did you grow up with Reagan as pres, and did that affect your views of him

[maggrwaggr]

[Bluzmann57]

1. Voted the fourth choice

I am a Union man and Reagan tried his level best to destroy the labor movement in this country. That being said, I am sad for his family, although I guess they knew it was coming. Still probably doesn't make it any easier for them. RIP Reagan. May God have mercy on your soul.

[La Resistance]

2. I voted the second option

I was only 5 when he took office. I liked to listen to his speeches. I had no clue what he was saying or what it all meant. My parents loathed him and once I was old enough to comprehend all the things that went on around me in my youth, I grew to loathe him as well.

[flewellyn]

3. Number two.

I remember, when I was five, watching the Mondale-Reagan debates, and saying to my mother, "Mom, why is Reagan such a dumb guy?"

Her response was "Well, dumb guys can go far if they have a lot of money."

I still remember that, to this day.

[newsguyatl]

4. i grew up with reagan

and it was because of him my very smart mom taught me a life lesson:

republicans are for the rich = bad
democrats are for everyone else = good

[alexwcovington]

5. Reagan was the first person I THOUGHT was president

But by that time Dan Quayle was inexplicably holding office. I think the school librarian was pulling my leg.

[acmavm]

6. I remember the Reagan years very well. He hurt a hell of a lot of people

in this country, he nearly bankrupted us, he felt that AIDS was God's punishment for homosexuality and a pretty nifty way of being rid of them, he did more to promote bigotry and pettiness than any president up to that time, he had no qualms to stooping to a little bit of treason to further his agenda, promoted David Stockman and his voodoo economics, didn't give a shit about the homeless and the hungry, and was just an all around asshole who always told stories of things he personally experience but when pressed could never back any of his big talk with facts. I thought that I hate the man. I was wrong. I didn't understand pure, honest, visceral hatred of a political figure until the year 2000. But Reagan set us up for where we are today, and skated without paying for any of the evil things he did, his bigotry was ignored.

During the Iran-Contra hearings I sort of thought that people would finally understand the truth about how far this man and his party had gone to undermine America. Was I stupid or what?

Having said all that, I will not fall into the trap of saying that I'm glad the guy has finally croaked. In fact, I feel gratitude that he did it now rather than October. But I will not mourn his death. He caused way too much suffering and trouble during the years that he was running the show.

[cmf]

7. I'm only old enough to remember Carter before

I remember crying (with sadness, of course) on the day that Reagan was elected. Of course I was just reflecting my parents sentiments, but it was really memorable.

[Warpy]

8. Worse than an embarrassment

Reagan was the foulest class warrior on the planet, setting into stone the punishingly high income tax rates accomplished by the inflation of the 1970s, plus doubling FICA on the poorest workers so he could use 50% of the money collected to fudge his books, a practice that is continuing today, only to the tune of 40%, as the nation's wealth continues to flood to the rich.

The only homeless families I ever heard about prior to 1981 were people who had lost their homes due to fire or natural disaster. After Reagan took office, we started seeing many more homeless men and entire homeless families. The windfall to the upper income people encouraged them to buy up inner city properties which had housed a dozen or more low wage workers and convert them (back) into mansions housing one family part time. We got more mansions, and no housing for low wage workers, something that continues to this day.

For years we've been told to give this miserable excuse for a human being a pass because he was sick. Now we're told to give him a pass because he's managed to die. Sorry, but as long as his evil continues to damage people who work for a living, he is getting no pass from me.