Dale Says

For more than 20 years I’ve been writing summaries of what’s going on in my life and in the world around me on my birthday. Here’s an excerpt from 1987 …

April 24, 1987

On my birthday I’m 36 years old.

President Reagan continues to make mistake after mistake and somehow he manages to wiggle out of trouble. The most serious (thus far) took place in late 1986. Top level administration staff were involved in selling arms to Iran in an attempt to free hostages taken and held by terrorist groups. Not only was this against stated policy of dealing with terrorists, but the profits from selling the arms were then illegally given to the Contras, a group trying to overthrow the government of Nicaragua. While these transactions were going on, Congress had expressly forbidden any government support of the Contras.

It’s been hard to track the exact circumstances of the Iran/Contra affair, as the involved people have all “taken the fifth” and refused to testify. Admiral Poindexter and Oliver North seem to be the most deeply involved.

Reagan didn’t handle his involvement very well, as he first said he didn’t know anything about either the Iran arms deal or the Contra aid deal, then he said he did know about and approved the Iran deal, then he said he couldn’t remember whether he know about it or not. At one point, he feigned laryngitis to avoid answering questions about it.

This has hurt Reagan and I’m afraid history is going to treat him badly. There is a chance for him to recover, however. Gorbachev, the leader of the U.S.S.R., wants a limited nuclear arms deal and if Reagan can pull that off it could be a good footnote for him. Charles Schultz, Reagan’s Secretary of State, is working a deal to reduce the number of short-range missles in Europe. He has a lot of scepticism in Europe to overcome, though.

Reagan faces a Democratic-controlled Congress his last two years in office. They are out to get him too, as was recently demonstrated by their override of his veto of a highway support bill. Reagan said it was “pork barrel” legislation and despite personal lobbying with Congress, his veto was overridden. (One interesting aspect of the bill allows states to increase the speed limit on some federal highways from 55 to 65 miles per hour.)

Despite generally good economic times, there are some parts of the U.S. that are suffering. The oil producing countries of the world have not figured out how to keep oil prices up, and as a result it is possible to buy gasoline for around $.80 per gallon. Parts of the U.S. that are dependent on oil are hurting badly. Texas, Oklahoma, and Colorado are examples where employment is up and housing prices and general standards of living are down. It is sad to see the numerous FOR SALE signs in Denver, for example.

The threat of AIDS is getting scary. Thousands of people are getting it every month, and the general population is starting to get nervous. Condom ads are becoming commonplace on TV and “safe sex” is being preached by religious and political leaders. The threat of catching AIDS is prompting hetrosexual people to have AIDS tests, and causing a substantial reduction in multiple sexual relationships.