tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8712197188587933423.post2440819993157676430..comments2018-12-13T04:52:46.619-08:00Comments on Social Security: Presidential Perspectives: President #8: Ronald Reagan (1981-1989)Vetan Kapoorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00307270686924759999noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8712197188587933423.post-85625140618002676262011-05-15T09:31:02.985-07:002011-05-15T09:31:02.985-07:00Again, this is a strong entry that gets the essent...Again, this is a strong entry that gets the essentials of the story right. Just a few things to comment on: first, as I discussed in class, the Greenspan Commission episode was far more complicated than recounted here; essentially a series of deals were cut between the administration & Tip O'Neill, and the commission's label was affixed. The legend of the "successful bipartisan commission," however, has prevailed in Washington as an item of faith, even though the commission itself actually failed. The result has been a tendency to over-rely on this device. Second, there is a broader issue here of what constitutes "long-term" in evaluating a president's (or any policymaker's) success. Here, does it mean truly permanent solvency? That is a high standard. Given that the 1983 programs have kept the program going for three decades (and beyond), that seems like a "long-term" success to me.Guianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05359234620804724308noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8712197188587933423.post-2491546574461301832011-05-09T13:13:23.086-07:002011-05-09T13:13:23.086-07:00Reagan's contributions to the Social Security ...Reagan's contributions to the Social Security debate waned as his focus shifted towards military expansion the "Star Wars" initiative. How did this impact the circumstances faced by future presidents?Joe Trunzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11359167160409921611noreply@blogger.com