--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: the Reagan years \"produced one of the…" description: "\"“the Reagan years \"produced one of the most dramatic redistributions of income in the nation's history…The income of families in the bottom decile fell..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/305/thomas-b-edsall-60008_american-dream_the-reagan-years-produced-one-of-the-mos_697092.jpg" --- # the Reagan years "produced one of the most dramatic… ![“the Reagan years "produced one of the most dramatic redistributions of income in the nation's history…The income of families in the bottom decile fell by 10.4 percent...while the income of those in the top one percent rose by 87.1 percent." Chain Reaction, 23” quote by Thomas B. Edsall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/305/thomas-b-edsall-60008_american-dream_the-reagan-years-produced-one-of-the-mos_697092.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/305/thomas-b-edsall-60008_american-dream_the-reagan-years-produced-one-of-the-mos_697092.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/305/thomas-b-edsall-60008_american-dream_the-reagan-years-produced-one-of-the-mos_697092.jpg) > ““the Reagan years "produced one of the most dramatic redistributions of income in the nation's history…The income of families in the bottom decile fell by 10.4 percent...while the income of those in the top one percent rose by 87.1 percent." Chain Reaction, 23”” [Thomas B. Edsall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-b-edsall/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Economic policies in the Reagan era caused a sharp rise in income inequality, boosting the richest while hurting the poorest. **In simple terms:** Reagan policies widened the wealth gap. Key Takeaway Address policy impacts on inequality. Themes economics policy inequality Mood analytical critical Type political historical When to use this quote - public policy debates - educational curricula - media analysis - activism Key Concepts Neoliberalism tax policy Questions to Reflect On - How do current policies compare? - What solutions can reduce the gap? A Different Perspective Complex causes beyond a single administration also matter. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [American dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-dream/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) ## Related quotes > [“The latest Congressional Budget Office figures show that the top 1 percent of income earners in the United States paid 39 percent of federal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-r-levin/the-latest-congressional-budget-office-figures-show-that-the-top-1/) [Mark R. Levin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-r-levin/) > [He presented himself as the friend to Main Street America, and yet that aw-shucks persona ended up packaging policies and programs that were at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-jarecki/he-presented-himself-as-the-friend-to-main-street-america-and-yet/) [Eugene Jarecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-jarecki/) > [The Reagan years really were a bonanza for the rich; you didn't imagine that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-noah/the-reagan-years-really-were-a-bonanza-for-the-rich-you-didn-t/) [Timothy Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-noah/) > [During the Reagan years, government shut down eight different times under a Democrat Congress. The president and Congress worked together and got things straightened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitt-romney/during-the-reagan-years-government-shut-down-eight-different-times/) [Mitt Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitt-romney/) > [Back in 1980, the conservative movement was all-in for Ronald Reagan. Once Reagan won, they all wanted to be on the team. It was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/back-in-1980-the-conservative-movement-was-all-in-for-ronald-reagan/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [Government actually grew during the Reagan years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/government-actually-grew-during-the-reagan-years/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [“And every year the Pentagon bite of the federal dollar got bigger and bigger. In Reagan’s eight years in office, military expenditure doubled from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-maddow/and-every-year-the-pentagon-bite-of-the-federal-dollar-got-bigger-and/) [Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/) > [The stories have been told so often by those of us who supported President Reagan over the years that they seem mundane, almost like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-stories-have-been-told-so-often-by-those-of-us-who-supported/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The Reagan years showed us that expanding economic freedom should be the North Star - the guiding light - of U.S. policy, because it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-kyl/the-reagan-years-showed-us-that-expanding-economic-freedom-should-be/) [Jon Kyl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-kyl/) > [The reality is that during the Reagan years, for instance, we doubled the amount of revenue that we were sending to Washington, D.C. after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-pence/the-reality-is-that-during-the-reagan-years-for-instance-we-doubled/) [Mike Pence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-pence/) > [Nothing could make me forget what the Reagan years had actually been like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/nothing-could-make-me-forget-what-the-reagan-years-had-actually-been/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [It was during the Reagan years that defiance of international law and the U.N. Charter became entirely open.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/it-was-during-the-reagan-years-that-defiance-of-international-law-and/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [I believe keeping our promises should be our highest priority and that means saving Social Security and Medicare while preserving the American dream for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-coburn/i-believe-keeping-our-promises-should-be-our-highest-priority-and/) [Tom Coburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-coburn/) > [Are we a nation of guarantees or are we a nation of opportunities to achieve the American dream?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-mcdonnell/are-we-a-nation-of-guarantees-or-are-we-a-nation-of-opportunities-to/) [Bob McDonnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-mcdonnell/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) ## More by Thomas B. Edsall > [Conservatives are tougher. They fight harder, they fight for their own, and they're willing to win for themselves and they're willing to impose pain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-b-edsall/conservatives-are-tougher-they-fight-harder-they-fight-for-their-own/) [Thomas B. Edsall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-b-edsall/) > [The liberal posture really requires a willingness to give to others, and that works, as I say, when you have an expanding pie. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-b-edsall/the-liberal-posture-really-requires-a-willingness-to-give-to-others/) [Thomas B. Edsall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-b-edsall/) > [I think, and there's a pretty strong economic consensus on this, that at that juncture you should spend more, even though it may sound…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-b-edsall/i-think-and-there-s-a-pretty-strong-economic-consensus-on-this-that/) [Thomas B. Edsall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-b-edsall/) > [America has tolerated inequality because people think they can get ahead. If you have immobility on top of inequality, then people are not going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-b-edsall/america-has-tolerated-inequality-because-people-think-they-can-get/) [Thomas B. Edsall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-b-edsall/) [Explore all 5 Thomas B. Edsall quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-b-edsall/) ## More American dream quotes > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [Are we a nation of guarantees or are we a nation of opportunities to achieve the American dream?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-mcdonnell/are-we-a-nation-of-guarantees-or-are-we-a-nation-of-opportunities-to/) [Bob McDonnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-mcdonnell/) > [I believe keeping our promises should be our highest priority and that means saving Social Security and Medicare while preserving the American dream for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-coburn/i-believe-keeping-our-promises-should-be-our-highest-priority-and/) [Tom Coburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-coburn/) > [Our families and our homes are the center of American life, Everything we do is to make those homes-and the lives in them-more beautiful,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-stewart/our-families-and-our-homes-are-the-center-of-american-life-everything/) [Martha Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-stewart/) > [I want people to know where I come from. I think I have come really far from that, and I did it on my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aj-lee/i-want-people-to-know-where-i-come-from-i-think-i-have-come-really/) [AJ Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aj-lee/) > [We need to remain a nation that doesn't just welcome but that celebrates legal immigrants who come here seeking to pursue the American Dream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/we-need-to-remain-a-nation-that-doesn-t-just-welcome-but-that/) [Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/) > [By disgracing and degrading the presidency of the United States, by fleeing the White House like a diseased cur, Richard Nixon broke the heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/by-disgracing-and-degrading-the-presidency-of-the-united-states-by/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [So many Korean Americans like me came to this country with the hope of achieving their own American Dream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-steel/so-many-korean-americans-like-me-came-to-this-country-with-the-hope/) [Michelle Steel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-steel/) > [“Let's make no mistake about this: The American Dream starts with the neighborhoods. If we wish to rebuild our cities, we must first rebuild…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-milk/let-s-make-no-mistake-about-this-the-american-dream-starts-with-the/) [Harvey Milk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-milk/) > [As a kid, I learned from my parents, teachers, coaches, and friends that what mattered most was Truth - to uncover it, share it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shiva-ayyadurai/as-a-kid-i-learned-from-my-parents-teachers-coaches-and-friends-that/) [Shiva Ayyadurai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shiva-ayyadurai/) > [Theres a zoom up in the TV screen Living cancer to our self-esteem yea Cause if this an airless beauty queen But everything aint…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valentinooo-c/theres-a-zoom-up-in-the-tv-screen-living-cancer-to-our-self-esteem/) Valentinooo\_c > [College is part of the American dream. It shouldnt be part of a financial nightmare for families](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-mikulski/college-is-part-of-the-american-dream-it-shouldnt-be-part-of-a/) [Barbara Mikulski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-mikulski/) > [“New Rule: Americans must realize what makes NFL football so great: socialism. That's right, the NFL takes money from the rich teams and gives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/new-rule-americans-must-realize-what-makes-nfl-football-so-great/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [I believe it from the bottom of my heart, and your sons and daughters, too, can have the American dream come true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-a-ribicoff/i-believe-it-from-the-bottom-of-my-heart-and-your-sons-and-daughters/) [Abraham A. Ribicoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-a-ribicoff/) > [I dare to imagine a country where every child I hold in my hands, are all God's children, regardless of the color of their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-wellstone/i-dare-to-imagine-a-country-where-every-child-i-hold-in-my-hands-are/) [Paul Wellstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-wellstone/) [Browse all 1,001 American dream quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-dream/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“the Reagan years \"produced one of the most dramatic redistributions of income in the nation's history…The income of families in the bottom decile fell by 10.4 percent...while the income of those in the top one percent rose by 87.1 percent.\" Chain Reaction, 23”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Thomas B. 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