Are we sure this is the kind of ‘greatness’ we are looking for in America?

Ronald Reagan pioneered the “make America great” idea before Donald Trump got ahold of it.

Reagan said the American people needed to “believe in our capacity to perform great deeds.”

Reagan was clearly speaking about actions, including personal, economic and local, state and national policy deeds. Contrast this with Trump’s definition of greatness as monuments to his own personal greatness like huge graven images of himself hanging from government buildings, his proposed “triumphal” arch in Washington D.C., and the half billion-dollar renovation of the East Wing.

Reagan sponsored the largest military build-up in U.S. history outside of wartime budgets. His military buildup was even more expensive than LBJ’s tab for Vietnam. He obtained a seven percent annual increase in the military budget over three years.

Contrast this with Donald Trump’s ask for a 40-50 percent increase in the military budget for FY2027 alone.

Reagan’s military budget was to deter foreign aggression during the Cold War (“peace through strength”) whereas Trump’s military budget is intended to fan the flames of hot war wherever our war power usurper wants to go.

Are we sure this is the kind of “greatness” we are looking for in America?

Kimball Shinkoskey, Woods Cross, Utah