The Legacy of President Ronald Reagan

I remember Ronald Reagan when he was an actor. I watched some of his movies and enjoyed them. I always like Reagan as a person. His speeches were interesting and somewhat inspirational. He wasn't an idealist. He was very pragmatic and the message he sent during his campaign was excellent. He proposed a 10-10-10 tax cut to end the recession. That is: He proposed to cut taxes 10% each year for three consecutive years.

Ronald Reagan was elected President in Nov 1980. He was the only divorced President in our history. In that same election, the Republicans gained control of the Senate. The US hostages in Iran were released on the day of Reagan's inauguration. John Hinckley Jr shot President Reagan in March.

In 1981, the Columbia space shuttle was launched. The air traffic controller strike began.. The air traffic controllers defied a back to work order and were dismissed by President Reagan. Reagan signed the 10-10-5 tax cut into law. O'Connor was the first woman to become a Supreme Court Justice.

In 1982, the first signs of an economic recovery happened. The Dow Jones reached it's highest level in more than a year. The Equal Rights amendment to the US constitution was defeated. The Center of Disease Control released a report on the aids epidemic.

In 1983, Times Beach, MO. was declared a disaster area. Toxic dioxin was discovered in the soil. Reagan signed a bill to save Social Security from bankruptcy. Reagan started a massive military buildup in response to Russia placing missiles in Cuba and elsewhere. Reagan also stopped Castro's invasion of Granada. Reagan also sent troops to Beirut

In 1984, Reagan won the Presidential election.

In 1985, Reagan laid reefs at Nazi Concentration camp sites.

In 1986, Reagan signed a tax reform bill reducing the complexity of the tax laws.

In 1987, Reagan revealed a trillion dollar budget. This was the highest annual budget to date.
President Reagan denied knowing about the funds going to the Contras. President Reagan signed a disarmament treaty with Russia.

When Reagan left office (in 1989), the nation had experienced seven years of prosperity. Of course, the federal government recorded large budget deficits as could be expected whenever the government pulls the nation out of a recession and strengthens our military to an unprecedented extent.