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== President Ronald Reagan ==

== President Ronald Reagan ==

Ronald Reagan, born to a poor family in Illinois, was taught to read by his mother at home.<ref>http://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2007/spring/schoolhouse.html</ref>  Like his father, Ronald was unsuccessful at most things in life, but had a positive attitude instilled in him by his mother and the "Disciples of Christ" evangelical Christian faith.  He played sports but was not very good; took economics in college but did poorly; became a second-rate sports broadcaster; and then went on to a second-rate movie career.  But through it all his upbeat optimism about the people and the nation continued.

Ronald Reagan, born to a poor family in Illinois, was taught to read by his mother at home.<ref>http://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2007/spring/schoolhouse.html</ref>  Like his father, Ronald was unsuccessful at most things in life, but had a positive attitude instilled in him by his mother and the "Disciples of Christ" evangelical Christian faith.  He played sports but was not very good; took economics in college but did poorly; became a second-rate sports broadcaster; and then went on to a second-rate movie career.  But through it all his upbeat optimism about people and America continued.

After serving in World War II (he was rejected for a promotion), he became a leader of the Screen Actors Guild in Hollywood at a time when the communists were trying to infiltrate it.  Though a Democrat himself, Reagan found himself in the way of the communist infiltration.  He stood up to them, and they terrorized him in an attempt to intimidate him.  Reagan became an strong anti-communist that would guide him the rest of his life.

After serving in World War II (he was rejected for a promotion), he became a leader of the Screen Actors Guild in Hollywood at a time when the communists were trying to infiltrate it.  Though a Democrat himself, Reagan found himself in the way of the communist infiltration.  He stood up to them, and they terrorized him in an attempt to intimidate him.  Reagan became an strong anti-communist that would guide him the rest of his life.

After campaigning for the conservative Barry Goldwater for president in 1964 (Goldwater lost), Reagan ran for governor of California by emphasizing two points:  (1) "to send the welfare bums back to work," and (2) "to clean up the mess at Berkeley" (referring to the student and hippie protests).  Reagan won in an upset.  He then governed California until 1974, when he decided to start running for president.

After campaigning for the conservative Barry Goldwater for president in 1964 (Goldwater lost), Reagan ran for governor of California by emphasizing two points:  (1) "to send the welfare bums back to work," and (2) "to clean up the mess at Berkeley" (referring to the student and hippie protests).  Reagan won in a stunning upset.  Two years later, he showed up at the Republican National Convention in Miami in 1968, when Nixon was being nominated for president.  Your teacher laughed at people who went to shake Reagan's hand instead of Nixon's, but it turned out that Reagan would be much more influential than Nixon was.

Ronald Reagan "1980-1988: Repub. Pres.: less govt. regulation, more morality, tough with Communists; ""tear down this wall"" (Berlin)"

President Reagan campaigned and governed based on all the conservative principles: less government, lower taxes, less regulation, more morality, and a strong national defense (particularly against the communists).  Every year of his presidency had a major achievement, so much so that bumper stickers afterward were entitled, "Eight Great Years" in reference to his Administration.

Many politicians still define themselves by reference to President Reagan, who served from 1980-88.  President Clinton, who served in the 1990s, imitated President Reagan in style (but not in substance).  The first President Bush, who served from 1988-1992, only won because he had been President Reagan’s vice president.

Reagan was inaugurated on Jan. 20, 1981.  On that very day, Iran released unharmed all of our hostages that it had held in retaliation against Jimmy Carter's support of the Shah of Iran.  Reagan immediately went to work in enacting the conservative agenda.  Within one month, on Feb. 18th, Reagan proposed the biggest tax and spending cuts in history.  Reagan adhered to "supply-side economics," a new theory advanced by Arthur Laffer that cutting taxes would actually increase government revenue.  He drew a curve on the back of a napkin in a restaurant one night to explain his theory:  as taxes approach 100%, government revenue decreases towards zero because people lose reason to work (all their income is taken by the government).  By cutting taxes, we can actually increase revenue.  Most established economists laughed at this theory, sarcastically calling it "Reaganomics".  But it worked and led to record-breaking prosperity, and increased government revenue.

On March 30th, John Hinckley shot Reagan as he was walking from a speaking event to his car in D.C.  The bullet came with an inch of killing him.  But Reagan survived with charm and good spirits.  Despite losing a great deal of blood, Reagan was even cracking jokes about his misfortune as he was rushed to the hospital.  Hinckley tried to kill Reagan because Hinckley had been inspired by a filthy Hollywood movie featuring a prostitute played by Jodie Foster.  Hinckley was trying to impress the actress.  Hinckley was later found not guilty by reason of insanity, and that led to changes in many laws to limit the insanity defense.  Many people gave Reagan a break at this point, and grew sympathetic towards him.  His tax cuts passed the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives, because many Democrats voted for them based on Reagan's promise not to campaign against them when they sought to be reelected.  That illustrated how much politicians feared Reagan's ability to connect with the people.

 

Reagan was inaugurated on Jan. 20, 1981.  On that day, Iran released unharmed all of our hostages that it had held in retaliation against Jimmy Carter’s support of the Shah of Iran.  That hostage crisis paralyzed Jimmy Carter’s final year in office, and contributed to his defeat for reelection.

 

 

 

Then, on March 30th, John Hinckley shot Reagan as he was walking from a speaking event to his car in D.C.  The bullet came with an inch of killing him.  But Reagan survived with charm and good spirits.  Despite losing a great deal of blood, Reagan was even cracking jokes about his misfortune as he was rushed to the hospital.  Hinckley tried to kill Reagan because Hinckley had been inspired by a filthy Hollywood movie featuring a prostitute played by Jodie Foster.  Hinckley was trying to impress the actress.  Hinckley was later found not guilty by reason of insanity, and that led to changes in many laws to limit the insanity defense.  Many people gave Reagan a break at this point, and grew sympathetic towards him.  His tax cuts passed Congress, because many Democrats voted for them. In exchange Reagan promised not to campaign against them when they ran for reelection.

In August 1981, the Air Traffic Controllers union (PATCO) went on strike in order to obtain much higher wages.  Reagan went on television to address the nation and told the union workers to stay on the job or be fired.  He was acting just as one of his heroes, President Calvin Coolidge, did when Coolidge was governor of Massachusetts and the police went on strike.  Reagan then fired all the PATCO workers who went on strike and barred them from ever being rehired.  The airports remained open through use of military traffic controllers who filled in for the strikers.

In August 1981, the Air Traffic Controllers union (PATCO) went on strike in order to obtain much higher wages.  Reagan went on television to address the nation and told the union workers to stay on the job or be fired.  He was acting just as one of his heroes, President Calvin Coolidge, did when Coolidge was governor of Massachusetts and the police went on strike.  Reagan then fired all the PATCO workers who went on strike and barred them from ever being rehired.  The airports remained open through use of military traffic controllers who filled in for the strikers.