The Reagan Ruins

The celebration of Ronald Reagan's 100th birthday has begun, but the devotions have been going on for years. For conservatives, Reagan is the lodestar, the genial demigod to whom all must avow fealty.

But take a good look at the conservative mantra that Reagan championed: less spending, low taxes, deregulation, free trade, strong military, family values. On all of these, the Gipper and conservatives got it wrong.

Reagan's 'Tear Down This Wall' Myth

By Robert Parry
From consortiumnews.com
February 2nd, 2011

consortiumnews.com — As the United States celebrates Ronald Reagan’s centennial birthday, the defining proof of his greatness as president will be represented by two sequential film clips – Reagan in Berlin ordering Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev to “tear down this wall,” followed by scenes of the Berlin Wall coming down. he intended impression of this editing technique is to suggest a causal relationship: tough-guy Reagan tells the Soviet leader to do something and, poof, it’s done. Ronald Reagan “wins the Cold War.” While this video sophistry has worked wonders with the American public, the reality is that the two events, Reagan’s speech and the Wall’s destruction, had little to do with one another

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Reagan's Mean-Spirited Legacy of Economic Disaster

By Paul Rosenberg
From openleft.com
February 1st, 2011

openleft.com — As we approach the centenial of Reagan's birth, conservatives are whipping up the country into a frenzy of addled adulation. It's time for a bit of a reality check. When it comes to Reagan's economic legacy, the record is crystal clear: Before Reagan, we were on a path on reducing our debt-to-GDP ratio, the most fundamental measure of national fiscal responsibility. With him, we began using irresponsible increases in the debt-to-GDP ratio to produce extremely skewed economic growth targeted narrowly toward the very top of the income ladder. The so-called "Reagan miracle" is a complete and utter myth.

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The Reagan Ruins

By Robert Borosage
February 1, 2011

The celebration of Ronald Reagan's 100th birthday doesn't come until early March, but the devotions have been going on for years. For conservatives, Reagan is the lodestar, the genial demigod to whom all must avow fealty. more »

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Latest Reagan Revolution Price Tag: A $313 Billion Wage Cut

By Isaiah J. Poole
October 25, 2010

There's another chapter to add to the narrative my colleague Dave Johnson sketched out some weeks ago about how the Reagan revolution has come home to roost, based on sobering statistics uncovered this morning by David Cay Johnston at Tax.com

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Third World America: Reagan Revolution Drags Us Down

By Dave Johnson
September 20, 2010

The recession ended in June, 2009? What? Seriously? No one told the millions of unemployed. more »

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To Lift The Economy, Lift Wages

By Dave Johnson
September 9, 2010

To lift the economy, we have to lift wages. Increased wages will restore demand. The changes that will increase wages will help restore democracy. more »

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Tax Cuts Are Theft

By Dave Johnson
August 9, 2010

Conservatives like to say that taxes are theft. In fact it is tax cuts that are theft because they break a long-standing contract. more »

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Reagan Revolution Home To Roost -- In Charts

By Dave Johnson
June 15, 2010

It seems that you can look at a chart of almost anything and right around 1981 or soon after you'll see the chart make a sharp change in direction, and probably not in a good way. And I really do mean almost anything, from economics to trade to infrastructure to ... well almost anything. I spent some time looking for charts of things, and here are just a few examples. more »

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Reagan Revolution Home To Roost: America Drowning In Debt

By Dave Johnson
May 19, 2010

“Watch what we do, not what we say.” (Famous Republican advice.)

The Reagan Revolution was first and foremost about cutting the taxes paid by the rich and corporations. Now, almost 30 years later, the United States of America is drowning in debt. And that is exactly what they wanted to happen. more »

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Reagan Revolution Home To Roost: America Is Crumbling

By Dave Johnson
May 5, 2010

The conservative argument of the last 30-40 years boils down to this: "Hey look at this big pile of seed corn. Let's eat it!" Almost 30 years after the "Reagan Revolution" our infrastructure is crumbling around us. more »

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