindle or is it just subdivided among a more numerous number of descendants like the Du Ponts?
"Our Crowd" by Stephen Birmingham is a very interesting and readable book about the parallel social scene in New York City - the wealthy Jewish families, many of whom were very generous. I grew up in northern New Jersey, where a large home in town was the Astor estate (which Astor?), that was bought by the town & used for offices. Another local name was Schiff, as we went to the Schiff Reservation for day camp swimming. Schiff (can't remember his first name) was one of the very wealthy, very generous Jewish businessmen of that era.
It was told John Jacob the fur trader got rich by betrayal or wilfull intent to defraud. Who knows?
Thank you for doing these videos! I’ve been obsessed with The Gilded Age and the people who were involved since I’ve been little. I’ve read every book that’s been written on the subject and it’s all fascinating. I’ve just finished The Second Mrs. Astor which was about JJ IV second wife Madeleine. She was with him when the Titanic sunk. She was 5 months pregnant. She lived and had a son. Very fascinating book!
Really interesting. Thanks for all your research!
Thanks for watching!
Thank you for your information about the Astors...Lady Nancy Astor was my great great Aunt...I am connected to the House of Haig...my great great Grandmother was Lady Charlotte Haig...Earl Douglas Haig's sister...Lady Nancy Astor was the first Woman in the British Parliament!!!Thank you againxxx
You might want to look into the life of Lady Nancy Astor, who was born in Virginia and moved to England where she was elected to Parliament and became a close friend of G. Bernard Shaw and a famous foil of Winston Churchill.
I believe she was also related to Mark Twain, with whom she shared a rapier-like wit.
After the death of her husband she moved back to Virginia, where she remained until her death in 1964.
She had two sons-Jacky and Michael-both of whom were officers in the British Army in WWII.
Nancy Astor became a member of Parliment in the UK, I believe the first ever woman to win a seat.
I was on Astor place in Greenwich village in Manhattan today, they own a lot of land!
Love love love your channel
yes there’s actually been, I am relatively sure, some interesting socio-economical studies done on wealth accumulation in America, and how subsequent generations fritter it away versus re-investing it to continue to earn profits and returns on investments. I dunno if it is a specifically American phenomenon or what… and sorry I am unable to recall the official source of the study/ies. Just I remember reading about them when I was in my finance and economics classes in college. Very interesting indeed!
There was a time when a businessman would gain and lose several fortunes during his lifetime.
Great video, looking forward to watching more of your channel indeed! Do you have any inside, detailed information about the "Rokeby Astor" branch, aka "The Astor Orphans"? I've been watching some of Alexandra Aldrich's videos and THAT seems to be a story maybe even more harrowing, or at least as crazy, as the more infamous Grey Garden Bouvier tale everybody knows about? Can't wait to learn more from you!
That sounds like an interesting idea for a video!
Thank you for your video I really enjoy the history of these families
Was this Astor family relations of Nancy Astor, the first female MP in the UK?
If you found Brook Astor Interesting. The book Mrs Astor Regrets by Meryl Gordon tells it all. The family fighting, lawsuits, and sadly the elder abuse.
Thank you very much - good explained
Thanks for sharing. Interesting.
John Astor was involved with Oak Island,,Andrew Deveaux from south carolina and Manhattan ny alo bahamas ,cousins to elias ball, took Daniel McInis to Oak Island ,,Teddy Roosvelt descendent of Peter Deveaux...Some say he found captain kidds treasure,which is also a theory on oakisland. there is so much i could say but thats all i got now lol
Brooke Astor was the Grand Dame of NYC and was also the richest woman in NYC when I was a boy in the 1960s. I dont know if she was still the richest woman in NYC when she died, but Melania Trump would be close before Trump became President.
LOL!!! "and no one will give me their hbo password."
I don't think we have to worry about today's hyper rich recycling very much money back to society.
William Backhouse , Jr (Caroline's husband) was not the head of the family as he was the younger brother of JJ III. It seems that Brooke Astor was just following the wishes of her late husband to give the money away. He had had some type of an illness when young and so knew that he would never have children. He also came to really dislike his half-brother JJ VI and didn't want him getting any more family money (JJ IV never got to change his will leaving everything to Vincent). I do have to say that William Waldorf's daughter-in-law, Nancy (Lady Astor who while not the first woman elected to Parliament, was the first to take her seat) could give Caroline a run for her money in the fame department.
Well done!
thanks for your information, BUT I believe the money is for people who can multiply it, and I admire people who know how to make money, and last, not all billionaires made money by abusing the poor
What an interesting series! Can’t wait to learn more. It’s wild how much these families were allowed to amass on those days
Allowed? Who “allowed” them to amass money?
Allowed? What are you a sociopath
You can calculate current net worth easily. You just have to check for average prices of local items that are less impacted by technological changes, such as hand made clothes, fruits, wine, traditional kinds of cheese and meats, bread, grains such as oats, spirit, gold, diamonds etc. Then you calculate how much could you buy for, e.g. 1000 dollars now and then (so-called Big Mac Index). You can also use inflation data and do linear regression on it.
There's another way that's based on what fraction of the gross national product the fortune in question represented for any specific year and then how much you would need to get that same fraction today. Sounds rather complicated to me.
I loved this!!!
yes excellent video and in my opinion we’ve (America) been and or are still in a second guilded age, per se, right now. Like maybe for at least twenty years now or most of my lifetime. But that is my, one dude’s opinion.
I'd love to see a review of The Gilded Age series from you. Hopefully someone can share their HBO password! Much love from Canada ❄💜
Maybe one day!
I love this very interesting and illuminating discussion! Excellent research and presentation my dear! ❤
They died and theres one survivor left in North America. Me.
But the money doesn't go back to the people.the bulk of it goes to the handlers
Any powerful family to add to discuss the Gilded Age?
Thank you
Just me? Anyone else? Every time I hear "John Jacob", in my head I think "Jingleheimer Schmidt". I can't help it.
The idea that money concentrated in families is hoarding shows how badly the educational system teaches economics.
The obvious dislike bias towards people that god forbid did well for themselves was quite annoying. I still taste the obvious lean towards socialism. Eecck
Everyone that’s says families should give away there money fairly do it themself.
I caught that too. She does podcasts on the top .1% of the wealthy and she applauds that they should give it all away. She must be a socialist or worse.
I would not describe myself as a Socialist or as a Capitalist. I am a Quaker, and the Bible is clear on the topic of wealth: "Do not store up riches for yourselves here on earth, where moths and rust destroy, and robbers break in and steal. Instead, store up riches for yourselves in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and robbers cannot break in and steal. For your heart will always be where your riches are." -Matthew 6:19-21
It would be an improvement to differentiate the Industrialists, those who created wealth, from those who manipulated wealth for their own gains - the true "robber barons".
As Jesus says what if a man gains the world and loses his soul
Well done. Look forward to hearing more
What? you’re only leaving me 70 million when u die mom? (clubs aging frail mother on head with bat) I WANT MORE… THAT’S NOT ENOUGH!
Well done 🎉
Ms astor passed away not long ago , I believe 2009 , her philanthropic work lives on today
Nowadays, it has become nearly impossible to translate the less inflated dollars of earlier times into today's currency due to the increasingly "modified" techniques of which consumer price indexing has been measured since the 80's or 90's. One rule of thumb is that if you have a stated sum from an earlier era and the fraudulent CPI now in use tells you it's worth a specific amount in 2023 dollars, you get a somewhat honest account if you nearly double it.
It's good money should not be hoarded in one family but the charities that receive the money although good did not have anything to do with the accumulation of that money. The people that worked for the Astors did and I know it's the way it is but just think if Astors gave generous wages they'd have helped create a middle class.
Love your channel!!
Just a heads up, the Gilded Age has never ended for these Oligarchs we have here in the Ol' USA
Yes, in fact, I was surprised by how (comparatively) little money the 19th century robber barons had. Even when adjusted for inflation it’s just a fraction of the net worth of the likes of Bill Gates or Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos.
@@AdelaideBeemanWhite Your use of the word"comparatively" has to be given a lot of generosity to make sense here. Foregoing the fact that there was no income Tax , no labor laws and with an enormous growth in immigration to work in the factories the slum situations were far worse than current times. Everything i read told me that In 1890, 11 million of the nation's 12 million families earned less than $1200 per year; of this group, the average annual income was $380, well below the poverty line. Rockefeller, Cornelius Vanderbilt, Henry Ford, and Andrew Carnegie would by today's standards be measured in the hundreds of billions of dollars - far more than tech giants like Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, and even Jeff Bezos, the wealthiest individual in the world as of 2023.
By 1890, the top 1 percent of the U.S. population owned 51 percent of all wealth. The top 12 percent owned an astounding 86 percent. The lower 44 percent of U.S. population-almost half the country-owned just 1.2 percent
Nothing has changed much in 130 years except for the middle class. the poor and working class are still , for the most part, screwed.
But. as a lifelong New Yorker i do so love the older architecture and all the remnants that still exist.
I wish you the best of luck with your channel and all the success you deserve and hope it continues to grow.
Sorry about that blunt no in my original response. It was supposed to be a yes.
What about John Jacob Astor 4 new wife who was his new wife on the titanic. She survived and has his new baby.
I have a painting of Mrs Astor in my room
I think that one of the astors owned the Times newspaper at a certain time
good job ❤
Thank you so much 😀
This was so fun, thanks! I love what you are wearing, the lace blouse and pearly earrings. Your skin is like porcelain, so pale and clear, and your eyes are the same colour as mine. I would suggest a blue background rather than a white one, to set off your eyes and skin color. I know, I know . . . I am shallow🙂But you are very beautiful.
Oh thank you!
Sorry you could not interview my late Aunt and Uncle. They were the Superintendent and Secretary of the Newport Casino (now Tennis Hall of Fame). The Casino was just that for the Bellevue Avenue crowd of millionaires. They did caution me that there are a number on inaccuracies in Mr. Amory's tome "The Last Resorts". My mothers folks came to Aquidneck Island in the 1630's with a grant from "Chuck" 1. Narragansett Bay
He has a mountain in Antarctica named after him... 🧐🤔
Interesting how family fortunes not properly handled dwindle with generations..🤔 . I would love to see the Vanderbilt family next! please up it in the card note on the screen ! ! The Vanderbilt family is still a very well known "old money family " that's well known if you have any social climbing desires ...
A present-day scion of the Vanderbilt family is Anderson Cooper, who I understand is not doing too bad for himself.
Very interestingly while the Vanderbilts are considered "old money" today, in the 19th Century they were snubbed as "new money"!
Folgers, Hearsts, Rockefellers, and Morgan’s
Why didn’t you go into the story of the Astor orphans?
They spent their fortune and Taxes, lol
What about JJ Astor's other son with Madaline, who survived the Titanic?
funny good commentary, sobriquet, my favorite word, lol
She left out the slaves - He made his money from Slavery too...
I think a big chunk of the 400 million went to the bronx zoo.
I'll give you my password. It is absolutely lovely I love love love the Gilded Age show.
I’m loving all the videos about customs and clothing and how things were in the American and Western European culture.
And then you said that people’s money should not stay in the family but should go back to the people…
I’m not sure I understand what you mean, there.
Perhaps you elaborate on that topic in one of your other videos.
The money does not go back to the people, unless the author means donating most of one's money to charities, which, let's admit it, is a rarity. Generally, the later generations squander it away or do bad investments, or there's a war or a recession. Mostly, though, they are more bent on spending the family money than on investing wisely, that's their eventual downfall.
@@myriamickx7969
I don’t know what she means other than, when you die, your family should give your savings to the government.
I was hoping she’d clarify.
They got rich based on colonization.
@@teoleno4019
Most of them got rich by investing their money wisely, being frugal, having intuition for coming trends and using their own money to purchase raw materials and then produce goods and services that they would then have in inventory and sell.
They risked their money to make money.
And they have the right to leave their money to whomever they wish.
Maybe the American families aren’t around but they have British counterparts still thriving in the aristocracy
Interesting. There had to be at least one very charitable person, and at least one elder abuser in this story.
still going strong lol
These families still exist.
I do have a bit of issue with you sayong the weath should go back to the ppl, while charitable giving is great the fact is the economy is no 1 pie that some ppl hoard at the expense of everyone else. The pue in fact is a pie factory,at least in a free market society. The rub is when a few ppl exclude otheres throughgovernment requlation. That must be stopped
I have never understood why people think that the rich should give away their money. Anybody else can do the same thing, if they want to give away millions to charity, then learn how to make millions and give it away, but you dont get to dictate what someone else should do with their money, thats totally un- American and sounds like a socialist. Its as bad as a boss I had madethree million when he retired. We went to school together, he almost didnt graduate, but he had a desire for money and having nice things, strted a business doing several things, and he worked everyday until he retired early when Obama won the second term, said he was tired of being taxed to death to give it away to people that wouldnt work and theives. One of his old employees tried giving him advice on how to spend his money and wanted him to invest into some pyrimid scheme. It was embarrasing to listen to a man that made $30.000 dollars a year try to tell a three time millionaire how to invest and spend his money. My old boss didnt like it, but he didnt want to hurt the guys feelings. Finaly I couldnt take it no more and told the guy about himself.People have lost knowing their place in this country. The only way your entltled to tell a person what to do with millions, is if your doing the same with millions of your own, If not, your speaking from ideas, and thats what is known in plain terms as bullshit. The guy lost a few thousand dollars on the investment, it was all him and his wife had saved, she left him and he stays drunk and broke these days. My boss, is still stable enjoying his retirement living on wise choices. You cant dictate what a king can do, when your a peasant. Thats just plain reality. That being said, good video very well executed....
Massive wealth like that of the gilded age (and present day billionaires) is only accumulated through exploiting either your workers, or loopholes in the law, or both. Billionaires have more money than they could physically spend in their lifetimes, because they have manipulated the system, and rigged it so that working class people don’t actually have the power to change the society we live in.
Socialism is the idea that working class people should own the value and labor that they themselves produce for rich people. We make them rich by doing the work of their companies for them, and they should be paying taxes and compensating their employees fairly accordingly, rather than hoarding mathematically insane wealth they could never spend in ten lifetimes.
That’s socialism, and I don’t think there’s anything un American about it.
@@sydroper4761 Im not sure how old you are, but Im 60, and I can tell you this, as well as most anyone I associate with, Ill draw arms and shoot people before Ill let America become a liberalized socialist country. America is the most sought after place on earth because of free enterprise, capitalism and a free market. Socialism has NEVER worked anywhere, except where it is made to seem it works in Communist countries, or countries that others are funding. The biggest complaint is the 1%. During those years, it was controlled by certain fanmilies The Rockefellers Vanderbilts etc. True the influence they had over people was appalling, but you have to keep in mind the times were different then. More than half the country was uneducated, and unlike now, never really cared about being well to do, just so they had shelter and food. These people, and people of today, made the money they make by having the intellect and drive to do so, however the 1% today people go in and out very quickly, and though some stay longer than others, its still not as thoose days.Whether they can spend ithe money they make or not is none of your business, you cant make that much money, it means your intellect is NOT with theirs, so its better to keep your mouth quiet and let people wonder if your an idiot, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt. I have a sister that has worked 18 hour days to get her restaraunt up and moving. She studied recipees and different dishes to get an edge on her comepetitors. She has two daughters that help her, but they have such rushes that they have to have more people. She was doing fine, and the girls made good money in tips, then the $15.00 an hour thing. Now,they come in and want a job, but they want to dictate what they will work for, when they will work, they want benefits better than the state would give and then stay on their phones over half the time there. Its cut her business in half. She let her oldest daughter take over and rertired early, her daughter cant find good help and a business that used to open at 5:00am and close at 11:00 pm and supplied jobs to anywhere from 10 to 14 people, now is run by about 6 people, opens at 5;00 am and closes at 2;00 pm. She cut out dinner completley and half the time the help call out, they have to close early. The logic your using is the same logic they use. Its from unstable mentality, unstable people make an unstable business.This is what happenes when you have people that number one are allowed to be arrogant, in the sense they value themselves way more than what they are actually worth, number two, allow people to think they are entitled to what their bosses are when they take none of the risk, dont do half the work, and have a delusion in their heads thats not fair if they cant, and number three is simple intellect. We are NOT created equal, some are stupid some arent , some are tall, some are short, some are beautiful, some are ugly.Thats reality,and how you talk about it does not change it, like they thinkall the politically correct mumbo jumbo will. The facade painted in this country that we all should have the same because we are the same is bullshit, period!! We are never going to hold hands around the campfire and sing Kumbaya as long as people that work for a living keep being told they should take care of everybody that dont or cant. You desrve what you earn. You want billions, go figure out how to make that. Trust me, if you had that intellect, and gained the wisdom youd gain reaching that point, you would understand real fast why your comment is so foolish. You cant tell a teacher how to teach, when your only a beggining student, but this society nowdays sure thinks so....
@@barnacles62 If you really believe all that, it’s because the ultra wealthy people (from both major political parties) that actually have all of the power in this country have spent the last century convincing people-with a great deal of success, clearly-that socialism is evil, and anti-American, and capitalism is what makes us free. Considering capitalism is the system we already have, it doesn’t seem like that’s going well for us, overall? Hard working people don’t have the basic things they need to live, and an increasingly small group have all the wealth. Practical things like labor unions and socialized healthcare have been widely proven to improve the lives of working class people, but those things cut into shareholder profits and ceo bonuses and aren’t in the best interest of the corporations and the billionaires, so they label them “socialism” and go to a great deal of effort to suppress it.
You clearly have a lot of anger, and I don’t presume to know your life, (not to mention this is a Victorian history video) but at a certain point, shouldn’t our economy and society serve the purpose of maximizing human happiness? Don’t we want to be a country that takes care of all our people, not only the wealthy ones, if we’re able? Just thoughts to leave you with.
@@sydroper4761 no, because we've seen socialism before and see it today. We've also seen communism. We don't need to repeat it just because we havent done it..... but I should add, our current disaster we call a government is very socialist at this point and it's the cause of most of our problems . The reason we have coporate America in control now, and out of control politicians, is because reagan and clinton did away both monopoly laws , lobbying, and federal income tax which puts trillions of dollars in their hands. Oh, I left out bankers. Its ridiculous. No organization, group or individual can be trusted with trillions. Too much hidden corruption is possible. I advocate repealing the federal income tax AMENDMENT and property taxes, and dissolving the US federal reserve bank debt. State government can fill public needs, taxes can be paid to the states as their citizens deem fit, and the feds can get back to their original purpose of defense, trade deals, etc. States can contribute to the feds as decided.
I come at this from a religious perspective. "Do not store up riches for yourselves here on earth, where moths and rust destroy, and robbers break in and steal. Instead, store up riches for yourselves in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and robbers cannot break in and steal. For your heart will always be where your riches are." -Matthew 6:19-21
Mamie Eisenhower bangs.