http://slate.msn.com//id/2101829/


Reagan said:

It is my intention to curb the size and influence of the Federal
establishment and to demand recognition of the distinction between the
powers granted to the Federal Government and those reserved to the States or
to the people.

But that didn't happen. As Michael Kinsley has observed, after Reagan's two
terms spending by the federal government was one quarter higher, factoring
out inflation, than when he got there; the federal civilian workforce had
increased from 2.8 million to 3 million; and federal spending, as a share of
Gross Domestic Product, had decreased by one percentage point to 21.2
percent. "If Ronald Reagan and his 'Reaganauts' could only slow down the
growth of government spending, not reverse it or eliminate wasteful
programs, what hope is there for any other conservative president?,"
complained the conservative Heritage Foundation soon after Reagan left
office. The only major government agency Reagan managed to eliminate was the
Civil Aeronautics Board, which didn't have much to do after the Carter
administration deregulated the airline industry. Fittingly, the Ronald
Reagan Building on Pennsylvania, completed ten years after Reagan left
office, today houses 5,000 government employees and is the largest
government building in Washington.

RIP=Rest in Peace, eh? Looks like you should follow your own advice.

Federal spending did balloon under Reagan, as it has under every other
president including the present one.

When a great man dies, (and while Reagan had his flaws like anybody else he
was, in general summary, a credit to humanity), it is fitting to forget about
the
weaknesses for at least a little while and remember the strengths.

Reagan set the bar for presidential decorum and integrity pretty high.
None of the D or R presidents since have come close.

He was an interesting man...and a much better choice than Goldwater. May he
rest in peace.

Jim

"Gould 0738" wrote in message
...
Federal spending did balloon under Reagan, as it has under every other
president including the present one.

When a great man dies, (and while Reagan had his flaws like anybody else
he
was, in general summary, a credit to humanity), it is fitting to forget
about
the
weaknesses for at least a little while and remember the strengths.

Reagan set the bar for presidential decorum and integrity pretty high.
None of the D or R presidents since have come close.

"NOYB" wrote in message
...
RIP=Rest in Peace, eh? Looks like you should follow your own advice.



He was basically a good man, and an actor manipulated by others in his
party. He suffered long. I wish him final peace, His record will speak
for itself as the future unfolds'

" The evil that men do lives after them;The good is oft interred with their
bones."
William Shakespeare

This is the kind of thing a decent person would post about Reagan on the day
of his death:


"In closing let me thank you, the American people, for giving me the great
honor of allowing me to serve as your president. When the Lord calls me
home, whenever that may be, I will leave with the greatest love for this
country of ours and eternal optimism for its future. I now begin the journey
that will lead me into the sunset of my life. I know that for America there
will always be a bright dawn ahead." - Ronald Reagan, Nov. 5, 1994

Jim wrote:

"NOYB" wrote in message
...

RIP=Rest in Peace, eh? Looks like you should follow your own advice.




He was basically a good man, and an actor manipulated by others in his
party. He suffered long. I wish him final peace, His record will speak
for itself as the future unfolds'

" The evil that men do lives after them;The good is oft interred with their
bones."
William Shakespeare



Once in a while, more often than not, Reagan could do a good job
delivering a speech someone else wrote. I had the privilege of hearing
him speak in person several times at Washington lunches and dinners, and
he did a good to excellent job with simple prepared remarks. In the
Q&As, he was a little better than Dubya is at extemporaneous speaking,
which is not saying much.

I was never a fan of Reagan, and not because of his politics, because
there are a few Republicans, even conservatives, of the last century I
do admire. He spent us into oblivion and left it to others to pay the
bills for his excesses.

He wasn't much of an inspiration for his children, none of whom, I
believe, finished college, and several of which have commented publicly
on his relationships with them. Of course, he had a rough childhood
himself. But I suppose that is neither here nor there. He did,
obviously, have a good relationship with his second wife, a great
relationship.

I simply never found much about Reagan as POTUS to admire.

On Sun, 06 Jun 2004 00:47:01 GMT, "Jim" wrote:


Reagan said:

Anyone remember who was president when the Hunt brothers were bailed
out after trying to corner the silver market?

bb

That's like saying it's better to eat moldy vegetables than rotted meat.

"Jim Donohue" wrote in message
news:fPuwc.22427$lL1.20957@fed1read03...
He was an interesting man...and a much better choice than Goldwater. May
he
rest in peace.

Jim

"Gould 0738" wrote in message
...
Federal spending did balloon under Reagan, as it has under every other
president including the present one.

When a great man dies, (and while Reagan had his flaws like anybody else
he
was, in general summary, a credit to humanity), it is fitting to forget
about
the
weaknesses for at least a little while and remember the strengths.

Reagan set the bar for presidential decorum and integrity pretty high.
None of the D or R presidents since have come close.

Gould 0738 wrote:
Reagan set the bar for presidential decorum and integrity pretty high.
None of the D or R presidents since have come close.

I agree. Reagan did a great service by restoring dignity & respect (a
seperate thing from integrity, which wasn't really one of RR's strong
points) to the Presidency after Nixon destroyed it. Certainly no
President in my lifetime (ie since Eisenhower) has had his presence &
decorum. OTOH the profession of publishing humiliating pictures &
personal details has accelerated and grown more profitable every year,
so it is more difficult to achieve any sense of dignity of office.

DSK