WILLisms.com: Quotational Therapy: Part 128 -- Ronald Reagan, On Tax Cuts.

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Quotational Therapy: Part 128 -- Ronald Reagan, On Tax Cuts.

Imploring America To Take The High Road-

Ronald Reagan, in July of 1981, on taxes:

In a few days the Congress will stand at the fork of two roads. One road is all too familiar to us. It leads ultimately to higher taxes. It merely brings us full circle back to the source of our economic problems, where the government decides that it knows better than you what should be done with your earnings and, in fact, how you should conduct your life. The other road promises to renew the American spirit. It's a road of hope and opportunity. It places the direction of your life back in your hands where it belongs.
I've not taken your time this evening merely to ask you to trust me. Instead, I ask you to trust yourselves. That's what America is all about. Our struggle for nationhood, our unrelenting fight for freedom, our very existence -- these have all rested on the assurance that you must be free to shape your life as you are best able to, that no one can stop you from reaching higher or take from you the creativity that has made America the envy of mankind.

One road is timid and fearful; the other bold and hopeful.

I hope whomever we elect in 2008 has this same sort of clear philosophical vision on taxes.

Previous Quotational Therapy Session:

Dick Durbin.

The right quote can be therapeutic, so tune in to WILLisms.com for quotational therapy on Monday and Friday.

Posted by Will Franklin · 12 February 2007 11:59 PM

Comments

That looks like a Will Franklin chart...

Posted by: zsa zsa at February 13, 2007 11:23 AM

I dare say that Will's graphs and charts are but a wee bit more classy.

Posted by: Hoodlumman at February 13, 2007 04:06 PM

Well, yea???

Posted by: zsa zsa at February 13, 2007 04:51 PM

You will likely have a fair number of folks at this site able to absorb this idea.

Because a president has affected precisely nothing the day he takes office, it takes a long while for his actions to actually result in any changes in deficit, unemployment, stock market, GDP, etc. Laws don't get passed right away, don't take effect right away, don't amke much difference until they've been up and running for some months.

I estimate this lag as 2 years from inauguration before you can legitimately say the economy "belongs" to a president. Thus, the Reagan economy starts January 83. The George W Bush economy runs until December 2010, regardless of who is elected.

What conservatives know to be the truth about taxes and tariffs leaps into sharp focus when you apply this 2-year lag to evaluation of our presidents' and congressional majorities' effect on the economy. Who "owns" various recessions and bull markets becomes stunningly obvious then.

Posted by: Assistant Village Idiot at February 13, 2007 05:16 PM