For years I felt the loss of Ronald Reagan. As though the Ronald Reagan, I lived through no longer existed.

He was being ripped from my memory. Only to be replaced by a new and improved (or ruined, depending on perspective) version.

The memory of those 8 years blurred as history was re-written to fit the mold of "Reagan the Messiah". For some time now I blamed my memory of those years on a wasted youth and not appreciating them as the idyllic nirvana they are now rejoiced.

Then I began reading, and discovered the Ronald Reagan years had been hijacked by the same people that want to take our country back to a place and time that never existed.

Personally, I remember feeling safe under Reagan's watch, although selling homes with interest rates approaching 20% was difficult and my family's business was hit hard.

The Cold War was raging, fear mongering was a commodity to be wielded as needed in those days. The "Star Wars" defense program sold well. It helped to expedite the demise of communism (and rise of corrupt capitalism) in Russia.

Although only as the straw that forced Russia to spend itself into oblivion, collapsed the Berlin Wall and broke the camel's back.

Sadly, my memories of Reagan were not re-written for his benefit, but for the benefit of a cabal of economic zealots.

This cabal not only hijacked Reagan's legacy and the Republican Party (I voted for) it re-wrote and is still re-writing economic and political history in America. Time will tell if we, the people, are for better or worse.

I remember those years as tough financially, but with an ease of mind that "all would be well". Because President Reagan and his team were at the helm in a time of economic and global instability (instability appears to be eternal with humans).

I was young and didn't want to be bothered about Russia nuking us or financial collapse.

Reagan (The Great Communicator) was akin to grandpa reading a comforting story as we fell asleep, knowing all would be well when we awoke.  

It's important to put Reagan's years in context, when one is about to show how and why they've been deconstructed and born-again in a messianic light.

I shall now deconstruct myself:

The author of this article is undoubtedly flawed.

I'm an old school Republican who screamed for reprisals after 9/11. I watched people in the middle-east dance in the streets celebrating the death of American innocents.

I wanted the dancers dead.

Not a proud moment. Not well thought-out.

I love the movie "The American President", yet hate the scene when the President bombs a building filled with innocent janitors. Neither the building, nor the janitors, are guilty of perpetrating the crime they just paid for with their lives.

Michael Douglas's "president" may as well have bombed the desert and dropped leaflets stating: "You're next asshole." Let the assholes sit and bicker about who's next.

~~~ Republicans On The Rise

After the post WWII era of prosperity and Democratic control, it seemed as though the country's prosperity (1970's) was being given away to the "unworthy masses". We needed Republican balance.

It was Republicans who were the underrepresented underdogs.

I still believe Nixon's legacy will recover from the bottom of the barrel. Nixon was an old school Republican. Less government where less is warranted. Less taxes, unless warranted.

I've always thought most politicians are liars and cheats. Nixon just got caught. Nixon got America out of Vietnam, he tried to reform healthcare (instead it was privatized/monetized under his watch. Shame). He has a fairly good record as President.

Except for the Watergate debacle, pathological lying and taped paranoia evidence to the contrary.

I thought Jimmy Carter was a wuss. It turns out Jimmy Carter was not a great president, however, he's proven a great human being. Washington ate him alive. He was not wanted, the machine destroyed him. His ideas were not even allowed to fail or succeed on their own. They were aborted.

The gift of hindsight allows me to wander through what Carter's years might have been. Alas, they are what they are now for posterity.

At the time, I was happy to see him go. We needed a leader with the backbone to stand-up to the communist threat.

"Communist threat", meet Ronald Reagan, your worst nightmare.