What was Reagan's legacy?

[The Backlash Cometh]

It's a simple question. I lived the era and I still don't know the answer to it. At least, not one that has any substance to it.

He was charismatic and, like a man who has worked in the art of illusion, was able to stir the public out of doldrums, but where did he lead them? It's one thing to lift the spirits of a nation, but I still don't know what he did that was so monumental. As far as Russia was concerned, even the CIA could foresee the end and knew the Soviet Union was facing financial difficulty. I wouldn't put it past them that they kept this information confidential and allowed Reagan to take the credit for the downfall.

I just remember him faltering on the AIDS response that could have saved millions; and maybe his one claim to fame will be that he began selling off this country's resources? Is that it? Was he the first president to start this deregulation and massive sell-off of our Country? And if so, why does Palin keep bringing his name up if she believes in going forward?

Have you all noticed how the people who claim that their motto is "Country First," are the first ones that want to sell it to other countries? Is this as insane as "gun-toting Christian?"

[saltpoint]

1. Imbecility and death squads.

[bullimiami]

2. reagans legacy is george w bush. stupidity, criminality and jingoism.

[Warpy]

12. We have a winnah!

Add to that a tax system that favored the rich and punished the working public and you've about got the idea.

[The Backlash Cometh]

16. Well, what of the Reagan years do we really want to repeat?

Why does Palin keep using his term as a pattern for the future?

[Warpy]

25. GOPs are so in love with failed dogma

that they never change it. They didn't change it after the boom and bust years in the 1900s. They didn't change it after the Depression. They won't change it now. They think their dogma is sound and will work in practice one of these days if they keep doing it over and over again.

Unfortunately, as we're learning again, all their dogma does when they get into power and put it into practice is concentrate wealth at the top, leave the bottom drowning in debt, and then crash the whole economy.

Now they've managed to do it to the whole world.

Only when the Chicago School of Economics is razed and the area sown with salt and plutonium as a monument and warning about conservative economic dogma will we have a chance of not repeating it in the future when enough of us who know what the problem is have died off.

In the meantime, they're a laughingstock.

[The Backlash Cometh]

27. More the reason why we have to work to pin the failure of Wall Street

on the Reagan dogma. Otherwise, they'll be forever be holding us by the ankles and keeping us from moving forward.

[ixion]

3. fascism and voodo economics

IMO

[Captain Hilts]

4. Legitimized the culture of selfish individualism.

That's why I wanted to vote for Wesley Clark. The military is the LAST place that doesn't give into selfish individualism.

[The Backlash Cometh]

8. Mookie, it's changing.

Can't quite put my finger on it, but they know how to take care of their own in the civilian world. That's all I'll say about that. There may be differences in the branches with the Air Force being the worst of it.

[Captain Hilts]

10. Yes, I've always heard the Air Force is the worst...

Pilots are permitted to think of themselves as the Virgin Birth and the service is very officer-heavy.

My kin were all in the Navy's sub force, which is not as egalitarian as it used to be, but is still far more than the rest of the navy.

Other than Edwards somewhat, the only two guys really ranting about income disparity and opportunity disparity are Jim Webb and Wesley Clark.

[deaniac21]

19. It's the only service were the enlisted men send the officers

into combat to die. That has to count for something!

[Captain Hilts]

20. Yes! It was a great place to be enlisted during Vietnam! nt

[The Backlash Cometh]

21. This one went over my head.

Are we still talking about the Air Force?

[deaniac21]

31. Yes. The officer's fly the planes and the enlisted men are ground

crew. The planes are at risk but the ground crew....not so much.

[unhappycamper]

5. St. Ronnie was also responsible for much homelessness.

In the era of 'personal responsibility,' he closed mental institutions, halfway houses, and pretty much anything that did not shoot, blow up or go fast.

[The Backlash Cometh]

9. Is this what Palin wants to bring back to America? Tent cities?

[baldguy]

6. Corruption, deficits & terrorism.

The bookends of the Bush Regime - 9/11 and the mortgage crisis - are both a direct result of Reagan's policies.

[Mr_Jefferson_24]

7. Decimation of our social safety nets for our most needy citizens.

[TransitJohn]

11. The slaughter of millions in Latin America.

Biggest war criminal in history? If not, close.

[Jamastiene]

13. Piss on the poor...

aka "Trickle Down Economics"

[SIMPLYB1980]

14. This toon explains it well.

[The Backlash Cometh]

17. That's what I'm saying.

It's not making any sense.

[Solly Mack]

34. Yep..that's it exactly

[sinkingfeeling]

15. We're seeing Ronnie's legacy on a daily basis.

[Burma Jones]

18. An ENORMOUS increase in federal spending as Government was privatized

I grew up in the DC area. I went away to College in 1978 and after living in Boston and Houston after graduating, returned to the DC area in 1984. The boom was well underway, pastures were being quickly converted into townhouses and office parks just to keep up with the bloating federal budget. The privatization of the Federal Government ensured that there was always going to be a strong lobbying presence to increase the dollars paid to Contractors to perform a very wide range of questionable activities.

The main Reagan Legacy is the wholesale selling off of this nation to Defense Contractors. It took Reagan to realize Eisenhower's fear of a Corporate takeover of the US Government. If you think a $700 billion program to private industry is bad, just think of the trillions upon trillions that have paid to Contractors to further transfer wealth from Middle Class taxpayers to wealthy investors.

[The Backlash Cometh]

23. So his legacy was akin to a corporate raider, pirating the Country, all the

while convincing the stoopid Republicans he stood for patriotism?

[TankLV]

22. We're living it NOW - look around you...

The fucking comming DEPRESSION is ALL HIS & HIS FELLOW REPUKES' FAULT.

NO BODY ELSE.

PERIOD.

[The Backlash Cometh]

24. kick

[WA98296]

26. Killing Unions. Remember PATCO (air traffic controllers)

[Captain Hilts]

30. The head of PATCO was stationed in Norfolk, VA. I remember it well. nt

[El Pinko]

28. TODAY is Reagan's legacy.

And the coming months of double-digit unemployment will be his legacy.

The inevitable result of 28 years of UNINTERRUPTED Reaganomics.

[The Backlash Cometh]

29. We need to find a way to put that in a soundbite.

[Javaman]

32. we are currently experiencing it. nt

[HughBeaumont]

33. "Rich First, Pay for it All when I'm Worm Food."

We're living the Reagone legacy as we speak. And it's time to put an END to the failure.