During World War II, as American forces landed on Pacific islands, they would set up an airstrip along with a control tower, and then planes would land, carrying all sorts of cargo. After the war ended and the Americans left, the island natives would try to imitate what they saw in hopes of getting more marvelous, mysterious "cargo". Someone would sit in the control tower, wearing something on his head that vaguely resembled headphones, and muttering strange sounds into something that vaguely resembled a microphone.It didn't work, of course. The island natives, untrained in the "high-tech" of the day, had no idea that it took a lot more than sitting, wearing and muttering to bring the "cargo". But the cults persisted for years, sometimes even decades.
Now we have a President who thinks he can recreate the days of Ronald Reagan. Putting aside the facts of the Reagan years - that President Reagan really didn't bring down inflation or interest rates; that the unemployment rate during the eight years of the Reagan administration was always higher than it is today; that inflation was never that low; that poverty and crime increased; and that taxes rose for most Americans - George W. Bush still thinks he can accomplish something good by imitating Ronald Reagan.
The thing is, George W. Bush is no Ronald Reagan.
Ronald Reagan wanted to lower taxes for the wealthy because he believed that the top tax rates were too high. George W. Bush wants to lower taxes for the wealthy because he thinks we should always lower taxes on the wealthy. What's the truth? The top tax rate when Ronald Reagan became President was 70%; when George W. Bush took the oath of office the top tax rate was below 40%.
Ronald Reagan wanted to increase military spending because he believed that the Soviet Union was still an enormous military threat that had to be met with an enormous military. George W. Bush wanted to increase military spending because he wanted to increase military spending. The truth? When Ronald Reagan took office, our military was in sad shape; when George W. Bush moved into the White House our military was unrivaled, and we were already spending more than all our potential enemies combined.
Ronald Reagan wanted to cut down on regulations because he believed that fewer regulations would make it easier for businesses to succeed, leading to more jobs, more productivity and a better economy. George W. Bush wants to cut down on regulations because he wants his friends to be able to succeed the way he did - by cheating. That's right, George W. Bush cheated stockholders and other investors, failed in every business venture he started, and got bailed out by daddy and daddy's friends every time.
In short, George W. Bush and the current crop of Republican leaders want to create at least the impression of success that Ronald Reagan achieved. The two problems with their approach are, first, that Ronald Reagan never really succeeded, and second, that the methods he used aren't as easily available today.
The result of this "cargo cult" mentality is a sharply increasing deficit, fewer jobs, greater threats to our security, and an impending return of the "days of malaise" that President Reagan, for all his faults and all his failures, did away with.
Another area in which the current administration seems to be imitating the Reagan years is the almost complete disengagement of the President. George W. Bush seems to have even less understanding of what is going on under his nose that Ronald Reagan had.
The result of Ronald Reagan's inattention was the Iran-contra scandal, higher taxes for most Americans and massive banking failures. The result of George W. Bush's inattention is the continuing Halliburton war profiteering, the heaviest debt burden in history, a continually sinking economy, record mortgage foreclosures, and over 1,000 dead Americans in Iraq - a country that was never a threat to us.
We need a President who is engaged, who understands the issues and the possible solutions, and who makes decisions based on facts and not on wishful thinking.
We need a President who isn't waiting around for cargo.
Copyright 2004, Dan Jacoby
For a PDF version of this document, click here.
To contact Dan Jacoby, click here.
Return to the Main Menu