COLUMN: Reagan was right on — then, today and tomorrow

This letter is in response to the recent column by Fraser Sherman (“Reagan would be all wrong for today's right” ). The column was illustrative of selective memory lapses and facts taken out of context.

Mr. Sherman states there was "massive military spending, including billions of dollars wasted." The Carter administration decimated the American military budget and emaciated our military operations. President Reagan was overwhelmingly elected for two terms by the American people in part because of his belief in a strong military. The military budgets proposed by Reagan to rebuild the neglected U.S. military were enacted by the Democrat controlled House and Senate. In any event, in spite of waste and deficits, we won the Cold War on the cheap — a good trade-off by any reckoning.   

Mr. Sherman asserted that there were “tax cuts for the rich that would supposedly benefit everyone (but didn’t).” At that time the economic policies of the Carter administration buried the country in hyper interest rates of over 20 percent, resulted in double-digit inflation, and left many people unemployed. Reagan campaigned and was elected into office because he believed that the private sector, not big government, would be the engine of prosperity and full employment.

By giving tax cuts to those who had the funds and ability to invest as they saw fit, the U.S. economy was transformed and businesses large and small started to flourish. As American business recovered, their operations expanded and new jobs were created and the massive unemployment of that period receded. But, there was another important fact that Mr. Sherman left out of his column: Tax revenues on the state and federal levels swelled to record amounts.

This increase in funds allowed all federal, state and local programs to be fully funded without increasing tax rates. This rising economic tide did indeed lift everyone and the country thrived. Sure the rich got richer, but the middle class and below were also better off.

You should recall that in 1982 Reagan made a deal with the Democrats that he would agree to a tax increase if they would enact some spending cuts. The Democrats then went on to pass the tax increases, which Reagan signed, but then they reneged on the spending cuts. The extent of the deficit because of that can be laid at the feet of the Democrats. (Side note: The Reagan economic plan worked so well that Bill Clinton campaigned against the "Era of Greed" and tapped into the often used political tactic of appealing to envy.)   

Mr. Sherman states that Reagan "negotiated with our enemies and made peace with them." WHAT??? Reagan fearlessly told Mr. Gorbachev to "tear down this wall!" He was referring to the Berlin Wall, an actual barrier that ran through the city (and beyond) and separated the east from the west. East German guards patrolled the east side of the wall and used force to prevent anyone from escaping to the west toward freedom. Today, there is only one Germany, united and free, thanks to the courage and foresight of President Reagan.

Reagan refused to negotiate away the missiles in Europe when he met Gorbachev in Iceland. He also spearheaded a space-based missile defense program (at the time disparagingly dubbed "Star Wars") that many believe helped end the Soviet regime.

To negotiate implies a series of compromises and bilateral agreements. This was not the case in this endeavor, for Reagan firmly held his ground and did not believe in compromising on key principles, including his Constitutional duty to protect and defend the U.S.A. The fact that the U.S. had a fully functional military and a strong leader made unnecessary the compromises that would leave the dangerous and hostile status quo intact. The U.S. media of that time wrote many editorials exhorting Reagan to back off and not talk so tough. Had he followed the "nice guy" path, we would likely still be under the threat of the missiles of a still intact Soviet Union.   

The principles that Reagan espoused live on.

When one hears conservatives long for the Reagan years, what they are talking about is yearning for an intrepid, articulate spokesperson who will fight for limited government, lower taxes, and belief in the individual to think and act for themselves, and not apologize for their beliefs or cower to the mainstream media. Today, many voters eagerly look forward to the coming elections and, using the blueprint of the Reagan years, turn our country back on the road to fiscal responsibility, self determination, safety and peace.

Dennis Luxem is a Woodbury, Minn., resident. Dennis and his wife are visiting the area while on vacation.