The real story of Reagan and Taxes

[steveox]

Taxes: What People Forget About Reagan

Those who oppose higher taxes and are fed up with record levels of U.S. debt may pine for Ronald Reagan, the patron saint of lower taxes and smaller government.

But it's worth considering just what Reagan did -- and didn't do -- as lawmakers grapple with many of the same issues that their 1980s counterparts faced: a deep recession, high deficits and a rip-roaring political divide over taxes.

Soon after taking office in 1981, Reagan signed into law one of the largest tax cuts in the postwar period.

http://finance.yahoo.com/taxes/article/110597/taxes-what-people-forget-about-reagan?mod=taxes-filing

Thats why im a tea party protester

 

[PLC1]

And, as Paul Harvey used to say, here is the rest of the story:

Biggest tax increase in California history:

Cannon nevertheless insists that Reagan soon overcame his amateurishness and quickly became a forceful and talented political leader, and he is seconded in this view by fellow journalist George Skelton along with historians Matthew Dallek and Kevin Starr. (6) The latter surprisingly elevates Reagan to rank alongside Hiram Johnson, Earl Warren, and Pat Brown as "four previous--and great governors." Starr ascribes Reagan this high rank because of his sustained " ... good humored relations with key Democrats...." and because, after listening to the latter, he "gave Californians the biggest tax hike in their history--and got away with it."

And, as the tax cutter president:

According to a recent Treasury Department study, Ronald Reagan proposed the largest peacetime tax increase in American history as part of a budget deal to get the federal deficit under control. The Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act (TEFRA) of 1982 was signed into law on Sept. 3, and most of its provisions took effect on Jan. 1, 1983.

Now, Reagan was as good of a president as we've had, don't get me wrong, but his reputation as a tax cutter and advocate of small government is highly exaggerated.

I voted for three candidates who actually were elected in my lifetime. The first was Lyndon Johnson. Ironically, I thought that Goldwater would get us into a war. With 20/20 hindsight, I now realize that US history could have been much different had Goldwater been chosen over Johnson in '64.

The second was Ronald Reagan, because I thought he would actually cut back the size and expense of the federal bureaucracy. I didn't vote for him in '84, however. Of course, it didn't matter as Reagan had the election sewn up anyway.

I won't say who the third was, but I will say I have some second thoughts there, too.