In just one example of undoing what once would have been considered an obvious public good, Republicans use the holiday for the latest in their war on consumer protection.
After thirty years of Reaganism, it's always instructive to look at the record of wealth's greatest front man.
Quotes from Paul Slansky, The Clothes Have No Emperor: A Chronicle of the American '80s:
[1981]
8/19 Ed Meese sees no need to wake President Reagan just to tell him the Navy has shot down two Libyan jets. Defending Meese's decision, Reagan explains, "If our planes are shot down, yes, they'd wake me up right away. If the other fellows were shot down, why wake me up?"
8/31 "He acted like there was nothing else in the world he had to do, nothing else on his mind."
—Former movie actor Rex Allen, who spent 45 minutes with President Reagan after presenting him with four pairs of free boots
"There are times when you really need him to do some work, and all he wants to do is tell stories about his movie days."
—Unnamed White House aide on President Reagan's detachment from his job
11/23 President Reagan vetoes a stopgap spending bill, thus forcing the federal government—for the first time in history—to temporarily shut down. Says House Speaker Tip O'Neill, "He knows less about the budget than any president in my lifetime. He can't even carry on a conversation about the budget. It's an absolute and utter disgrace."
[1983]
3/8 President Reagan tells a national convention of evangelicals that the Soviet Union is "the focus of evil in the modern world ... an evil empire." Says historian Henry Steele Commager: "It was the worst presidential speech in American history, and I've read them all."
9/1 A Soviet fighter mistakenly shoots down Korean Air Lines Flight 007 after it strays into Soviet airspace, killing 269, including right-wing congressman Larry McDonald (D-GA). George Shultz calls Tip O'Neill to tell him about the incident.
"What does the President think about this?" asks O'Neill.
"We'll tell him when he wakes up," says Shultz.
Dan Rather returns instantly from his vacation upon hearing the news and—after CBS shows him on horseback at the ranch as the crisis unfolds—so does President Reagan.
6/7 "It was really funny. I was sitting there so worried about throw weight, and Reagan suddenly asks us if we've seen War Games."
— Unnamed congressman describing a White House meeting about arms control at which the President revealed that averting a movie nuclear catastrophe was far more interesting to him than the nuts and bolts of preventing a real-life one
10/2 At a White House briefing with Caspar Weinberger, President Reagan is asked how his MX missiles will be deployed. "I don't know but what maybe you haven't gotten into the area that I'm gonna turn over to the, heh heh, to the Secretary of Defense," he says sheepishly.
"The silos will be hardened," Weinberger says, then nods approvingly as Reagan volunteers, "Yes, I could say this. The plan also includes the hardening of silos."
[1986]
6/11 President Reagan distinguishes himself at his 37th press conference by:
• Responding to a question about abortion with an answer about an unrelated case9/1 "Surround yourself with the best people you can find, delegate authority, and don't interfere."
• Displaying a certain confusion about whether or not the SALT II treaty exists and about whether or not he plans to order construction of another space shuttle
• Claiming that the government is providing 93 million meals a day to hungry Americans.
—President Reagan, as quoted in a Fortune interview for its cover story "What Managers Can Learn from Manager Reagan"
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