Opinion of Ronald Reagan

[AggregateDemand]

FF

[AggregateDemand]

On one hand, his policies were a disaster for America.  He set the precedent for so many self-inflicted problems, from out of control deregulation to emotionally driven foreign policy.  Today's Republicans all love him, that really says it all.

On the other hand, Reagan as a person was also horrifying.  Ignorant, self-satisfied, racist, anti-Semitic and devoid of a real moral compass.  If you actually go back and read his rhetoric, Reagan constantly used thinly veiled racism to win votes.  That shows me either:  Ronald Reagan was a horrible racist or he was happy to whip up racism on the theory that the ends justify the means.  Just a disgusting, massive, massive HP.

The wound was already inflicted when he took office. The problem in the United States is that we generate about as much tax revenue per person as socialist European nations, yet we spend the money in incomprehensibly stupid ways.

Reagan has nothing to do with the problem.

[AggregateDemand]

the first part is completely untrue, unless you're not adjusting for % of GDP, which would be a self-serving error in methodology.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_tax_revenue_as_percentage_of_GDP

as for the second part, you're right; the US spends more as a % of GDP on health services, for example, yet has some of the worst outcomes.  this is because it's the most privatized system in the first world, which leads to ton of waste on advertising, litigation, administration and profit.

https://www.google.com/fusiontables/DataSource?docid=1cWAzCSaIBlgUpWJBFXslH31NLh6bCfrn6mvtCA#rows:id=1

Tax revenue per capita. This is probably the best chart I've seen, since it shows the correct average US tax burden (%GDP) at all levels, roughly 28%. This chart is also before most currency rebalancing so USD adjustments are still relevant.

As you can see, the US generates more revenue or comparable revenue than many developed nations, and we spend more per capita than almost any other nation, regardless of what revenues we generate.

We are literally throwing our money away on entitlements that don't work. If anything, Reagan wanted to spend the money elsewhere.