"I'm proud to have been one in the Reagan revolution where we not only cut taxes, which I'm proud to have supported and I have a record of it, but we restrained spending. "
(http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22867407/page/2/)
That rang false. Was spending indeed restrained under Reagan? No, not according to the U.S. Government Printing Office.
Here's the budget during the Reagan administration in millions of dollars:
Year | Total | ||
Receipts | Outlays | Surplus or Deficit(−) |
1981 | 599,272 | 678,241 | -78,968 |
1982 | 617,766 | 745,743 | -127,977 |
1983 | 600,562 | 808,364 | -207,802 |
1984 | 666,486 | 851,853 | -185,367 |
1985 | 734,088 | 946,396 | -212,308 |
1986 | 769,215 | 990,441 | -221,227 |
1987 | 854,353 | 1,004,083 | -149,730 |
1988 | 909,303 | 1,064,481 | -155,178 |
1989 | 991,190 | 1,143,829 | -152,639 |
1990 | 1,032,094 | 1,253,130 | -221,036 |
And to account for inflation, in constant 2000 dollars in billions of dollars:
Fiscal Year | In Current Dollars | ||
Receipts | Outlays | Surplus or Deficit(−) |
1981 | 599.3 | 678.2 | -79.0 |
1982 | 617.8 | 745.7 | -128.0 |
1983 | 600.6 | 808.4 | -207.8 |
1984 | 666.5 | 851.9 | -185.4 |
1985 | 734.1 | 946.4 | -212.3 |
1986 | 769.2 | 990.4 | -221.2 |
1987 | 854.4 | 1,004.1 | -149.7 |
1988 | 909.3 | 1,064.5 | -155.2 |
1989 | 991.2 | 1,143.8 | -152.6 |
1990 | 1,032.1 | 1,253.1 | -221.0 |
Both of these charts clearly show that rather than restraining spending, it nearly doubled during Reagan's two terms. Let's stop the mythmaking and face reality.
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