Maryland’s uncharacteristic proposal: Ronald Reagan Day
February 6, 2011 marks what would have been Ronald Reagan's 100th birthday -- and while there's plenty of national chatter about celebrations of the Gipper's centennial, some legislators in Maryland apparently want to bring it closer to home. According to P.J. Orvetti, seven of the state's senators have proposed legislation which would make February 6 "Ronald Reagan Day" in the state, an occasion on which Maryland residents would be urged "to observe Ronald Reagan Day in a proper manner."
As Orvetti astutely notes, Maryland was one of the few states in the Union to actually vote against Reagan during the Presidential elections in 1980 and 1984; Jimmy Carter actually carried the state in 1980, while Reagan only won the state by five points during his beatdown of Walter Mondale in '84. Reagan also doesn't really have any personal connection to the state. Suffice it to say, Maryland is probably the last place we'd expect to have a Ronald Reagan Day, especially considering that Reagan's home state of California only instituted one this year.
[Continue reading Aaron Morrissey's piece here at DCist.com.]
Aaron Morrissey blogs at DCist. The Local Blog Network is a group of bloggers from around the D.C. region who have agreed to make regular contributions to All Opinions Are Local.
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Aaron Morrissey
| February 3, 2011; 12:35 PM ET
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Posted by: Greent | February 3, 2011 12:50 PM | Report abuse
puke.
Posted by: ennepe68 | February 3, 2011 2:22 PM | Report abuse
Enough of this hero-worship. We already have an airport named after him. He doesn't deserve a day.
Posted by: jckdoors | February 3, 2011 2:58 PM | Report abuse
People say Reagan caused the collapse of the Evil Empire. It was collapsing of it's own weight and he stood there and took credit. He did begin the collapse of the American Empire by embracing an anti-government, anti-tax and anti-union ideology. He was a tool of the Corporate Right, was managed by the senior management of the Bechtel Corporation and began to dismantle all the laws that protected the American people from Corporate avarice and greed.
First was Union busting, he discounted public safety and busted the air traffic controllers union. Second, he tore up the Fairness Doctrine which opened the door to the hateful propaganda of Talk Radio. Use of the public airways to spread lies and distortion allowed the rightwing to distract the public from any serious discussion of public policy. Third was his embrace of the extremists of the Religious Right. Their unconstitutional mixing of religion and politics allowed GW BUSH to get close enough to the WH that the SCOTUS could plausibly appoint him POTUS. We all know where that led.
Reagan was probably suffering from Alzheimer's disease. Maybe that's why he thought it was perfectly OK to have the CIA sell drugs to fund the CONTRA rebels after Congress expressly forbid it. "Mistakes were made", he claimed. His monstrous deficits and refusal to consider taxation as the means to fund government (as opposed to borrowing) began the pattern we are in now. Americans pay the lowest taxes ever in the last 100 years and all Republicans can say is No Taxes!!
Reagan may have been a "nice enough" guy, a grandfatherly figure, but History will judge him harshly.
Posted by: thebobbob | February 3, 2011 6:07 PM | Report abuse
POLL -- REAGAN DAY? MORE THAN 60% OF AMERICANS JUST SAY NO: http://pitch.pe/122084
Posted by: erica_holloway | February 4, 2011 3:16 PM | Report abuse
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We do not need another day to remember a president of the USA. We honor them all for their service in one holiday called:
PRESIDENTS DAY