How Ronald Reagan zapped a recession with massive government spending

[Major Nikon]

19. Military spending is a piss-poor way to stimulate the economy

This is especially true when there is no added economic protections you are gaining by that spending. Saint Ronnie loaded Cold War 2.0 during a time when the USSR was already swirling the drain. So the myth that Saint Ronnie beat the Soviets is just that. The fall of the USSR would have happened with or without his efforts. If anything, Saint Ronnie extended the Cold War by giving the Soviet hardliners more fuel to keep it going for as long as it did. So the reality is that he pissed away around a $trillion 1980's dollars. Although increased military technology occassionally has civilian applications, usually it just manages to kill more people more efficiently.

Had Saint Ronnie invested in infrastructure or education rather than the military, the economic returns would have been an order of magnitude higher.