Monday - April 20, 2009

*Note: Do your homework or Grimlock will eat them, ONLINE!*

Reagan

• Due to retirement, Reagan appointed almost 50% of judges of the day, conservatives as S. Court Justices
• Eased enforcement on safety + enviornmental laws
• Stop welfare programs + etc, e.g. Food Stamps
• Social Security ---> "index" payments to ^ $ of living
• Late '80s, 1/5 kids raised in homes whose total income below poor level
• Recovered from ~hitman's shot in '81
  -Reagan, V.P. George H. W. Bush, and possibly bodyguard, all survived gunshots; Earned Reagan much fame
• '84: Democs. nominated Minnisota Sent. Walter Mondale to vs Reagan
  -Geraldine Ferraro: 1st woman running candidate for VP in US history, ran for Mondale
  -Reagan won in LANDSLIDE w/ Mondale having Minnisota + Wash. D.C.
• 2nd term, Saw congress Act to limit fed. deficit by passing Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act of '85 [Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of '85 ] - G-R-H Act: US budget deficit reduction method; Gave way for auto. spending cuts to take effect if pres. and Congress failed to reach est. goals; US restraint general allowed right to order spending cuts - auto. cuts were said unconstitutional
  - Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Reaffirmation Act of 1987 - Revised version passed; Failed to reduce deficits; '90 revision changed its goal from deficit reduction to spending limitation
• Reagan tried change welfare programs w/ Family Support Act of '88 - FAILED [epically]
  - FSA '88: Media article say law - required teen moms who get public aid to stay in high school and sometimes to live with their parents; Fixed on dropping # of families on Aid to Families with Dependent Children [AFDC] + w/ holding wages of absent parents; Forced families on welfare to do community service + provide transitional benefits for families who no longer qualify for benefits
  - Reagan est. work training jobs, but don't ensure jobs given
• Religious Right think Reagan no try hard against abortion
• Reagan not interested w/ fixing Social Security
• '89 - Congress enacts $$$ bailout
• Reagan's terms changed political labels
  - Liberal: code word for wasteful social programs
  - Conservative: ?
• Foreign policy: Reagan rapidly want reverse Carter's weak pts., Reagan asked + gained ^ of $$$ for defense by Congress
• '84 - Reagan propose Star Wars [Strategic Defense Initiative/ SDI], ground and space-based protection program against nuclear missiles; Never fully finished
  - Most $$$ project in US time
  - Big pressures on SU's weak economy
• Gov't played to grp conservative Cuban-Amricans by est. Radio Martí [based in FL and sent anti-Castro news to Cuba and others]
• Caribbean Basin Initiative (CBI) - provide Caribbean nation good economic treatment if they upheld Free Market ideals
• Covert acts ^ - CIA help anti-communist forces in Afghanistan vs SU invasion + control opposing Sandinista gov't in Nigeria
  - Reagan often used military means to end conflicts
• In Lebanon, Israeli troops vs Muslim Lebaneese
  - Reagan convinced Isreli withdrawl + sent 1.6k US Marines as peacekeepers
  - Muslims angery w/ Americans
  - Suicide bombing raid into US base killed 241 Marines
  - '83 - remaining Marines withdrawl
• Oct '93, Reagan sent 2k US troops to Caribbean island - Grenda - to find Socialist leader Maurice Bishop (connections to Cuba + SU)
  - He had major airfield able to handle SU
  - Maurice + Wife murdered
  - 24 hr "shoot-on-site" curfew in affect - 1k American students on island @ risk
  - Restoration, US oversaw elections that'd have friendly gov't towards US
  - Reagan asked to fly students out 2x, both a NO = military go in
• Central America, Reagan trained Contras (Nicaraguans vs Nicaragua Sandinista gov't - which was getting aid from Cuba + SU)
  - US aid military of Honduras w/ training + economic aid while attempt encourage to shift ---> Greater Democracy in El Salvador + Guatemala
  - Very difficult
  - Boland Amendment of '84: Prohibitted US aid to Contras in Nicaragua
  ~Reagan want advisors to find way around law
  ~ 1 solution: have rich Americans + other countries fund them