REAGAN TO THE PRESENT

FAMILY VALUES & SOCIAL CONCERNS Reagan’s commitment to conservative values & cuts to social programs contributed to growing problems in the 1980s: America saw increases in school dropout rates, homelessness, attacks on affirmative action, & urban & minority poverty 1983 exposé on American education

FAMILY VALUES & SOCIAL CONCERNS Reagan’s commitment to conservative values & cuts to social programs contributed to growing problems in the 1980s: The 1 st documented cases of AIDS were reported, but the Reagan administration did not move swiftly because the disease was among gay men

HIV/AIDS STATISTICS, The 1 st AIDS cases were among gay men in San Francisco & NY in 1981

FAMILY VALUES & SOCIAL CONCERNS Reagan’s commitment to conservative values & cuts to social programs contributed to growing problems in the 1980s: Crack cocaine was 1 st introduced in the 1980s The “crack epidemic” led Reagan to begin a “War on Drugs” & the “Just Say No” campaign

THE ELECTION OF 1984 Despite the social problems, Reagan was popular among voters by the election of 1984 Ronald Reagan & VP George Bush Walter Mondale & VP Geraldine Ferraro

Reagan’s victory in 1984 was powered by a “conservative coalition” of voters, including many “Reagan Democrats” (voted for Reagan for president but Democrats for other offices)

WINNING THE COLD WAR By the late 1980s, communism was failing across Eastern Europe In 1989, East Germans denounced communism & the Berlin Wall came down In 1989 & 1990, Eastern European nations embraced democracy In 1990, states within the Soviet Union broke off & formed new democratic nations; In 1991, the USSR dissolved & the Cold War ended

GEORGE BUSH VP George Bush won the presidential election of 1988 by promising to maintain Reagan’s conservative policies

The defining event of the Bush years was the Persian Gulf War against Saddam Hussein & Iraq from Operation Desert Storm Operation Desert Shield

CONCLUSIONS Reagan’s conservative policies & strong foreign policy changed America: Reagan ended stagflation, restored the military, renewed family values, & won the Cold War But, Reagan’s policies reduced assistance programs, ignored social problems, & tripled the national debt

THE ELECTION OF 1992 In the 1992 election, George Bush lost to Arkansas governor Bill Clinton

The Presidency of Bill Clinton liberal Clinton defined himself a “new Democrat” by embracing both liberal & conservative policies Clinton proposed a plan to guarantee affordable health care for all Americans Republicans in Congress defeated Clinton’s “big gov’t” health care reform

The Presidency of Bill Clinton conservative Clinton defined himself a “new Democrat” by embracing both liberal & conservative policies Clinton worked with Republicans to reform the welfare system The law put limits on how long people could receive benefits & allowed states to decide how welfare money would be spent

The Presidency of Bill Clinton conservative Clinton defined himself a “new Democrat” by embracing both liberal & conservative policies Clinton worked with Congress to reduce the federal deficit & balance the federal budget In 1997, Clinton cut gov’t spending & lowered taxes

For the 1 st time in 30 years, the gov’t had a surplus which Clinton used to pay down the nation’s debt

Dow Jones Industrial Average, Clinton’s deficit reduction coincided with a boom in the technology industry; This led to the longest sustained era of economic growth in U.S. history

“CONTRACT WITH AMERICA” Many of Clinton’s conservative policies were in response to Republican control of Congress In 1994, Republicans took control of the House of Representatives for the 1 st time since 1954 & named Georgia Congressman Newt Gingrich as Speaker of the House

“CONTRACT WITH AMERICA” Gingrich pushed for a “Contract with America” that would have created a balanced budget amendment, tax cuts, welfare reform, & tougher crime laws The clash between Clinton & Gingrich led to a gov’t shut down in 1995 Clinton used the rivalry with Republicans to win re-election in 1996

FOREIGN POLICY North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) Clinton signed the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) which reduced trade barriers among USA, Mexico, & Canada

CRITICISMS OF NAFTA?

FOREIGN POLICY During his presidency, Clinton committed U.S. troops to peacekeeping efforts From 1995 to 1999, U.S. troops were sent to Bosnia to stop ethnic cleansing by Serbs & to Kosovo to stop a civil war From , U.S. troops were sent to Somalia to offer food & restore order to civil war

CRIME & TERRORISM During the Clinton years, America experienced new waves of violence Race riots hit Los Angeles in 1992 when 4 white police officers were acquitted of police brutality charges in the Rodney King case

CRIME & TERRORISM During the Clinton years, America experienced new waves of violence In 1995, Gulf War veteran Timothy McVeigh detonated a bomb that destroyed a federal building in Oklahoma City, killing 168 people

CRIME & TERRORISM During the Clinton years, America experienced new waves of violence In 1999, 2 students opened fire at Columbine High School in Colorado, killing 13 people & wounding 23 others

CRIME & TERRORISM During the Clinton years, America experienced new waves of violence After the Persian Gulf War, Osama bin Laden formed al-Qaeda & began terrorist attacks on the USA Embassy bombings in Tanzania & Kenya & attack on USS Cole Bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993

SCANDALS & IMPEACHMENT While president, Clinton faced numerous scandals While still governor of Arkansas, Clinton was connected to an improper land deal (Whitewater scandal) Clinton was accused of numerous sexual affairs, including White House intern Monica LewinskyMonica Lewinsky

SCANDALS & IMPEACHMENT While president, Clinton faced numerous scandals When Clinton lied under oath about his relationship with Monica LewinskyWhen Clinton lied under oath about his relationship with Monica Lewinsky, Republicans in Congress voted to impeach him. He was charged with lying under oath to a federal grand jury and obstructing justice Clinton became only the 2 nd president to be impeached, but he was not removed from office

AMERICA BY 2000 By the late 1990s, the U.S. was changing The economic boom was slowing down & the “tech bubble” was about to burst Party politics was increasingly hostile, especially after the Republican-led impeachment of Clinton New terrorist attacks threatened American safety at home & abroad

THE ELECTION OF 2000 The election of 2000 was one of the closest & most controversial elections in U.S. history Republicans nominated conservative Texas governor George W Bush Democrats nominated Clinton’s Vice President Al Gore Consumer & environmental advocate Ralph Nader ran as an independent

THE ELECTION OF 2000 The election was so close that which ever candidate won Florida would gain enough electoral votes to win the presidency

THE ELECTION OF 2000 But, determining which candidate won in Florida was contested due to voting irregularities The state supreme court ordered a recount of ballots in some districts

THE PRESIDENCY OF GEORGE BUSH In his first year, Bush worked with Congress to: Create a 1.35 trillion dollar tax cut Reform education through the No Child Left Behind Act

SEPTEMBER 11, 2001 Everything changed on September 11, 2001 when an al-Qaeda terrorist plot led to the hijacking of 4 airplanes & attacks on the World Trade Center & the Pentagon September 11, 2001 After 9/11, President Bush declared a “War on Terrorism”

THE WAR ON TERRORISM Domestic changes in response to 9/11

Foreign policy in response to 9/11 al Qaeda terrorists Taliban government Iran, Iraq, & North Korea form an “Axis of Evil”

BARACK OBAMA & THE ELECTION OF The election of 2008 was a historic moment in U.S. history as Barack Obama became the first African American elected president But, the president faces serious foreign & domestic challenges

GOVERNMENT REVENUE (FY2009) Income Category Total (Billions) Percent Individual Income Taxes 91544% Corporate Income Taxes 1387% Social Insurance Taxes & Contributions 89142% Other Taxes 1617% Total2,105

GOVERNMENT REVENUES VS. OUTLAYS Where does the federal gov’t get its money & how does the gov’t spend it? The “Spending Board” lists the nine major programs on which the federal gov’t spends money Working with a partner, guess what percent each of the 9 categories makes up of the total gov’t spending Also, take a guess as to how much total money the U.S. gov’t spent in 2009

GOVERNMENT SPENDING (FY2009) Spending Category Total (Billions) Percent Defense66319% Education782% Interest on debt1916% Foreign Aid371% Social Security68319% Welfare & Income Security53415% Health76422% Other52615% Environmental Protection461% Total3,522

THE 2009 DEFICIT Gov’t Outlays (Spending) — $3.5 trillion Gov’t Revenue (Income) $2.1 trillion Gov’t Deficit = $1.4 trillion

The federal deficit in 2009 was $1.4 trillion

As of 2010, the National Debt is $12.9 trillion$12.9 trillion

WHAT IS A TRILLION DOLLARS? $10,000 A packet of one hundred $100 bills is less than 1/2″ thick and contains $10,000. Fits in your pocket easily and is more than enough for week or two of shamefully decadent fun.

Believe it or not, this next little pile is $1 million dollars (100 packets of $10,000). You could stuff that into a grocery bag and walk around with it.

While a measly $1 million looked a little unimpressive, $100 million is a little more respectable. It fits neatly on a standard pallet…

And $1 BILLION dollars… now we’re really getting somewhere…

Next we’ll look at one trillion dollars. This is that number we’ve been hearing so much about. What is a trillion dollars? It’s a million million. It’s a thousand billion. It’s a one followed by 12 zeros.

CLASS DISCUSSION: WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES OF AN INCREASING FEDERAL DEFICIT?

CRASH COURSE USH 47