The irony of the St. Reagan myth is the total ignorance of his current admirers who would never support a candidate with his actual track record:
The Economy:
• In 1982, Reagan agreed to restore a major portion of recent tax cuts. It was the largest tax increase in U.S. history.
• In 1983, Reagan raised the gasoline tax by five cents a gallon and instituted a payroll-tax hike that helped fund Medicare and Social Security.
• In 1984, Reagan eliminated tax loopholes worth $50 billion over three years.
• In 1986, Reagan supported the progressive Tax Reform Act, which hit businesses with a record-breaking $420 billion in new fees.
• During Reagan's two terms, federal employment grew by more than 60,000 (in contrast, government payrolls shrank by 373,000 during Clinton’s presidency).
• During Reagan's two terms, the gap between the amount of money the federal government took in and the amount it spent nearly tripled. The national debt soared from $700 billion to $3 trillion.
• During Reagan's two terms, and the United States was transformed from the world’s largest international creditor to its largest debtor.
• George H.W. Bush called Reagan's economic policy "voodoo economics" before he swore by them.
Social Issues:
• In 1967, Governor Reagan signed legislation in California that legalized millions of abortions.
• In 1978, Governor Reagan opposed California’s Proposition 6 ballot initiative, which would’ve barred gay men and women from working in public schools.
• In 1986, Reagan signed the Immigration Reform and Control Act—a measure that granted amnesty to millions of aliens.
World View:
• Ronald Reagan falsely claimed that the Russian language had no word for "freedom."
(The word is "svoboda")
• Ronald Reagan claimed that intercontinental ballistic missiles could be recalled once launched.
• In the Oval Office, Ronald Reagan told Yitzhak Shamir and Simon Wiesenthal, on two separate occasions, that he himself had assisted personally at the liberation of the Nazi
death camps.
• Reagan announced that apartheid South Africa had "stood beside us in every war we've ever fought," but the South African leadership supported Hitler during World War II.
• Ronald Reagan alarmed his Soviet counterparts by stating that they would stand united against an invasion from Mars.
Summary:
I am reminded of two quotations from the Great Communicator:
"Facts are stupid things." Keep this in mind and take a good look at Reagan's time in office.
"Trust, but verify." Excellent advise.
[source: do your homework]
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