Mr. White

1
Conservative Policies Under Reagan and Bush

• Mr. Whites US History 2

2
Main Idea and Objectives

• Main Idea Presidents Reagan and Bush pursued a
  conservative agenda that included tax cuts,
  budget cuts, and increased deficit spending.
• After this section, we should be able to
• Summarize Reagans economic programs
• Describe the changes that occurred in the makeup
  and decisions of the Supreme Court

3
Part I Reaganomics Takes Over

• Based on policies of reducing the federal budget,
  cutting taxes, and increasing defense spending,
  Ronald Reagan sponsored his economic policy,
  nicknamed Reaganomics.

4
Reaganomics

• In his first televised speech, Reagan outlined
  his program to help bring the economy out of
  recession would become nicknamed Reaganomics
• Cut the federal budget decrease expenses
  federal government expenses and entitlement
  programs
• Cut taxes this would encourage private
  investment, and help the economy recover
• Increase defense spending this would allow the
  United States to stay ahead of the Soviet Union
  in military power

5
Decreasing Government Expenses

• Reagans strategy for decreasing government
  expenditures included deep cuts for social
  programs, but not all
• Social Security, Medicare, and veterans pensions
  largely kept intact
• Urban mass transit, food stamps, welfare
  benefits, job training, Medicaid, school lunches,
  and student loans cut in large amounts
• Some criticized Reagans measures as
  discriminatory the programs he kept intact
  benefitted middle class Americans, while the ones
  that he cut tended to benefit poor or
  working-class Americans

6
Supply-side Economics

• Reagans policy relied heavily on the idea of
  supply-side economics
• If people paid less in taxes, they would save
  more money
• Banks could then loan this money out to
  businesses, which could invest the money to
  increase productivity
• This increase in productivity would drive the
  supply of goods up, and the prices would decrease
• Congress lowered income taxes by 25 percent over
  a three-year period

7
Military Spending

• Reagan authorized increases to military spending
  that more than offset the money that he had saved
  from cutting social programs
• Reagan revived development on two controversial
  weapons systems
• MX Missile ICBM developed for delivering
  nuclear warheads
• B-1 Bomber Bomber developed for delivering
  nuclear warheads
• Reagan also asked the nations scientists to
  develop a defense system that would use
  satellite- and ground-based system to shoot down
  nuclear missiles
• This system never went into operation

8
Economic Downturn

• As Reagan was working on his economic policies,
  the country again hit an economic downturn
• Lasted from July, 1981 (just before Mr. Whites
  birthday) until November, 1982
• In early 1983, consumers started to spend more,
  and this boosted the economy
• Tax cuts, declining interest rates, and lower
  inflation bolstered their confidence in the
  economy
• The Stock Market dropped briefly at the end of
  this upswing, but then it started to climb again

9
Deregulation

• Reagan also pursued a policy of deregulation,
  which means the reduction of laws, regulations,
  and restrictions on economic practices
• Removed price controls on oil
• Eliminated federal health and safety inspections
  for nursing homes
• Deregulated the airline industry allowed
  airlines to abandon unprofitable air routes
• Deregulated the savings and loan industry
• These measures did increase competition, an often
  resulted in lower prices for consumers

10
Reagan Downsizes the EPA

• Reagan also cut the budget of the Environmental
  Protection Agency
• James Watt, Reagans secretary of the interior,
  sold millions of acres of public land to private
  developers
• Watt also
• Opened up off-shore oil drilling
• Encouraged timber cutting in national forests
• Eased restrictions on coal mining

11
Rising National Debt

• Even though the economy was doing well, there
  were still some economic problems for the country
• Tax cuts had benefitted the rich, while social
  program cuts had hurt the poor
• Even though Reagan had made budget cuts, federal
  spending was still more than what it took in
  budget deficit
• By the end of Reagans first term, the national
  debt had almost doubled

12
Part II Judicial Power Shifts to The Right

• Ronald Reagan appointed several justices to the
  Supreme Court, and shifted the court towards a
  conservative attitude.

13
A More Conservative Supreme Court

• Reagan was able to further his conservative goals
  by appointing many new, conservative justices to
  the Supreme Court
• Sandra Day OConnor first woman on the Supreme
  Court
• Antonin Scalia, Anthony M. Kennedy, William
  Rehnquist
• After Reagan, President George H. W. Bush
  nominated David Souter
• Bush also nominated Clarence Thomas
• Anita Hill, a law professor, testified that
  Thomas had sexually harassed her when she worked
  for him in the 1980s
• Thomas was still confirmed as a Supreme Court
  Justice

14
Supreme Court Measures

• Through Reagan and Bush, the Supreme Court became
  much more conservative and much less liberal than
  it had been in the past
• Restricted abortion rights for women
• Imposed new restrictions on civil rights laws
• Narrowed the rights of arrested persons

15
Part III Conservative Victories in 1984 and 1988

• In 1984 and 1988, conservatives continued to
  strengthen their power in the federal government

16
Reagans Supporters

• Reagan and his supporters had been able to
  construct a large coalition of conservative
  voters who approved of his policies
• Businesspeople supported economic deregulation
• Southerners welcomed the limits on federal
  power
• Westerners liked Reagans deregulation of the
  mining, timbering, and grazing laws
• Reagan Democrats agreed with limiting the
  federal government, and felt that the Democratic
  party had become too liberal

17
1984 Opposition

• In the 1984 election, Walter Mondale and
  Geraldine Ferraro, the first woman on a
  presidential ticket, ran against Reagan and V.P.
  George H. W. Bush.
• The economy was still strong this was a good
  sign for Reagan and Bush
• Reagan and Bush won in a landslide

18
Election of 1988

• In 1988, with the economy still strong, many
  people attributed this to Reagan and Bushs
  policies
• Michael Dukakis ran as the Democratic candidate
  against George Bush, Republican
• Many people didnt feel a need for a change, and
  supported Bush
• Bush promised to continue the policies of Reagan
• Bush attacked Dukakis as soft on crime, and
  unpatriotic
• Bush won the election with 53 of the popular
  vote, and 426 electoral votes
• Bushs election appeared to many people to be an
  endorsement of conservative policies

19
Main Idea and Objectives

• Main Idea Presidents Reagan and Bush pursued a
  conservative agenda that included tax cuts,
  budget cuts, and increased deficit spending.
• After this section, we should be able to
• Summarize Reagans economic programs
• Describe the changes that occurred in the makeup
  and decisions of the Supreme Court

20
Wrap-up

• So
• One of the things Reagan wanted to do to help the
  economy was
• And he carried this out by
• One of the reasons that Ronald Reagan appointed
  more conservatives to the Supreme Court was that
• And the Supreme Court carried out a conservative
  agenda by