[Leica] Remembering the Reagan years

[mlpowell at sbcglobal.net (Matthew Powell)]

On Jun 9, 2004, at 10:29 PM, GREG LORENZO wrote:
> America's confidence problem had nothinng to do with "confidence in 
> government" but rather confidence in themselves.

Maybe Reagan's 'great' achievement from the view of some - he 
facilitated the view of government as an entity completely divorced 
from the populace, treating it as some mysterious, foreign 'other' 
rather than as representative of the people and their wishes. I know I 
prefer an America where the government is the enemy, rather than doing 
the bidding of the people. (ha)

But "confidence in themselves" sounds like the same meaningless 
psychobabble claptrap the Limbaughs of  the world rail against when 
it's liberals doing the arguing. How does one measure the American 
peoples' "confidence in themselves"?

> Sorry, Reagan simply outspent the Soviets and bankrupted them in the 
> process. The planned Star War System was the final nail in the Soviet 
> Union's coffin.

You for "(and us)" after "them." Kinda funny that conservatives great 
argument for Reagan is that he took us into a debt we can never hope to 
recover from.

The 'final nail' in the Soviet Union's coffin was a disastrous war in 
Afghanistan, the inefficiencies of the Soviet economic system, the fact 
that their empire (such as it was) cost more than it brought in, and 
the changing realities of the modern world (ie Gorby's reforms). And, 
yes, a half-century of American Cold War policy certainly helped out.

(Interesting that you don't mention the other effects of Reagan's Cold 
War policies - I guess Latin American death squads don't excite you?)

> Regards,
> Greg