[Lanny_MacDonald]

Originally Posted by Calgaryborn

I don't see where Reagan's action in office apply to this discussion.

YOU brought it into the discussion, kicking and screaming. You said, "Lets not forget his work bolstering terrorist regimes and other enemies of America." Care to back that statement up? When Carter was in office he did no such thing. Since leaving office he has worked the diplomatic side of all issues, attempting to bring all sides of an issue to the table to discuss things peacefully, regardless of who recognizes who. That is diplomacy in action and is not supportive of either side or shows an intent to create discord or unrest.

Conversely, Reagan DID suspport several countries and agents that were terrorists or developing hot beds of terrorism. Reagan set up the Iranians with weapons, who was America's number one enemy at the time. Reagan allowed support for the Contras, who terrorized their own people and had death squads that intentionally attack civilian populations to force support of their politics. Lets also not forget that it was Reagan who sent weapons and allowed for the training of the mujahideen, who would later become al Qaeda. That is some pretty substantial direct support of terror organizations. Now, what did Carter do that was even close to that?

Reagan's achievements in office far outweigh his failures. He is considered by most Americans as the greatest President of the 20th century. He help end the cold war. He set the American economy on the right track. He built up and modernized the military and gave America back its national pride.

Considered the "greatest" president of the 20th century? Maybe by the extreme RW dittoheeads, but not by the majority of Americans. Reagan rarely gets mentioned without starting a fight. The guy was a polarizing agent in America and drove the country into the ground.

Reagan did not do positive things for the American economy. Reaganomics was all about expansion of the gap between the haves and have-nots, and an eradication of the middle class. During that time of economic change, the rich became richer, and the poor became poorer. Those that were considered middle class saw themselves shift to one side of the ledger or the other, and there was an imbalance in those that shifted to the have-not column. Bush has attempted to use Reaganomic theory all over again, and is havign the exact same result. The deficit is rising and the debt is spinning out of control. The only thing that saved America during Reagan's time in office from the same fate the country is facing today was the fact that America had a strong corporate structure and an industrial engine built on manufacturing and people. That same practices that Reagan used in the 80's are killing the country today because the primary engine of American non-military power has been out-sourced and off-shored.

Frankly, Reagan instilled a false sens of pride in Americans. He set up the laws that would allow for the dismantling of America, and the propaganda organs to allow that dirty little secret to be covered up. If America can only be proud of its military, and that is the last thing that the country is still really good at, then it is a sad day for every citizen of this land.

The county's where the disputed ballots were designed, issued, and counted were controlled by card carrying Democrats. There is no evidence of outside influence in their decision making. With the national spotlight on those two counties I'm sure neither Katherine or Jeb would have dared inter fer. But if someone tells you they did I'm sure you'll believe them. Right?

Are you kidding me??? That's kind of the point, and why the doubts first surfaced. These were counties that were strongly Democratic. The exit polls were strongly Democratic. Yet they went to Republicans. Upon further examination there was an incredible number of ballots that were thrown out because of ballot irregularities, and the vast majority of them were votes for Democratic candidates. The recount was slow, because of the manual examination and verification of each ballot to register the correct vote. The gap had been closed and the result was still very much in question, but the Supreme Court, in a partisan vote, stopped the democratic process in action and halted the recount, demanding that Florida declare a winner and certify the vote. Harris, a staunch Republican with a very shady past, and an even more shady future, quickly certified the vote and declared Bush the victor, even though thousands of votes had yet to be verified and counted because of the much publicized irregularities. If you see no outside influence in those events, you were either likely not paying attention to things at the time, or were off planet. Sadly, the same thing happened in two states in 2004, allowing for a second questionable election victory and more questions about the democratic process and whether it still functions.