Reagan Redux

"Beginning with Reagan in particular, when he became President in 1981, there was a massive ideological assault to undo what people had learned, to make them `stupid' and to promote another view, a reactionary viewpoint."

- Bob Avakian, "We Want State Power--and We Should Want It," Revolutionary Worker, May 4, 2003

Read: Detailed (and footnoted) chronology of Reagan's arming of Saddam Hussein
Read: The Crimes and Times of Ronald Reagan

Ronald Reagan's Firsts

1. First to turn America into a DEBTOR nation
2. First to increase DEBT faster than growth of national income in eight years
3. First to increase DEBT faster than growth of gdp over eight years
4. First to double the deficit in just eigh years
5. First to "almost" triple the national DEBT in just eight years
6. First to increase SPENDING by 80%-- over 8 years
7. First to SPEND more in eight years than was spent in prior 50 years
8. First to have "real" INTEREST RATES of 8% after averaging 1% over 35 years
9. First to keep PRIME INTEREST RATES at 20%
10. First to over value the dollar to the yen at rate of 262 yen to 1 dollar
11. First to have served as Governor and increase STATE SPENDING by 112%
12. First to have HOME LOAN INTEREST RATES as high as 16%
13. First to CUT TAXES by 60% for his rich pals
14. First to allow the SAVINGS AND LOAN INDUSTRY to be raided after signing a deregulatory bill and proclaiming "I think we have hit the jackpot". Come and get it the vaults are unguarded.
15. First to deal with TERRORISTS
16. First to send an AUTOGRAPHED BIBLE to a man he called "The Satan of Terrorists"
17. First to have an ADMIRAL plead the Fifth Amendment
18. First to have a stealing, lying, gutless wife abusing MARINE LT. COLONEL plead the Fifth Amendment.
19. First to have a "sitting" CABINET MEMBER INDICTED
20. First to have an ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE INDICTED
21. First to have an ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF DEFENSE SENT TO PRISON
22. First to have over 100 MEMBERS OF AN ADMINISTRATION CHARGED WITH CRIMES..
23. First to have more members of his administration charged with crimes than CUMULATIVE TOTAL OF ALL OTHER PRESIDENTS in the twentieth century
24. First to set a record for the LARGEST ONE DAY PERCENTAGE DECLINE in the DOW in history. 10-19-87
25. First to have over $10,000,000 INCREASE IN WEALTH from serving for 8 years as president
26. First to testify "under oath" 130 times that "I DON'T REMEMBER"
27. First to have an Admiral with a photographic memory testify 128 times "I DON'T REMEMBER"
28. First to undergo BRAIN SURGERY a few months after leaving office. No pain no gain.
29. First to, repeatedly, FALSIFY HIS WIFE'S AGE. As tho anyone cared
30. First to promote his religious faith and never have an ACTIVE CHURCH MEMBERSHIP
31. First to never use the term JESUS CHRIST in speeches
32. First to seek GUIDANCE FROM THE STARS not from God
33. First to have had a SHOTGUN WEDDING
34. First to have worked as a SHILL in Las Vegas
35. First to call a Stealing, Lying, Psychotic, wife abusing Marine a "LIAR"
36. First to have been OPENLY ALIENATED from his children
37. First To have served with ALZHIMERS
38. First to have UNEMPLOYMENT AT 10.8% since great depression
39. First to attack a small unprotected nation with 88,000 inhabitants and 10,000 bb guns then proclaim -"America stands tall again"- "we have whipped the Vietnam Syndrome"-we have defeated communism". Gosh! What if we had whipped Cyprus?
40. #1-in FARM FORECLOSURES
41. #1-In BANK FAILURES
42. #1-In SAVINGS AND LOAN FAILURES
43. #1-In Percent increase in PERSONAL BANKRUPTCIES
44. #1-In recorded MISSTATEMENTS
45. #1-In never having a single press conference in which he did not make at least one or more INCORRECT STATEMENTS
46. #1-In needing a staff person standby during press conferences to tell the press "WHAT HE REALLY MEANT"
47. #1-In having SERVICEMEN KILLED during peacetime
48. #1-In largest DROP IN POPULARITY in one week
49. #1-In being first to HONOR NAZI STORM TROOPERS by calling them "Innocent Victims"
50. #1-In being first to be labeled "BRAIN DEAD AFFABLE DUNCE' by this writer (*writer unknown)
51. First to lie-over and over-to reporters "I DO NOT DYE MY HAIR my barber uses a special shampoo"
52. First to have a wife who "forced" him to WEAR THREE SUITS in one day

53. First to boast "Not bad for a DUMB GUY who worked only 20 hours per week"
54. First to have his wife sit nearby and WHISPER ANSWERS to questions
55. First to FALL ASLEEP while the Pope spoke
56. First to invite the Pope to visit the White House and "BRING THE WIFE AND KIDS"
57. First to have his press secretary remove him from the microphone because he could not answer questions. Then, as the reporter yelled out "answer my question" he eplied "MY HANDLERS WON'T LET ME SPEAK".
Quick get the white coat.
58. First 20th Century president to have historians RATE HIM BELOW every president of the 20th except for Richard Nixon (1994 Poll)
59. First to give us a First Lady with a past reputation for giving the BEST BJ in Hollywood
60. First to suggest his eldest son undergo PSYCHIATRIC examination
61. First to have been voted in British polls (twice) as the "MOST FEARED LEADER IN THE WORLD" (sic em Rambo)
62. First to serve as Governor on a "conservative" platform and INCREASE SPENDING BY 112% 63. First Governor TO INCREASE personal income taxes by 60%, tax increase on cigarettes by 200%, state tax collections by 152%
64. First to have a Special Assistant say on national TV "sometimes you had to HIT HIM ON THE HEAD with a 2 x 4 to get his attention"
65. First to have his official biographer state on national TV 'After he was shot in 1981 he GOT SLOWER AND SLOWER EACH YEAR. His speech got slower. He deliberated more and he hesitated more when he spoke. He lost his physical quickness and would not make decisions on the spot. It was a very, very slow and steady mental and physical decline".
66. First to have a POPULARITY RATING OF ONLY 35% after his first two years in office.
67. First president to have been DIVORCED
68. First president to have the Geriatrics Department of a major university study his behavior and conclude that AFTER THREE YEARS IN OFFICE HE HAD ALZHIMERS.