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That is was the policies of the Regan Administration that created most of the terrorism problems we seem to be facing now. His black/white policies led him to support many right wing dictatorships, and the end results of those policies led to the downfall of the Sandinista governments that were making a good deal of progress in correcting the dire poverty in which many Central Americans lived in order to provide obscene wealth to the oligarchs in those nations. Road building projects to allow access to many poor areas of the nation were started, but have all but disapeared with the re-establishment of those oligarchies that resulted due to Reagans policies of economic sanctions towards the new governments.
In places like Nicaragua, since the Reagan supported Contras could not win the military war, Reagans admin won the political war, which ended up eliminating the populist Governments and the same oligarchies are now in control again.
Of course, Al Qaeda would not likely exist had the U.S. not assisted the Mujahadeen in the fight against the Moscow backed Afghani Government.
On the home front, nearly a decade of massive military spending, without raising taxes on the wealthy to support it led to a massive deficit. Cost of living increased massively though it is not indicated in the Cost of Living figures. Another Reagan trick. When you don't like what the figures are showing, just change the way you figure the figures. During the Reagan years, a new set of rules were established for figuting cost of living(in 1983). From that date on, they stopped including the cost of food, housing, and gasoline in the Cost of Living estimates. For the most part, the average American did not experience an economic boom during the 80's. Though salaries increased a great deal, what those salaries could purchase indicated that most people took a pay cut during the Reagan Years. Reagans tax cut, like were even worsse than the Bush tax cuts. Most went to the wealthiest, and rather than receiveing a tax cut, most lower to mid-middle class income level individuals experiences a tax increase because the tax tables were skewed in that direction, and many of the little deductions that the lower incomes had avaliable to them were removed. Most interest income dedustions that were available to the poor and middle class were phased out. Nop more deducting the interest on credit cards, college loans, and automobile loans, as well as many other dedustions. So people who actually made lesss than the median income ended up having to write out checks to the government for a few hundres dollars by the middle of the Reagan terror.
The good economy of the 1980's did not exist. Things only improved in several sectors, and oddly enough the oil industry did not do well. During the 80's oill prices dropped significantly, which was the one thing good for the consumer, but bad for the industry.
Deregulation was one the worse thing that occured under Reagan. Remember when banks couldnt charge you for every damned thing they did for you. Reagan. Reagan is responsible for giving it all away. In fact, the roots of the Enron Scandal can be placed at the feet of the Reagan deregulations. It was the reagan Deregulations on large corporations that allowed for the downsizing of corporations by removing all limits on corporate executive remuneration. Before Reaga, there were limits on the tax advantages for giving corporate executives massive pay packages and other benefits. Afterwards, a corporation could get the same deductions for hiring 20 workers at 50,000 a year, or for purchasing a ten million dollar condo for the C.E.O. to stay in when he was in New York City.
Overall, the greatness of Ronal Reagan is a myth for the average person.
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