Only if you liked rampant inflation and bad governance. That fool couldn't tie his shoe laces much less run a country. This admission from the younger Reagan just verifies what everyone outside of the gop already knew. He probably didn't know where he was most of the time. Maybe on a B movie set with Nancy around.

Amen Big Al !!!!

But a very sick person whose acting skills fooled the blind followers of GOP.

I agree with you completely, Intrest went to 22% and he broke most of the farmers and small business people that had to borrow money--The only good thing he did is make me not trust bankers and stockmarket--Pulled mine out before another crash thanks to mr bush--

It sounds like a bunch a crap by little reagan to sell books. Seriously, his biggest proof is that Ron Sr couldn't remember the names of canyons from an airplane? Theres no medical corroboration of the SD surgery thing. Just a story with a made up hook to sell books

Let me see.......he reduced inflation - something his predecessor could not do. he reduced the deficit, siomething his predecessor could not do. he reduced the exorbitant high interest rates, and unemployment rates, something his predecessor could not do. Yet you seem to lambast him by indicating he couldn't tie his shoelaces. Not bad for a guy who couldn't tie his shoelaces I say. Especially since his predecessor, I admit, can build a house out of nothing, but couldn't lead a nation. I'm sorry Chris, that's the facts. Jimmy vs Ronnie, the guy that could be considered a genius but can build houses and grow peanuts, compared to a guy who, according to you couldn't tie his shoes but ended up (and historians will point this out and do) one of our best Presidents. I'm not saying Ronnie is George Washington and or FDR, but I'm saying that Jimmy turned out to be more like Hoover and Harrison or even yet Harding. And the latter died within a year of office.

Hey, I still liked him!

Regan was one of the best presidents we ever had. Study what all he did, learn the facts before spouting off.

Gilliard.....move to Cuba, or N. Korea. Experience real liberalism!!!!?? Reagan followed exactly what Benjamin Franklin and the other F. Fathers wanted to have.....A REPUBLIC...."FOR WHICH IT STANDS" remember....? Ironically, people like you, were there at that time as well...One of the first things B. Franklin said afterwards...was "we have given you a republic...if you can keep it." What would you rather have? From each according to his ability to each according to his need? That doenst work...I saw it. IF you have never experienced a socialist/communist or "too much " government type of state...shut up....you know not what you say!! Amazing, Reagan could be compromised and still do a million times better than Carter...now thats a joke!!

I agree wholeheartedly. Appears to me that li'l Ronnie Jr. is trying to jump on a money bandwagon. It is a shame that he has so little respect for family that he feels it is o.k. to malign his parents. But what would one expect from proud liberal and athiest?

Ronald Reagan was as good a governor and president as any of the other carpetbaggers we have in this country, atleast he was popular with the people. a lot of people like him, I liked him. Rest in Peace Ronnie

Rampant inflation???? You must be thinking of Carter. I hate revisionist who lie, and lie, and lie, or are too stupid to verify the facts that they make up on the spot.

Ronald appealed to the ordinary people in this country. . . he never understood that the USSR was failing from the inside out due to the ineffictive structure of their economy so he went to his grave thinking that he had helped bring them down. Many simple people believe as he did. The money he wasted trying to match the USSR militarily is still represented by red ink on our books. But again, he had a magic way of getting simple people to like him. . and defend him ( I predict some of those simple defenders will respond to this message).

I'm glad he's not my son. He needs a good spanking. I believe Ron struggles with alot of things, one being his sexuality, and purpose in life. Don't know why he hates his father. Really sad. I believe President Reagan was fine and descent man. He's dead now what difference does it make now??

The greatest president of all time? He apparently had the disease while IN OFFICE. No wonder he had such a positive outlook. He couldn't remember anything to be upset about!

It's amazing to me that even a conservative could read this story, and then call Reagan the greatest president ever. Simply, truly, unbelievable.

Reagan was a racist, idiot who caused the eventual downfall of this country and he's burning in hell right now for it.

It is sad that prominent people when they have passed, have their close family come out and share very personal and intimate details that compromises the good memories we have. Going back to JFK and continuing on today, we have to hear this garbage from a family member. Let the dead go and stop trying to make money off the back of a dead family member.

What has Ron JR. ever done in his life except dance in a ballet. He has not paid his dues to be a so called "expert" on any newsworthy item. Let him put his ballet slippers back on and do the dance of the 7 veils!

Excuse me, Mr. Gilliard?? When Reagan took office, inflation was well into double digits. It steadily declined throughout his presidency. When he left office, inflation was only one-third of what it was in the 1978-80 period. No revisionist history, please.

No wonder our country is going down hill, with people that don’t know history and are taught in school made up history. Ron Reagan is a bitter fool and a moron who couldn’t tell the truth if his life depended on it. It’s sad that people speak out about something they truly know nothing about like Ronald Reagan; get a life and a clue!!

i agree with you al. he was the greatest president we ever had. he was down to earth and had a great since of humor. it's something the country has lost. to much negativity.

Only if you liked rampant inflation

With this one statement you revealed your knowledge on the topic is ZERO! Rampant inflation occurred under Carter. For that matter, most comments about the world during Reagan's time are pure fantasy.

Deb, Why was Regan and Bush senior one of the worst Presidents? Would you say also that Bush Jr., Ford, Nixion, Eisenhower, T. Roosevelt, and Lincoln would make your list too? They seem to share a common theme with the two mentioned

Is ketchup still considered a vegetable in schoo lunch programs?

I loved President Reagan. I came from a extremely modest background and improved my life exponentialy through the years he was President. Opportunities were abundant and I got to live the American dream. It's a shame that any son would be so dismissive for the life afforded him. The little whiny cry baby should get out and see how fortunate he was to grow up in an affluent family in America. No pain is as great as an ungrateful child.

Rampant inflation? You're confusing Reagan with Carter my friend. Reagan ended rampant inflation.

Only if you liked rampant inflation and bad governance

Get your facts straight before commenting next time!

"On 8 of the 10 key economic variables examined, the American economy performed better during the Reagan years than during the pre- and post-Reagan years.

• Real economic growth averaged 3.2 percent during the Reagan years versus 2.8 percent during the Ford-Carter years and 2.1 percent during the Bush-Clinton years.
• Real median family income grew by $4,000 during the Reagan period after experiencing no growth in the pre-Reagan years; it experienced a loss of almost $1,500 in the post-Reagan years.
• Interest rates, inflation, and unemployment fell faster under Reagan than they did immediately before or after his presidency.
• The only economic variable that was worse in the Reagan period than in both the pre- and post-Reagan years was the savings rate, which fell rapidly in the 1980s. The productivity rate was higher in the pre-Reagan years but much lower in the post-Reagan years.

This study also exposes 12 fables of Reaganomics, such as that the rich got richer and the poor got poorer, the Reagan tax cuts caused the deficit to explode, and Bill Clinton's economic record has been better than Reagan's"

http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=1120

The Truth Hurts...Doesn't it!

Yep, Amen Big-Al

He was one of the worst Presidents that I ever voted for. I voted for him the first time because of what Jimmy Carter did to this country. He was talking about Welfare reform and making people earn what they get. I was working for a grocery store and was really sick of people driving up in brand new cars to cash their welfare and unemployment checks, while spending their food stamps. The second time around after 4 years of trickledown economics I could not stand the man. It was also the first time I noticed that when a politician couldn't run on his record to get re-elected that they always wrap themselves in the American flag scream about how patriotic they are and how more of an American they are then their opponent. I didn’t vote for him the second time around.

Only if you liked rampant inflation and bad governance. That fool couldn't tie his shoe laces much less run a country. This admission from the younger Reagan just verifies what everyone outside of the gop already knew. He probably didn't know where he was most of the time. Maybe on a B movie set with Nancy around.

"Chris...kind of like Jimmy Carter right!...not really knowing where he was"...

You could probably make a strong case that many other presidents suffered from this as well. I agree with Andy and Ja Ja.

I think the Reagan was a nic guy but a so-so Presient. His own VP -- George HW Bush called Reagan's ideas -- "Zoodoo econmics" -- but then fell in line to be a team player. Many say Reagan "brought down the USSR: -well, he was great @ "talking a good game" it is true that the USSR could not keep up with the USA in a defence buiding up - --our econimic system can work thru debt and over-spending better than their could -- but there were many other factors @ play as well. He was also looked @ as a crazy old man/cowboy --which might very well have scared the Soviets to give in on some things (either way, it worked) I do not know Ron Jr.s motives for this "insight" about his father (maybe just to sell books) -- but it is not the first time that this same thing was alledged about Reagan while in office. While Jrs. examples and motive might be suspect -- there were other sights that what he is saying now is not too far off the truth.

It seems we have already had two female presidents. Elenor Roosevelt and Nancy Reagan.

Mr Reagan spent us out of the recession with huge military expenditures with rampant fraud. Remember the $1000 toilet seat. FDR spent us out of the recession building public works such as dams and infrastucture. I'll go with the latter

RR the greatest president of all time??? Give me a break. The old fool was a charismatic, B actor, who had no clue what was going on in real life.

This quote sums it up in a nutshell:

"Only if you liked rampant inflation and bad governance. That fool couldn't tie his shoe laces much less run a country. This admission from the younger Reagan just verifies what everyone outside of the gop already knew. He probably didn't know where he was most of the time. Maybe on a B movie set with Nancy around"

During his last term, it was quite obvious that "no one was home". I can't believe it is just now being reported how out of touch he was. I've always been convinced there was a massive coverup from the GOP and Nancy to cover up their beloved "Gipper", but this surely can't come as a surprise to anyone.

Big Alzheimers-369306

Raygun knew an educated voter was his parties worst enemy.

VICKYB-2927787

i agree with you al. he was the greatest president we ever had

Excuse me, Al said one of the greatest, not the greatest.

The greatest POTUS of the 20th century was the the 26th POTUS Theodore Roosevelt 1901-1909 AD. Of that there can be no denying.

The worst POTUS of the 20th century was the 39th POTUS Jimmy Carter 1977-1981 AD. Of that there can be no denying.

Lucky for Obama this is just the start of the 21st century and there are still 89 years left for someone else to serve who might/could/maybe might be worse than him.

My wife is a gerontologist and she and her cohort were constantly on about Reagan showing all the markers of Alzheimers. I doubted them for a time, but I guess when you've interviewed literally hundreds of people with all forms of dementia that you begin to recognize the body language, the little moments of confusion, and the hesitations without having to ask any questions. And all that was coming through loud and clear over the television set if you had the training to pick up on it. Given Reagan's age, I am actually surprised that it was not diagnosed during his presidency.

Chris, I would agree with you that Reagan is an overrated president. I don't like how he sent the national debt spiraling, I don't like his military interventions and getting involved in other countries' internal business, I don't like the whole Iran-Contra thing, and I don't like how he neglected the AIDS epidemic. I voted for him at the time, but if I had it to do over again, I would not vote for him. On the other hand, it would be unfair to ignore some things most of us could agree were positive. Although I do not think he is responsible for the collapse of the Soviet Union, I do commend him for beginning a dialogue with that nation. He was masterful as far as that was concerned. That was a very proud moment in our history, and an uplifting time that brought a sigh of relief after decades of tension. And he was wonderful the way he consoled the nation after the Challenger disaster. That being said, even if I liked nothing he did, or chose only to focus on the negative (which seems to be your position), I can't understand your writing things like "that fool couldn't tie his shoe laces." What's the point of writing something like that, other than to inflame? This is exactly the kind of behavior President Obama was speaking against this week. If you're not going to respect President Reagan, could you at least respect President Obama and knock it off with that unnecessary and childish language? There is no need to lower yourself to that level if you have a legitimate point to make.

Ronald Reagan was one of the greatest Presidents in History. I dont think anyone writing garbage about Ronald Reagan, (if they were even born yet) could argue that they were NOT better off during his Presidency. Its factual, "standard of living" comparibly speaking was one of the greatest standards in US History. THat CANT be disputed. Everyone was better off than now or when Carter was in office. When Carrter was in office this country was in ruins. Once Ronald took over, things straightened out, and as stated, by the end of his Presidency we were ALL enjoying the "Good-Times". Of course we will here the Liberals say something very stupid like, "Carter made it that way, and Reagan just enjoyed the fruits of his labor. CRAZY!!!! Misguided and ignorant comments like that one just shows the Liberals have NOTHING to bring to the table other than "trash-talk" and empty promises. Lets not forget the popularity and strength he had in Foreign Affairs. He, (Ronald) was feared yet respected by the World, and we truly were and became the ultimate Super-Powerof the world during his Presidency. So to all you empty headed liberals....SHUT-UP and get a clue!! Stop drinking all the Kool-Aid from this liberal media we have in this country! They are the biggest bunch of biggots and ignorant people who care nothing about us, and all about "POLITICS". They are wolves in sheeps clothing and the News Media disgusts me. Its so obvious during an election who they want to win. During the Gore, Bush campaign, they all but declared "Gore" the winner, only to be looking like fools after the vote was in. Sore losers! Get a life! Obama, who has proven to be, like Clinton a great public speaker, but no follow through, will once again, be a "one-termer". THe Republicans will walk right in to the White House again with an EASY victory in the next election. Walk in, even if Mickey Mouse was the Republican running.

I can understand why an anti american,liberal,socialist would think Reagan, Bush were bad presidients.I think Reagan and Bush were real AMERICAN presidents. What we have now is not what AMERICA is about, not what this country was founded on all of americas founding principles are now out the window.

Wow.. You're pretty awesome to know Ronald Regan better then his own son does! If your own dad got Alzheimers and began to show signs.. i'll give you 10:1 odds that you would notice it in isolated incidents before anyone outside your family would.

To say that his OWN FREAKING SON wouldn't have noticed it because you weren't happy with his examples.. is completely retarded. You're just disagreeing at all costs because it doesn't fit your belief structure.

I wouldn't expect any different though. Ronald Regan is the messiah of the Right Wing... to say anything against him is grounds for crucifixion.

rightly amused

It sounds like a bunch a crap by little reagan to sell books. Seriously, his biggest proof is that Ron Sr couldn't remember the names of canyons from an airplane? Theres no medical corroboration of the SD surgery thing. Just a story with a made up hook to sell books

I liked Ronald Regan because........I just liked him. Was he a great president? Maybe not, but who has been great since him? Junior is disrespectful of family and wants fame and fortune from his Dad's name. I couldn't do that to my father for any amount of money or fame. Yet, I bet in the Regan world it is exceptable. Maybe one could bash Ronald Regan for the son he brought up? In any case, it doesnt' matter. People will be peaple, good or bad. Ronald Regan was a man trying to do what he thought was a good job as do all our presidents. I manage a small group of people and can say for sure, I wouldn't want the job of president. A big pat on the back to any person who tries. Most of us out here couldn't handle the job, so I don't believe in bashing any of our presidents. However, bashing a shameless former presidents son is totally exceptable. What a rotten son!

Does the left always have to be so hateful. Really people he is gone lets have a bit of respect for him. As we should for any former president.

I was born in 1957, making me 53 years old as I write this response. In my life, 11 men have served as President of the United States. I've voted for candidates in all parties; Republican, Democrat and Independent. I question the historical rankings of Presidents as I believe they are tainted by the views of experts, regardless of their persuasion. This I know...Ronald Reagan was the best, most effective President in my lifetime. Ronnie Jr. has not earned the attention he seems to crave.

When he was in office I lived in Washington state and the unemployment in our area was 25% so it makes me sick to hear what great things he did for the people. My doctor also told me while he was in his first term that he had the disease and any medical person would know that just watching him on TV.

Amazing the poor man is dead to recant these lies. Strange that this is coming out now......trying to take the heat off Obama???? Liberalism is a joke and so is MSN all they do is look at is how to blame everything on the conservatives. God bless Ronald Reagan!

So much for civil discourse.

This is sad and unfortunate but not shocking or unanticipated. I don't believe he was a great president but he was not the worst either. Although my parents who had to pay a 16% mortgage just to purchase there house remember things much clearer than me; I was only 9 when he left office. The man who should most resent Reagan's policies is George HW Bush (A Goliath compared to his son). He lost an election because of his inability to see how Reagonomics would affect his presidency.

Reagan didn't end inflation. Paul Volcker, appointed by Jimmy Carter, ended inflation by allowing interest rates to skyrocket. The only thing I can remember Reagan doing is signing the Savings and Loan bill that allowed S & L's to loan money on anything, no matter how risky and have it backed by the government up to $100K. "Well, I think we've hit the jackpot this time." he said as he signed the bill. I hope you all remember what happened then. Jackpot my ass, this cost taxpayers tens of billions, though I have friends who got rich buying resolution trust properties at a dime on the dollar. Oh, yes, and I remember him pulling our troops out of Lebanon after 250 marines were blown to bits in their barracks by one determined Muslim terrorist; this did nothing but encourage the bastards. Actually, I don't think I ever forgave him for taking the "Ole Ranger's" job on Death Valley Days. He was brilliant in Bedtime For Bonzo though. The thing I hated most about his administration was the billions wasted on the Star Wars defense that would have been better spent on education. I remember one savy sage at the time commenting that he couldn't see the point of spending billions on SDI missle defense when a determined terrorist could just put a bomb in a bale of marijuana, in consideration of how porous our borders were at the time. Some things never change.

To Ja Ja and others who believe Reagan was a great President, please do your homework. Does anyone remember the savings & loan scandal? Or how about one of the biggest frauds ever visited upon the taxpayer by the defense industry? We are still paying for all of these affronts in amounts that would make the so called "bailouts" of the financial sector look like chump change. Oh, and to those that credit Reagan with the downfall of the USSR, please consider the situation of that country's economy and the huge amounts it was spending to sustain it defense industrial complex. In fact, we are facing a similar situation today. If Russia fell due to economic factors, so can we. It is simply ridiculous to attribute credit to Reagan for the downfall of the USSR, or even the Berlin wall, simply because he told Mikhail Gorbachev that the wall had to come down.

Nevertheless, I believe Ronald Reagan in his heart was a good, well intentioned man. And he was a good actor. But a good president he was not. At times I truly believe he confused being an actor with being President. Sometime back, while he was still President, one of the TV news shows (20/20 or 60 minutes, I am not sure which) ran a spot showing how Reagan often described experiences in his speeches that were taken from acting roles he had played. But in his presentations it was clear that he believed these acting roles were real life experiences or situations that he had been in. That was when I first began suspecting that he was already afflicted with some sort of dementia while he was President.

I also served with the State of California while he was governor. At the time, California had a civil service system equal to or better than the Federal system. Professionalism was rampant. Training programs melded theory with practical application and promotions were based on merit requiring the passing of written tests and oral interviews. Delivery of service to the public was paramount. I saw Regan's administration eviscerate State government to a point where the bottom line, professionalism in the delivery of public service was rapidly eroded.

As I said, Reagan was a good man. He was just very misguided and well manipulated by his handlers in a manner that was nothing short of deceitful, to him and the American public. The real truth is that his handlers, not Reagan himself, were primarily responsible for the entire charade. Oh well, it won't be the first time. Nor will it be the last. May he rest in peace.

Incidentally, my comment was a reply to Chris Grilliard up at the top of this thread, not Chris 537131.

NEWS FLASH MORONS.

For all those saying Reagan reduced inflation just showed that they know jack @!$%# about how the economy works.

Now I try to avoid confronting large masses of ignorant people, but here are a couple basic facts:

1) Paul Volcker reduced inflation.

2) Paul Volcker was Chairman of the Federal Reserve.

3) The Federal Reserve is an independent body.

Please, know what you're talking about before you start spouting your 'knowledge' next time. I beg you.

Ronald Reagan was the best President ever in our lifetime (although all those who yearn for free handouts won't agree). He loved this country, it's people and the grace that God has bestowed upon it, in a way that his ungrateful, liberal, God hating son will never understand or learn to appreciate. His son is a disgrace who would not be a liberal commentator if the media didn't have a reason to use him (and his name) against his father. Like the rest of the left that is using him ... JR. is a pathetic parasite using his dad's name for selfish self gains.

Your an Idiot!!!! History will continue to show that Ronald Reagan was one of the great presidents of all time.......... please stop flaunting what a moron you are!!

Only if you time is bounded by 1981 and 1989. Greatest president of our time... surely you jest and I voted for him twice. He was not the greatest president of the second half of the 20th century, let alone "our" time.

Rod-2253654 -

He did realize the USSR was crumbling from within. The arms race pushed them over the edge. They could not afford to feed the people and compete with us at the same time. We, on the other hand, had our private economy to feed us and crush them.

the day a poor person gives me a job I'll agree with trickle up.

Lots of us are in trouble if a bit of occasional confusion and forgetting the name of some canyons indicates Alzheimer's disease!

My father had alzheimers and looking back there were signs 5 to 10 years earlier. So if Reagan was eventually diagnosed in 94, the disease was probably with him before that. No crack on the man's character or legacy, just a biological reality.

Ronnie certainly was an actor in the White House. The reality of his terms (and very other modern president remains a national security issue; so much for transparent government). Hearken back to the "Gip-it" comment (you'll have search his speeches for yourself. Hint: second term). Delivering lines is not making a speech. (Let the Obamanation hear that.)

And, while all of the nimrods are loving and loathing, let us not forget great men, like President Lincoln, wrote their own speeches. "Four score and seven ..." Today every thing--even the clothing--is scripted by others. It is such a facade the real person is not identifiable while holding (few serve) the office of president. Yes, your fed.gov is fake. (Just keep sending your pay checks and keep quiet; no one has to get hurt.) Lemmings galore!!

Reagan was obviously greater than his 3 predecessors and at least 2 of his 3 successsors. However, it is clear that most Americans REALLY have no clue as to how the financial system works or its history. Reagan had essentially nothing to do with interest rates being high or low. The economy was in the tank when he came in and interests rates were high. It was Paul Volcker (god, he's been around a long time) as Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board that used the power of the Federal Reserve to tame inflation. Volcker was a Carter appointee. So, Carter gets some incidental credit for a good hire. But guess what? Reagan re-appointed Volcker so he ALSO gets some incidental credit. However, neither President otherwise had anything to do with interest rates. None ever do.

your wrong

Ronald Reagan was a great President! He gave amnesty to 2.5 million illegal immigrants. His tax breaks to the rich more than doubled our national deficit in his first three years in office. He started a path of deregulation that led directly to our most recent depression/recession. Don’t forget the Reagan recession. Iran/Contra, the list goes on and on. Yea, Reagan was a great President.

Regan sucked as a president. He stayed in office even though he was sick. He knew it, Nancy knew it. Arrogant bastard.

Remember ketchup as a vegetable? Ah, such good memories.

Why don't you stop trying to profit off your own father, he was a great President to this country while he was in office. You should be ashamed of yourself. Why don't you go and get a real job and really contribute to this country and it's economy instead of being a bloodsucking son, who can't make it on his own without making his father look bad. I will not purchase your book. Shame, Shame Sham on you!!!!!!

andy zageris - it's common knowledge that Reagan was not the one running the country. It was the GOP, his appointees, Nancy, etc. You seem to forget the genius comments that he used to make, such as his statement that trees are polluters because they produce carbon dioxide. You also forget that his first profession was acting. He knew how to appeal to an audience, which doesn't necessarily mean that he was qualified to run the country. He was stuck in the 50s and 60s as far as his assessment of the USSR was concerned, that it was the big, evil empire.

Chris-537131 - you are absolutely right that if one paid close attention, it was apparent that Reagan was suffering from the early stages of Alzheimers while he was still in office. I can distinctly remember commenting to my husband after we listened to one of Reagan's speeches that there was something wrong, just like it was obvious that Betty Ford had a substance abuse problem by her slurred speech during one of her interviews while First Lady. Surely other members of the White House staff or GOP were aware of the situation but didn't pursue it because they didn't want to lose power or control.

Ron Reagan has hurt his family almost more than his sister Patti through the years but this is the bottom of the pond even for him. I was a young person through the Reagan years and what an exciting time it was. I learned more living it than an history book could ever reveal. I know that his father would forgive him but I can't. How idiotic of him to come up with this. The liberals are losing ground in this country and boy the are really getting desperate.

Reagan was NOT one of the greatest presidents this country ever had. His policies began the shrinking of the middle class by giving huge tax breaks to the very wealthy, his policies also began the reduction in environmental protections and health and safety regulations for workers. Even as governor of California, he began cutting funding for the educational system in that state. His policies, like those of most Republicans, helped bring this country to the place it is now. Reagan was an "image" - the presidency was the best acting job he ever got.

Are you SERIOUS!! You must be one of those who benefited from his "trickle down theory." I did not, and to put that bad actor and worse politician in the same category as Washington, Lincoln and Kennedy is a farce and a travesty!

The point of Ronald Regan's book is not to politicize his father as the "greatest" president but to state the fact about the disease of alzheimers. Obviously not one of you has suffered the devastation when a family has a parent who has been diagnosed with alzheimers. My father, a World War II veteran, was diagnosed with alzheimers 10 years prior to the VA System notifying us, the family. We thought he was loosing his mind, yet the physicians did not release this information to us until his dimentia got so bad that we had to commit him to a VA extended care program, which I highly do not recommend. Kudos to Ronald Regan Jr. for expressing a very personal and loving tribute to his father as a man who suffered from a very complex neurological disease. I hope none of will have to experience such a tragedy. Nancy Regan and her son Ronald Jr have been advocated stem cell research for years because of this family struggle. Do not dishonor their love and their selfless service to help other families who are suffering from this dibilitating disease.

I guess if your a presidents son and didn't do anything that would cause your book to sell, it's always good to attack someone dead. And a president will really sell books. Those of us that remember Ronnie never was much when it came to family. His whole career, what there is of it, has always riding the family name.

For all those saying Reagan reduced inflation just showed that they know jack @!$%# about how the economy works.

Now I try to avoid confronting large masses of ignorant people, but here are a couple basic facts:

1) Paul Volcker reduced inflation.

2) Paul Volcker was Chairman of the Federal Reserve.

3) The Federal Reserve is an independent body.

Please, know what you're talking about before you start spouting your 'knowledge' next time. I beg you.

LMAO! Here's my KNOWLEDGE! There are three kinds of inflation. 1) Cost Push or Supply-side 2) Demand-side 3) Monetary-inflation

Supply-side or Cost Push - It basically means that increasing costs of factors of production (wages, rent interest, cost of raw materials, increased normal profit requirement) push up the general level of prices. This applies to the aggregate supply side of the economy and arises partly because general wage costs arise, for example the powerful trade unions might have pushed up wages without increasing the productivity.

Demand-Side -This occurs when aggregate demand exceeds the value of output (measured in constant prices) at full employment. Both Keynesians and monetarists believe that this is associated with an increase in money supply, only Keynesians think that demand brings about the increase in money supply, whereas monetarists think it is the money supply increase that causes the rise in demand.

Monetary Inflation - As in the economy MxV=PxT where M is the money supply, V is the velocity, P is the general price level and T is the number of transactions. Now, monetarists believe that V and T are constants, so they thought that money supply and inflation are directly related. This did not imply in 1980 when inflation raised, but money supply remained constant. And indeed the velocity of M_o has increased from 10 in 1970 to 30 in 1990, but the velocity of M₄ is much smaller and actually decreased from 1982 to 1987 due to banks making the savings more attractive.

Money supply can rise due to low interest rates (but hight interest might attract hot money), no restrictions on lending or liberate lending policy (especially recently).

As you can see, Reagan's deregulatory efforts went along way to bring the cost of goods and services way down. I'll give you one example: In 1981, it cost $800 per round trip to fly from Atlanta to New York. In today's dollars (2011) at 3% inflation - $1941.81=800*((1+0.03)^30). Right now I can make that same flight for less than $400.

Ronald Reagan was a poor excuse for a president. The combined debt of of the 12 years of Reagan/Bush EXCEEDS the cumulative total of George Washington through Jimmy Carter. If you people can actually think for yourself and see through all the smoke and mirrors put up by the GOP you will see Reagan did more to hurt this country than he ever did to hlep it.

If you really want to look at the theory of trickle down economics, of which George Bush called it Voodoo Economics, look at Herbert Hoover. As I recall he is the one credited with the creation of that theory which in turn reportedly led to the Great Depression.

The only way Reagan goes down in history as a great president is if the republicans write the history books and god help us all if that happens.

yea Big Al and GW was the 2nd best....No doubt you are one of those FAR RIGHT WACKO REPUBLICANS...Reagan started our downfall to where we are now...And GW finished it by screwing everything up...Get the Right Wing Wackos out of government and keep them out...

To me it's pretty obvious what Jr's motives are for disclosing such a thing. Why else would a son do/say something about his own father, something that will undoubtedly be an incredibly hurtful thing to his own mother. No doubt profit is high up on the motive list. I personally think Reagan was a great president, one who genuinely loved his country, and was a great commander -in-chief. I find it sad that this issue brings out the worst in some people. Concerning Reagan being in office at the time of the fall of the Soviet Union, one of the best books I've read about this issue, and one that I think was spot on, is "Origins of the fourth World War". Sadly, most of the haters posting here could not make it through the first chapter. To sum it up, the Soviets were planning this for many years, and what better way to use the money of the USA to rebuild, retool, not sacrifice one ICBM, etc. Every satellite country just continued on with the same KGB men running the countries, and we were there every step of the way, thinking we had done something that would go down in history as our most shing achievement. The final joke, no doubt, will be on us, and much sooner than we think.

We lived and were raising a family on a lower middle-class income during the time of Reagan. Some of my memories of that time were that even though our regular grocery shopping didn't change, the price increased dramatically; income tax deductions for things middle-class folks needed were eliminated so, in effect, that was a tax increase on the middle class. They kept telling us how much better off we were, but all I knew was that our money didn't go as far. Also, and not a small item, he LOWERED the income tax rates dramatically for the higher income folks and began the multi-trillion dollar deficit. So then, as now, the income tax rate reduction for the wealthy directly contributes to the deficit. Now, of course, to support those dollars going to the pockets of the wealthy, we must borrow to pay the costs of governing. Too bad that many of the wealthy do not feel a responsibility to contribute to the cost of running the government, the poor don't pay taxes, and you can only get "x" amount of "blood" out of the continually shrinking middle-class.

Reagan was a likeable person, but he was not the Saviour that many Republicans feel he was. He had his warts just like every individual and in all likelihood WAS in the earlier stages of Alzheimer's Disease while in office. Sometimes it takes many years before the family even is aware that they have a loved one who has lost a great deal of mental capacity - take it from one whose own father was suffering from Alzheimer's at this same period of time. We had more than an average citizen's knowledge of medicine and even we didn't recognize the symptoms until one day he suddenly didn't know where he was. Taken to the hospital with what we thought was a stroke, the CT scan revealed a significant loss of brain matter and we knew our father would never be whole again.

Anybody old enough to remember the Saturday Night Live routine where a comic playing Reagan acted befuddled before visitors one moment--then dashed into the oval office to speak three or four different languages, confer with scientists, solve nuclear crises--then dash back into the other room to "act" befuddled. it was funny at the time as an explanation of why he seemed so confused much of the time--(supposedly all an act). Not so funny when Nancy was caught on tape whispering answers to him at a press conference (remember?) --This wasn't much of a secret. You can admire the man's accomplishments, aknowledge the man's faults, and still aknowledge the truth of his Alzheimers.

The argument "America was better off during Regan than Obama is ridiculous. Not because the statement is wrong, but simply because your comparing a the 80's to 2010. We were gearing up for our largest economic boom since the start of the industrial revolution. Not even the gipper could screw that up. Timing is everything and comparing Presidents to any other (besides the ones who were directly before or after their term, and even that is a crap shoot. The greatest President of all time is Obama. Because he has made significant progress in spite of 1) Being black... still a big deal to WAY too many people. 2) Having a muslim sounding name (when red staters are practicaly burning copies of Aladdin) 3) inheriting the result of THE WORST PRESIDENCY EVER (we'll have to wait for all the sordid details to come out until majority of public confirms) and 4) having litterally half of the government stand in his way. If he was a white man from Nebraska, with the full support of our government he would have made more relative progress in 2 years than the previous 15 combined.

Fact....Carter appointed Volcker to cure the stagflation that had arisen out of the policies of Nixon. Reagan knew it was the right thing to do and kept Volcker on to finish the job, which he did. Reagan cut taxes, but raised "revenue generators" (his cute term for taxes) an almost equal amount, in the meantime spending like a drunk sailor.

Ronald Regan was a clown. His son's revelation is no surprise. Anyone who followed him in teh 1980s knew he was already loosing it. Remember his Iran-Contra testimoney when he "couldn't recall" at least 88 times under oath actions he specifically directed or took part in. Regan should've been sent to jail for that.

The greatest President of all time is Obama. Because he has made significant progress in spite of 1) Being black... still a big deal to WAY too many people. 2) Having a muslim sounding name (when red staters are practicaly burning copies of Aladdin) 3) inheriting the result of THE WORST PRESIDENCY EVER (we'll have to wait for all the sordid details to come out until majority of public confirms) and 4) having litterally half of the government stand in his way. If he was a white man from Nebraska, with the full support of our government he would have made more relative progress in 2 years than the previous 15 combined.

Knew this was coming...THE RACE CARD! Ahhh, yes! Because he's a black man in a predominantly white country. The white man is holding him down...Nevermind he has the most important job in the world! LMFAO!

What you fail to mention is that the WHITE men and women of this country voted for him! CAN the RACE CARD BS! Even a lot of black Americans are tired of hearing it!

In 1988 we went from being a creditor nation to being a debitor nation all because of Reagans deficit spending policies. He never had the gonads to veto a spending bill as long as the miltary had their toys in it. The only time Reagan was telling the truth was when he said "I don't remember."

While I did not agree that there was any trickle down to most Americans, I do not believe Ron Jr. AT ALL. The son HAS ALWAYS had an ax to grind. The son must need money. How despicable. What a piece of trash. I hope no one buys this BS book.

He really is bi-racial, half white and half black! People seem to forget that!!!He is just as much white as he is black!!!!!

kpokeefe,

Talk about cherrypicking data, Reaganomics as created by the Heritage Foundation have been a long term disaster. We have not yet begun to payoff the debt he incurred for no reason other than a desire to redistribute American wealth income. The average Median family income increased from $11,700 to 17,600 under Carter in four years so what. When he took office the National Debt stood at about 970 billion when he left office it was 2.6 trillion accumulating more debt in eight years than had been accumulated in the previous century in toto including Two World Wars and the Korean Conflict. But of course deficits don't matter we also had three recessions and the second largest stock market crash in US history. Laissez Faire was a disaster for the US losing industry at a rate never before seen while allowing and encouraging foreign investment in US corporations while flooding US markets with cheap foreign goods most notably the unrestricted importation of cheap Japanese cars and steel. The great break he got was the world oil glut and price drop in 1983 up until that time his economy was in the tank coming through its second recession. A two generation of income and wealth distribution downward and middle class expansion were reversed with wealth flowing upwards like in the guilded age. The jobs created to replace the jobs lost paid less for the 1st time since 1933, new white collar jobs were a success but educational rankings began their downward spiral. They created something called a service economy which never previously existed anywhere and at its heart denies the necessity for an industrial sector and in some convoluted thought process we were supposed to become the worlds intellectual support network while defunding higher education.

The administration it self was verifiably the most corrupt of any dating back to US Grant. Iran Contra was the most egregious presidential crime in US history with the possible exception of Watergate. During the Reagan years 225 administration officials left office due to scandal indictment or conviction. There is no other administration that can even be compared they have more than any five combined. They colluded with our deadly enemy Iran at least once and very possibly twice with a great deal of circumstantial evidence that they got the Ayatollah Kohmeni to delay the hostage release until after the 1980 election. He also bailed out of Lebanon and got us in deeply with Sadaam Hussein giving him both chemical and biological weaponry. History, I think, will have a hard time agreeing with your ranking of Reagan with each passing decade and evidence of his perfidy and incompetance comes to light his ranking has been dropping like a stone in a pool of water.

JKH

The right wingers like to talk about him being "their hero", until you bring up the 1986 Immigration and Reform Act - amnesty for 3 million illegals.

I don't belive Ron, Jr's assertion! Ronald Reagan as President was twice as capable as the current guy holding the office. Socialism is not the answer, we are closer to a major devaluation of the dollar and we keep printing money! Russia and China see it coming, why don't we?

Ronald Reagan was one of the greatest Presidents of our time

And UFO's exist with aliens watching our every move.

Our country was in the best shape ever when he was in. I would love to go back to that time.... He brought class to the whitehouse.

What's funny is...he followed the same economic ideas (at least Macro) that were put down by Carter...but that's ok. Yay for Regan!

Deb-401914 They must have modeled the Alzheimer's test after you....Let me guess that you voted for the moron Obama as well....

To many bloggers, there are 2 names that you are confusing. One is Ronald REAGAN, president, and the name of his first Treasury Secretary, David REGAN. They are not one and the same, so all you Reagan supporters, please get the name right.

I'll never forget Iran/Contra, Ollie North and all of those folks flying in the face of U.S. Law and supporting gun running, etc., war, funds being approved by North and Poindexter INSTEAD OF THE U.S. GOVERNMENT, etc. and George H.W. Bush having a complete daily diary of the events that occurred but lying to the Independent Counsel saying he had no direct knowledge of any of it. Unfortunately, by that time, he was the incoming President so the Counsel didn't pursue the matter. For those of you who doubt, go to This is the Walsh Report and all of chapter 28 is discussing George H.W. Bush's involvement, his diary and the fact he denied that he knew anything of Iran/Contra. Of course these things also happened under Ronald Reagan's tenure as President. Here is just one brief excerpt from fairly early in chapter 29

24 Bush Note, 1/30/87, ARZ 000772.

This Bush note was followed by a February 2, 1987, memorandum from Fuller to White House Chief of Staff Donald T. Regan concerning the production of the Reagan handwritten notes and diary. Fuller wrote ``it's only a matter of time until someone calls for the `diary.' '' 25 The memorandum discussed the need to develop a plan to ``satisfy'' the OIC and congressional investigators. The memorandum was initialed by Bush and stamped ``V.P. Has Seen.'' 26

However, later, as you read, you will see that GHWB denied having ever seen the request for all information including personal notes and diaries. How could he deny that when he kept a daily diary as documented? That is lying and there isn't any other term that can be applied.

Here is the full report which would make informative reading for those who doubt what went on during Iran/Contra under Ronald Reagan. Please read it: You may be very surprised by the information in this official report. Now many Republicans idolize Ollie North and GWHB "pardoned" many who had been convicted and/or were due to come to trial, while at the same time denying he knew anything of the activities. SHAMEFUL!!

He ran up extreme deficits during peacetime and ran an unbalanced budget, creating the blueprint for current budgetary crises. Was the first president to do so

Umm, you're dead wrong! Hear are the totals!

http://home.adelphi.edu/sbloch/deficits.html

Ah, memories.

I remember his campaign, when Reagan ran on how terrible Carter was for increasing the national debt, and then after the Gipper took office, he ran up the debt more than three fold of what it had ever been. What a kidder he was.

That was when our balance of trade went from our being a net exporter, to a net importer. That was when interest rates on house loans were in the teens. That was when the tax reform act of 1986 lowered the top tax rate from 50% to 28% while the bottom rate was raised from 11% to 15%. That was when the American wage, in real terms, began to stagnate, and then to be worth less and less.

He sold the arms to Saddam Hussein that Iraq fought us with through two Gulf Wars. Oh! And remember that hilarious Iran-Contra thing, where his administration was selling illegal arms to Iran in order to fund the Contras' rebellion against the elected Nicaraguan government, and then lying to Congress about it. At that point, I really hope he did have Alzheimer's, for certainly that whole scheme was so nuts that it suggests cowboys were running the country at that point, instead of just one old broken down cowboy actor.

Yep, he helped set us on the quasi Third World path we are on today, with our hollowed out middle class, our growing number of people living in poverty, and rich people that just keep on getting richer.

Good times, good times.

"That was when the tax reform act of 1986 lowered the top tax rate from 50% to 28% while the bottom rate was raised from 11% to 15%."

Yep he lowered the tax rate and signed into law closing tax loopholes that the rich were hiding money in and had been for decades. Point is that no one was paying the 50% tax rate. You could assign income from businesses to your children, cousins, nieces and nephews. You also could set up dummy businesses to offset income as well as a slue of other schemes to avoid taxes. By 1986, income for the poorest had risen about $4000 per year per household. So that 3% or $120 was well worth it! I'll trade $4000 for $120 with anyone, anytime...ALL DAY LONG!

Next time...Tell the WHOLE story! Always is a neat little trick we humans tend to do by telling just part of it.

jrae,

Just use the excuse the Democrats keep using. All of today's problems are the result of the previous administration. So all of your problems under Reagan was the result of Jimmy Carter.

jrae is right. Reagan, while probably a fine man, is vastly overrated as a president. This worship of him by conservatives is a bit puzzling.

I remember this as well and I don't get it either.

actually it took a while but the inflation came as a result of Nixon taking us off the gold standard and tapping into social security trust. The republicans tried the same thing during GW bush reign of terror but their timing was off and the whole thing crashed in on Bush.

Reagan was the worst president ever if you actually work for a living, if you were rich, he was awesome.

Still he had no clue. he was surrounded by corporatists who had him use his acting skill to screw america.

Jimmy Carter ! Now that's a nut case.

You should look at your state's constitution. The governor has little formal authority without the approval of the legislature. And the legislative majority during the time he was governor was........?

That is why we can blame the Bush clan for the rape of the good old USA

I think you have a short memory. I had a new car loan under Carter that was above 18%. After Reagan was in for a couple of years rates began to fall. I don’t know if that was due to his policies of just economics, but interest rates were higher before Reagan went into office.

I remember it well. When Reagan took office the interest rates weren't 18%, they were over 20% and I was in construction. It was the only time in my life when I drew unemplyment benefits. The attempted rescue of the Iranian hostages was a total failure because the helicopters broke down because the military was in total disarray due to budget cuts durring the Carter administration. Ronald Reagan put the country back to work, installed pride in the military again and recovered the world's greatest economy. Of course it cost money and escalated the budget but we're now seeing the effects of trickle up economics, rampent unemployment while thousands rely on entitlements. You sure as hell can't fix things from the bottom up. It removes incentives and causes people to expect the government to be doing for them, what they should be doing for themselves.

If you got an 18% interest rate on your mortgage that had to be when Reagan just got into office because they peaked at 21% toward the end of Carter's term. By the time I bought my first house in 1986 they were down to 10%. Inflation which had reached 13% under Carter had fallen to 3%. Facts are stubborn things. You can say wht you want, but I suggest you cite some sources that back up your accusations. A booming economy that lasted 20 years after a decade of stagflation, 18 million jobs created, largest reduction ever in the nuclear arsenal, along with Gorbachev brought about the end of the Cold War after 50 years, appointed the first women to the Supreme Court, and raised the spirit of the American people after years of self doubt. These are just some of his major accomplishments. Historians are ranking him in the top 10 greatest of all time in multiple surveys. He wasn't perfect, but he certainlywas way above average asfar as presidents go.....

Ronald Reagen was a great man. He did well enough for Clinton to ride in and make the country the best it has been for many years. I wish Clinton could be reelected and see if he can make things better.

There is only one way to judge a Presidnet, a football player, a basketball coach a business man, an employee etc. that is by Performanace. You don't produce or win, you are fired

Let's look at RRs record:

Start long time hosages in Iran with no hope of release. Within a few months they were released

Start 18% interest rates and 18% inflation causing high unemployemen and business failures End of term, 7% interest rates, 4% inflation, lowes unemployment level in 15 years.

Start American was no longer considered a Super Power and Russia was considered stronger than he USA. End of his term, the USSSR had fallen, and the USA was the worlds only Superpower.

Legacy. Start of RR's term. Look above. The USA was in desparate trouble. End of his Term, we were in better shape than we have been in dedades and started on a 13 year strong ecomomic cycle which didn't end until 9-11. The only reason 911 occured was becasue his foreign policy program was torn apart by Clinton

Any discussion of RR not being a great Presidnent boarders on total ignorning the facts and using no reason. He was a better President even if he did have the Big A than any other Presidnent in the last 50 years.

He was a likeable screw up! That's all.

i'm impressed with your rage and ability to call people stupid name. Therefore you must be right.

22% under Carter dropped steadily under Reagan. Those that rushed to buy at the end of the failed Carter administration would have loved 18%. Those rates continued down all the way through Reagan's two terms in office. Looks like you and Deb are just a couple of dim witted jackwagons.

Amen to all you said. I remember not being able to deduct interest on credit cards and loans anymore as a result of "Reaganomics". Was he likeable? Yes. Was he in love with his wife? Yes. Was he a great president? Hell to the no. I think people got personality mixed up with being effective. I honestly do not understand the Reagan worship that goes on in this country to this day. And if anyone thinks Nancy and her astrologer weren't running the show the last two years, they are not too bright.

Trickle Down was and is no more than,"you can pick up the crumbs that fall from my table".

Agreed, jrae. On a personal level, I liked him - he was very charismatic. On a political level, I didn't always agree with him. The main thing that tarnished my views of his presidency was the Iran/Contra scandal, which I consider to be the most treasonous act ever committed in my lifetime by a presidential administration and the overt cover-ups were reprehensible. That said, I do think there were folks in his administration who exploited him during his onset of Alzheimer's which is truly sad.

Mark...

The attempted rescue of the Iranian hostages was a total failure because the helicopters broke down because the military was in total disarray due to budget cuts durring the Carter administration

The attempted rescue of the Irainian hostages was a total failure because the Navy helicopters broke down due to inter-service rivalries, lack of inter-service training, and [the most important] a helicopter took out the C-130. It had nothingto do about money/budget cuts. I was in the Army during this time. US Army (1978-1996) SFC, Military Intelligence

The budget cuts and reduction in forces was done under Clinton. Reagan modernized the military (with projects started under previous administrations) and raise military pay.

The high interest rates were a carryover from the Carter Admin. and were only there during the early years, so don't try to lay that on Reagan. It does not fly.

reagan drastically cut funding for mental health. did someone do something last week that is a conseqence of that?

So now we are blaming Reagan for Tuscon? Boy, that is a stretch. I guess some libs will go to any extreme.

Although I consider G.W. Bush to be our countries worst ever president overall, Reagan did more damage socially and economically to this country. It was Reagan that set about the destruction of the middle class and the disparity witnessed today. To me, that is by far the most damaging event to what 'was' the United States. It should be noted in history that Ronald Reagan destroyed the american dream.

One of the biggest stories of success for a man is if his son is willing to carry on what he learned from him. Ron Reagan apparently learned to be nothing like his father in any way, shape or form. Congrats Ron and I mean that as a compliment.

"A booming economy that lasted 20 years after a decade of stagflation..." Boskp, I assume that the "decade of stagflation" to which you refer was the 10 years preceeding Reagan. You seem to have forgotten that Carter was president for only four years. The remainder of that decade was under Republican rule (Nixon, Ford).

You are all forgetting that the high interest rates under Carter were a direct result of the economic chaos created by OPEC's oil embargo, which was totally outside of any control by the USA. People in this country tend to erroneously believe that we rule the world and can do anything we please. That isn't the case. What other sovereign nations choose to do, such as those who were members of OPEC, is a decision that they make. They aren't controlled by the USA and don't have to work in our favor.

As the child of an Alzheimer's patient, I can can say with all certainty that is IS VERY likely that Pres. Reagan had early stage Alzheimer's while still in office. The symptoms creep up slowly, barely recognizable at first, then a little more prominent, though you try to rationalize the "quirky" mannerisms (mostly forgetting commonly used words or well known places) in your loved-one as normal aging. But by the time the Reagan's announced his disease publicly in 1994, his decline could no longer be hidden from the world. This means that it had been going on for several years. Whether you think he was the best or worst president, you cannot deny the facts, even when they come from an estranged son. Whether Ron Jr. is atheist or liberal (as am I on both counts) matters little when the facts are presented. Why he would wish to taint his father's legacy (justified legacy or not) at this point is, however, beyond me.

I'm old enough to remember living in California when he was governor--deficits were huge and growing, but he did things like approve tax breaks for business and slashed low interest college loans (had to drop out for awhile, but I managed to finally graduate) and fought unions and blue collar workers hard. My folks couldn't stand his politics at the time, but even they would say he was a hard man to personally dislike. These days, it seems if you don't like someone's politics, you basically want them dead.

I just don't get the worship of Ronald Reagan. I remember trying to sell my house when he was president and interest rates were 18% - needless to say, no-sale

His first year in office, yes. It was a carryover from Carter years. Look at what the interest rate was when he left! Hell, it doesn't fall overnight!

What's "shameful" to point out that someone suffered from a neurological disease?

Yes, heaven forbid people actually speak the truth, even if it's unpleasant.

I agree with you. But you know, it's always a dog in your own kennel that bites you.

This doesn't strike me as any sort of "lashing out". I have worked with LOADS of Alzheimer's patients and they usually have these type of moments long before being "diagnosed", which, incidentally, can only be done by examining the brain so is usually done post mortem. Reagan was a good man and tried to do what he thought was going to be best for his country, I am a liberal so I didn't like a lot of his policies BUT he was voted in by the majority, so be it. What's done is done, and many people liked and approved of his presidency. If he was suffering from a major illness it doesn't seem to have diminished what those who liked him thought of him. His son is mearly stating fact. The man had an illness and was showing signs before he left office. FDR did the same.

"It is because he is DEATH."

Does that mean that Ronald Reagan is going to show up when I'm taking my last breath on this earth?

First of all, he is not DEATH, he is DEAD. Second, what shame is there in disclosing that his father had the beginning stages of a disease that many people are afflicted with, and with which he later admitted to having. This is merely a probable statement of fact, and not slam on his father's character. There is no shame involved in any of this.

Billie, you are missing the point, apparently he couldn'tdefend himself while he was alive. He had a debilitating mental disease while running the country.

I to think it is a shame that a son would disrespect his Father after his death. The problem with the country is that children like him know no respect. Take your time and prove yourself, instead of making somebody else (especially your parent) look bad. Riding on the shirt tails of others is not becoming at all. Also, show me and the rest of this country a perfect President or Governing body, and you be da man!!!!

money makes you do strange things. not to say i don't agree with young reagan

No one can shame a family member because they have Alzheimer's or any other mental illness. It is simply stating a fact, not accusing him of something that wasn't true. There are a high percentage of families in the United States who are touched with a family member with Alzheimer's. As our population continues to age there will only be more individuals who are diagnosed - it is not as though it was something they consciously did to themselves, therefore there can be no shame attributed either to father OR son!

Your drinking to much of Palin's Cool-Aid

Why do those who do not know feel so compelled to attack others who do know?

Did regan do some good things? Yes. Did he do some bad stuff too? You bet! If you think that the "end justifies the mean" than no matter what regan thought or believed or if e is "sick" or not -- if his goal was to bring down the USSR -- then he achieve his goal. Big business and the rich did benefit from his econmic policies -- was emplyment up too? yes, but wages were down. If iI can hire twice as many workers for half as much pay and keep more of my profits -- You do get more people working (lowing unemployment) . The rich did very well during his time and he in turn was taken well care of by them when he left office. Think about it -- he was not a really rich man before he was President, but he was when he was out of office and died much richer than he was born.

I was alive during his term in office. he was a great @ "acting like a President' and read his line well (most of the time) -- does that mean he did not have the aliment? No -- he just had a lot of good, loyal handlers taking care of business. I think he was a decent guy who believed ehat he believed and said what he was told to say. There is more than two sides to this (and any) story -- and there are always winners and losers as a result of any policy. We live with the results (good and bad)

Hey was like that the day he was elected

Did he have it before he was elected President? I don't think that is true, but it was pretty clear to many even back than that he was at least in the early stages in the later years of his administraton. It was even talked about (but denied). Looking back now, it is hard to deny. His "people" keep him well protected -- and to some degree they are dome of the same folks who are behind the the whole "Reagan was the greatest" movement today. To protect his image and his legend..and their own actions. Iran/Contra is a prime example -- Some how regan was able to distance himself from the crime and make "American heros'ut of the wrong-doers. Tht we broke the law -- but that it was done for a great cause. It worked! Nixon went down for lesser crimes.

If you are going to call one of our United States' presidents names, you should learn how to spell........

God gave us our Walk on Water feet... I do Believe.....Thats why Republicans always say they are the Party of God....LOL LOL LOL LOL!!

ajc: The point, moron, is; the president of the US of A CANNOT BE A SENILE, DOTTERING OLD FOOL because it is UNWISE, ABSURB and HIDEOUSLY DANGEROUS.

Raised a democratic but love the GOP registered as a consertative republican and very proud of the Presidents that represented the office, however as Govenor or President or any political office that is held it has to be the toughest offices to hold and try and do right by every body. God Bless the Politicians whether they are right or wrong. When you have people fighting you at every turn it gets hard and is very surprising that anything gets done in our government. I personal thought the sun set and rose on one of the greatest Presidents in the free world Ronald Reagon, however all Presidents were not perfect JImmy Carter had our people taken hostage, Nixon was a scandral, Clinton was a cheater, Bush started a war that seems to never end for something that should have been easy to solve (called one big bomb) and Lincoln, freed the slaves as a political move for re-election not because he wanted the slaves freed yet he did something awesome. So you see all Presidents had issues no matter who or when they were President. we all should remember i truly believe that most of the Presidents have had our best interest at heart doesn't mean that they were always right. As far as Reagon May he REST IN PEACE in spite of his disrespectful son, GOD love him because some has to.

Yet he managed to keep us relatively safe and out of war in spite of major provocations; imagine, the old fool did know when to put the big stick down unlike the last two presidents

@Erica --

Thre pres we have now may not be that old, but he sure is a fool. Also, why don't you go back to school and take some spelling classes?

Who helped to reduce those extremely high interest rates during the prior administration? Who told steel workers in Pennsylvania to learn another trade (and not rely on taxpayer handouts) when our manufaturers had to buy steel from South America because our labor rates were so high? Who stood up to Russia and urged tearing down that German Wall? As for deregulation of government inspections, can he be faulted for putting trust into the hands of morality, integrity and honesty? Were these the ramblings of a sick, un-American?

Texas, you need to good with too

Dave - Reagan had absolutely nothing to do with the collapse of the USSR or the destruction of the Berlin Wall. The USSR merely caved in upon itself and would have done so regardless of who was in the White House at that time because its communist form of government was a dismal failure. Reagan and his cronies tried to assume responsibility for the downfall, but it was totally unrelated to Reagan's term as president.

Miner1, Texas and Erica - all three of you need to go back to school and learn to spell and write coherently.

Texas Warren, 12.4 - people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones - you misspelled the very first word in the sentence but yet you suggest that Erica go back to school and learn to spell?

"Yet he managed to keep us relatively safe and out of war...."

Well, yeah, Elithian, except for when he invaded Grenada. And Panama. And bombed Libya, and sent troops to Lebanon who ended up getting massacred.

it's people like you limburger,that the nation has to look out for.

He was good at memorizing, period, worst president until gw bush

Why, I'm not running for anything?

worst presidents gwbush reagan herbert hoover

I would be very interested in hearing how he could be smarter than anyone. As president he was still a B actor reading lines written by jerks. His greatest achievment "Bedtime for Bonzo".

And yet he still did a better job then the illegal alien sitting in the White House now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am sure that is just your Opinion... LOL LOL LOL!!! and Ronald Reagan let all the illegal Aliens come in... NO SH@@CK....Ha ha ha ha

Do you self medicate???

Its after lunch and you need your pill.

Reagan has and will be in the top ten presidents in the history of the U.S.A., PERIOD.

Now the sitting lame duck is going to get his a$$ handed to him over the next 24 months by the REPUBLICANS, ITS ALREADY STARTED, NA NA NA NA NA !

Dumbest President ever? Dumbama has it completely covered. I am beginning to think when he opens his mouth without a teleprompter he makes Joe plug Gaff Biteme look good.

You can call Obama all the names you want.. He has a 51% approval rating. That's an ABC/US Today poll done on the 28th of Dec. That's with unemployment at 9.4% and a slow recovery from the Housing mess. Keep thinking he's dumb and he'll have another term. All the bills that he wanted got passed and that included the new treaty with Russia, money for unemployment insurance, and bank reform. So, just keep underestimating him. That's the problem with people on the extreme right and left, they underestimate the other side, call each other every name in the book, look at the negative in every thing the other side does. There is not a chance in hell of repealing anything passed in the last 2 years. But instead of running the country the way they should the extreme on both sides, like Sara Palin and Keith Obberman, will lead their flocks of sheep down the same old road and Obama will still be in the White House in 2015 and the most of the same fools that are blogging today will be kissing up to him or will be calling him the same lame names they are now.

13.8, Calif Boy, your posts are beginning to deteriorate to the level of second and third graders on the school yard " NA NA NA NA NA !" It's fine to criticize but try to do it at the adult instead of child level.

Calif boy- lets change the question, since you skipped answering the first, how about a list of real Reagan accomplishments that might actually qualify him in the top 10, other than ‘Bedtime for Bonzo”. No answer and you a loser, oh forget it, your already a loser.

ya mean kind of like nobody in the right mind would bow to a saudi king?

except Dumbama the DUMBOCRAP!

Yes....because the people in their "right minds" KISS Saudi princes....

http://www.onepennysheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/171-1216121412-BushKissingSaudiPrince.jpg

14.2, Bustem Hard, Can you say anything nice about anyone or just post name calling? If you can't say something nice or constructive, just don't say anything. If your posts continue to just be brief name calling and adding nothing to the subject at hand, I hope the monitors ban you.

Don't be offended if we slam your precious, dead Reagan. We slammed him when he was alive.

you've got my vote. Undeniable wisdom you've spoken.

The 10 commandments are for sissies

Honor thy Mother and Father, is only applicable to those that were Mother and Fathers to their kids....

The unfortunate problem is there are a allot of people who were NOT THAT when they were raising children!!!!

Oh really, and how many "Commandments" did Ronald Reagan break? You know, when killing innocent Nicaraguans, Panamanians and sentencing downtrodden poor people to prison when economic wealth continued to flow disproportionately upward. Oh yes Obviously Reagan didn't get the memo on your fictional set of commandments when it came to "Thou shall not steal" and "Thou shall not kill." If you're wondering about the stealing part, what I mean is, his blind subservience to the plutocratic classes to allow the full plundering of the middle class. No wonder why both of his "biological" children despised him. Nancy Reagan seemed like the caretaker from Rosemary's Baby, a sentinel from hell sent to guard over the Devil's own; Ronald Reagan.

There is nothing dishonorable about speaking the truth, particularly in a postmortem biography.

anybody ever watch Saturday live ? they alluded to the fact on several occasions.

Cinidi.

I believe he wanted TRUTH to get OUT!!! It does not change anything NOW other than the TRUTH.. But as I said, I knew it back then... This is NOT NEWS!!!

I will not make any negative comments, other than saying that I feel bad that you are a atheist, because I rather go on the assumption that God does exist, because if He does, and I truly believe He does, then you would have to answer to him and not us or your father.

You ought to read some of these posts. The only hate that I see spews out of the right wing and the lunatic fringe. I don't care for his book and would not read it either....but I can read these posts. The right wing hates liberals because they are progressive....that means have ideas. Don't worry....they will save your butt again....just like Clinton did with the surplus of money we had....and Bush lost.

He probably needs the money, he is like Carrie Fisher, and that chick from the Mamas & Papa's, say something outlandish, write it in a book especially about a dead person and collect the $$$$$$$$$$$.

Outlandish?....he said he had alzheimers.

why are you all bad mouthing Jimmy Carter he accomplished more after he was president than you will have done in your whole useless life.

Yea like the neighborhood reinvest act the just crushed our economy. Thinking just like ole peanut head.

You seem to like a little revisionism with your history, do you? Please cite any reputable sources to back up these claims.

I wouldn't spend alot of time looking for them though, because they don't exist. You will not find a single reputable economist or analyst, or any reputable analysis, to back up your claims. By 'reputable', I mean a source which relies on facts and analysis, not assertion and hyperbole. So don't bother quoting Newt, for example.

You forgot like Ronnie that he ALSO RAISED TAXES.... AND REVNUES have been DECLINING ever Since his Presidency too...

Hey "Great over yourself" why don't you just heed your own words. You are wrong!

Trickle down economics worked in the short run, however it did not fare well in the long run. Case in point, if you are in severe financial debt and the bank allows you to keep borrowing with no limit, eventually you will have to pay it back. Guess what we are still paying it back, Reagan borrowed his way out of a recession (depression if you were out of work) trouble is he didn't know when to stop. We went in more debt under the Reagan-Bush years than all other past presidents combined. Look I voted for Reagan he was the first president I could vote for and he was a hell of a lot better than Carter. Unfortunately George jr outspent both of them combined and didn't veto not one bill in his first 4 years from a Republican lead house and senate. Talk about out of control spending!!! Trickle down economics did not work for W either.

And what about the deficits?

Reagan was a nice guy , look at all the good ole money guys he hung around with.. And yes he was a great actor look at bonzzo, REAGAN WENT TO WASHINGTON AND FOOLED US ALL.. He went for the money and could not recall the little guy, when he was changing things, and opening up someones pockets.. nice guy and good actor , nice smile... will get you every time.. and he did... HIS SON FOR THE MOST PART IS TELLING THE TRUTH...

Oh well what else is new,a son trying to make money off his dead father's name and now the far left is taking their shots too.Saying that President Reagan didn't help bring down the USSR is like saying the wall in Berlin was rumbing anyway. If President Reagan had early signs elzheimer's in 1986 just think what he could have done if were healthy. Only thing the left knows about President Reagan and President G.W.Bush they couldn't beat them.

Dear Mr. NUTS?

Revenues did, indeed double.

**

www.usgovernmentrevenue.com/downchart_gr.php?year=1980_1990&view=1&expand=&units=b&fy=fy11&chart=F0-total&bar=1&stack=1&size=m&title=&state=US&color=c&local=s

you should know, your from the land of fruit&nuts

Most of the people that live in CA are transplants from other states, very few native CA's are left there, we all moved out.

WRONG!!! Prove that one...

I don't care how you feel or what a person has done but never ever wish this horrible disease on anyone - even your enemies. I am a daughter of a father who has Alzheimers and it has ruined not only his life but the lives of the whole family.

Its called hyperbole, i dont "wish" Alzheimers on anyone, it appears you have a personal interest in this story and i have offended you, you really shouldnt be offended so easily, it will make your life more difficult than it already is. Sorry

Wow teatardy. Your rant is kind of weird. And about as offensive as it gets.