On November 4th, 1980, actor and corporate spokesman Ronald Reagan was cast in his greatest role ever as president of the United States of America. Don Regan, the chairman of Merrill Lynch, was cast as Treasury Secretary. Through this, Wall Street and Corporate America gained almost total control of the government.
Don Regan was soon moved up to the White House Chief of Staff and America underwent a change as it began being run more like a corporation and less like a country. When Reagan ran for re-election, videos showed happy Americans positively beaming about the “prosperous” period America had entered under Reagan’s guidance. In reality, the entire industrial infrastructure was being dismantled–and Reagan was at the helm.
This was done to gain companies such as AT&T, General Motors, and General Electric quick billion dollar profits as well as put an end to the unions. Millions of people were laid off; the millions who kept their jobs were pushed to work harder for frozen wages. Americans were encouraged to live on credit, and household debit skyrocketed. Citizens left and right were filing for bankruptcy; others who were unable to pay their debts were simply incarcerated.
The sales of anti-depressants went through the roof, and the greed of pharmaceutical companies forced healthcare costs to rise. And amidst all this, Wall Street and corporate CEOs watch from on high, and smile with glee.