“Once upon a time, there was this actor, ya’ see. He wasn’t a great actor, but he wasn’t terrible either. Just your garden variety post-war Hollywood male beefcake. He wasn’t particularly bright, but he was very affable. The kind of guy his adversaries later in life would feel bad about telling the TRUTH about him… that his ideas were screwy.

After Hollywood, he tried out his acting chops on a different stage: politics. Conservative politics, to be precise. He managed to get himself elected Governor of California, where he declared war on higher learning. The University of California was FAR too liberal for his liking, and something needed to be done about that. And why should the state pay to educate all those liberal hippie brats that leftist drivel?

By the time the war ended, the actor had won. And college-bound kids all across the country had lost. His war with UC was the beginning of the end of free education to those willing to apply themselves, nationwide. What’s that? You can’t afford to pay? Gosh, that’s too bad. I guess you should’ve been born to a wealthier family.

From California, there was nowhere to go but up. With his own aw-shucksy brand of populism, he managed to win their hearts and minds and his party’s nomination in the summer of 1980, and the White House that fall.
And then the fun started.

He dropped the top tax rate from 72% to 29%, to thundering applause from his pals at the yacht clubs. He shoved through Trickle Down 1.0, which (unsurprisingly) rendered the poor poorer, and the rich richer. The income gap between black and white Americans became a crevasse.

But possibly even more damaging than all of the above, is the legacy he established that divided the American people from their government. Even though the first three words of our Constitution make it clear; We The People are our government, he found political gold in exploiting the suspicions and distrust at the fringe. He was unequivocal about it:

“The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.”
“Government is not the solution to our problem, government IS the problem.”
~ January 20th, 1981

Funny; I’m old enough to remember a previous, even more charismatic president, who during his Inaugural Address 20 years prior, challenged us in an entirely different way:

“Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”
~ January 20th, 1961

Hell of a diff in just two decades, huh? One asked us to roll up our sleeves and get involved, discover ways to serve, be it in the Armed Forces, the Peace Corps, on the local school board… or as a member of Congress. The other fanned the flames of distrust.

And now here we are 40 years later, up to our necks in two historic epidemics: one, a deadly virus that Trump allowed to kill over 600,000 Americans, the other, a generation brought up to embrace conspiracy theories over reality, lies over facts, and manufactured political garbage over science.

If there’s any one universally accepted mantra in modern Republicanism, it’s that Ronald Reagan was the greatest thing since sliced bread. He was and still IS their godhead. And if he said we shouldn’t trust the government, then damn it, we SHOULDN’T TRUST THE GOVERNMENT! Even if we’re drowning in a sea of Covid.

Reagan’s chickens have come home to roost.”

- Bruce Lindner

agree completely. the greed is good, government is bad right has totally taken over and poisoned our formerly well meaning government.

we are fooked. this will take generations to undo, if it can EVER be undone.

It's somewhat amazing that Reagan was able to get away with making that statement about government while holding the highest office in government.

it made no sense then. it still makes no sense.
but it resonates with the 40%.
I knew we were in trouble when he said that.
and that chicken has firmly come home to roost.