In case you missed my response yesterday.clo
#msg-651146
Decomp,
Odd thing, Obama has referenced "Reagan", to the annoyance of many of us... instead of "Clinton".
I think the reason for that is his ego & Hillary.
I don't believe Reagan's polices would have a positive impact.
Creating a "Star Wars" would never get passed today.
Besides, Obama won't have the luxury of the fall of the USSR to boost him.
That said, Obama would utilize anything to get reelected. That doesn't require "courage", it's a matter of ego.
Here's more data on Reagan's budget busting policies... I was NEVER a fan...clo
By the time Reagan stepped down from the helm, he had expanded the U.S. military budget to a staggering 43% increase over the total expenditure during the height of the Vietnam war. That meant the increase of tens of thousands of troops, more weapons and equipment, not to mention a beefed-up intelligence program.
"Star Wars"
One of Reagan's controversial proposals was the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), a system intended to make the U.S. invulnerable to nuclear missile attacks by the Soviet Union. By stationing those defenses in outer space, the U.S. was able to circumvent the United Nation's Anti-Ballistic (ABM) Treaty.
In a speech in 1983, President Reagan announced his plans to create a shield against nuclear missile attacks. The news media quickly dubbed his new proposal for the SDI as "Star Wars," as well as characterizing it as a carelessly drawn-up science fiction idea.
Based upon original work by Nikola Tesla, SDI was designed to vaporize missiles from space by way of a laser guidance system, before they reached U.S. soil. The system grew into a series of systems that also formed a layered ballistic missile defense. The SDI was capable of zeroing in on only 30 percent of the earth's surface, and wasn't able to get a fix on the Soviet's nuclear launch sites.
By 1985, after billions of dollars but minimal results, Reagan's SDI was shut down but research continued. The debate over such a defense program continues to simmer over its advisability. But the elusive technologies of that time are a reality now, in the early 21st Century. This is not to state that the 1980's SDI is now a reality, just the portable high powered laser beam which has been deployed in large aeroplanes and in Space.
http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1957.html
| 
