When Reagan left office federal spending as a percentage of GDP was down 1% and non-defense related spending, welfare state and discretionary spending, was reduced 3.7% from the Carter years. Reagan accomplished that with strong support from real "Blue Dog" Democrats who joined Republicans in passing those spending reductions. The Dems are still pissed off about those cuts. Historic achievements in the age of Liberalism. A lot of what the Dems rejected in the 1980`s Reagan agenda was resurrected in the 1994 Contract With America.
Paul Ryan should embrace the Reagan agenda and not reject or ignore it.
I won’t quibble on actual vs. percentage, however, I’m talking about making cuts of 50% not 1%. Granted it can’t happen in four years, but that needs to be the direction.
I remember the Reagan years well. I know precisely what he did to throw a cog in the socialist machine, but a lot of damage has been done in the last 100 years and we need 100 years heading in the opposite direction, not just stopping where we are at.