Ronald Reagan's Courage

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Ronald Reagan's Courage

What does it take to stand up against politicians? To fight for what you believe in and what you think would benefit the United States of America? It takes courage. Ronald Reagan has that courage, not only did he stay true to his beliefs and ideas, he accomplished them within his presidency. He believed people should be less dependent on their government. Reagan asked citizens to "Begin an era of national renewal" during his inaugural address. He also declared, "Government is not the solution to our problem, government is the problem." These were not popular ideas among some politicians, but that did not sway the USA's fortieth president.

Ronald Wilson Reagan was born on February 6, 1911, in Tampico, Illinois. After finishing high school, he continued his education studying economics and sociology at Eureka College. He was elected Governor of California in 1966 and reelected in 1970. In 1980, Reagan won the Republican Presidential nomination and chose George Bush as his running mate. They were elected with 489 electoral votes to the 49 votes for opposing Jimmy Carter. President Reagan took office on January 20, 1981.

Ronald Reagan's economic policy was to lower income taxes, increase funding for defense, and balance the federal budget. Most of his plans had a downside, but by sticking to his ideas, economic gains were achieved. President Reagan's policies were commonly called "Reaganomics." In his first year in office, he built up national defense, made a 25 percent tax cut spread over three years, and cut back the budget by $39 billion. Inflation dropped dramatically, but in 1982, a severe recession occurred. Unemployment surpassed ten percent for the first time in forty years, wh...

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...ected at age 73, making him the oldest man ever voted into presidential office. He was well liked by the majority of the population at the end of his presidency, too.

At the start of his presidency, Reagan had a clear economic, social, and foreign policy agenda, along with the courage to achieve these goals. Looking back on his years in office, he said, "I am the same man I was when I came to Washington. I believe in the same things I believed when I came to Washington, and I think those beliefs have been vindicated by the success of the policies to which we hold fast." Reagan's legacy changed the United States and shaped the nation in which we live today. Soon after his presidency began, he remarked, "What I'd really like to do is go down in history as the President who made Americans believe in themselves again." President Ronald Reagan, you did just that.

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