Time For A Reaganality Check

Note: this is NOT Reagan-bashing. I admire the man too much for that. However, his legacy needs to be based on fact, not myth. I guess there aren't any fact-checkers left in the news media, because this week our beloved news media have spread several myths. The myths are refuted below:

- The House and Senate did not both come under Republican rule during Reagan's time. The Democrats controlled the House of Representatives in all 4 of Reagan's Congresses. The Democrats controlled BOTH Houses in Reagan's last Congress (1987-1988). Source: You look it up; I did.

- The Berlin Wall did not come down when Reagan was in office. It came down in November, 1989. Source: Don't be so lazy; look it up.

- Reagan is not the president who left office with the highest approval rating in modern times. That honor goes to Bill Clinton.

- Reagan was not the "most popular president ever." That statement is highly subjective.
  * if we use average approval ratings over the term in office as the measure... Clinton and Reagan are tied for 4th place.
  * if we only include post-WWII presidents who served 2 terms, then Clinton and Reagan are tied for 2nd place.
  * if we count all 43 Presidents, surely a few more might go right to the top of the list. Washington, Jefferson, both Roosevelts.... Shall I go on?

- Reagan did not preside over the longest economic expansion in history. That is somewhat subjective, so let's allow a current US State Department document decide:
  * "By the end of 1999, the economy had grown continuously since March 1991, the longest peacetime economic expansion in history." [That's longer than Reagan was President]
  * "Unemployment totaled just 4.1 percent of the labor force in November 1999, the lowest rate in nearly 30 years."
  * "Consumer prices, which rose just 1.6 percent in 1998 (the smallest increase except for one year since 1964), climbed only somewhat faster in 1999 (2.4 percent through October)."

- Reagan did not shrink the size of government.
  * In terms of reducing the number of federal non-defense employees, Reagan didn't cut it at all; he's in 3rd place (behind 2 Democrats).
  * In terms of managing federal spending, Reagan comes in 4th (behind 3 Democrats).

- Reagan DID preside over what was at the time the "biggest tax cut in history", but it was followed up the next year by the "biggest tax increase in history." It seems that there were at least 2 problems with the tax cut:
  * the tax cut was "justified" by information which was both false and falsified [sounds familiar]
  * the tax cut really mucked up an economy that was struggling to recover

- Reagan was not "beloved by all." He was loved by some, liked by some, and despised by some. All had their reasons. And that's a fact, Jack.