Government is Like a Baby... Ronald Reagan

With a 7 day old child, haven't found much time to write the things I'd like to write. But I did find this quote, which is appropriate on two levels.

"Government is like a baby. An alimentary canal with a big appetite
at one end and no sense of responsibility at the other."

- Ronald Reagan

For more quotes go to USHistoryQuotes.com

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Survey Results: Who is the Best President since 1950?

Put down your pencils. The polls are now closed.

The readers of USHistorySite.Blogspot.com have spoken... the best President since 1950 (from the choices given) is... William Jefferson Clinton.

This is Clinton's first Survey Victory and came as kind of a surprise to me. With 33% percent of the vote he narrowly edged out Ronald Reagan who received 29% of the vote.

Here are the full results after 72 votes:

Harry Truman - 11% (8 votes)
Dwight D. Eisenhower - 5% (4 votes)
John F. Kennedy - 20% (15 votes)
Ronald Reagan - 29% (21 votes)
Bill Clinton - 33% (24 votes)

Despite his impeachment trial, in 1998 and 1999, Clinton's approval rating still ranked among the best in history at 73%. He ended his term with an approval rating of 68%. And according to Wikipedia, (I know... not the most reliable source) his final rating is higher than that of any other departing president since approval ratings began more than seventy years earlier.

Why was his approval so high?

How about 8 years of relative peace and prosperity. A good economy leaves people happy. Nobody can doubt his intelligence, and how he used his intelligence to be the best fiscal leader we've had in a long, long time. This rationale could be the same reason Ronald Reagan ranked so high.

Thank you to all who contributed, and more importantly to those that commented and opened up a dialogue. I'd like to hear from more of you concerning the results. Does this surprise you?

To get it started - here is my grandfather's reaction

I just reviewed your survey. It seems to me that the answers were progressive. By that I mean young people with very little knowledge of past history voted the current appeal.They knew little or nothing of Truman and Eisenhower. I wouldn't say IKE was a good President,but he could have run on any ticket and been elected. He was that popular.It would be the same for Colin Powell. It's unfortunate that we are faced with our present dilemma. The good ones don't have national appeal and the ones with national appeal are awful. They are supported by young liberals who would have been better to serve Army time to open their eyes. GP

I welcome thoughts on GPs comments as well...

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Ulysses S. Grant Born... and Born Again...

On April 27 1822, famed Civil War General and 18th President of the United States Ulysses S. Grant was born.

Grant, better known for his prowess on the battlefield as opposed to his leadership in office is a neat character. He quickly rose his way to the top of the Union Army after having sat "fallow" for some time before the war.

Fallow -- land, plowed and left unseeded for a season or more; uncultivated; not in use.

After some action in the Mexican-American(1846-1848) War and preceding the Civil War (1861), Grant sat "fallow" for several years while trying his hand at farming. He failed. In fact, he tried many different occupations and wasn't good at any of them.

This is what makes his quick rise in to leadership with the Union Army so interesting. With very little military leadership training, Grant simply won battle after battle. His secret was simple. Other leaders spent much of their time trying to outsmart their counterpart, worrying what the other would do. Not Grant. Grant didn't worry about his opposition and simply did what he thought was best. He didn't care what his opponent was doing. It seemed to work.

After serving as President, Grant died a poor man. His last years were spent writing his memoirs, of which he never saw a penny. Though his surviving wife was able to profit from his writings.

In 2004, US Grant was born again. April 26, 2004 the United States introduced the new colored $50 bill. The new design was put in place to deter counterfeiters. It was the first design change for the fifty since 1997.

Fun Facts:

In 2005, US Representative John Kline introduced legislation to replace Grant's image on the $50 bill with an image of President Ronald Reagan.

Grant had owned one slave whom he set free in 1859.

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Who is the Best President since 1950?

I was in New Orleans for a few days on business. Learned a bit about the history of NOLA, did some work with Habitat for Humanity, putting on siding for Charles (the home owner) in the Upper 9th Ward (one of the most devestaded areas), spent some time at a conference, strolled Bourbon Street and bought a book about the Battle of New Orleans from a bookshop where William Faulkner used to live. A good week for site seeing, but a bad week for posts.

That said, I've added a new USHistorySite Survey...

The question is: Who is the Best President since 1950?

Harry Truman

Dwight D. Eisenhower

John F. Kennedy

Ronald Reagan

Bill Clinton

You can find it in the margin on the right. I'll leave it up until I get 50 votes or more...

Let me know your comments after you vote? Why did you choose JFK? Tell me why you think Carter should have made the list. Is Bill Clinton deserving? The forum is now open...

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