I may write a few blog posts with a different perspective of the Reagan legacy, starting with this one. When Reagan took office the country was ready to free itself from the foreign oil addiction. There were three ways to respond to the 70's gas shortage.
1) Reduce our use of oil by improving mileage standards and promoting transportation alternatives. That's what Jimmy Carter started in the late 70's.
2) Increase our military involvement in the most oil-rich region of the world in order to ensure a steady supply. That's the policy pursued by Reagan and members of his administration like Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld and George H. W. Bush. You may recall that Reagan's involvement in the region included giving weapons of mass destruction to Saddam Hussein and support to Osama Bin-Laden. What a legacy!
3) Pretend there's an adequate domestic supply while we search for new reserves and squeeze the last drop out of older fields. Along with the military strategy, that was the George W. Bush era approach in places like the Canadian Tar Sands.
When Reagan took office he destroyed fuel economy standards and cut efforts to support realistic alternatives. His legacy is increasing our dependence on oil and allowing the American auto-industry to destroy itself from within by refusing to adapt.
1980 should be remembered as the turning point. It was the year that one President had us on the right track toward dealing with climate change and our dependence on oil. It was also the year Americans elected a President who set us back 30 years and made changing things today that much harder.
Reagan's legacy is one of tragic failure.