DBWI: What if Reagan was elected President in 1980?

As I am driving my alternative energy fueled car (thanks to the efforts of our current president Al Gore), I wonder what would have happened if Ronald Reagan was elected President in 1980.

Would his administration have been more hostile to the environment? And would there be a cozy relationship with the oil companies?

Discuss.
 
(OOC: hahahahahahaha, all right Ill play along)

Well i suspect our perfect socalist paradise we got here would not exist. I mean, I cant imagine a world where everyone isnt happy, and the average lifespan isnt 150. Wow!
I suspect the Republican (That was that conservative party back in the dark old days, right?) party would continue towards the end policy of eating their own young.
 
Who can tell. Reagan was a interesting person. To many butterfly opportunities. It was a miracle anyway democrats won the 1980. election anyway. Though over time Carter's policies, while some them rather naive, have mostly been redeemed.

It was Carter administration that guided Soviets into their foolish adventure in Afganistan. Remember, USSR withdrew from Afganistan in spring of 1992. and it was to late to salvage domestic situation. Iron Curtain collapsed, Baltic republics broke away... With Russia annexing Russian populated parts of Ukraine and Belarus, but loosing the rest of Soviet empire in 1993.
And it was Carter's energy policy, continued by his successor that drove oil prices down with US energy independence and made USSR lose a huge share of its incomes. And that was the straw that broke camel's back.

Though even the moderate secret support of Taliban forces in Afganistan had disastrous consequences. When UN invaded lead by US and NATO in 1998. it was still after DC and LA bombings had taken place.

Remember how rabid republican Hawks sounded during mid and late 80es. They were almost accusing Democrat administration of treason, and when USSR disintegrated they were nowhere to be heard.

And still we can hear people talking about lost prosperity and comfort of life in US. You guys still have and always had had living standard better than most of the Western Europe. What you called "socialist sacrifices" were just common sense measures. And they worked FFS! US achieved energy independence in 1994.
 
Liberty and personal freedom have been sacrificed obver the past decades! This is all because, IMO, because Reagan was not elected POTUS in 1980. Liberty, justice, pursuit of happiness are all empty phrases now. The 1980 election was in fact a devestating moment in US history.
 
I can't help agreeing with Lord Grattan that the USA might be better off if Reagan had won in 1980. Sure, we have energy independence and nice fuel efficient cars and cleaner air, but take-home wages have actually declined over the last 25 years because taxes are so much higher. The middle class is being pushed lower and lower by taxes, and US entrepreneurs, scientists, and inventors are migrating in growing numbers to China and other countries where they can make more money from their efforts. China - who would have dreamed 30 years ago that nominally-communist China would turn out to be a better place to start a business than the United States!

Plus, even though we are energy-independent and the Soviet Union is only a distant memory, somehow we still manage to get involved in more than our share of military operations overseas.

I would almost prefer smog and gas-guzzling cars if it meant that I could take the majority of my paycheck home and actually spend it on things that my family needs.
 
I can't help agreeing with Lord Grattan that the USA might be better off if Reagan had won in 1980. Sure, we have energy independence and nice fuel efficient cars and cleaner air, but take-home wages have actually declined over the last 25 years because taxes are so much higher. The middle class is being pushed lower and lower by taxes, and US entrepreneurs, scientists, and inventors are migrating in growing numbers to China and other countries where they can make more money from their efforts. China - who would have dreamed 30 years ago that nominally-communist China would turn out to be a better place to start a business than the United States!

Plus, even though we are energy-independent and the Soviet Union is only a distant memory, somehow we still manage to get involved in more than our share of military operations overseas.

I would almost prefer smog and gas-guzzling cars if it meant that I could take the majority of my paycheck home and actually spend it on things that my family needs.

Paul

I don't know. Remember Reagan's economic plans - for want of a better word. If he had implemented the various tax cuts for the rich he was talking about the US would have much larger debts now, rather than the comfortable position its in as one of the richest nations in the world. Also you would have to pay far more for imports, all that oil especially, along with the growing uncompetativeness of US goods that would have resulted. I suspect the US under those circumstances would have been far more heavily involved in foreign affairs, to secure oil and other energy supplies. Instead of the greatly reduced forces in Europe and E Asia you might have garrisons in the ME, Africa and other oil centers.

Steve
 
Well, at least President Gore has proposed lowering the top tax rate to 60% from 65%. I never thought I'd see that happen.

This may be delusional, but I wonder if one day the top rate might even decline to ... 50%? Wouldn't it be amazing if we could keep 50 cents of every dollar earned over $50,000?
 
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