^Editorials& Comments Time For Judging Mr, Reagan I A week after Ronald Reagan’s landslide presidential victory on November, 13 we said in this column that it was too early to start judging Reagan. We said that first, Reagan had appointed an acceptable number of blacks and other minorities while he was serving as Governor of California. Secondly, we said it was useless for blacks to specu late on what Reagan might do or not do for minorities. Thirdly, we noted that history shows that once in the White House and facing the realities of the office of the presidency, conservatives tend to shift to a more moderate position on most issues. Sadly, we must admit that President Reagan has not fit the Stereotype of shifting to a more moderate position. More signifi cantly, President Reagan’ s sue-— .cess in.getting his massive tax and budget cuts approved, his _ - substantial weakening of many -deserving social programs, his commitment to big bucks defense spending, and now the neutron bomb has, according to knowledgeable pollsters and politicians, given Reagan a Stronger personal and political consensus than any president since Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “New Deal” liberalism solidified the Democratic Party in the mid-1930s. However, in spite of Reagan’s presumed large popularity with the voters, there is emerging some concerns, if not out right discontent with some of his .inflexible policy positions. For example, many of the Presi dent’s own top advisors - Budget Director David Stockman and Treasury Secretary Donald Regan to name a few - want defense spending plans cut to allow for keeping a pledge to balance the budget within three years. Furthermore, a bipartisan group of 16 Congressional con servatives and liberals from both parties has begun to ex press concerns that when the full impact of the social' program cuts is felt many people will begin to ask why can’t defense spending be cut too? There are those who fear too much social program cuts may return us to the tension, frustrations and riots of the 1960s. Neutron Bomb Still others are upset that Reagan’s commitment to the neutron bomb will only add to the arms race and move the world closer to nuclear destruction. Another high ranking Reagan aid, Secretary of State Alexan der Haig, has expressed oppo sition to the radiation enhancing neutron bomb. The outcrys and dissatisfac tion over these Reagan admin istration policy declstonsarenot limited to the shores of the United States. Our so-called European allies tear, as ao a I growing number of Americans, '■ that dafansp spending r^nnot fag, adequately off-set by reduced domestic programs. Further more, with the assumption that Americans will spend their tax cut benefit in their struggle against inflation rather than save it, there will be inadequate revenues to fully fund the defense budget. Thus, federal deficits financed by borrowing will add to world wide pressures on upward in terest rates. This will accelerate the ongoing decline in invest ment and employment as is already occurring in Germany, England and here in America. It has been a factor in the recent British urban riots and neces sary defense spending cuts by the Western European allies. Domestic Issues Now that President Reagan has stated his position on taxes, the budget, domestic issues and defense spending and therefore committed himself on a major part of an as yet not fully defined foreign policy, it is time for the American people to pull their heads out of the sand and begin judging Reagan on the merits of his performance. The day of being influenced by the charm, personality, Holly wood image, dynamic speaking and political rhetoric of Mr. Reagan is long past. The elderly and the poor have begun to fell the sting of the Reagan policies, thus, with fewer public resources to meet their needs they have begun to ask - Has America misjudged Mr. Reagan? Many others, both inside the admin istration and Mr. Average American are beginning to ask if Ronald Reagan is the new Jim Jones? The issues of interest rates, jobs, human social needs, nu clear danger and a livable en vironment are basic to civilized society as we know it and expect. It is therefore time for the American voter to take stock, assess the issues and direction of the Reagan administration and begin thinking about the elections of 1982 and 1984. We make these observations out of a growing concern over an administration that is hell-bent oh curbing inflation^ balancing the budget and preserving the peace by preparing for war even if the latter destroys us in the process. Let us not forget that we have h^d other Presidents who rode oh a crest of high popular sup port. Too often, as has happened while the voters have been glori fying and looking at a President, events and conditions affecting their daily lives have declined by the actions and policies of the man they are admiring. In our Judging these tatter eondi tions are beginning to rear their ugly heads. THE CHARLOTTE POST Second Class Postage No, 965500 “THE PEOPLE’S NEWSPAPER” Established 1918 Published Every Thursday by The Charlotte PostPublishln^Co.. Inc. 1524 Wnl Blvd.. Charlotte, N.C. 282S8 Telephone <7M> 37S-04M