By now I was acutely aware that presidents could not only lie to the people but their policies could also cause havoc to our nation. I also realized I had to carefully study qualifications and experience of a vice president before casting my vote as they so often ended up in the Oval Office.
During the two terms of the Reagan years, it seemed to me the nation settled down. I was in my 40s and busy raising my family, working to help pay bills, and readying to send my daughter to college. We faced 10 years of tuition bills that would take every dime out of our checking account in payments not only for her but our son who would follow in college after she graduated.
By mid-life most people understand that there is no perfection in this world and one must face the fact that no matter what is happening in the world, one still had to function, earn money, pay bills, raise children in as best an environment as possible … and still find joy in life. Aye, there’s the rub.
My husband had left a salaried position and started his own law firm. It was tough going those first few years. I recall (with a shiver) the first month’s gross revenues at the firm were $168. But never fear. The next month it doubled.
Exhausted with my career, raising challenging teenagers, running the home, and paying bills, I wished mightily I could quit everything and just disappear from view. I dreamt of slipping away at night and living a problem-free life somewhere in some imagined paradise. But I would awaken the next morning, do the chores, get the children off to school and head to work like millions of other Americans each day wondering if I would ever achieve my own dreams.
Reagan reduced taxes during his term and this helped working Americans keep more of their hard-earned wages to pay ongoing bills. His greatest domestic success was bringing down inflation rates, which had reached the high teens percentage-wise under Jimmy Carter. Food prices had shot up so high I could barely afford to buy groceries for my family but with Reagan prices came back down. He built back the economy by lowering taxes so more people could keep more of their own money and felt they could start buying more goods once again.
His great foreign policy win was defined in one simple sentence uttered at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin in 1987 … “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”
Soon after that famous quote that was heard the world over, the Berlin Wall known as part of the “Iron Curtain” that had separated Germany into two parts since after World War II came down. Germans and the West celebrated the joyous event. We were filled with hope for new times ahead of peace and freedom in Europe.
President Reagan began to suffer from what turned out to be Alzheimer’s disease and his mental decline was obvious. A scandal surfaced, the Iran-Contra affair, which he was thought to have been involved in, but by then he had lost his memory.
We have seen other presidents lose mental capabilities and it is always a sad sight, but also alarming because the office of president and commander in chief demands mental acuity to the highest degree.
After Reagan I understood I must consider a candidate’s age and mental health before casting a vote. The vision of a walking zombie that had lost mental faculties being programmed by staff putting forth their policies is alarming.
Reagan completed his second term and Vice President George Bush ran for office in 1988 and won the presidency. I felt he was well-qualified for the top job and I liked the Bush family, whose members had served in government posts for many years. I felt they were honest, shared my values and I especially liked that the family was well-mannered and behaved with dignity.
Bush promised he would never raise taxes. I can remember seeing him on TV saying “Read my lips. No new taxes.” He raised taxes.
When Iran attacked Kuwait, Bush sent American troops in to defend the country. He succeeded in his goal and brought troops back home. In spite of this success, George H.W. Bush only served one term. Many thought it was because he raised taxes after promising that he would not.
He ran against a young governor of Arkansas, William Jefferson Clinton and also a third-party candidate by the name of Ross Perot. Perot took almost 20 million votes and Clinton won with a minority overall vote. This taught me that third party candidates would seriously affect the vote count and we could elect a candidate with less than 50 percent of the general vote.
Few Americans were prepared for what awaited us next. For starters, X-rated political activities in the Oval Office.
© 2023.
