10 reasons why Ronald Reagan was the worst president of our lifetime

[rsexaminer]

Agree or disagree? It's close with him and Bush, but Reagan planted the seed. He gets my vote.

http://www.examiner.com/article/8-reasons-why-ronald-reagan-was-the-worst-president-of-our-lifetime

[still_one]

1. There are a lot more things such as deregulatio of the S&Ls, destruction of PATCO, etc

[PatrickforO]

4. Wow, that's a blast from the past.

I remember what happened after the deregulation of S&L's. Gosh, a bubble formed and then the bottom fell out of the market. Funny - that was the first time a Bush got in trouble - Neil it was. The first of a bad lot...Good ol' Silverado Savings. Yep.

[still_one]

5. you have it right, a walk down memory lane

[former9thward]

11. Sorry to bring facts into this

But S&L deregulation occurred in 1980 with a Democratic Congress and signed into law by Jimmy Carter.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savings_and_loan_crisis

[Marie Marie]

2. Only 10??

[PatrickforO]

3. Only 10? I can think of some others:

Getting rid of the Fairness Doctrine (veto) opened the door for corporate propaganda to take our country by storm.

Huge funding cuts to programming for the most vulnerable populations forcing institutions that housed mentally ill people to close down. Next time you see a bunch of homeless people out on the streets, about half of them should be institutionalized but there's no money. We have plenty for wars, but none for the poor and vulnerable.

Spreading the racist 'welfare queen' myth and starting the meme that people who are poor are somehow lazy, worthless. The irony here, is that even if someone is getting the maximum allowable assistance - housing, basic cash, other, food - the drain on the economy is MINISCULE compared with foregone corporate taxes that we don't collect because of loopholes in the corporate tax code. The REAL welfare queens are companies like Boeing and GE.

[SheilaT]

6. I consider Reagan

a close second behind George W Bush.

But Reagan was awful, and it was obvious to this casual observer from the very beginning.

I was living in the DC area at the time. I lived there from the fall of 1968 to the very end of 1981. It was easy to tell whether there was a Democrat or a Republican in the White House by the general mood of the time.

[Scootaloo]

7. Naw, it's Reagan

Reagan's the one who knocked all the walls down, cut the safety nets, and basically allowed the CIA to run the executive branch. Bush just sort of meandered around the ruins, kicking over rubble and shit.

[SheilaT]

10. While we may certainly continue to have a difference of opinion here

and I honestly think there's not much of a gap between the two, I hope you have a chance to read the book Time On My Hands by Peter Delacorte.

In it an American travel writer visiting Paris in the late '90's is given a time machine, along with the request that he use it to prevent Ronald Reagan from becoming President. Great book. I read it when it first came out and loved it. Recently reread it, and since I happen to believe W was an even worse President, it was even more fascinating.

I do not expect the book would change your opinion in this matter, especially as it was written well before W came on the scene. Nonetheless, it is quite fascinating.

I do not believe it is still in print, but is readily available on Amazon.

[Scootaloo]

13. My opinion is that Reagan is what even made Bush possible

Simply put? No Reagan, no Bush.

[SheilaT]

14. No doubt.

I do hope you read the book. It will not alter your opinion about which was worse, but especially because you consider Reagan the worse, you'll find it fascinating.

[Elwood P Dowd]

9. I lived in DC 1971 and 1972 when Nixon was president

so I missed out on the sanity. Explain some of the differences.

[SheilaT]

12. There was simply a general air of meanness that accompanied a Republican administration.

I actually started work at National Airport on January 18, 1969. I was a ticket agent for a small airline that no longer exists. By working there I had a special kind of front row seat into politics, without being connected directly to the political scene. I waited on Congressmen, Senators, Cabinet Secretaries, and various flunkies connected to all of the above.

Regardless of political party, many of those I've mentioned were quite self-important, but again, it was the general meanness that I noticed. What I noticed after Jimmy Carter became President was more niceness. It's hard to be more specific than that, but I noticed it again in 1980. By then I'd left the airline job, and was working at a local department store, and all sorts of giddy Republicans were coming in buying dresses for the upcoming Inaugural. There was a degree of tackiness and rudeness that was noticeable, even more so because none of these women were anyone of note, or connected to anyone of note.

Here's a political story only tangentially related: Recently I was clearing out some old memorabilia and came across an envelope I thought had long since been lost or thrown away. Back when Jimmy Carter became President, I remember mentioning to one of my regular passengers, whose name I'd long since forgotten, that I wished I could have attended one of the Inaugural events. He said, "Oh, I have an invitation I never used, and you can have it as a souvenir if you'd like." I told him I would, he gave it to me the next time he came through, and I tucked it away. When it turned up, I looked to see who it was addressed to. Richard Holbrooke. I couldn't believe my eyes, but there it was. He was quite a nice guy during those years, and his casual gift to the airline ticket agent holds a special place in my heart.

[Warpy]

15. Reagan did more damage than Stupid did

because Stupid's damage was more focused overseas, "Ah'm a WAH presuhdunt!"

People seemed almost narcotized by Reagan's voice, he made them feel all warm and fuzzy while he napped and his cronies stole us all blind.

I was in DC during some of Nixon's first term. I remember signs in store windows, urging an impeachment of Tricky Dicky and Agnew. I hadn't seen that during visits when Democrats were in office.

[flamingdem]

8. Will never forget the horror of Reagan

it all went downhill from there. When people try to put lipstick on that pig I kniw for sure they are idiots or willing to schmooze Repuke ego for some reason.

[Nailzberg]

16. My #1 reason. He started this shit.

The Barry Goldwater loss sent the GOP down the path, Nixon was a set-back, but then the nutjobs got them Ronny Reagan. And the GOP has been unreasonable since.

[pansypoo53219]

17. reagan brought back jim crow & the ultra divider. welfare queen shit. its the govt that is the

problem. central america witch hunts for commies. sending back criminal gang members instead of PRISON & now all the victims are coming north.

[raouldukelives]

18. Reagan was the perfect blueprint for the modern American politician.

Just say the lines Ronnie baby. Daddy will make it all better.

[George II]

19. There's no byline for that article - do you know who wrote it?