Don't want to disagree too much, but much (most?) of the Reagan era military build-up was when the Soviet Union was being run by a bunch of tired Stalinist hacks (Brezhnev, Andropov, Chernenko), up to 1985. when Gorbachev came in, Reagan did deal with him, and even agreed to weapons cuts, so I don't know that that criticism is completely fair.

Actually, Andropov was the one who put Gorbachev on the leadership track and seemed to be a bit of a reformer himself. Unless someone seriously argues that Reagan caused Gorbachev to win control of the Politburo, all the military spending ended up being irrelevant to what led to the collapse of the Soviet Union.

God help us if Bush II isn't the worst president of the 21st century.

Thank you for the breath of fresh air.

Don't forget Jimmy Carter's support for human rights. The growth of NGOs such as Amnesty International, world wide, plus the growth of movements such as Solidarnosc and the Velvet Revolution in Europe, did far more to end the Cold War than all of Reagan's rhetoric and multi-billion dollar defense boondoggles.

I don't know, Nathan. I thought Reagan was pretty awful, but the worst of the 20th Century? In a league that includes Harding and Nixon, getting to the bottom of the table isn't easy.

You said it! It's amazing the amount of whitewashing of his legacy is going on.

One other thing which earned him my enmity: him cracking a joke about starting a nuclear war. And let's not forget James Watt--the worst Interior Dept. head ever--and the corruption that oozed from most of his administration.

Having lives though both, I still think Bush II is worse, though. Reagan at least fought against perceived foreign enemies, whereas one gets the feelign that Bush things his biggest enemies are freedom-loving Americans.

I can see how, living under Bush's reign, it might seem like Canada's 2 major parties are almost the same, and arguing about little things, but you couldn't be more wrong.

The "New" Conservative Party just merged with the (right-wing nut-job) Alliance Party, dropping their old name of "Progressive Conservatives"

They want to start privatizing health care. They want to set restrictions on abortion - maybe even remove it from government coverage. They want to slash taxes for corporations and the wealthy. They want to be part of Bush's Coalition of the Willing" and send Canadian soldiers to Iraq.

There's a LOT more at stake than a $2 copay.

(By the way, in British Columbia we already pay $54/month for our supposed free Canadian health care)

Bush is even more of an enemy of working people.

To be fair, I would give Reagan credit for recognizing that Gorbachev was a serious reformer and peace advocate, something most of his conservative friends didn't want to believe.

I'll agree that Reagan isn't anywhere near the president he's being whitewashed to be, but aren't much much worse presidents in the 20th century? Nixon? Harding? Coolidge? Hoover?

As for the 21st, I sincerely hope you're right.

Nixon was a crook of limited imagination compared to Reagan. Bush, on the otherhand, is an entire criminal enterprise.

Thanks for saying it. Just thanks. I'm one of the poor people whose life has been ruined in some big ways by that man's policies. Work I trained for and deserved wasn't there when I graduated. The family I would have had if I'd ever made enough money to provide for them decently never happened. By now I'm grateful for mindless low-wage drudgery that at least keeps me housed and gives me the hope I won't have to live on catfood if I make it to 60. And in the world I live in, if I dared to so much as suggest that Reagan is not a saint, I'd even lose this low-wage dead-end job.

By the way, Reagan was elected the first time during my last year at university. In response, the history department began offering seminars on fascism open to anyone on campus who wanted to attend. And I live in the south.

I think that, from where we are at present, the case CAN be made that Reagan has had the most pernicious and lasting influence on American society and therefore is the worst president since Washington first took the office. In addition to the salient points that you made without apology (and thankfully so), there are the marks he has left on the political culture of the nation. The arrogance, the incompetence, the intellectual shallowness, the contempt for the rule of law, the underhandedness, the viciousness in political discourse, the shamelessness... all of these things were propelled forward by Reagan and his circle of monsters, the worst of whom still plague the American political scene today. Little puppy Bush dreams of following in the tradition and, sadly, he is doing a fairly good job of fulfilling his little puppy dream.

While browsing the net, I stumbled accross this minor blog site. After a few seconds, I realized many people can be simple, lead simple lives and think simple thoughts. All that's listed are the regurgitated bile of vicious thoughts, and re-tread and inaccurate statements I've been reading for years. Though not perfect, Reagan was an honest man and sincerely driven by what he believed. He restored dignity to the office that held until a particulare 8 year period of running offenses. He bargained from a position of strength by building a military that had been severely weakened during the previous decade. Gorbachev was a leader in the sense that he saw a moving crowd and got in front. No one at the time of Reagans exit thought the Soviet Union would have collapsed. The educated lemmings/experts at the time thought (hoped) the Russians could hang in there a while longer, praying that Reagan would be wrong. He unleashed a tax cut that did cause a major increase in tax revenues stemming from a growing economy. Someone should ask the estate of Tip O'Neill how he coordinated spending of the new revenues. The tragedy? Millions upon millions of people recognize what Reagan accomplished for America, living here and abroad. Ask someone from the old Soviet block neighborhood. Ask those who voted both times to place or keep him in electoral margins/landslides never seen before. If anyone else here had ever visited one of the countries which benefited from his stance against Communism (which really is dead despite the obvious nostalgia), they'd understand more that what they're able to now comprehend (a diminishing likelihood the more I read the previous comments). Anyway, I'm tired. Nathan the Franco-Canadia-Phile has no sense of history, economics or compassion. Other than that, he's quite competent to espouse whatever floats through his head. Just don't let any facts get in the way. So, you lemmings, go back to Starbucks, order a Decaf Espresso, Bitch about the Patriot Act (without citing any examples of misuse), find an improved way to save the gay whales while driving a hybrid car through whatever plot of land you believe is endangered. Enjoy paying back the loans on the useless degree you obtained through financing because your grant disappeared, rightly so. If you had taken the time to study and see how the world actually works, you'd know the world is a dangerous place and it takes a strong leader to guide us through the tough times. Reagan was such a man who met the challenge. The fact he did obviously disturbs your multi-cultural, can't we all just get along, mentalities. I'm extemely proud Reagan was our President. I'm proud he was an American. But, I can't say I have the same pride in the fact most of you are Americans.

Jared, Jared, Jared....
To quote Reagan ..."You've seen one Jared you've seen them all."

You gyus are right. Reagan must have been a very bad president.
We all can tell by the small crowds that came to pay their last respects.
When Carter goes I guess all the commies & socialists will attend. After all the left kept them in business. Democrats allowed those murderers to go on unchecked. Reagan forced them to deal with America the great superpower instead of talking and having $1,500 diners with UN folks.
You hate Reagan because he make Americans feel good again. That hurts the leftists. What is good for America is bad for leftists.

With over 70% of Americans believing Reagan was one of the greatest persidents ever, we are again proud because of Reagan.

The Clinton legacy will be pants dropped in teh Oval Office. Reagan only defeated Communists....

Oh Canada. The land of superior health care...

There are more MRI machines in Minnesota than in all of Canada. Could that contribute to the long waits for medical tests??
Or maybe that's wht many NY City hospitals are filled with Canadians getting medical services. The care in Canada is so good they may come to NYC to see how the other half is treated???

Face it Canada can't survive without the U.S. their socialists days are numbered. Their tolerance of terrorists within their borders is criminal.

Canada needs a Ronald Reagan to puill them from the bounds of socialism and into the new century. We all have seen the failures of the left. Terrorists living within Canada will soon force their will on the people of Canada as they do everywhere. The question is withe the left in control, no one will have the courage to fight terrorists. The left only knows appeasement.

That's how America was attacked on 9/11/01. Clinton kisses the ass of terrorists and treated them like equals. The UN allowed millions to be murdered in Africa, Asia and Europe without question. The UN could only have another expensive dinner and have their members stay in $3,000.00 hotel rooms while the poor suffer.

The UN continues to steal from the worlds poor as they did with the Food for Oil program.

Canada beware????

Reagan enacted Social Security "reform" in '83 that prevents municipal workers (and surviving spouses) from collecting the SS they paid into through those jobs, pre-1985, and from their second jobs they take to make ends meet. He called them "double-dippers". He, of course, was free to collect SS, SAG pension, CA pension, and Pres. pension. I understand that state employees should not serve in state or nat'l gov't, for example; that double-dipping not only nets two pensions but violates the Separation of Powers. But a firefighter who is a custodian, say, after his retirement at 55, can never collect what he paid in to the SS system? Wrong. There is a bill, H. R. 594, in the House of Racketeers to change this damage done by Reagan.

Reagan enacted Social Security "reform" in '83 that prevents municipal workers (and surviving spouses) from collecting the SS they paid into through those jobs, pre-1985, and from their second jobs they take to make ends meet. He called them "double-dippers". He, of course, was free to collect SS, SAG pension, CA pension, and Pres. pension. I understand that state employees should not serve in state or nat'l gov't, for example; that double-dipping not only nets two pensions but violates the Separation of Powers. But a firefighter who is a custodian, say, after his retirement at 55, can never collect what he paid in to the SS system? Wrong. There is a bill, H. R. 594, in the House of Racketeers to change this damage done by Reagan.

Jared,
Thanks for your note-- could you respond substantively to Nathan's list of damaging actions by Reagan and his administration? Do you approve of these actions? Do you think they were in our long-term interest? Would you have done things differently if you were president?

Quote: That's how America was attacked on 9/11/01. Clinton kisses the ass of terrorists and treated them like equals. The UN allowed millions to be murdered in Africa, Asia and Europe without question. The UN could only have another expensive dinner and have their members stay in $3,000.00 hotel rooms while the poor suffer.

No, you moron, Reagen's schmoozing with terrorists and Saddam Hussein (and giving weapons to BOTH Iran and Iraq) led to major terrorist attacks.

And Jared - Reagan? HONEST? You got that from the Iran-Contra scandal right? Or wait, no, that must be from the "lying to Congress" thing, right? Reagan was a lying ignorant man, and none of your right-wing propaganda changes that.

However we choose to honor Ronald Reagan, I bet
there are already a bunch of stinger missiles
and AK-47s named after him in the middle east
already.