Ronald Reagan s President Of The United States - 1192 Words

Who knew a small town boy turned actor would become our most impactful president? Ronald Reagan, the 40th President of the United States, charmed voters with his good looks, demeanor and effective storytelling qualities. He grew up in a small town in western Illinois, and after college became a radio broadcaster who was popular for his speaking abilities. He then went on to test for movies, and his career took off when Warner Brothers began casting him in their films. Hollywood shaped Reagan’s life because it caused him to shift to the right politically, and to eventually run as a Republican despite being raised as a Democrat. Reagan is the most impactful president of the 20th century because of his visions for the presidency. Reagan†¦show more content†¦As the infected number and death toll continued to rise, Reagan made the fight against AIDS a priority and over the course of the 80’s spent $2.3 billion on it to search for a cure. Although the national debt s everely increased under Reagan, he struggled to fix the failing American economy and there was economic growth during his presidency. Reagan inherited a poor economy from past presidents, but he did his best to fix it. Reagan’s economic policy was dubbed Reaganomics, or supply side economics, and it had the goal of lowering the taxes of wealthy individuals and businesses in hopes that they would stimulate the rest of the economy. Under Reagan, the Economic Recovery Tax Act lowered many different types of taxes, and he believed that under a free market and a more laissez faire approach, the economy would fix itself over time. Reagan also deregulated industries, especially transportation and oil industries. Although manufacturing declined, the service industries actually grew under Reagan. Reagan also had the vision of shrinking the size of the federal government. He spent less on social programs, but kept previous programs such as Medicare and Medicaid. While in office, Reagan appointed many new positions in government. He is remembered for appointing the first woman to the Supreme Court, Sandra Day O’Connor. She was more liberal than Reagan expected her to be, and he continued to appoint more conservatives to the Supreme Court.