http://www.examiner.com/liberal-in-orlando/8-reasons-why-ronald-reagan-was-a-horrible-president-1
If you ever happen to come across a Republican on television these days, chances are that you will hear the name Ronald Reagan. Recent Republican debates are the perfect example of the love fest that the current
1. Reagan cut taxes for the Rich, increased taxes on the Middle Class - Ronald Reagan is loved by conservatives and was loved by big business throughout his presidency and there's a reason for it. When Reagan came into office in January of 1981, the top tax rate was 70%, but when he left office in 1989 the top tax rate was down to only 28%. As Reagan gave the breaks to all his rich friends, there was a lack of revenue coming into the federal government. In order to bring money back into the government, Reagan was forced to raise taxes eleven times throughout his time in office. One example was when he signed into law the Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 1982. Reagan raised taxes seven of the eight years he was in office and the tax increases were felt hardest by the lower and middle class.
LMAO... yet the percentage of tax revenue paid by the 'rich' went UP under Reagan. Yes, he dropped the marginal rates, but he also INCREASED the capital gains tax rate to 40%. THAT is where the wealthy get the bulk of their income.
2. Tripling the National Debt -As Reagan cut taxes for the wealthy, the government was left with less money to spend. When Reagan came into office the national debt was $900 billion, by the time he left the national debt had tripled to $2.8 trillion.
FALSE. Government revenue increased under Reagan. The debt increased $1.6 Trillion under Reagan, so on that point you are correct. Now tell us, could one dime have been spent without Tip's approval in the House? What was the money spent on and why? ( side note: debt increased $1.4 Trillion under Bush (4 years) $1.6 Trillion under Clinton. $5 Trillion under Bush Jr. Over $4 Trillion under Obama thus far in three years.... so how was Reagan so terrible again?)
3. Iran/Contra -In 1986, a group of Americans were being held hostage by a terrorist group with ties to Iran. In an attempt to free the hostages, Ronald Reagan secretly sold arms and money to Iran. Much of the money that was received from the trade went to fund the Nicaragua Contra rebels who were in a war with the Sandinista government of Nicaragua. When the scandal broke in the Untied States it became the biggest story in the country, Reagan tried to down play what happened, but never fully recovered.
Certainly not a good thing. But it hardly qualifies him as worst President.
4. Reagan funded Terrorists -
The attacks on 9/11 by al-Qaeda and Osama Bin Laden brought new attention to international terrorism. All of a sudden, Americans coast to coast wore their American flag pins, ate their freedom fries and couldn't wait to go to war with anyone who looked like a Muslim. What Americans didn't realize was that the same group that attacked the United States on 9/11 was funded by Ronald Reagan in the 1980s. Prepping for a possible war with the Soviet Union, Ronald Reagan spent billions of dollars funding the Islamist mujahidin Freedom Fighters in Afghanistan. With billions of American dollars, weapons and training coming their way, the Taliban and Osama Bin Laden took everything they were given and gave it back to the United States over a decade later in the worst possible way imaginable.
ROFLMAO.... that is truly comical spin. We were absolutely correct to support the fight against the USSR. Our mistake was pulling out support after the Soviets lost and leaving a power vacuum.
5. Unemployment issues -When Ronald Reagan came into office 1981, unemployment was at 7.5%. After Reagan cut taxes for the wealthy, he began raising taxes on the middle and lower class. Corporations started to ship more jobs out of the United States while hiring cheap foreign labor in order to make a bigger profit. While corporations made billions, Americans across the country lost their jobs. As 1982 came to a close, unemployment was nearly 11%. Unemployment began to drop as the years went on, but the jobs that were created were low paying and barely helped people make ends meet. The middle and lower class had their wages nearly frozen as the top earners saw dramatic increases in salary.
Wow, the extreme bullshit spin in the above is truly amazing. Unemployment was at 7.4% when he took office. To kill inflation (the thing absolutely DESTROYING the middle class) Reagan allowed Volcker to implement his plan. Yes, this caused a recession and higher unemployment. Reagan made the hard call. He did what was necessary to kill the high inflationary environment. When Reagan left office inflation was under control and unemployment was at
5.2%.
The standard of living increased dramatically during the 1980's and continued to do so through today. But keep on spinning your nonsense.
6. Ignoring AIDS -
By the time the 1980s came around, AIDS had become one of the most frightening things to happen to the country in recent memory. No one understood what AIDS and HIV really was and when people don't understand something, they become scared of it. The fear of the unknown was sweeping across the country and Americans needed a leader to speak out about this horrible virus, that leader never came. Instead of grabbing the bull by the horns and taking charge, Reagan kept quiet. Reagan couldn't say the words AIDS or HIV until seven years into his presidency, a leader not so much.
ROFLMAO.... from spin, to just lies.
1) In the first couple of years of his Presidency, AIDS was just beginning to hit in the US
2) In 1983 there were about 3000 cases, about 1300 deaths
3) In 1984, the CDC said they thought they had discovered the virus
4) In 1985, Reagan first mentioned AIDS publicly.... apparently your math is off given he took office in 1981 so 4.5 years into his Presidency, not 7
5) As it became more known, more money was requested to study it to try and find a solution.
6) Could he have done more, certainly.... but pretending he did little is absurd.
7. Reagan gave amnesty to 3 million Undocumented Immigrants -
In today's GOP, the idea of any immigrant staying in the United States whether they are legal or illegal isn't something that conservatives embrace. What might shock them is that in 1982 Ronald Reagan gave nearly 3 million undocumented workers amnesty. The biggest reason for undocumented workers coming to the United States is because corporations hire them at a cheaper rate than they would an American citizen. All the laws that would have cracked down on companies who hire undocumented workers were, of course, removed from the bill.
so Reagan is evil because he granted amnesty?
8. His attack on Unions and the Middle Class - The Republican war on unions and the middle class has been heating up in states like Wisconsin and Ohio, but it has been going on for a long time. Unions are formed to give a united voice to the workers in an attempt to create fairness between the corporations and their employees. On August 3rd, 1981, PATCO (Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization) went on strike in an effort to get better pay and safer working conditions. Two days later, taking the side of business, Ronald Reagan fired 11,345 workers for not returning to work.
He did EXACTLY what he should have done in that situation. The safety of travelers was at stake. Or are you suggesting that union negotiations should take precedent over the safety of others? Or perhaps you think that the Air Traffic union should be allowed to shut down all air travel unless their demands were met? What exactly do you think should have happened in that situation?
