dont-follow-dead-main asked: A lot of people absolutely worship Ronald Reagan and a lot despise him so could you do a thing on what he did right and wrong? I don't want to form and opinion without facts and I know nothing about him really at all
I personally do not like him as a president. Not at all.
Arguing Reagan was a GOOD president:
Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty that ended the Cold War.
1986 tax reform that lowered the top marginal rate from 50 percent to 33 percent.
Left office with a 63% approval rate.
Restored American confidence in the nation and the future.
Restored the neglected U.S. military and its alliances.
During his administration, the nation added over 16 million jobs.
Why Reagan was actually a BAD president:
Nearly every negative thing that has transpired in American political culture during the past thirty-six years happened because of Ronald Reagan.
He convinced most of the nation that the government is always the problem (unless it’s the military or CIA), that government spending is always wasteful (unless it’s military, subsidies or big business interests), that poor people are moochers/frauds. (etc there is more).
Reagan shifted the tax burden from the wealthy to the working class. It firmly implemented the middle class.
His War on Drugs launched an era of mass incarceration that ruined millions of lives and destroyed communities and neighborhoods.
His tax policies created today’s out-of-control wealth inequality.
He sold arms to Iran and redirected profits to fascist Central American dictators due to his fear of the domino theory which ruined countries.
Reagan was a major component in the deaths of many people infected with HIV/AIDS.
He also crushed down on locally owned businesses in preference for large corporations.
Reagan attacked civil rights, was racist and coined poor, black women as “welfare queens.
He fired the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights members who were critical of his civil rights policies.
Sought to limit the Voting Rights Act.
Stopped important programs like the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act that provided needed assistance to African Americans.
“I was diagnosed with leukemia during my early teens. It was a full year being out of school. And when I came back it felt like everyone had moved on without me. I had to repeat ninth grade. My social circles had changed and I was desperate to make new friends. I started trying way too hard to impress people. I’d make stuff up about myself. I remember pretending that I could read palms. Anything to get close to people who were cooler than me. But the worst part is that I started to avoid people who weren’t ‘cool.’ There was one girl I absolutely loved, but she had a weight problem and kids were mean to her. So I started ducking into classrooms if I saw her coming down the hall. Or I’d sit at the other end of the cafeteria. It was the opposite of who I’d always been. I’d always been the one making sure everyone was included. I was always the first one to introduce myself to new kids. I wanted everyone to feel important. But for awhile I became the opposite of that. I became a social climber.“
“I’m from a small country in Africa called Benin. I won the visa lottery to come here. I didn’t even know I was eligible. My brother entered my name and didn’t even tell me. I was studying to be a psychiatrist at the time. I assumed that I’d be able to continue with medical school. But when I arrived here, I found out that none of my credits would transfer. I had a choice: either go home and become a doctor, or start from the bottom. I didn’t speak any English. I didn’t have any money. But I knew if I could somehow make it here, my degree would be much more valuable. So I made the choice to stay. I began practicing English with my young nieces. The first thing I learned was: ‘I’m going to kick you.’ I got a job with a catering company and learned how to say ‘I’m here to deliver your food.’ I studied as many YouTube videos as I could during my free time. It’s been three years now. I’m almost finished with my bachelor’s degree. Just two classes left. At nights I work as a behavioral specialist in a mental health facility. I’m going to take the MCAT in September. My friends back home have all become doctors already, but I try not to think about them. I don’t want to lose my focus. I haven’t made it yet, but I’m making it.”
Mox checking in (Moreso is still in Rostrevor so it will be a bit longer before we hear from her again). I returned from Rostrevor a little over a week ago and I’m still processing all the beauty and wonder I was shown. Adjusting to being home has been hard.
I don’t even know how to begin to express my love for that little village. My heart has always pointed toward England and I treasure the two trips I took there but both times I returned feeling vaguely disappointed. I assumed it was because I’m a dreamer and an idealist and as such, I’m kind of destined to always be slightly disappointed. Then, I found Rostrevor and it is everything I could ever want it to be. In retrospect, I think I’ve spent my whole life dreaming of Rostrevor and as soon as I found it, a huge chunk of my heart broke off and burrowed itself deep into those rolling hills so I won’t be whole again until I return to stay.
While I could gush about Rostrevor all day, I’m going to save the play by play of my trip for a later post. I think it would be more fruitful (and help me process) to focus this post on what I learned from this adventure so you’ll still get snap shots of the trip.
First lesson: Never finish your drink in an Irish pub, especially when you know you’ve reached your limit. These folks are big on hospitality and they will insist on buying you drink after drink so make sure your last glass stays full or you’ll be crawling home.
Second lesson: The tension between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland is real. Rostrevor is in Northern Ireland and it sits just across a loch from Ireland. I flew into Dublin and took a bus to Rostrevor. Along the bus route is a Welcome to Northern Ireland sign but someone had blacked out the Northern and spray painted One Ireland over it.
Third lesson: Dear introverted heart, God will put people ready to love you in your path. Moreso definitely helped to clear my way but her friends were so eager to become my friends that it was like we had always known each other. I have one of them almost convinced to visit Atlanta in the fall.
Fourth lesson: God is a deeply nurturing and attentive father. My hosts would have been generous to simply give a stranger a bed to sleep in for a couple of weeks but they went over and above anything I would think to ask for or expect. From ensuring I had to plenty to eat to sending me off with meals and snacks to driving me to bus stations to picking up from the Belfast airport to including me in their Sunday worship to welcoming me to watch Love in the Countryside with them, they made me feel like a member of their family the second I met them. While driving me to the bus station, my hostess made a point of stopping along the way so we could walk through a meadow full of bluebells. This desire to not only look after me but to also share something beautiful with me echoed God’s tender care and heart for me as His daughter.
Fifth lesson: God created me to be a writer so I need to write. Rostrevor inspired C.S. Lewis’s Narnia and it still draws artist, musicians, and authors today. I understand why; it’s a perfect setting for adventure, love, and wonder. God sent me to Edinburgh for a few days and pressed upon me that there are stories all around me begging to be told. J.K. Rowling wrote much of the Harry Potter series while in Edinburgh and drew inspiration from all over the city. I stopped in the Writer’s Museum, which celebrates the life and works of Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott, and Robert Louis Stevenson, and was reminded that I have a passion for writing. Stevenson, in particular, used travelling to fuel his works and wrote “to travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive, and the true success is to labour.” Perhaps that’s what I’m meant to do with my life, travel hopefully.
Sixth lesson: I am not a big city girl - which may seem ironic given that I’m writing this from Atlanta, a city I’ve called home for the better part of 9 years (NINE YEARS! Excuse me for a moment while I have a mini existential crisis … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … . ok, I’m back. Where were we? Oh yes, 9 years), a city where I’ve flourished, a city I love. All I can say in response is Atlanta is just different. In general, I find big cities oppressive, overwhelming, and intimidating. This was definitely the case with Edinburgh and I couldn’t wait to get back to Rostrevor.
Seventh lesson: I don’t need to settle or force myself to fit something that was never meant to work out. I’ve been known to advise my friends not to settle so I never imagined I’d be tempted to do it. Then, I got ahead of God with this calling on my life and rushed into the first opportunity that felt right and closed my eyes to any signs that it wasn’t a good fit. I convinced myself that I dreamed too big and would miss out on reality while waiting for a fantasy. While that’s still a potential danger for an idealist like me, Rostrevor showed me that the desires of my heart do exist and are in reach.
While the details are still cloaked in mystery, I know for certain that God is not finished with me and I’m not finished with Rostrevor.
![victoriousvocabulary:
“ LEGGERMENTE
[adverb]
1. mildly, gently.
2. slightly.
3. lightly, nimbly.
4. thoughtlessly.
Etymology: Italian leggero, “light”, borrowed from Old French legier, from Vulgar Latin *leviārius, from Latin levis.
Original: Seeing...](https://64.media.tumblr.com/9c3fd9b584ebd7e9733689cc7ab32ad5/tumblr_p9ttvgEtnR1r47bczo1_640.jpg)