Ronald Reagan was a better President than Barack Obama

Ronald ReaganI. Economic PolicyReagan entered office with one of the most ambitious plans since FDR's New Deal. His supply-side economics brought the recession from its peak in 1982 to growing recover two years later. The best example of this is unemployment. The unemployment rate peaked at 10.8% in November 1982. At that same time, Reagan's huge tax cuts went into effect. To properly compare this to Obama, we must look at Reagan's fifth year in office in September. The unemployment rate for July 1986 was 7.0%. In total, unemployment dropped by 3.8%. That is huge progress. [1]However that is not just it, federal revenue had been declining at 2.8% per year and after President Reagan's tax cuts it grew at 2.7% per year. In order to limit spending, as a % of GDP domestic spending went from 10.5% to 9.5%. addition, real GDP growth was averaging at 0.9% before the tax cuts and 4.8% after. [2,11] Finally, Mr. Cain and Mr. Lowrie write that:"During this period, promising technology companies such as Apple Computer and Microsoft launched initial public offerings of stock, while others such as Cisco Systems and Compaq (later acquired by Hewlett-Packard) received expansion capital and later went public." [2]This is because of a capital gains tax cut signed by President Reagan. It allowed the creation of companies like Apples. Think about it, you might have an apple in your house. How would it feel if Ronald Reagan had never become president. His policies that brought the creation of Apple and other companies would have never happened and thus these companies would have trouble growing.Reagan's succesful policies eventually were nicknamed Reaganomics. When the Heritage Foundation looks are Reagan's record, it finds that:"No matter how advocates of big government try to rewrite history, Ronald Reagan's record of fiscal responsibility continues to stand as the most successful economic policy of the 20th century. His tax reforms triggered an economic expansion that continues to this day. His investments in national security ended the Cold War and made possible the subsequent defense spending reductions that are largely responsible for the current federal surpluses. His efforts to restrain the expansion of federal government helped to limit the growth of domestic spending." [3]Mr. Sperry notes that Preisdent Reagan's economic boom lasted for 92 months without a recession. This period was from November 1982 to July 1990, the longest period of sustained growth during peacetime. The growth from the President Reagan's boom lasted more than twice as long as the average period of expansions since World War 2. [3]II. Cold WarNow let's move on to one of the president's greatest achievements: defeating the USSR, the greatest threat to our country ever. There were three factors that brought down the Evil Empire:1. Military Strategy - When President Reagan entered office, military morale was low and so was the pay. President Carter had cut a lot of programs in the military. Under the Reagan Administration, military spending skyrocketed in the crusade against communism. This included the famous SDI (Strategic Defense Initiative) programs and several over and covert missions to aid anti-communists guerrilla forces in Central America, South America, Africa, and Afghanistan.2. Economic Strategy - Yes, Reaganomics helped win the Cold War. The recovering economy helped President Reagan's military buildup. The free market capitalist United States was too much for the USSR which had an its inefficient command-directed communist economic system.3. Political Strategy - Politics played a role to in defeating the reds. With a strong ally in British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, President Reagan launched a global political form of blitzkrieg on the USSR and other communist political leaders. The reds had seriously underestimated the American president and saw him as a "warmonger".Together, these strategies defeated the USSR and by January 1989 when President Reagan left office the USSR was in great trouble. In 1991, the USSR would collapse. Soviet Head of State Mikhail Gorbachev's policies of perestroika (re-structuring) and glasnost (openness) proved too little, too late. Gorbachev told the History Channel in 2002, "I don't know what would have happened had [Reagan] not been there." [4,5]Barack ObamaI. Sluggish RecoveryIn comparision to Reagan's recovery, Obama has had one of the slowest economic recoveries in history. Obama responded to the 2008-2009 recession with a demand-side stimulus package to get more Americans to buy products. This economic plan was a disaster.Unemployment under Obama peaked at 10.0% in October 2009 and has gone down to 6.1% as of July 2014. That is reduction of 3.9%, a far weaker recovery than the one seen under Reagan. BO's record in real GDP sucks too and then we have the national debt. Under President Reagan, the debt went from $1 trillion to $2.6 trillion, but under BO it goes from $12 trillion to well around $16.5 trillion by now. He practically has made it impossible to pay back in our times. While at war, you would think the president would at least limit growth in domestic spending, but this is not true. In 2008, domestic spending as a % of GDP was 12.5%. You would think that when the president took office he would limit growth and reduce it, but as of 2014 it is 14.5%. [7,9]Meanwhile, gas prices have soared to $3.50 from $1.90 while during Reagan's presidency they were at $2.60 from $3.60. [10]II. Foreign PolicyDespite the death of Osama Bin Laden and other leading terrorists, mistake over mistake over mistake have been made many times. Reagan said, "Trust, but verify." Instead of verifying, BO seems to just trust. Let's look at the record.Libya - The BO administration and the State Department put faith in a bunch of local militias to protect our embassy rather than the Marines. The result? Four Americans dead, including an ambassador, when our embassy and a CIA post were attacked. [8]Syria - The BO administration put Saudi Arabia and the Qataris in charge of supplying the rebels against the Assad regime, but rather these two nations don't want pro-democracy forces in charge of Syria. Instead they supply radical Muslim factions that hate the US. [8]Egypt - The BO administration trusted Muslim radicals to build a fair democratic government. Instead, they plugged in sharia law and we did nothing. Billions in wasteful US aid has continued without being interrupted. [8]Pakistan - The BO administration has failed again here when they continue to pay billions to a regime that supports the killing of US troops and shields terrorists. BO and his allies pretend that they are our friends while they cash the checks for their military. [8]Trust is for your wife, not diplomacy. ConclusionI have proven that Ronald Reagan is a better president economically and in foreign policy to BO. Team Reagan! Sources 1. http://www.debate.org... 2. Cain, Herman and Rich Lowrie. 9-9-9 An Army of Davids. 2012. 3. Sperry, Peter B. "The Real Reagan Economic Record: Responsible and Successful Fiscal Policy." The Heritage Foundation. N.p., 1 June 2004. Web. 4. Gaffney, Dennis and Peter Gaffney. The Seven Day-Scholar: The Presidents. 2012. 5. Morelock, Jerry D. "Ronald Reagan's Cold War." Armchair General IX.5 (2012): 18-19. 6. http://www.debate.org... 7. http://www.skymachines.com...8. Peters, Ralph. "Trust Isn't a Strategy." Armchair General X.2 (2013): 8. 9. http://www.debate.org... 10. http://www.debate.org... 11. http://www.debate.org...