What is it about Reagan? The Teflon President?
When I was in college, he was the great Satan. We thought of him as overly simplistic in his thinking, a dinosaur in geopolitical terms, and dangerous to the country in his lack of understanding of economics.
They coined several terms for his economic "theories" - Reaganomics, supply side. None of them worked. Taxes were cut on the wealthy, budgets ballooned to their highest post-war levels, interest rates went through the roof. It was really tough to find a job in most sectors of the economy.
About the only good thing he did was the nuclear weapon reduction treaties--and that was nearly derailed by the insane insistence on Star Wars. Oh yes, Reagan gave us Star Wars too.
I remain convinced that the collapse of the Soviet Union was occasioned by trying to keep up with huge defense spending by the US. I don't think it was ever suggested except by the current wave of revisionists, that Reagan intended to spend the Soviet Union into its grave.
He wanted "parity" with their armed forces and was willing to nearly bankrupt our nation to achieve it. That this led to the bankruptcy of the Soviet Union looked at the time, and even today, as a purely accidental consequence.
I think that we can give him credit for the nuclear weapons reduction talks and that is not insignificant. It might well be enough to move him into the class of "great" presidents on those merits alone.
But I really object to this lionization of a man who nearly ruined the economy of this country. Maybe I'm missing something here?
Posted by artandscience at June 10, 2004 04:55 PMI think it's acceptable to say he and Bush pére _presided over_ the decline and fall, but the plans were laid in the 50s and the execution was all a matter of time. The internal dynamics of the old USSR had a lot to do with its demise: it's not as if it was a thriving concern.
Posted by: paul at June 11, 2004 01:28 PMAnd I was beginning to think I had been abducted by aliens & was living in a parallel universe all those years!!! A sane voice.... well a voice that relates the Regan years as I remember them. Dble digit interest; Lordy! I moved, sold a house (at a loss) & bought one on contract 'cause I refused to pay 11% mortgage rates. Yeah, Reganomics were swell! My taxes went UP!! (On a salary of $60,000-$70,000; the folks the so-called tax-cut was supposed to help - HAH.) I also remember being CONVINCED he was senile (& not just because of Star Wars). I'm still sure the Alzeimer's started back in the 80's & Nancy & her astrologer were running the country. Almost as scary as today. This past week has been approaching the bizarreness of Nixon's "rehabilitation."
Thanx for your comment; good to know there are others who share the same reality base.
Gigi
Yep.. this is the fellow whose administration brought us both the still-suspicious end to the "hostage crisis" in Iran and the Iran-Contra affair. Plus of course numerous invasions of banana republics.
Posted by: stefan at June 14, 2004 11:29 AM