Maggie's Farm

As usual, leftists like Ztroll cherry pick specific statements out of context and try to make conservatives seem to say something they didn't. Here is the context for Reagan's speech:


"So, let us, in these next 2 years--men and women of both parties, every political shade--concentrate on the long-range, bipartisan responsibilities of government, not the short-range or short-term temptations of partisan politics.

The problems we inherited were far worse than most inside and out of government had expected; the recession was deeper than most inside and out of government had predicted. Curing those problems has taken more time and a higher toll than any of us wanted. Unemployment is far too high. Projected Federal spending--if government refuses to tighten its own belt--will also be far too high and could weaken and shorten the economic recovery now underway.

This recovery will bring with it a revival of economic confidence and spending for consumer items and capital goods--the stimulus we need to restart our stalled economic engines. The American people have already stepped up their rate of saving, assuring that the funds needed to modernize our factories and improve our technology will once again flow to business and industry."

Text of full speech is at http://www.infoplease.com/t/hist/state-of-the-union/196.html

Reagan was not so much blaming his predecessor as noting that the depth of the problem had been somewhat hidden from public scrutiny. His solution was to unleash the economic engines of the private sector. And it worked.

By the way, Clinton still claims credit for a robust economy, but fails to attribute it to his predecessors, Reagan and Bush 43.

Oops, Bush 41.. George Herbert Walker Bush, Reagan's VP