American Experience

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TenBagger United States. Nov 11 2008 01:00. Posts 2018

So I just finished watching every episode of the PBS documenatary "The American Experience" and their collection of biographies on US Presidents. I feel compelled to make this blog post because in light of the recent groundbreaking presidential election, I felt quite humbled after watching this series. I considered myself to be an educated person who was knowledgeable about politics and history. After watching this series, I realized how much I didn't know.

During the presidential election, most Americans voiced their opinions so confidently, myself included. But to gain insights into the future and to grasp the present, we must understand our past. Sure I learned about these presidents in history class. I got straight A's in history in what can be considered an elite educational environment. But I truly feel that I learned more in an hour watching this series than I did in a whole semester in high school. I completely agree with the phrase "Ignorance is the root of all evil" and I felt ashamed at my arrogance. I believe the world would be a much better place if people were more aware, and on that note, I will start regularly posting blog entries on this series starting with the following:

George H.W. Bush

He is better known amongst our generation for fathering the devil, but he was quite an extraordinary figure in his own right. He was probably one of the most experienced and qualified presidents since he could boast the following on his resume by the time he took office:

- congressman
- ambassador to the UN
- diplomatic envoy to china
- director of CIA
- vice president

During his presidency, he oversaw one of the most important events of our generation, the end of the cold war, including the end of the Soviet Union and the fall of the Berlin Wall. He was vice president to Ronald Reagan who ushered an era of conservatism and whose legacy lives on to this very day. And while Reagan and his son were both staunch right wing conservative republicans, George HW Bush was in fact much more moderate. Despite his campaign promises and his reputation, he chose to raise taxes, and spend government money to aid the poor, and serve the greater good.

Bush signed a number of major laws in his presidency, including the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990; this was one of the most pro-civil rights bills in decades. He worked to increase federal spending for education, childcare, and advanced technology research. In dealing with the environment, Bush reauthorized the Clean Air Act, requiring cleaner burning fuels.

As a result of these efforts, he lost the right wing conservative vote, and combined with an economic downturn, led to his defeat to Bill Clinton in the election of 1992. His son, George W. Bush, saw his father's presidency as a failure and vowed to learn from his "mistakes" and has acted opposite to what his father would have done on many issues. And while this did lead to his popularity with the right wing conservatives and won him re-election, it also doomed his presidency as the worst in American history.

The story of George HW Bush covers 4 generations of privileged politicians and some of the most important events of our generation. I strongly urge everyone to take an hour out of their day and watch this amazing story. You can see it here:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/presidents/video/bush_01.html#v253

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collegesucks United States. Nov 11 2008 02:54. Posts 5780

appreciate the headsup

will def check this out

Jelle Belgium. Nov 11 2008 12:32. Posts 3476

bookmarked =)

GroT