Reagan destroyed the American Middle Class?

Question

Upswing of outsourcing, death of unions, core job loss, deficit spending and rapacious day-trading 1981-88 making America great for the top 2%, but less than sparkling for the masses of men and women. Was Reagan an evil puppet of the monied darkest powers of the far right, or just an ignorant, pleasant, home-spun speach-making buffoon who kept the seat warm until a real leaders returned, or both?

Serious answers only, please. Neocon trolls who rant and curse will be reported promptly for abuse of YAnswers Terms of Service.

Answer 1

First of all, you are 100% correct and are the reasons I voted for Perot in 92 then again in 96... trickle down never trickled.

Yes, Reagan played a major role in destroying or minimizing the middle class but it actually started with Nixon.

With that said, I'd like to add: Reagan was a puppet with a brilliant speech writer. I recall in 1984 when he was actually declared a lame duck president... but no one seems to remember that.

Furthermore, don't even get me started on Iran Contra. Reagan should have died in prison for his acts of treason in going behind Carter's back making a deal with the Contra over the Iranian hostages. He basically made a deal for their release while Carter was president so that no matter what Carter did, they would not be released. This allowed him to look strong and made Carter look weak... remember his threats, "... if the hostages are not released, on the day I am inaugurated, we will attack Iran." The day he was sworn in the hostages were released.

Btw, I never make stuff up. I find it amazing ppl don't know this stuff in that this was released in 1989 at the end of one of the longest investigations in our governmental history.

Answer 2

In order to destroy the middle class you have to define it first.
Unions have been dying since 1956, when at their zenith, they could boast a membership of american workers of 35%. The reason the unions declined is because they were greedy and becoming more and more useless. Oh, let's not forget corrupt.

You would like to portray Reagan as a mere puppet because you can't fathom the idea of a Republican being hugely popular with the "masses'. So hugely popular, in fact, that Walter Mondale only won one state, Minnesota, during the 1984 election. Have a nice day!

Answer 3

Report this MF'r...Don't ever threaten, it will get you no ******* where!!!

Reagan was responsible for the decline of most of what we know as personal freedoms and liberties. At about the time he ascended to power (implications intended) there was a notede change in the winds of the spirit of true liberty.
Example: I was a relatively young man at the time and worked in retail alot. We understood a fundamental principal that if someone was on the Corporate property ie the store, they were on private property but it was also public access and we were required to treat them with equity. That was, we had to have a basis for refusing service or removing them from the store such as, committing a crime,creating a disturbance, a threat to themselves or the store,grounds or property,other customers. Those were really the only three reasons at all. Now, the only reason is simply....Private property...we can serve who we want! So the liberty and humanity part has been removed since the Reaganite Era.
Much changed with his Free Trade and NAFTA initiatives that were later follosed through by other Administrations but completly changed the economic and employment playing field in this country.

EDIT: you are obviously a name calling, threatening, unreasonable extremist who has no interest in hearing anyone elses views so I will never respond to your questions again...
Nobody gives a **** about being reported as sh o le . It's like the biggest non deterent in the world. Big threat dude.!!!

Answer 4

Get real you liberal. So I guess that explains why home ownership is at an all time high now and you have time to make up false accusations against the people who are responsible for the greatest peaceful expansion of the US economy in our history. What a joke this question is. Now report me for not giving the answer you wanted, or will you be like the liberals who screamed they would leave the USA if Bush was elected but are still here? Funny how you liberals say you love freedom of speech when you are making up lies to demonize those who protect your freedom, yet you threaten to censor those who oppose your fallacies.
Too bad you made your questions and answers private. It shows me that you don't have the guts or the ability to defend your rantings.

Answer 5

If most of the completely uninformed diatribes against Reagan are indicative of current liberal intellect then Hillary & Co. must be extatic over the prospect of leading their base around by the nose. Control over the masses is the hallmark of modern liberalism, so it looks like she's going to have an easy time of it. Reagan was President of the Screen Actors Guild long before he even thought of being Governor of California, so his sympathies were with the unions until the air traffic controllers threatened to cripple US air security by striking for a 100% pay raise. Like G.W. Bush, he absolutely refused to let the incessant attacks from the left hinder his ability to govern, thus making him, in the opinion of the American people, America's greatest and most popular president. Even Democrats like Rostenkowski and Ted Kennedy were able to work with him on bipartisan issues. The feeble attempts by the modern left to demonize him and negate the effectiveness of his Presidency just don't hold water and make the people who try to perpetrate those myths look foolish and uninformed. He did, in fact, bring down the Soviet Union by going on the offensive. His speeches, which one poster attempted to minimize, are considered to be among the greatest public addresses in the history of politics, because of their consistantly positive and encouraging subject matter. He was a true inspiration to friends and enemies alike.

Answer 6

Reagan took the National Debt from 900 billion to 2.7 trillion, enough said.

Answer 7

He replaced into many times interior the excellent FOR HIS TIME. Unions have been an unlucky yet needed casualty because of the fact they have been surprising or threatening to strike too dang many times and have been screwing the economic device up interior the technique. Wealth wasn't being extra yet money replaced into. putting a extensive chew of unproductive capital to paintings replaced into the excellent ingredient for THAT subject. the subject is the stopped clock regressives decide to apply from time to time being perfect as evidence advantageous that they are continuously perfect and to greater a wicked anti-exertions schedule.

Answer 8

Eight years of Ronnie and Nancy playing president and first lady. Tax cuts for the rich with his trickle down economy. A man named George Walker Bush called voodoo economics.

Massive defects from man who was going to balance the budget.

President who declares ketchup as vegetable.

Sell arms to Iran for hostages and Ollie North become a hero.

Fires the air traffic controllers setting the system back 20 years or more.

Catered to the religious right and made the GOP Gods Only Party.

Answer 9

i honestly think you're wrong. i know for a fact i wasn't "top 2%", and things were great for my family. Reagan was not a puppet, nor was he ignorant. if you want me to elaborate, i will... i just need a bit more to go off of (the question seemed a bit mean spirited, so maybe i'm feeling a bit biased) not totally sure what part of the question *is* the question though... for now, i need to go to bed (which we all, left & right, need to do - look at that, i united us all) - don't want to spend time writing reasons when they'll just be discounted anyway... 'nite all

Answer 10

I agree with you 100%, yet Clinton as a democrat signed Nafta into law. There is no way that American companies can compete with businesses that pay their workers $0.50 per hour with free trade. Make no mistake, Bill Clinton is a neocon.