Reagan was not a modern libertarian. He did nothing to support gay rights, and left America with a military industrial complex that costs billions. He wanted prayer in school, and intensified the war on drugs. Having free market tendencies does not automatically qualify someone to be a libertarian.
Thank you for clearing up the fact that the GREATEST PRESIDENT IN THE HISTORY OF AMERICA-RONALD WILSON REAGAN was not a libertarian. He was a mainstream conservative who did more good for this country than all Democrat presidents combined.
He's NOT responsible for a military industrial complex. He merely rebuilt a military that the incompetent Carter had allowed to slide into almost oblivion. In the process, Reagan won the Cold War without firing a shot. And down came the Berlin Wall. Considering the historical importance of that, the defense budget was pretty cheap. And it WAS cheaper than the Entitlement budget, which ate up 60 percent of the Federal Budget.
The last time the budget was balanced was in 1969 at the height of the Vietnam war. Defense was the largest item. During Reagan's period (thanks to the Democrat Party's "Budget And Impoundment Act of 1974"), ENTITLEMENTS were the largest part of the budget. And Reagan didn't have the authority to touch them.
Reagan wanted schools to reflect the First Amendment. He wanted prayer ALLOWED, not mandatory.
America WANTED a war on drugs. Reagan and the CONGRESS provided what America wanted.
America has never had as good a president as Reagan, and we probably never will again.