His 306 3rd Paper In many American’s eyes today, Ronald Regan, is seen as the most influential president of the United States. His legacy has helped to make him the most beloved president. With Regan’s background as an actor he was able to communicate very well with others. Regan, was not perfect though. He had faults, just as many others had as well, but the American people still loved him. He had a swagger about him that made him so likeable. While in office, Regan, did accomplish several feats such as; raising military spending, killing the growing secession, and most importantly, ending Cold War issues. His communicating skills and ability to get things done helped to catapult him to becoming the favorite president of all time. Ronald …show more content…
Although some questioned his skills, none questioned his tenacity. During Reagan’s first four months in office, he went on to meet with Congress over seventy times to discuss his military buildup plans and tax and budget cuts (page 110, ibook). On July 29, 1981, Congress passed a series of tax cuts that reduced the federal budget by 25% over three years. Although this seemed like a great start, Reagan did this so he would be able to boost his military spending and that’s exactly what he did. He once said “defense is not a budget item, you spend what you need” (p. 182 ibook). At the peak of military spending, the U.S. spent nearly 30 million per hour. Over the eight years he was in office, the national deficit ran up to 2.7 trillion, almost triple to that of 1980. (p. 119 ibook). To combat the event of nuclear bombing on U.S. soil, the SDI (strategic defense initiative) was created. The plan was to build a “space shield” that could shoot down any incoming nuclear missiles. These plans were commonly referred to as the “Star Wars” plans because of its futuristic and outlandish ideas. Even though Reagan loved the idea the technology and budget required to build such a machine was out of the U.S.’s league. In all the U.S. wasted 17 billion on SDI research and found little to nothing. The president issued a complete military overhaul with new missile capable of reaching Russia from U.S. soil, new B-2 stealth bombers made to be undetectable by radars and a 600 ship navy. This drastic increase in military spending was in order to prepare for possible war with the Soviet Union, and also to try and scare them by
Though Reagan and Bush found tax cuts effective for the economy, the budget deficit continues to rise. As President Ronald Reagan takes office in 1981, he proposed tax cuts and reduced non-defense expenditures to increase military spending to Congress. Reagan believed that tax cuts would create more job opportunities for people and increase tax revenue in the long run. Lee et al. (2012) found “The tax cuts adopted in 1997, unlike those of 1981, were accompanied by offsetting expenditure reductions, so there was not as much of a reduction in federal revenue… therefore federal revenues did not increase” (Public Budgeting Systems, p. 74).
The early 1980s was a strenuous one for America, as it had been involved with the Vietnam War, various presidential scandals, and various conflicts in the middle east. In addition to this, the rising tax rates affected many families and businesses. This led to economic trouble, where for an average American family, going into debt was the only way to maintain their normal lifestyle. It was during this time that Ronald Reagan became president. He was a New Right Conservative, with many conservative policies.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt was born on January 30, 1882, into a world of privilege; the only president, in office, who held four terms. President Roosevelt family lived in Hyde Park, NY at the time of his birth (Coker, 2005). Franklin Delano Roosevelt studied law. In 1903 Franklin Delano Roosevelt became editor of The Harvard Crimson. Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Anna Eleanor Roosevelt were married in 1905; they were fifth cousins.
He improved defense spending by 35%. He also made a treaty with the Soviet Union. He also bombed Libya after Libya attacked American soldiers in
Reagan reflected later in his autobiography, "As I took my place, the sun burst through the clouds in an explosion of warmth and light." As he recited his oath, it was as if the heavens accepted this change in leadership. Seemingly as the skies accepted Reagan, I must assume the DoD felt the same joyful acceptance. During this time the nation was taking a knee as the public and military's morale tried to rebuild from the Vietnam War. The Vietnam War's impact on the American military, beleaguered by low morale, poor compensation, dated equipment, and no funds to repair or replace what material was left. Throughout Reagan's two terms the DoD built up a massive military which inevitably broke down the Soviets ending the Cold War.
James P Fifner, states that Ronald Reagan was a larger-than-life individual, a formidable politician, and an important president. But as in all presidents, his character was complex, resulting in a presidency of paradoxes, marked by some great successes and some unfortunate failures. Both Reagan’s successes and failures stemmed from his character and style of political leadership. Reagan’s broad vision and clear direction made his political ideals appealing.
Reagan also had a plans to protect us from the soviet he designed space based weapons if the Soviet Union shot nuclear missiles. He was a President who kept his word and got things done witch is a big part of being considered the best US
Ronald Reagan had an advantage when dealing with the media thanks to acting. Most Americans during the time of the Reagan presidency received news via television. Edel (1992) noted Reagan was “especially effective” on television, and he rarely let “inquiring reporters or other distractions” phase him. He knew “every trick in the cameraman’s book” and was able to use it to his advantage in his presidency (p.263). Reagan was always camera ready making him look personable, cheerful, and in control on the television.
Paul Conrad, an editor for the LA times, illustrated Ronald Reagan’s changes through a plane and signifying all that had been done in order to reduce the budget for basic needs such as medicare, legal service, and other social services (2). During this time, many people, including the New Right Conservatives, complained that the government was spending too much on many things including student loans, social security, and various other social services. When the government “decreased” spending, they also cut off funds for essential necessities such as aid to cities and education, and instead used that money to pay for the military, as demonstrated with “medicare” funding being used for the nose of the plane. Through this, it showed that Ronald Reagan failed to decrease spending, as his policies simply shifted the government spending from social services to the military. In addition, the LA times also depicted Ronald Reagan as a cowboy constantly firing at either like or do not like for policies such as civic rights, federal aid to education, and other social welfare programs (5).
( Biography) To this day Reagan is considered by many to be one of the greatest presidents in U.S. history. He helped Bring an end to the era of communism. All of these things would not have happened if he had not been successful as an actor which shifted his political views. Ronald Reagan died in his home in 2006 at the age of
He did this to reduce the money spent so that we would be able to benefit from it. Reagan did make a lot of changes that really helped the people better their money problems.
The country became concerned how their leader was no longer fit to serve for how long he’d be out of the office. His dramatic return to office after being shot allowed him to introduce his budget policy to his audience. He gained lots of popularity after this incident which allowed him to work with congress. He used the positive momentum to speak to the American people calling out the district representatives to push his budget plan agenda. After speaking to the people, “Reagan's job approval rating,... bounced upward to 68 percent, higher than it had been…”
“The Great Communicator,” who, when listing the top presidents in American history, would be towards the top every time. As evident throughout his life, Ronald Reagan is indeed one of the most influential citizens of American history. For starters, Ronald Reagan was not only the most inspirational American in U.S. history, but he also lived the real American dream. He was the Average Joe born in the suburbs with a middle class family. It was then in his hometown of Dixon, Illinois that he learned, “the love and common sense of purpose that unites families and communities
Vargas 5 Ronald Reagan: America’s Leading Man Ronald Reagan, only movie actor to become president, was recognized for his conservative republicanism, fervent anticommunism, policies contributing to demise of the Soviet Union, appealing personal style, skilled as an orator which earned him the title “Great Communicator.” (Britannica) However, Reagan didn’t get this recognition easily, he worked really hard to get to there. Reagan got his start in politics in a televised 1964 address.
In her eulogy to Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher, former Prime Minister of Great Britain, presents Reagan as a hardworking, agreeable, and funny man. She describes him as a common man who worked just as hard, or harder, than anyone. The purpose of her eulogy is to mention the great deeds of Reagan as well as describe his personal characteristics and show why these characteristics made him such a legendary president. One of the main ways Thatcher exposes the characteristics of Reagan is with parallelisms and repetition that put hard emphasis on her other points.