This page was last updated on May 20, 2012.
Reagan enemy to the poor; Jesse Green, Jr.; Beaver County Times; May 20, 2012.
Some previous letters from Mr. Green are here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.
As you read the letter below, keep in mind Mr. Green believes disagreement with President Obama’s policies is the result of racism.
Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.
“According to one Fox News analyst, Ronald Reagan was the greatest president of our time. He then went on about how old Ron set a standard by which all future presidents would strive to achieve but never reach.
“All I could say was, thank God! Ronald Reagan along with his rich and powerful cronies in business and government did more to hurt the working class than any force imaginable. His trickle-down economics skyrocketed the rich to new highs, while the 99 percent plunged to a new low.”
[RWC] Apparently Mr. Green forgets President Jimmy “Stagflation” “Misery Index” Carter. In any case, note Mr. Green provided no details to support his opinion.
“As a lifelong Beaver County resident and Midland resident, I suffered greatly under the Reagan term of office. As a laid off steelworker, I lived the pain inflicted on us by a very uncaring Ronald Reagan.
“I remember standing in line at the food bank and unemployment watching others go through foreclosure, divorces and repossessions.”
[RWC] The idea Mr. Reagan had anything to do with the demise of the steel industry is a popular local lefty myth. I guess it helps them sleep at night. As other folks who make this assertion, you’ll note Mr. Green didn’t tell us what Mr. Reagan did to kill the steel industry.
Blaming Mr. Reagan for steel’s collapse is like blaming an emergency room doctor for the death of a DOA patient. Lefties like Mr. Green want us to believe the steel industry was strong and vibrant until the day Ronald Reagan took office and he somehow managed to kill it within a few years. The U.S. steel industry had been displaying serious problems since at least the mid-1950s.
“Ronald Wilson Reagan was the greatest enemy of the poor and working class. Today, we are blessed with a president who is a true champion of the people. Despite being saddled with a Republican-led Congress that stands in the way of equality for all, President Barack Obama quietly goes about doing the things that make America a county [sic] that may one day be one nation under God. Please join me in November in giving the Great Champion a second term.”
[RWC] You probably noticed Mr. Green didn’t tell us what Mr. Reagan did or didn’t do to become “the greatest enemy of the poor and working class.” Likewise, Mr. Green didn’t tell us what President Obama did or didn’t do to become “a true champion of the people.” Mr. Green did the same thing when he made similar assertions in his letter “This is the America we live in.”
As for Mr. Obama “being saddled with a Republican-led Congress,” this is another false assertion. It appears Mr. Green would like us to forget Democrats were the majority party in both houses of Congress for four years (including a short time with a filibuster-proof Senate) until January 2011 and Mr. Obama was President for the last two of those years. Democrats are still the majority in the Senate.
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