It's hard for me to have any criticism of this great American and president but yes signing onto the amnesty of 1986 was indeed imo a huge mistake. I'm convinced though if he knew the consequences of that disastrous legislation he wouldn't have done it over. Can't say the same for its sponsors Simpson and Mazzoli. To this day Simpson claims to have no regrets.
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"I'm convinced though if he knew the consequences of that disastrous legislation he wouldn't have done it over."
therein lies the rub, frater. The law of unintended consequences strikes again.
It's pretty much obvious to most conservatives and probably all freepers that the above phrase is something we've come to dislike, because we associate it with a leftist/modern "liberal" mentality that - in it's monolithic swing into the world of fantasy and desired outcomes - can be counted upon to always rosey up their grand ideas with what utopian conditions can be achieved if we try them.
The above article takes nothing fm Reagan. In fact, in an ironic way, it proves the imperfection of even the best among us (and make no mistake, Ronald Reagan stands among the Best that America has produced). How many times have we ourselves attempted something and seen the results veer from what we desired/expected them to be? That the decision has far-reaching consequences for our nation doesn't change this.
All the more reason to follow a conservative guide as much as possible... mistakes will still happen because Man is not perfect, but at least in our belief, we stand a better chance of learning from our mistakes (jury's still out on this maxim in regards to current immigration though) then those across the divide to our left.