Hmmm... one wage earner in the family, stable middle class and fiscal stability are definitely hallmarks of the past. 1950's / 1960's style social and fiscal responsibility.

However... looking back - the top wage earners (over 400,000) paid 91% income tax (average max. during the 1960's).. whereas now the conservative argue taxes should be cut, cut, cut despite massive evidence that Bush's cuts really, really, really hurt the US budgets. If you're all willing to live without Medicare, a huge military etc. then cool, go for it, but that would be nothing like the 1950's/60's and is something else entirely. It's easy to be sentimental, but the nostalgia is just a little too 'fuzzy'.

However, the current crop are also arguing that they will protect all the expensive stuff (the current health care system, military spending... blah blah). So while they may be all over the news now and won largely by speaking about 'change' (always appealing when times aren't good, ask the 1933 Germans) it will be interesting to see how a group of people marked by their active 'inactivity' (just say no to everything!) will actual do when they are in government and have to actually form policy and get it passed. I personally predict they will fail as badly as the 1994 crowd.

By the way, the US at that time was also on the gold standard... just a thought.