Dems, Tea Party reject Patriot Act renewel

[Hauldren Collider]

Reagan's policy on immigration is totally consistent with fiscal conservatism. The fact that he wasn't a reactionary doesn't make him a liberal...

And he didn't raise taxes, not in the aggregate anyway.

[MRT144]

Wait, gribbler, are you blaming Bush for 9/11?

As for the speeches, where were you when Clinton gave his speech after Oklahoma City? If Clinton can give that kind of speech after Tim McVeigh went postal, I think Bush can make such a speech after terrorists attack the Pentagon and blow up the twin towers.

Why do I even have to justify this? This is pathetic.

I think you're an apologist for using tragedy for personal gain.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Wow, great video. You just know conservatives will go ape **** that the historians ranked Reagan at 18th best president while Obama's first term accomplishments ranked him at 15th!

Yes, one poll = historians:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_rankings_of_Presidents_of_the_United_St ates

Since 2000, there have been 7 historian ranking polls. Reagan has been ranked, respectively: 8, 16, 6, 8, 10, 18, 8

Average ranking: 10.5

Besides, the poll you are relying on (Siena 2010 poll rank) has Theodore Roosevelt as #2, above Abraham Lincoln and George Washington.

[MRT144]

Yes, one poll = historians:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_rankings_of_Presidents_of_the_United_St ates

Since 2000, there have been 7 historian ranking polls. Reagan has been ranked, respectively: 8, 16, 6, 8, 10, 18, 8

Average ranking: 10.5

Besides, the poll you are relying on (Siena 2010 poll rank) has Theodore Roosevelt as #2, above Abraham Lincoln and George Washington.

Bully for Teddy!

[Lonestar]

Reagan's policy on immigration is totally consistent with fiscal conservatism. The fact that he wasn't a reactionary doesn't make him a liberal...

And he didn't raise taxes, not in the aggregate anyway.

Let's see what this lefty organization has to say about Reagan.

Taxes

Before looking at taxation under Reagan, we must note that spending is the better indicator of the size of the government. If government cuts taxes, but not spending, it still gets the money from somewhere—either by borrowing or inflating. Either method robs the productive sector. Although spending is the better indicator, it is not complete, because it ignores other ways in which the government deprives producers of wealth. For instance, it conceals regulation and trade restricdons, which may require little government outlay.

If we look at government revenues as a percentage of "national income," we find little change from the Carter days, despite heralded "tax cuts." In 1980, revenues were 25.1% of "national income." In the first quarter of 1988 they were 24.7%.

Reagan came into office proposing to cut personal income and business taxes. The Economic Recovery Act was supposed to reduce revenues by $749 billion over five years. But this was quickly reversed with the Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 1982. TEFRA—the largest tax increase in American history—was designed to raise $214.1 billion over five years, and took back many of the business tax savings enacted the year before. It also imposed withholding on interest and dividends, a provision later repealed over the president's objection.

But this was just the beginning. In 1982 Reagan supported a five-cent-per-gallon gasoline tax and higher taxes on the trucking industry. Total increase: $5.5 billion a year. In 1983, on the recommendation of his Spcial Security Commission— chaired by the man he later made Fed chairman, Alan Green-span—Reagan called for, and received, Social Security tax increases of $165 billion over seven years. A year later came Reagan's Deficit Reduction Act to raise $50 billion.

Even the heralded Tax Reform Act of 1986 is more deception than substance. It shifted $120 billion over five years from visible personal income taxes to hidden business taxes. It lowered the rates, but it also repealed or reduced many deductions.

According to the Treasury Department, the 1981 tax cut will have reduced revenues by $1.48 trillion by the end of fiscal 1989. But tax increases since 1982 will equal $1.5 trillion by 1989. The increases include not only the formal legislation mentioned above but also bracket creep (which ended in 1985 when tax indexing took effect—a provision of the 1981 act despite Reagan's objection), $30 billion in various tax changes, and other increases. Taxes by the end of the Reagan era will be as large a chunk of GNP as when he took office, if not larger: 19.4%, by ultra-conservative estimate of the Reagan Office of Management and Budget. The so-called historic average is 18.3%.

And of course your assertion doesn't cover what is noted in the quote: That spending is a better indicator of size of government. Reagan didn't "raise taxes in aggregate", but he did raise taxes to prevent the deficit from spinning out of control and not being even worse than it ended up being. Evil Liberal Obama won't even raise taxes on the 250k+ crowd.

LIBRUL LIBRUL LIBRUL

[Agent Sox]

Yay, zakuHL's back!






So what is your area of expertise then... other bat**** conspiracy theories?

Haha, pretty much. Oh, and cryptography.