I miss Ronald Reagan...

[RobertNashville]

"In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem.

From time to time we've been tempted to believe that society has become too complex to be managed by self-rule, that government by an elite group is superior to government for, by, and of the people. Well, if no one among us is capable of governing himself, then who among us has the capacity to govern someone else?"
                                                             - Ronald Reagan's First Inaugural Address (1981)

 

 

Sometimes I can't help but think to myself that "people" are just too dumb or too uneducated or too self-absorbed to be able to "handle" the burden of governing themselves and I fall into the trap of believing that "someone" needs to step in and do if for those people.

 

Ronald Reagan knew better...I think he had a true and abiding faith in America and it its people...that THEY, even if they weren't perfect, would always be better at governing themselves than any government, not matter how well intentioned, could ever be.

 

I miss Ronald Reagan and I miss how he made us feel about America.

[Garufa]

Here we go again.

 

No offense intended.  :)

[Oh Shoot]

People on gun forums don't seem to talk much about his gun control stances, though.

 

- OS

[UncleJak]

Edited April 22, 2013 by UncleJak

[dlm37015]

i do too but we must mive on and find someone else

[Guest ab28]

People on gun forums don't seem to talk much about his gun control stances, though.

 

- OS

Or all the crap he did against homeless people and the mentally ill, which is one reason we still have the problems we have today.

[RobertNashville]

People on gun forums don't seem to talk much about his gun control stances, though.

 

- OS

Fine...then let's talk about it.

 

Reagan supported some gun-control and while he may not have been a champion of the second amendment; he was not its enemy either.

 

Some attempt to paint Reagan as pro-gun control based primarily on the pro-Brady Bill op-ed piece making it sound as if he supported universal background checks but he did not...he supported a kind of background in that his goal was establishing a background check system for people who buy handguns, his op-ed said nothing about shotguns or rifles. Moreover, he also specifically preferred state-level legislation; not federal. He wrote an op-ed in support of background checks on handguns, not on shotguns or rifles and he believed that states' rights needed to be protected and proposed that the Brady Bill should not apply to any states that implemented their own background check system.

 

I don't purport that Ronald Reagan was "perfect" on 2A issues but I don't and never will vote for or against someone on any "one" issue either.

[RobertNashville]

Or all the crap he did against homeless people and the mentally ill, which is one reason we still have the problems we have today.

Really?  Were you there?

 

Did you forget that strong "patient's rights" movement of the 60's, 70's and 80's and lawsuits by the ACLU and other groups? Many groups, including the mental health care industry wanted the states and the federal government out of the mental health care industry (not to mention that the cuts in funding and other legislation passed while Reagan was governor and President was done under Democratic controlled legislatures).

 

To put it more plainly, the people who were truly responsible for the release of thousands of mentally ill from institutions and changed (for the worse I think) the way we approach mental health today were on the totally opposite end of the political spectrum from Reagan.

 

Maybe we should have elected the Peanut Farmer to a second term.  ;)

Edited April 22, 2013 by RobertNashville

[Oh Shoot]

Fine...then let's talk about it.

 

Reagan supported some gun-control and while he may not have been a champion of the second amendment; he was not its enemy either.

 

Well, he was all for the AWB once he didn't have to sign it himself, so that oughtta be enough to queer his memory with most folks here, but doesn't. Including yourself, I see. :)

 

Dubya was for re-instituting it too, among other things, but never gets flak on gun forums either for some strange reason.

 

 

- OS

Edited April 22, 2013 by Oh Shoot

[Oh Shoot]

Oopsie, meant to edit, not quote.
 

Edited April 22, 2013 by Oh Shoot

[dlm37015]

didnt he do away with the ammo record keeping law

[Oh Shoot]

didnt he do away with the ammo record keeping law

 

We have never had a federal one. Do you mean in Cali?

 

There, he kick started the Kali anti-gun crusade by banning the carry of loaded weapons on the person or in vehicles state wide, the Mulford Act. It was a knee jerk reaction to the Black Panthers, but of course punished all gun owners equally.

 

- OS

[Mike.357]

over rated

[RobertNashville]

Well, he was all for the AWB once he didn't have to sign it himself, so that oughtta be enough to queer his memory with most folks here, but doesn't. Including yourself, I see. :)

 

Dubya was for re-instituting it too, among other things, but never gets flak on gun forums either for some strange reason.

 

 

- OS

As I said, Reagan was not perfect on the second amendment but this is the same Reagan who also signed legislation relaxing restrictions on firearms in 1986...and yes, the same Reagan who, along with Carter and Ford wrote a letter to Congress in favor of passing the 1994 AWB.

 

Let's not lose sight of the fact that a lot of other formerly "pro-2A" Republicans voted for that AWB legislation including one who is a darling of the pro-gun crowd in Ohio right now.

 

As I said, I don't vote on any one issue. Moreover, if you look hard enough you'll find problems on one or more specific issue with pretty much every man who has ever held office (including many of the founders) - until Jesus comes back and takes over I suspect it will always be that way...my purpose of the thread was to foster a discussion on the concept of self-governance but whatever.

Edited April 22, 2013 by RobertNashville

[Smith]

didnt he do away with the ammo record keeping law

Janet Reno had been keeping gun buying background check records past the 48 hr. legal limit. It was under the Bush administration justice department that it was discovered and they were destroyed.

[RobertNashville]

:surrender:

 

Apparently, no one wants to comment on the quote regarding self-governance vs government by "the elite"...rather, they just want to bash Reagan for his anti-2A positions and other actions (both real and imagined). 

 

:leaving:

Edited April 22, 2013 by RobertNashville

[Guest 6.8 AR]

Or all the crap he did against homeless people and the mentally ill, which is one reason we still have the problems we have today.

Try blaming the ACLU and others like them who pushed mental health care out the window. There's a lot more

to that story.

[Guest 6.8 AR]

When faced with leaders who lack character and for those who forget their history, the Hughes Amendment wasn't

the only thing going on during the eighties, consider all the presidents after him and choose your poison. Reagan

should be a role model in politics, instead of the heretic some must think.

 

Look what all the years of liberal politics stuck us with. A mutt(his own words) who will take everything in this country

apart.

 

He was from a time when character used to mean something, and now it doesn't. That's a shame.

[Links2k]

Well, he was all for the AWB once he didn't have to sign it himself, so that oughtta be enough to queer his memory with most folks here, but doesn't. Including yourself, I see. :)

Dubya was for re-instituting it too, among other things, but never gets flak on gun forums either for some strange reason.


- OS

OS, you just killed Santa and the Easter bunny with one shot. Edited April 22, 2013 by LINKS2K

[Guest ThePunisher]

Well, I think I see why a republican may not ever be POTUS again by looking at the responses to this topic. If we can nitpick one of our greatest conservative presidents ever, I'm afraid there's no hope for anyone else other than another Libtard commie wishing to destroy America.

[mav]

Well, I think I see why a republican may not ever be POTUS again by looking at the responses to this topic. If we can nitpick one of our greatest conservative presidents ever, I'm afraid there's no hope for anyone else other than another Libtard commie wishing to destroy America.

 

That is not necessarily the case.  Pointing out the faults of Reagan has nothing to do with the future sucess of Republican candidates. The last two Republican candidates lost because they were weak moderate candidates, nothing more.  If Republicans keep fielding weak candidates then yes, they will continue to lose. 

[Guest ThePunisher]

That is not necessarily the case. Pointing out the faults of Reagan has nothing to do with the future sucess of Republican candidates. The last two Republican candidates lost because they were weak moderate candidates, nothing more. If Republicans keep fielding weak candidates then yes, they will continue to lose.

Weak candidates! I'm of the opinion that a monkey should have beaten the commie, and certainly would have been just as qualified, but everybody did not see the urgency to unite behind anyone other than the commie that we all knew was coming after our guns, and has an Marxist agenda to totally destroy America. IF EVERY Gun Owner and Freedom Loving Person don't unite to kick these commies out of office in 2014 and 2016, then get ready for the shackles of slavery.

Just pointing out that there is no prevailing opinion or support for a particular type of candidate that satisfies the majority of republican or independent voters. Many have fallen into the trap of letting Hollywood pick the perfect candidate for them, and not letting their qualifications be the primary focus of selecting a candidate. I'm afraid that the R party will never select a deceitful, lying, charismatic Slick Willie, or Obama the commie, and I hope they never do. Edited April 22, 2013 by ThePunisher

[mikegideon]

The gun control issues have changed. I'm not so sure Ronnie would back an AWB today. It didn't work. We're in a good place with guns these days, even with that sorry asshole that's supposed to be running the country.

[Mike.357]

what is it exactly that Ronnie Raygun did to make himself so iconic?

[mikegideon]

He said a lot of cool stuff