Anniversary of Reagan Recovery

A recent single-panel cartoon in the New Republic has the heading: "The preceding 22 years. A synopsis." Below, a caricatured President Reagan stands in the left of the frame, pointing to his right. "Government is the problem!" reads the word balloon above his head. To Mr. Reagan's left, seemingly out of his view, two suited CEOs raid a bank vault, cramming their briefcases and pockets with wads of cash.

Three cheers for RWR.

In Slander, Ann Coulter dismisses FDR's claim to greatness exactly in the way--but more preemptorialy--than I do--
All other presidents are judged on their record after one or at most two terms. In his first two terms FDR had failed to get the country going again, and failed to prevent or prepare for WWII.
OTOH Reagan
got the country going again
whipped inflation
ended the energy crisis and
transcended Communism
Put Reagan on the rock!

I saw this op-ed this morning -- it is almost impossible for young people (who didn't live through the 1970's) to appreciate the enormity of RWR's accomplishments.

Reversing the 4 years of Jimmy Carter malaise (and the decade of stagflation and frustration): the Demos will continue to try and demonize Reaganomics, but it did more wealth-building and enhancing of the human condition in the US than ANY of the LBJ "war on poverty" and other "New Deal" programs and extensions.

In terms of winning the Cold War: the Demos like to try and share the credit there, also ("Congress had a major role in winning the Cold War!"... Balony!). Congress was dragged kicking and screaming to Reagan's efforts to rebuild the depleted military and to pursue Star Wars as a tactical initiative to doom the Soviets. Now Demos will castigate the Reagan years because of the Deficits of those years -- ignoring Reagan's predictions that the growth of his economic plan would ulimately lead to surpluses -- the surpluses that arrived in the mid-1990's when Congress finally exercised some discipline in spending.

Most important of all, and this never gets the historical attention it deserves: how many tens of millions of lives were improved immeasurably and forever into the future (and future generations) because RWR defeated Communism's hold on so many countries behind the Iron Curtain. Even where Communism still holds power (Red China), entrepreneurial capitalism has established roots that will ultimately lead to more freedom and ultimately a new regime even there. For the Demos who like to demonize Ronald Wilson Reagan, I'd ask: what is the Net Present Value of tens of millions of lives saved from the shackles of communism and statism that you demos would have happily appeased away? The answer: PRICELESS!

And wasn't that end result worth the sacrifice of those deficits (which is really a product of your wasteful OTHER government spending)?

RWR: the best president (by far) of the 20th Century. His legacy grows brighter every day.

I unfondly remember the 1992 convention when the Democrats sprung their claim that Democrats died in battle against the Communists right alongside the Republicans. Well, certainly--at the grunt level. But you would look in vain for a Democratic politician who worked to bolster and support Reagan's military/defense policy (other than a few "boll weevils". And Bill Bennett wasn't immediately up to the task of rebuttal. It took me a couple of days to hammer out the reply,
"Who won the Cold War?
Cold Warriors!"
(Remember Democrats' dripping-with-contempt use of that label?!

Now Demos will castigate the Reagan years because of the Deficits of those years -- ignoring Reagan's predictions that the growth of his economic plan would ulimately lead to surpluses -- the surpluses that arrived in the mid-1990's when Congress finally exercised some discipline in spending.

Even before the advent of surplusses I noticed that a long enough time had passed to ask,
"If the Reagan era defict was so dreadful, exactly when was it going to do what to the economy?"

Mr. Reagan's tax cut left income in the pockets of the people who earned it. Mr. Reagan knew individual Americans are better able to manage their money than either the manipulators on Wall Street or Pennsylvania Avenue. Mr. Reagan wanted a tax cut so Americans could invest in themselves, their family's education and, yes, even in their homes and ranches.

This is a very good article, but Reagan did want people to invest in stocks. It was clear in his speeches, and the economy wouldn't have shown spectacular growth, otherwise.

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