US debt is higher now than during Depression

The United States is shouldering a greater debt burden today than it
did during the Great Depression.

This seems a no-brainer. Everyone didn't have their hands out in the 1930's,
more people lived on farms, Johnson's Great Society was a socialist dream, etc.

The U.S. military was very small with as yet no global pretentions.

Seems like the nation was still on the Gold Standard, we couldn't just print
more money whenever we felt like it.

James Manchester (I think it was) relates a story of when Army Chief of Staff
Macarthur was called in to see President Roosevelt in 1933.

Roosevelt wanted Macarthur's rubber stamp on a plan to reduce the regular Army
officer corps from 12,000 to 10,000. IIRC, the military budget was @
$300,000,000.

"You may write such a budget, Mr. President. But I shall not administer it,"
Mac said.

Now, Roosevelt's mother lived in the White House to make sure her boy came to
no harm. FDR never - ever-- heard the word "no," from childhood.

So he and Macarthur had this tremendous row. FDR backed down. This, in my
view, was the best service Mac ever performed for the country.

After the meeting, Mac went out and threw up on the White House steps.

Nowadays, we just spend $500,000,000,000 -in a year- that we don't have, and no
one turns a hair.

Walt

This may or may not be true (I rather think it is false), but nota
bene:

It was not until we took on the much larger debt burden in World War
II that we got out of the Great Depression


Yeah, people don't realize, but the unemployment rate on 12/7/41 was @ 10%.

The war fixed all that.

Even in 1943, FDR's advisors were not worrying how to defeat the Japs and
Nazis.
Those *******s were toast.

The problem was what to do with 8 -10 million servicemen.

Cynical servicemen in that time frame had a saying:

"Golden Gate in '48,
breadline in '49."

Of course later that changed to:

"Home alive in '45."

The economic miracle that the Roosevelt administration provided (GI Bill, VA
loans, etc.) should not be forgotten.

No wonder the guy is on the dime.

Walt

"WalterM140" wrote in message
...
The United States is shouldering a greater debt burden today than it
did during the Great Depression.

This seems a no-brainer. Everyone didn't have their hands out in the
1930's,
more people lived on farms, Johnson's Great Society was a socialist dream,
etc.


And several million people were unemployed and many more living
in abject poverty.


Forgive me if I dont regard it as 'the good old days'

Keith

The world population was 2.07 billion in 1930, 6.08 in 2,000

Yes, two billion is the figure I learned in school. For the U.S., it
was 140 million. The world has tripled but the U.S. has merely
doubled.

Funny, but when I look around me, it seems much more crowded than
that.

all the best -- Dan Ford
email: (requires authentication)

see the Warbird's Forum at www.warbirdforum.com
and the Piper Cub Forum at www.pipercubforum.com

On Sun, 28 Mar 2004 22:25:29 GMT, "Gord Beaman" ) wrote:

(WaltBJ) wrote:

Sad but amusing to see people who haven't a clue try to draw
comparisons. BTW comparisons over time aren't worth a damn unless done
in constant value terms.
Now say something about aviation, like who's been rotating the engines
on all those parked jets over in Russia to prevent brinelling of the
bearings?
Walt BJ

I follow your meaning here Walt but what's "brinelling" indicate?

It is the effect that occurs when ball or roller bearings are not rotated
for a long period of time, resulting in differing levels of hardness
in the metal (the brinell scale is a measure of the hardness of a metal).

Al Minyard

Alan Minyard wrote:

On Sun, 28 Mar 2004 22:25:29 GMT, "Gord Beaman" ) wrote:

(WaltBJ) wrote:

Sad but amusing to see people who haven't a clue try to draw
comparisons. BTW comparisons over time aren't worth a damn unless done
in constant value terms.
Now say something about aviation, like who's been rotating the engines
on all those parked jets over in Russia to prevent brinelling of the
bearings?
Walt BJ

I follow your meaning here Walt but what's "brinelling" indicate?

It is the effect that occurs when ball or roller bearings are not rotated
for a long period of time, resulting in differing levels of hardness
in the metal (the brinell scale is a measure of the hardness of a metal).

Al Minyard

Thanks Al...wasn't familiar with that term...
--

-Gord.

" wrote:

Alan Minyard wrote:

It is the effect that occurs when ball or roller bearings are not rotated
for a long period of time, resulting in differing levels of hardness
in the metal (the brinell scale is a measure of the hardness of a metal).

Thanks Al...wasn't familiar with that term...

"Brinell" is also used as a verb to describe what happens when a cone
or cup is marked by ball bearings during an impact. I learned about it
working in a bike shop in the early 70s -- always support the bottom
bracket axle when driving cotter pins from the cranks, especially when
working on Sturmey Archer stuff.
--
Andrew Chaplin
SIT MIHI GLADIUS SICUT SANCTO MARTINO
(If you're going to e-mail me, you'll have to get "yourfinger." out.)

Andrew Chaplin wrote:

" wrote:

Alan Minyard wrote:

It is the effect that occurs when ball or roller bearings are not rotated
for a long period of time, resulting in differing levels of hardness
in the metal (the brinell scale is a measure of the hardness of a metal).

Thanks Al...wasn't familiar with that term...

"Brinell" is also used as a verb to describe what happens when a cone
or cup is marked by ball bearings during an impact. I learned about it
working in a bike shop in the early 70s -- always support the bottom
bracket axle when driving cotter pins from the cranks, especially when
working on Sturmey Archer stuff.

Yes, that makes sense also, the 'hardness' factor would be
evident here...thanks Andrew...
--

-Gord.

"Gord Beaman" wrote in message
...
Andrew Chaplin wrote:

" wrote:

Alan Minyard wrote:

It is the effect that occurs when ball or roller bearings are not
rotated
for a long period of time, resulting in differing levels of hardness
in the metal (the brinell scale is a measure of the hardness of a
metal).

Thanks Al...wasn't familiar with that term...

"Brinell" is also used as a verb to describe what happens when a cone
or cup is marked by ball bearings during an impact. I learned about it
working in a bike shop in the early 70s -- always support the bottom
bracket axle when driving cotter pins from the cranks, especially when
working on Sturmey Archer stuff.

Yes, that makes sense also, the 'hardness' factor would be
evident here...thanks Andrew...
--

Has anyone mentioned the term 'boxcar' as when the wheelbearings
of automobiles are damaged by the constant rocking during shipping?
That's the way I heard it explained.(once)

JK

"Jim Knoyle" wrote:


"Gord Beaman" wrote in message
.. .
Andrew Chaplin wrote:

" wrote:

Alan Minyard wrote:

It is the effect that occurs when ball or roller bearings are not
rotated
for a long period of time, resulting in differing levels of hardness
in the metal (the brinell scale is a measure of the hardness of a
metal).

Thanks Al...wasn't familiar with that term...

"Brinell" is also used as a verb to describe what happens when a cone
or cup is marked by ball bearings during an impact. I learned about it
working in a bike shop in the early 70s -- always support the bottom
bracket axle when driving cotter pins from the cranks, especially when
working on Sturmey Archer stuff.

Yes, that makes sense also, the 'hardness' factor would be
evident here...thanks Andrew...
--

Has anyone mentioned the term 'boxcar' as when the wheelbearings
of automobiles are damaged by the constant rocking during shipping?
That's the way I heard it explained.(once)

JK

No, never heard that Jim...makes sense though.
--

-Gord.