Why I Heart the '80's

Today I came across this letter from my father, Robert, who passed away in 2009. Whether the topics were political or sports-related, his letter is a reminder of what wonderful things letters were to receive. His correspondence also gives a good snapshot of conservative thinking nearly thirty years ago.

 

15 April '84
 

Dear Ky,

     We received your letters yesterday and as usual were very enjoyable. The past several days have been very dismal. Temperature is in the high 40’s but it’s been quite breezy and raining. The front part of the week was a lot better. Kate [my sister] and I went to Opening Day. The Chiefs lost 3-2. [The letter was enclosed in the program for the Syracuse Triple A baseball team.] The sun was nice and bright but the breeze was so strong that the chill factor dropped it to about thirty or less. It would have been beautiful if the wind hadn’t been blowing.
     SU didn’t get to the Final Four. They went to the Eastern Finals and lost their first game. They had a lucky draw of they wouldn’t have gotten that far. The coach seems to do a good job getting the players to commit to SU but can’t seem to blend their talents together. He seems to be so indecisive at the most inopportune time.
     I can’t wait until you and I can sit down and discuss the election. Ma and I were watching a program titled “Moneyline” on CNN. One of the money experts on the program was asked if any of the democrats had a chance to beat Ron. He said if all the voters asked themselves if they are better off today than they were four years ago, that Reagan would be elected in a landslide. I personally am getting very tired of the liberal democrats giving the country away. If people don’t like their financial situation they either have to get a better job or a second one. You have your whole life ahead of you. If you work hard and learn all you can, you will be able to be in a position to be very comfortable, with a chance to help change things you don’t agree with. But through my eyes, based on the here and now, I hope Ron will be returned to help get the budget back in line. After all the welfare programs that LBJ started, he gave millions away to welfare, and it didn’t help anybody. All it did was to perpetuate ignorance and laziness. You can’t give a man money, you must teach him how to earn his own. This allows him to maintain his dignity. To continue to give something for nothing only creates a never ending dependency on the system.
      Work looks like it will be better this year than last. The last three weeks have been good. This will insure a good first half. Our build work looks good, and for a change so is the body business. [My father was a tool designer.]
     The editorials in the paper have been fairly bland lately. About the only thing that gives the paper any snap is the election coverage. Mondale, Hart and Jackson are starting to sound like the Three Stooges. Neither Hart nor Mondale have any charisma, and Jackson’s meetings sound like church revivals. None of them offer any constructive answers on how they’ll make it better than what Ron is doing. Ron is a little short on foreign policy, but we must take care of our home obligations first.
     We just finished watching Richard Nixon on “60 Minutes.” They taped 38 hours in 1983, and CBS bought two hours to air on “60 Minutes.” He looked good after all the years. He was extremely candid. Some of his answers were very good. His humor was a side of him that I never saw before. He would be a popular man on the speaking tour if he decided to do so.
     Pa was up for dinner today (Palm Sunday). The money enclosed is from him...I’ll close for now as I want to watch a Stanley Cup hockey game. Sure will be nice to go to a ball game with you and Kate, and discuss a little election strategy between innings. Miss you a lot. Have a nice Easter.

            Love,

            Rob


If you enjoyed this article, please click the link below and like it on facebook.