ronald reagan. The "legacy" (from the depths of HELL).

[PufPuf23]

17. I also despise Reagan.

I was an undergrad at UC Berkeley when he was governor of California.

I resigned from Federal service after 16 years when Reagan was POTUS in my 30s.

My Dad, who was an over aged WWII volunteer, loved FDR enough to name his only son -me- after him. His schooling ended in 8th grade. I went to work for the Feds as a teen so as to not spend another summer crushing rock, building road, or logging starting age 14.

My Dad and I were close especially for the 16 years after my Mom passed on but we did not agree politically. I am glad he passed on before 9-11 for his/our sake.

My Dad loved Reagan. He did not get the disconnect. He was still registered Democratic and was a member of the Operating Engineers (heavy equipment) Union. He always voted Democratic for POTUS up to Reagan.

He was angry that I worked for the Feds, was anti-war, smoked pot, had long hair, and went to that hippy school.

I was one of 3 individuals out of 92 in my program at Cal to graduate highest honors. I paid my own way and did not start university until age 21 as was career Fed age 19 and arrangements were made that I could work part time at a Fed Research Station in same agency associated with Cal. My parents did not attend my college graduation.

My Dad was a wonderful man that never laid a hand on me but rarely gave me approval in life decisions.

I went back to Cal and earned a Haas School MBA and went into corporate (and some government policy) management consulting until I burnt out and quit over what I saw in the belly of the beast. We always worked for the bad guys. Most clients were financial institutions or the corporations they funded. Lots of mergers and acquisitions. I got to travel alot (plus to me then) but was sickened by what I learned about the world.

My Dad hated Clinton too and watched Fox in the 1990s. He was in his 80s and I was late 30s during GHWB when I put myself into therapy. I was my Dad's favorite person to spend time with and financial confidant. I learned from the therapy my Dad was not going to change and I made adjustments. He had home hospice with me assisted by the county hospice agency (fine people). When he passed away, I found his pot stash and it was swag that would never go in my lungs. He was trying everything to stay alive.

I always realized Reagan was a stooge and cardboard cutout for truly sinster forces that have harmed our country.

But it was personal in that Reagan represents my biggest conflicts with my Dad, demonized my school, and declared war on and made a policy mockery that corrupted the Fed agency I had worked for close to half my life when I resigned. Many other talented liberal people left Fed service under Reagan.

One of the insiduous parts of the Federal bureaucracy since Reagan has been the tendency to retain conservative yes people rather than liberal creative people. This is accerbated by the preferential hiring of veterans that tend to be GOP and conservative.