The Real Mitt Romney

[Adak]

Originally Posted by glatt

My recollection was that it was up and down under Reagan. There were a couple of small recessions. They seemed significant at the time, but that was before the 2008 free fall, so they seem small in hindsight. And I remember that Reagan cut taxes and increased spending so we went from having small deficits to having huge ones. In fact, I clearly remember an issue of Time magazine showing a black hole sucking dollars in, discussing the Reagan debt and the statistic at the time that in his first term alone, Reagan increased the debt more than all the presidents before him COMBINED.

Reagan broke the seal on deficit spending and taught the country that it was OK to spend more than you had. I clearly remember Mondale in a debate accusing Reagan of writing "bad checks" to fund the government, and Reagan getting really pissed off.

"Reagan taught us deficits don't matter." Go ahead and Google that quote and who said it (besides tw.)

Well, your memory is rather selective. The recession hit us under Carter, just as Reagan was about to be elected. Interest rates for home loans was up over 17%, and inflation was still strong. Carter's advice to us was to turn down the thermostat, and wear a sweater in our houses.

It was a bad recession, one of our worst ones, but Reagan had a plan - which was to destroy the Soviet Union in an arms race. The Soviets had been spending more $$$ than they could afford for at least 20 years already. They were at the "tipping point", but felt determined to match us in whatever military hardware we came up with. It was a matter of national pride and security for them.

So yeah, Reagan spent a lot of money, BUT he also got a LOT of bang for the buck. He was responsible for freeing more countries from the communists, than any president, ever.

By cutting taxes from over 50% for some categories, to a max of 33% iirc, and cutting it for EVERYONE, not just the rich, and not just the "somebody else" -- EVERYONE, he got the economy going, and we had a ROARING recovery.

Meanwhile, the Iranians wanted NOTHING to do with Reagan, and returned the hostages on his first day in office. They disliked Carter, but also, they recognized that they could pull our tail, as long as Carter was the Commander in Chief. Try that with Reagan, and you would get shredded.

I don't have the facts before me, but I believe our deficit did increase under Reagan, but you don't increase our military, with your piggy bank, and he started out with a large Democratic gov't - not the smaller and leaner one that he would have preferred. He did cut it down, but it takes time.

Without cutting taxes, you don't get the economy running as it should be. There is no motivation for people to expand, and spend on their business, when the vast majority of the money just goes to the gov't, anyway.

That's why Conservatism works so well. It doesn't rely on people being idealists, or on a gov't that will somehow, someway, know how to spend your money, better than you do.

You might think it's great having the gov't pay your way, but I'm saying, it won't be long before the gov't is telling you EXACTLY what way you can choose, in every part of your life. More government, means less freedom for you and me. Never doubt that. Sometimes you need more government, but you have to WATCH out, and be sure to also limit that government, when it's not necessary. Not just let it grow and grow, and control more and more. PULL IT BACK, from time to time.

Otherwise, you can kiss your freedom, good bye.