Reaganomics or Voodoo Economics Helped Spur Economic Research Paper

Reaganomics or voodoo economics helped spur economic growth in America after the Great Depression. The writer's contention that the national debt grew from 907 billion in 1980 to 2.6 trillion in 1988 under Reagan's administration is spot on. In fact, Reagan personally described the new national debt as the biggest disappointment of his presidency. However, I strongly feel that it is not fair to associate Reagan's presidency with the huge national debt only. The writer should have also highlighted Reagan's resolve to broaden tax base that raised revenue equal to 4% of existing tax revenue.

The writer should have also talked of 1981 tax cuts and the Tax Reform Act of 1986 that positively impacted different aspects of the lives of the Americans. It is true that Reagan's administration was opposed to Soviet communism.Other than going for containment, Reagan felt that Communism could only be fought using the policy of "rolling back communism" hence enhancement of family values and putting in place a conservative Christian morality. His desire to nip communism in the bud must have informed his resolve to increase the Department of Defense expenditure from $267.1 billion in 1980 to 393.1 billion in 1988. Such expenditures could only be compared to Vietnam War era expenditures. Reagan's administration is synonymous with mobilization of evangelical Christian base just as the writer put it. In fact, in the period between 1980 and 1984, the pro-Reagan moral majority registered over two million voters.

Conservatism has played critical role in the American political landscape since the 1950's. However, as the writer puts it, it gained much.....