re: Questions about Reagan

Reagan may have been the last true statesman that this country had. He loved this country and used every opportunity to shower it and its people with praise.

He restored hope in America that had disappeared in the 7 short years after Nixon resigned and Carter took the country to depths it never thought it would see.

I have never understood why his economic plan is so ridiculed. When he took office, the country was mired in stagnant everything. We had double digit interest rates (even for home loans), double digit inflation, fairly high unemployment and our military might was deteriorating rapidly. By the time he left office, interest rates were back to respectable levels, jobs were plentiful, the economy was growing by leaps and bounds, and the old USSR was near collapse.

Two things he did I disagreed with: 1. Iran-Contra; and 2. amnesty deal.

I think Iran-Contra was your typical boneheaded governmental good intentions gone awry type deal. Reagan despised communism more than anything. He pretty much saw any plan to quash it as a good plan. Not so much.

As for the amnesty deal, I remember at the time thinking what a stupid idea it was to give amnesty to 2-3 million illegals. Well, now we have 20+ million here.

No President is perfect, but, on the whole, I'll take Reagan over any of the Presidents I've seen in my 52 years. He was a true leader, he spoke his mind, and he had a sincerity that drew people to him.