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PaperclipPerfector  2mo ago (text post)   25228 thread views

Culture War Roundup for the week of October 27, 2025

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Vietnam has low taxes, social conservatism and super business friendly policies while having hammer and sickle flags along the streets and a political system that celebrates Lenin. The republicans are going to talk about how great Reagan was while under no circumstances wanting to talk about his policies since Reagan's agenda are pretty much the opposite of MAGA. Republicans will like the aesthetic while refusing to even acknowledge the ideas.

Reagan's big thing -- building up the military in opposition to the USSR -- is no longer relevant.

Reagan was big on the War On Drugs. So is Trump.

Reagan liked lower taxes. So does Trump.

Reagan made a deal for immigration amnesty. Trump saw the results of this deal and won't. So not really a conflict.

Reagan talked big about free trade, which Trump doesn't. But despite that he did engage in trade warring, including YUGE tariffs on agricultural goods.

They aren't the same, but they aren't "the opposite" either.

Reagan liked lower taxes. So does Trump.

Reagan liked cutting rates (and in particular top rates which were far too high at the time) while closing loopholes and simplifying the tax code. Trump likes opening new loopholes and making the tax code more complex.

Arguably, the huge increase in the standard deduction is the biggest simplification of the tax code since Reagan. After the 2018 (Trump administration) changes there, the number of filings taking the standard deduction went up from 70 to 90 percent.

Reagan was a neocon globalist. A strong focus on military interventionism, free trade and shipping jobs abroad. He didn't really focus on America but a globalized American empire.

Military interventionism during his presidency was rather limited in scope though.

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