He deserves a statue as much as any other president does. Did I like Reagan...? No. But, do I respect the office of the President, Yes. However, Reagan was a borderline senile liar who fostered propaganda and increased the fear of Communism with terms like "The Red Menace" just so he could get billions (A $hitload of money back then...) for nuclear defense projects that had been proven, at that level of technology, to not work before they were even implemented, like Star Wars (I'm not saying Soviet Communism wasn't a threat, but he had ulterior reasons...). His economic policies excluded minorities and increased the poverty level and unemployment to heights rivaling the great depression. They favored the rich, frightened the middle class and, yes, there was a trickle down effect for the poor, but even though it was the color of gold, it was a far cry from the real thing. He used the flimsiest Presidential excuse yet about the Iran-Contra affair, saying "I don't Remember..." (What BALLS...). Most of his cabinet were brought up and convicted of criminal charges and/or resigned in shame for a variety of different reasons. It had even been proven that he and his wife consulted an Astrologist in the Oval Office, for God's sake (I even believe in mysticism, but not when it comes to Presidential policy...) There's way much more, but I want to leave you with one more my father had something to say about. When Clinton left office, he got paid a lot of money for some lectures, of which my father thought was disrespectful of the presidency and inappropriate. But the only reason he thought this way was because Clinton was a Democrat. When I brought to his attention that Reagan, two months out of office, got paid 2 million dollars for two 45 minute speeches (More than Clinton for less time...), he had nothing to say. If he was true to his convictions about that topic, party affiliations wouldn't have mattered. Why he thought it was inappropriate, I have no idea. If you do some research, most of the Presidents before 1920 or so were plagued with financial issues, during and after their terms in office. And until around 1900, they had been paid, even by their standards, a paltry sum of $25,000 a year {It was then increased to $50,000; still woefully inadequate...} Seems like a lot for back then doesn't it...? The thing you don't understand is, they had to pay for their own food, travel, clothing, utilities, ETC even when it was in the service of the United States. And thats not even mentioning state functions, guests and parties. There was no automatic pension back then {it had to be voted in by congress and that was only for special cases where they were in desperate need, which was quite a few of them...}, so when they left the presidency, whatever they saved up, they had to live on for the rest for their lives {A few presidents even ended up having to go back to work afterwards with some running again to become senators and one becoming chief Justice of the Supreme Court...} or they died in massive debt or poverty. People don't seem to realize that a lot of our former presidents were farmers or worked their way to the presidency at low paying jobs or, like in the case of Fillmore, were born slaves. Yes, thats right, Millard Fillmore was a slave and bought his freedom for $30. He then became a lawyer and, well, you know the rest. These were not millionaires, they were everyday people like you and me. Nowadays, if you don't have a few million to throw around, well forget it, but back in the day, when they said anyone can grow up to be president, they meant it. My point is: If a former president wants to make a living afterwards, its not like he can go work at Walmart as a greeter or anything, so if they want to make a few million talking to a bunch of already overly rich people, let them. I mean, what's the problem...? God, though, if only Hinkley had been a better shot...

Ronald Regan has carried out his last con. The first occupant of the White House to make politics just another form of show business is being buried as a hero despite having been one of the worst presidents America ever had.

True, he was not as corrupt as Nixon or Clinton, nor as gleefully imperial as George Bush the Lesser, and the damage he did was largely unintentional, the fatal mischief of a small minded man granted too much power.

PHIL GASPER, COUNTERPUNCH - Reagan refused to mention AIDS publicly for six years, under-funded federal programs dealing with the disease and, according to his authorized biography, said, "Maybe the Lord brought down this plague," because "illicit sex is against the Ten Commandments."

C. Everett Koop, Reagan's surgeon general, later revealed, "because transmission of AIDS was understood primarily in the homosexual population and in those who abused intravenous drugs, the advisors to the president took the stand, they are only getting what they justly deserve.". . .

Reagan's economic policies were a disaster for working-class Americans. Reagan presided over the worst recession since the 1930s, and economic growth in the 1980s was lower than in the 1970s, despite the stimulus of military Keynesian policies, which created massive federal budget deficits and tripled the federal debt. By the end of the decade, real wages were down and the poverty rate had increased by 20 percent. . .

Reagan was also a liar. In November 1986, he publicly denied that his administration had been illegally selling arms to Iran and using the proceeds to fund the contras. One week later he was forced to retract this statement, but denied that the sale was part of a deal to free U.S. hostages. The following year, Reagan admitted that there had been an arms-for-hostages deal, but denied he knew anything about it.

This is just a few of the things he did. He does not deserve a statue.