An interesting fact about Ronald Reagan. When he was an actor, he auditioned for a part in the film "Casablanca", for the part of Rick. Humphrey Bogart eventually got the part but Reagan went on to occupy the real Casablanca- the White House. Life is strange, isn't it?
A lot can be said about the accomplishments of Ronald Reagan, thr Gipper, himself. A man who performed some of the greatest eight years of acting I ever remember. Because of his sheer hard-headness & his experience as a professional actor, he brought down the biggest enemy we were facing at the time. The old Soviet Union is now history. And their people have been experiencing a new cultural revolution ever since.
I remember Reaganomics. Basically the old JFK economic policies resurrected. That's right, the economic policies of a Democrat icon. They worked when Kennedy tried it, they worked when Reagan done it, & they will work for President Dubya. The Reagan economic policies worked so well, they carried the two Presidents after him. But the failed policies of the Clinton years brought that to an end.
I remember when Reagan first took office, the morale of the country was very low because of the Carter years. I remember the Carter years had a new economic indicator-the Misery Index. It was that bad with double diget interest rates & all. Of course the Iranian Hostage Crisis was at the center of it all, not to mention the leaders in the former Soviet Union were playing President Carter like a puppet. They must have had the time of their lives.
The Reagan Years was a tough time to be President. I am glad it was Reagan in the White House at the time. The above article don't even begin to come close to explaining the accomplishments Reagan did for the U.S.
Posts: 2277 | Location: Martinsville, IL | Registered: 06-03-02
quote:Originally posted by honilov: Well Crescen, we just see things different. Who can forget about those Reaganomics years? Not I.
Quite possibly so... yet truth is not completely relative. Ronald Reagan is not a crook. To contend that he is, one needs to cite at least some evidence. Of all the things Reagan has been accused of by the left, I can't remember anyone even attempting to make a case that he was "a crook."
As far as the Reaganomics years, Reagans fiscal policy lead to doubling the revenues of the Federal Government (of course the Congress tripled spending) and brought us from the pitiful economic performance of the Nixon and Carter administrations, back to a position of being the worlds economic leader.
Posts: 402 | Location: Austin, Texas, USA | Registered: 06-03-02
Perhaps a part of the Reagan years is not necessarily what he accomplished while he was in office but the things we can measure after he has been long gone.
I do remember the Soviet Union was still in operation when Reagan let office. Athough its foundations were pretty shaky.
President Reagan never did accomplish the balanced budget that he wanted. But considering he was dealing with free spending Democrats, they were not about to balance the budget. But perhaps if they did, they might still have the majority in Congress today. It is ironic that even though President Clinton, a Democrat, can brag on having a balanced budget. But remember he had a Republican Congress. In my eyes they deserve some of the credit too. President Clinton couldn't have done it without their help.
So what is the real Reagan legacy? The concept of lower taxes and balanced budgets are still with us today. Though we may be looking at deficits in the short term, balancing the budget will be an issue on the table. And when the tax cuts kick in and revenues to the treasury increase, the budget will balance. Providing of course, Congress don't try to spend it all.
Also President Reagan believed in having a military second to none. He was certainly right on that one. And now we are facing what could possibly be considered the most dangerous period in the history of the United States. After all, we are dealing with an enemy unlike any we've encountered before.
I tend to think to this day we still feel much of the effects of the Reagan Era.