Ronald Reagan

[Nateddi]

Post your opinions of him. Why do you think he was evil or good.

[Xvall]

Well, Seeing as he funded mass murderurs like Osoma Bin Laden, and caused a lot of poverty in the United States, I would say bad.

- Drake Dracoli

[RedCeltic]

Reagan introduced some of the most aggressive anti-labor policies in 50 years including government-sponsored union busting and industry deregulation. Reagan labeled organized labor as a special interest and blamed high inflation rates on workers' “selfish” wage demands.

Reagan combated inflation with fiscal policy guaranteed to deepen recession. He advanced “trickle-down economics” — the idea that cutting taxes on corporations and the wealthy would stimulate the economy and ultimately benefit the working class. Similar theories had been applied during the Hoover administration in the 1920s with disastrous consequences.

George Bush followed Ronald Reagan into the White House in 1988 and continued many of Reagan’s policies. During his first year in office, Bush rescued poorly managed savings and loan companies at taxpayer expense. A year later he reneged on his popular campaign pledge of "no new taxes.” Bush also talked of, “kinder, gentler nation” during his campaign, but he vetoed the Family Leave Act in 1991. In December 1992, after he had lost his campaign for re-election, Bush signed the North American Free Trade Agreement.

The emerging pattern of anti-union tactics become part of a "corporate agenda" to weaken unions and return political and economic power to the wealthy. Their methods include:

Permanent “replacement” of strikers

Pre-employment screening to exclude individuals whose ethnic backgrounds might dispose them to favor unions

Sending anti-union letters to family members

Using bulletin boards, radio, TV and newspaper ads for anti-union messages

Meeting workers in small groups to divide them psychologically

Spreading fear of job loss through rumors of plant closings

Outsourcing and transferring work to other locations

Deliberate, lengthy delays of representation elections to weaken organizing campaigns

Anti-union consultants who advise employers on legality and effectiveness of anti-union tactics*

Decertification — encouraging union employees to vote to decertify their own union as their bargaining representative

The results of the corporate agenda and the Reagan and Bush anti-labor policies give testament to their effectiveness:

Total union membership drops by 3 million during the first two years of the Reagan administration

Unions are forced to agree to “give-backs” of wage and benefit increases

Child poverty soars, reaching, by some estimates, 25 percent of all American children

Incomes of African American and Hispanic American men fall to less than three-fourths of their white counterparts

The distribution of income and wealth is more unequal than in the last 60 years









(Edited by RedCeltic at 8:51 am on April 15, 2002)

[PunkRawker677]

he also destroyed over 60% of low-income housing projects..

[Moskitto]

Ronald Reagan = If it's got help from the French, mine it.

[RedCeltic]

I notice how Reagan-Lives avoids any talk of his wrinkled up senile crotchety old hero like the plague. Allergic to the truth I suppose.

[Capitalist]

Ronald Reagan was the Machine that smashed down the Wall of Communism.

"Gorbechev, Tear Down this Wall"

[RedCeltic]

Ronald Reagan was the machine that smashed the American labor movement and devistated the AFL-CIO

[vox]

"Ronald Reagan was the Machine that smashed down the Wall of Communism."

How? What did Reagan do during the Cold War that was different from other presidents? I didn't notice any change in policy. Enlighten me.

vox

[RedCeltic]

Well, The Reagan administration was book ended by things he had nothing to do with but took credit for. It started with the Iran hostage crisis, something he in actuality had very little to do with... and ended with the near fall of Stalinism... something he had very little to do with. Book ended, like any good horror movie.

[vox]

Exactly. Right-wingers are always giving him credit, but they fall rather short when it comes to specifics.

vox

[Solzhenitsyn]

Labor Union membership was long in decline before Reagan even took office. Membership as a percentage of the workforce peaked in 1954 at 34.7% and has been growing smaller ever since; most likely from general decline in manufacturing coupled with vigorous growth in the professional service sector. Old factories shut down as more advanced ones were built that could produce more with less workers. Factory workers left the relatively low paying manufacturing jobs and looked elsewhere for employment opportunities where unions simply don't exist. Agriculture as been affected in the same way.

Here's a link where I saw the actual figures. Read her analysis.

http://www.ecsu.ctstateu.edu/depts/edu/fre...ee/princess.htm (http://www.ecsu.ctstateu.edu/depts/edu/free/princess.htm)

vox - Reagan reputiated the dètente espoused by Kissinger in favor of a more confrontational approach.

[RedCeltic]

Labor Union membership was long in decline before Reagan even took office. Membership as a percentage of the workforce peaked in 1954 at 34.7% and has been growing smaller ever since;

well honestly that's the first I've seen these figures, I'll check this out... however my sources are directly quoted from the AFL-CIO which I'm an active member of.


most likely from general decline in manufacturing coupled with vigorous growth in the professional service sector. Old factories shut down as more advanced ones were built that could produce more with less workers. Factory workers left the relatively low paying manufacturing jobs and looked elsewhere for employment opportunities where unions simply don't exist. Agriculture as been affected in the same way.

Huge lay off periods occured during the the 1980's.... I know because I lived through them.. General Moters closes down a bunch of plants in the south... laying off thousands of workers... and thus you justify... your numbers...

As far as Agriculture... I have no sympathy for corprate owned farms. I know you say you work in Agriculture... I'll explain my position on that in another thread....

For one thing you fail to mention at all the AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLERS... man I tell you if I had a dime for every Reagan boot licker who avoided that argument...





(Edited by RedCeltic at 11:55 pm on April 15, 2002)

[vox]

"vox - Reagan reputiated the dètente espoused by Kissinger in favor of a more confrontational approach."

Hmmm. It seems a bit odd that Kissinger, who has been accused of war crimes, should be presented here as non-confrontational. I think the Chileans might have a different view of that.

However, other than stepping up the rhetoric at home, what specific policies of the Reagan administration regarding the USSR were different from other admimistrations' policies? Like I said, right-wingers often give him credit, but never seem to provide specifics. Also, the right seems to have a bad habit of ignoring internal tensions in the USSR, prefering instead to present a picture of the world that posits the Reagan administration as the only player, which is a simplistic approach to a complex situation.

vox

[I Will Deny You]

Quote: from RedCeltic on 12:49 am on April 16, 2002
For one thing you fail to mention at all the AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLERS... man I tell you if I had a dime for every Reagan boot licker who avoided that argument...
If I may go a little bit off-topic for a moment . . .

Reagan's current cheerleaders are all, of course, Republicans. Republicans have chastised leftists for a long time for letting the federal government control local issues. However, they decided to spend thousands of dollars (that could have gone to left-wing favorites like homeless families or right-wing favorites like faith-based charities) on re-naming National Airport after Reagan. How incredibly ironic that the man who fired all of the air traffic controllers is the one who gets an airport named after him. Defend that, right-wingers.

[SU37]

Quote: from Capitalist on 11:09 pm on April 15, 2002
Ronald Reagan was the Machine that smashed down the Wall of Communism.

"Gorbechev, Tear Down this Wall"

What are you talking about Ronld Reagon was a moron. The man could bearly use a fork.

[Nateddi]

Faux News Channel had a major special for his bday. :biggrin:

[FtWfTn]

Wasn't it Reagan who prayed on television. . or after a speech of something. I'm positive it was Reagan though. . .Dead Kennedys put it in a song of theirs