Ronald Reagan

The Iran-Contra affair was a political scandal which was revealed in 1986 as a result of earlier events during the Reagan Administration. It began as an operation to increase U.S.-Iranian relations, wherein Israel would ship weapons to a moderate, politically influential group of Iranians opposed to the Ayatollah Khomeni; the U.S. would reimburse Israel with those weapons and receive payment from Israel. The moderate Iranians agreed to do everything in their power to achieve the release of six U.S. hostages, who were being held by Hezbollah. The plan eventually deteriorated into an arms-for-hostages scheme, in which members of the executive branch sold weapons to Iran in exchange for the release of the American hostages, without the direct authorization of President Ronald Reagan. Large modifications to the plan were conjured by Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North of the National Security Council in late 1985. In North's plan, a portion of the proceeds from the weapon sales was diverted to fund anti-Sandinista and anti-communist rebels, or Contras, in Nicaragua.[3] While President Ronald Reagan was a supporter of the Contra cause,[4] he did not authorize this plan, nor was he aware that the funds were being sent to the Contras.

After the weapon sales were revealed in November 1986, Ronald Reagan appeared on national television and stated that the weapons transfers had indeed occurred, but that the United States did not trade arms for hostages. The investigation was compounded when large volumes of documents relating to the scandal were destroyed or withheld from investigators by Reagan administration officials. On March 4, 1987, Reagan returned to the airwaves in a nationally televised address, taking full responsibility for any actions that he was unaware of, and admitting that "what began as a strategic opening to Iran deteriorated, in its implementation, into trading arms for hostages."

Many investigations ensued, including those by the United States Congress and the three-man, Reagan-appointed "Tower Commission". Neither could find any evidence that Reagan himself knew of the extent of the multiple programs. In the end, fourteen administration officials were charged with crimes, and eleven convicted, including Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger. They were all pardoned in the final days of the George H. W. Bush presidency, who had been vice-president at the time.
The United States sold weapons to Iran and funded the Contras in Nicaragua with the money
To help fund the counter revolutionaries in Nicaragua, the White House sold weapons to Iran against the wishes of Congress.

Answer:

Work on ending the Soviet Union, Cutting Taxes. Most of all Ronald Regan brought in a period of positivism and belief in the US when pessimism reigned because of the Carter years.

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Yes Reagan cut taxes. Twice. But the following deficit was the largest our nation has ever seen and he was forced to raise taxes twice to cover it. Those tax increases combine for the largest tax increases in US history.

Reagan's popularity came in the form of him proudly proclaiming his Christian beliefs and his image as a frail old man losing his mind to Alzheimer's.

We would not be in the situations we find ourselves in today if he had never instituted his economic policies. And his cozying up to Saddam and selling him weapons, tanks, and the tools to make the chemical weapons he used on his people lead to the need to overthrow Saddam.

He was also good pals with Iran, selling weapons to them even though there was an embargo against that.

Reagan's lasting legacy in the eyes of the masses is that he befriended the Russians and spoke out against the Berlin wall but beyond that he didn't do anything positive as president.

When the air traffic controllers decided to strike and hold the airline industry and public hostage during peak season in 1981 Reagan told them to get back to their jobs in 48 hours or the would be fired. Most thought he was bluffing - he wasn't and they were fired. During the strike 45,000 people signed up for training so they could get the jobs of the strikers because it was a high paying job at the time of a difficult economy.

Reagan also deregulated the airline industry. Previously it was very expensive to fly and because of this it was not done often by the average citizen. Reagan's deregulation brought the cheaper and more accesible flight prices we see today.

In 1984 in a show of enormous approval by the country Reagan was re-elected in a landslide. He received more electoral votes than any president has (525) and won by the 4th greatest electoral margin in history winning every state but Minnesota and the city of DC.