Ronald Reagan’s hundredth birthday
Resonates with panegyrics:
Fiscal wonder, cold-war mainstay,
Challenger of liberal skeptics.
Angels might, next century, herald
Canonized Saint Blessed Ronald.
For right now, though, let’s look closer:
Popular? When shot, but later
Jobless struggling at the grocer
Caused his rating scores to crater.
Ten percent faced unemployment
Thirty-five wailed disappointment.
Tax reducer? For the wealthy
More so than blue-collar workers.
Keeping U.S. commerce healthy
Meant, though, galvanizing smirkers.
Budget shortfalls tourbillion-like
Forced a record peacetime tax hike
Hawk? Tear down this wall, he bellowed
Sure enough, Berliners did so.
Gorbachev, by then had mellowed
As a New-World-Order Red, though.
More than Dutch he got the credit,
Even if not near the zealot.
Payroll cuts? Campaign oration
Spelled the end of two Departments:
Energy and Education.
Nonetheless both stayed and what thence?
Veterans Affairs’ addition
As a Cabinet position.
Evidently with no scruple,
Deaf to any whoops or hollers
Gipper let our debt quadruple
To about three trillion dollars.
Was his service more forthright than
GE’s early TV pitchman?
No comments:
Post a Comment