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Ronald Wilson Reagan (1981-1989)

reviewed by Victor83

Born in 1911, Ronald Reagan was elected President in 1980 and re-elected in 1984 by the largest landslide in US history. As President, Reagan pursued a conservative agenda on domestic ...
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Victor83
11/03/2008

Ronald Wilson Reagan (1981-1989) 5

Though I would have to give the all-time #1 spot to the father of our country, George Washington, Reagan is a very close second. Too many people have forgotten the magnitude of the mess he inherited. Too many have forgotten his achievements. Jimmy Carter and the Democrat Congress had left us with double-digit inflation, double-digit interest rates, high energy costs,high taxes, the near-death of small business, the lowest housing starts since before WW2, a decimated military, and humiliation on the world stage. Reagan lowered taxes, built up the military, restored Amrican pride, confronted Arab/ Muslim terrorism, and brought down the USSR. He did it all while presiding over the greatest sustained period of peace-time growth in our nation's history to that point. Was he perfect? No. Did he make some mistakes? Yes. But on balance, he remains one of the greatest leaders in world history. 

UPDATE: I love this mantra from the Reagan detractors that Reagan had nothing to do with the fall of the Soviet Union. It's funny that Mikhail Gorbachev has said, on more than one occasion, the EXACT OPPOSITE.  Gorby: "When he (Reagan) was giving that speech at the gate, we were watching him on TV and laughing. Everyone kept saying 'look at that cowboy'. We aren't laughing now". He went on to talk about how the economic and military pressure Reagan brought to bear caused them to crumble "like a house of cards". Reagan was the first President to abandon the policy of containment, and I think it is safe to say that gorbachev knew what he was talking about here.

UPDATE 2: Blaming Ronald Reagan and his policies for the current economic crisis is like blaming Christopher Columbus for the sinking of the Titanic. Did Reagan sign off on legislation to overturn the Glass-Stegall Act? No. Was it the Reagan justice dept. who threatened lending institutions with lawsuits if they failed to count unemplyment and welfare checks as income for home loans? No. Was it Reagan who got us into Iraq while signing every spending bill that crossed his desk? No. Grab a clue folks.

Join to vote! 9 Helpful / 4 Funny / 2 Agree / 1 Disagree
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indecine commented 384 days ago.
hey victor, if reagan had nothing to do with deregulation, then marx had nothing to do with communism, louis armstrong had nothing to do with bebop, naismith had nothing to do with the nba, einstein had nothing to do with quantum physics, and christ had nothing to do with protestantism. think about it. btw, please tell, how on earth did reagan "confront Arab/ Muslim terrorism", other than by secretly arming them to the teeth? remember saddam? remember the iran contra scandal?

Victor83 commented 384 days ago.
Hey genius...I never said Reagan had nothing to do with dregulation...now did I?

indecine commented 384 days ago.
hey victor, now, if you're willing to admit that reaganomics spawned deregulation, and you're willing to accept that deregulation caused this mess, then... how is reagan not responsible? btw, thanks for the compliment

Victor83 commented 384 days ago.
Get whoever is reading and typing for you to slow down. Where and when did I say that deregulation "caused this mess"? In fact...I pretty much said the opposite. Try reading the review again.

indecine commented 384 days ago.
its true. you didnt actually say that deregulation caused this mess. i just thought you knew it, because everyone does. i'll try not to overestimate you again.

Victor83 commented 384 days ago.
over/ under...makes no difference to me. Does your mommy know you are on the computer?

indecine commented 384 days ago.
now you're just being silly. i guess there's nothing more to debate then. at least you have good taste in music.

Victor83 commented 384 days ago.
Thank you.

lix commented 384 days ago.
You have good taste in presidents, too, Victor. Hopefully it won't be too long before another of his kind comes around.

Victor83 commented 384 days ago.
Thank you Lix...indecine seems okay....just very wrong about Ronald Reagan.

indecine commented 384 days ago.
another one of his kind did come along. he's been around for the last 8 years, and even you have to admit it's been awful. do you?

Victor83 commented 384 days ago.
indecene...if you think Reagan and Bush are the same....you are even more ignorant than I originally thought.

indecine commented 384 days ago.
well, why dont you enlighten me, then? how are they different? - on abortion - on gun rights - on the economy - on military spending - on taxes - on gay rights - on religion - on foreign policy - on health care - on poverty - on the environment 'cause i sure can't tell the difference.

fitman commented 384 days ago.
There's a big difference. Reagan was such a master con man he's still garnering great praise from his victims.

Victor83 commented 384 days ago.
indecine....Reagan cut taxes and cut spending (unlike Bush) Reagan wanted to do away with the Dept. of Education...Bush increased funding for it to record #'s. Reagan wanted to do away with the Dept of energy...Bush increased spending there too. Reagan vetoed 22 spending bills in his first 18 months in office....Bush never vetoed one. Reagan was very measured about committing troops to harm's way (particularly after Lebanon), Bush is not. Reagan said in a 1990 interview that the signing of the Simpson Mizoli (sp) Act was the single greatest mistake of his Presidency...Bush openly favors open borders and amnesty for illegals. Bush knew how to use the bully pulpit and work with the opposition....Bush only knows how to cave in to the opposition. Hope those FACTS help to enlighten you a bit.

indecine commented 384 days ago.
it was more than i expected, i'll give you that. but i expected very little, and you're obviously having a very hard time finding fundamental differences. after all, they're both highly conservative pro life, pro guns, supply siding deregulators who believe in a strong military, and dont like taxing the rich or seeing gay couples frolic. ----- btw, did you know that reagan was also once a mccarthyist. interesting, huh?

indecine commented 384 days ago.
btw, i'll have to correct you: both reagan and bush cut some taxes and cut spending on many social programmes. they also both increased military spending and participation and both pretty much ignored education (as you know, no child left behind was left behind itself). as for the vetoes, i think that's just a technicality. correct me if im wrong, but, i dont think bush ever vetoed anything at all, he used signing statements.

Victor83 commented 384 days ago.
You have no clue what you are talking about. Show me where Bush cut education spending. I am almost embarrassed for you

indecine commented 384 days ago.
you are very easily embarassed, then. and i must add i find it funny that now its bush you are defending. I BET YOU VOTED FOR HIM. TWICE! christ! anyways, i hate to break this to you, but the no child left behind act has been underfunded. http://www.nea.org/newsreleases/2006/nr060131a.html http://nwitimes.com/articles/2004/02/08/opinion/for um/3c791f12b6bed63e86256e3000221963.txt http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,111386,00.html

Victor83 commented 384 days ago.
You are amazing. I never defended Bush. "No child left Behind"...its very existence...PROVES my point. God you're slow. Now...once again...I challenge you to show me proof that Bush EVER cut spending in the Dept of Education. (I am still waiting)

indecine commented 384 days ago.
i just did, dude.

Victor83 commented 384 days ago.
No...you did not. Sure you can read???

Victor83 commented 384 days ago.
Short funding of a socialist program (short of projections) and cutting funding to the Dept of Ed are 2 different things. YEEESH!

indecine commented 384 days ago.
ok you win. bush has been awesome for education. so i guess bush is even greater than reagan.

indecine commented 384 days ago.
so i guess you're voting for mccain now, arent you?

Victor83 commented 384 days ago.
You don't get it...and...no.

indecine commented 384 days ago.
this is probably becoming annoying for both of us. let's just agree to disagree.---so, whoever and wherever you are, i wish you well.

Victor83 commented 384 days ago.
Later....going to talk to a wall now.
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