Reagan Presidency Legacy

Wasn't that a project of Reagan's?

I used to say the same thing about Ronald Reagan -- a president who did many questionable/bad things, but he lifted the U.S. out of the doldrums we experienced in the late '70s.Over time I've learned context about how those doldrums occurred, and more about what Reagan actually did, and the trade seems much less worthwhile. :-/

We remember Reagan because he was a colorful character and vociferous advocate of markets, but the changes we associate with him (e.g. Ralph Nader getting shut out of Congress) started under Carter and were continued under Clinton.

Which it hasn't been since Reagan become president.

This happened during the Reagan administration. The money doesn't disappear, it just moves elsewhere.

You can thank Ronald Reagan for that.

To the contrary, Reagan was inaugurated in January 1981. The trend had already changed before that. There were major changes to our economy in the late 60s and 70s, including the "great society" programs of Johnson and Nixon, and the stagflation of the Nixon and Carter (and into the Reagan) years. I'd look into those things for a root cause, if I were looking. Which is not to say that Reagan's policies didn't possibly make things worse, too ;-)

Hasn't this sentiment been repeatedly disproven in practical applications since at least Reagan?

Ronald Reagan used to have the misery index

Oh believe me, I do. The democrats are absolutely complicit. But noting Reagan as an inflection point is also important because it humanizes the span of time. It was not "always like this". It happened because of one admin. It can be undone, we just don't care to, apparently.