Hi Al, I'm sorry to hear that. I'm guessing you must be 10 years older than I am. Cuz I came of age believing I couldnt depend on social security (it will only cover about 25% - 30% of what I need to live) and saved accordingly. I'm pretty sure when I was growing up, it was supposed to cover way more than that.
When I say Reagan, I kind of mean Reagan/Volker - they saved our country from a tax-and-spend stagflation spiral - like the once great British Empire experienced. Job creation went through the roof, which was critical, since women and minorities were entering the workforce in numbers never seen before (which women and people of color now tend to ignore ever happened). And he accelerated the breakup of the Soviet Union without resorting to a war.
So I'm sorry he and Tip O'Neil cost you $500/month. But to put it into perspective, Alan Greenspan thanks to his "ignore speculative bubbles and bail out his banking buddies when the collapsed" policy, he probably cost you, and everyone not part of the top 5%, tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Chris
