Reagan Conservatism

Predating this decade, the United States of America had seen many conflicts in all aspects of life and culture. Beginning in the 1960’s, a new age of counterculture was on the rise. These radicals believed in fighting the social machine that before, had made the cookie-cutter lifestyle a status-quo. With this came political activism and a new generation

The American dream - conceived by the American man to solidify materialistic achievements as the basis of success and the path to Heavenly earth - incessantly remains as the societal expectation for each individual. Often derived from aspirations to rise from “rags to riches,” this impractical ideology proves contrary to reality. Prominent during the 1920s, this economic and social facade of prosperity enhanced the importance of materialistic gain and disregarded naturally accumulated bliss. The “Roaring Twenties” became a superfluous era of recklessness, as the short-lived inflation led to excessive spending and a disregard for one’s moral compass. Despite the decade’s reputation as an era of extravagance and luxury, a hidden inner despair flourished amongst the majority of individuals striving for the elusive perfection their culture promoted; and this same anguish

LSD, lysergic acid diethylamide, can change the thought patterns of the people who use them, potentially erasing their identity completely. Millions of people around the world have experimented with LSD outside of lab conditions, “exploring reality”, themselves, and what is known as Ego death in what experienced users call “a trip”. What most do not know however is the repercussions of LSD in the long term. LSD is also known as Lucy, L, the electric kool-aid, and tabs; along with a few other recreational drugs is known under the umbrella term as acid; acid has been known to give people forms of Psychosis. Psychosis is a mental disorder where a person’s thoughts and emotions are impaired by a lost connection with reality. People with psychosis

Have you ever thought about what television was like when cable was first created? Or when it only had three channels? When television was first created, not many people had cable, or a lot of channels to watch. The nineteen eighties television greatly influenced how people see the world today.

The 1980s in America were defined as “the decade of excess” due to Americans wanting to consume more expensive materialistic objects. The Reagan administration played a big role in the want of materialistic objects as a result of “Reaganomics”, which put more money in the economy, by cutting taxes for corporations and the rich. Therefore, the 80s became a decade of prosperity because Americans were wealthier. The stereotypical wealthy Americans during the eighties were the yuppies. A yuppie was defined as, “a young college-educated adult who has a job that pays a lot of money and who lives and works in or near a large city” . The prosperity that was achieved by the yuppies was mirrored in the types of dances that

During the late 1960 to early 1970, New York city struggling with the Drug laws, and so many pressures and negative affect around the whole city. The country filled with gloomy air and everyone looks depressed, it is a really tough time. In the 1971s, American president Richard Nixon announced that drug abuse as the number one enemy in the United states, he started a war on drugs, there was unprecedented in history and this policy still continues today. The drug war was a huge failure, bringing an unexpected and devastating effect. In the United States, nearly 90 percent of treatment-seeking patients who began using heroin in the previous decade were white, this is a big change from racial representation prior to the 1980s. And during that

“The rich will get richer while the poor will get poorer” incapsulates America from the 1870s to the 1900s. This period was a time for tremendous social change and economic growth for America. Big businesses rose and there were new innovations in science and technology, but it masked the underlaying problems of corruption, depression, working conditions, low wages, etc. This time period was given the name “The Gilded Age” by a writer, Mark Twain, to describe the increasing glamorous lifestyle of the rich while the poor suffered. Even though it was a time of widening the gap between the rich and poor, it was still a great time of progress for many.

Danielle Allen who is a “political theorist” wrote this article to bring perspective on the effects of the “War on Drugs” declared by late President Nixon, on mainly the African-American communities, and minorities. This war was meant to stop drug abuse to improve our communities, instead, it turned into a war on the people of our country.

After a few years, President Reagan’s economic plan started to work, and America entered “one of the longest periods of sustained economic growth since World War II” (America History). Under the Reagan Administration; those that benefited the most were often the upper class citizens; specifically, due to the tax exemptions. The more money a person made, the less taxes were imposed in order to promote saving and investment. Unfortunately, the middle working class was often burdened with the residual tax deficit; forcing working class to work more hours to make more money (American History). Some critics would even say that although Reagan’s policies were designed to reduce

The policies of Reagan yet were rarely as radical, but when collected Reagan’s successes during his initial term as president had implied some slide of path, significantly of the policies of the public; above economic policies of the administration. The government started adjusting the rate of spending and taxing. Investment was being promoted rather than consumption, and corporations and the wealthy were being relieved of burdens and tax. The government had started to cease growth, and focused on reducing unnecessary and/or useless programs that were presumed as just wasting time. This new economic program then started to be described as Reaganomics.

In Raymond Carver’s memoir there was income inequality that can be relevant to today. For example, in Caver’s memoir, he stated “He had a job and a family. These were his salad days” (Raymond: 7 paragraph, last two lines). He meant that they were struggling economically because they only had enough money to buy a head of lettuce. During 1933, the average family income dropped to $1,500, less than 1929 which was $2,300 and many families lost their savings as a lot of banks collapsed (Bryson). “The Depression and World War II dramatically reshaped the nation’s income distribution: By 1944 the top 1%’s share was down to 11.3%, while the bottom 90% were receiving 67.5%, levels that would remain more or less constant for the next three decades”

In the years following World War I, the American economy turned from progressivism to consumerism, (2016). It took a few years for the economy to convert from producing wartime goods, such as guns and naval ships, to producing goods that were more consumer oriented. However, during this time the United States became the richest society in history. “American per capita incomes grew by 30% during the decade, industrial output increased by 60%, and unemployment remained below 5%, (2016). Most people enjoyed the things that their rising wages could afford them and many of them raised their standard of living accordingly. The American people began to buy more consumer goods and many luxuries they simply could not afford before.

The 1980’s is well-known for its remarkable pop culture, eccentric outfits, and amazing films. One part of the 80’s most people don’t hear and/or care about is: the politics. This time period had some very important people, events, and economic tactics that were crucial. The politics, while slim, have had a significant impact on the way the government acts today and the way it will behave in the future.

On September 14, 1986 Ronald and Nancy Regan addressed the Nation to report on the “war on drugs”, America’s latest epidemic. Bragging of a drug law enforcement budget that was scheduled to triple in comparison 1981, of 10,000 drug criminals locked away, and $250 million of their assets seized at the time of his speech, what Regan had done, was share information about the spoils of their drug war. The President told of his plans for a series of new proposals that would toughen laws against drug criminals, encourage more research and treatment, and ensure that illegal drugs will not be tolerated in schools or in workplaces . Unlike a war against a country, calling one on drugs, an inanimate object, shouldn’t give America

Some may not be too familiar with the war on drugs and the effects it has had on the society we live in. The war on drugs was started by the Nixon administration in the early seventies. Nixon deemed drug abuse “public enemy number one”. This was the commencement of the war on drugs, this war has lasted to this day and has been a failure. On average 26 million people use opioids. The U.S. leads all nations in opioid usage. Another 8 million use cocaine in the U.S. this number is 3rd overall across all nations. These statistics have lead me and many others to believe the war on drugs is anything besides a success.