Researched by Thomas DeMichelePublished - January 13, 2017 Last Updated - April 30, 2020
Did Ronald Reagan Say “Government is the Problem”?
Ronald Reagan is often quoted as saying, “Government is the problem,” as if he had said this quote in isolation as a blanket statement.
However, Reagan didn’t just say “Government is the problem,” he said, “In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem.”[1]
Where Johnson, Nixon, and Carter had expanded the Role of Government economically, Reagan wanted to shrink it by cutting:[2]
The growth of government spending.
Both income taxes and capital gains taxes.
Regulations on businesses.
The expansion of the money supply.
In other words, Reagan is just laying down the groundwork for what would become Reaganomics (trickle down, supply-side) in this quote, he isn’t saying government is the problem in general (and indeed his record shows he used government liberally at times despite his general small government message; in fact, his critical fans will tell you Reaganomics would have worked if it wasn’t for all the other government spending!)
Today people often treat the quote as if it applied to any issue of government, but Reagan didn’t say it that way, and Reagan didn’t govern that way.
Today we hear “small government,” but like it was with Reagan, this is often just a statement on taxes on the rich and subsidization for the poor, not a stance on military spending, debt, or religious-based policy.
And indeed, the records of Reagan, the Bushs, and Trump don’t show “small government.” They show only and specifically tax cuts for the wealthy, especially in terms of wealth taxes, the creation of debt, lots of military spending, and select uses of power when it suits their agenda.
Does that grow the economy? One can surely argue that it does, but it also grows the wealth gap and debt (but not wages), which is hardly a recipe for “less government.”
Love Reagan and his polices or not, that is the context in which the quote should be understood.
Ronald Reagan .. “Government is the problem.” Listen to what Reagan actually says. He isn’t anti-government, he is pro-people. This is the short clip, see the full clip, a transcript, and a longer excerpt from the speech below.
TIP: The quote is from January 20, 1981 from Reagan’s first inaugural address. 8 years later Reagan was somewhat of a changed man with more nuanced views. People tend to politicize this Reagan quote in a way that differs from the context in which it wasn’t said. Reagan was a small government Republican, clearly favoring Reaganomics over regulations and taxes, but he also spent decades in politics trying to ensure government worked for the people. Reagan may have been for a limited government, but he was not “anti-government.”
How to Understand Reagan’s “Government is the Problem” Quote
On January 20, 1981, during his first inaugural address, Reagan gave a speech where he offered a new solution to America’s recession.
His message was one of individual responsibility and small government, especially in terms of economics, where freeing up businesses would trickle down wealth on the lower classes.
In terms of the quote specifically, the specific point wasn’t that “all government is bad,” or that “government was always the problem,” it was (to sum up his intent, not to quote him exactly) “in this situation, in terms of our current economic crisis here in 1981, more government regulations and taxes aren’t the answer to our problems, they are the problem, we should cut taxes, deregulate businesses, and unburden the individual and let wealth trickle down.”
Instead, in terms of economic policy, Reagan used government to deregulate specific businesses and cut specific taxes… which is in-line with general Conservative strategy since the 1920’s and essentially defines supply-side trickle down Reaganomics.
At this point we can ask again, did Reaganomics work, did wealth really trickle down? The answer is yes and no. The rich got richer, the country went into debt, but the economy did grow, and some aspects of wealth did trickle down.
A rising tide lifts all boats, but the shifting of money into the pockets of the wealthy also had some nasty effects (like high end stores saw more business but low-end stores suffered).
Below I’ll present a video of Reagan’s speech, then present a pro-Reaganomics and anti-Reaganomics video so you can be your own judge.
Full Show 11/11/15: How Reaganomics Killed America’s Middle Class. An argument that Reaganomics began the cycle of debt and killed the middle class.
Stockman: Reaganomics Would Have Worked If Tried. In a way this is the best argument for Reaganomics, even though it is a much shorter video. It says “if Reaganomics was tried, it would have worked.” In other words, if Reagan actually wanted small government, and didn’t spend on other things like defense spending, it would have worked. And that is the point here, Reagan and Republicans aren’t for “small government – period” they are for less spending on welfare and more tax breaks to the top (with a promise that wealth will trickle down). Yet, for all the talk, national and personal debt grows and so does the wealth gap. Meanwhile wages aren’t growing at the same rate.
TIP: Today we aren’t in Reagan’s early 1981 crisis, the tax rates are much lower and debt is much higher (every President has grown it, Democrat and Republican). So even if Reagan was right in 1981, that doesn’t make him right today.
What is the Point to Reagan’s “Government is the Problem” Quote from his 1981 Inaugural Address?
The idea here is that Reagan was an individualist who believed in liberty, democracy, free enterprise, and small government.
Reagan believed in government, but he didn’t believe in a government run by cronies and elites and dependent on debt.
The way the Reagan quote is used today often implies that “government doesn’t work – Period,” but that isn’t exactly what Reagan said, nor is it what Reagan’s record shows (consider his heavy borrowing, the war on drugs, tariffs, the North American accord that became NAFTA, etc).
Reagan’s “the government is the problem” message, especially in context, is simply one of economic populism, a rejection of Carter era polices, and optimism about what would be come to be known as Reaganomics. It is not however a pure rejection of government in general.
Reagan thought a country should be governed like one cooks a small fish, gently.
Although Reagan did call for smaller government and trickle down in 1981, and although he never changed his general thoughts on economics, by 1988 Reagan was tearing down walls in the name of liberalism by leveraging state power, and that sort of context is important to remember.
Below is an excerpt from Reagan’s speech so you can decide what you think the quote means in context for yourself.
Excerpt From Ronald Reagan’s Inaugural Address January 20, 1981
“But great as our tax burden is, it has not kept pace with public spending. For decades we have piled deficit upon deficit, mortgaging our future and our children’s future for the temporary convenience of the present. To continue this long trend is to guarantee tremendous social, cultural, political, and economic upheavals.
You and I, as individuals, can, by borrowing, live beyond our means, but for only a limited period of time. Why, then, should we think that collectively, as a nation, we’re not bound by that same limitation? We must act today in order to preserve tomorrow. And let there be no misunderstanding: We are going to begin to act, beginning today.
The economic ills we suffer have come upon us over several decades. They will not go away in days, weeks, or months, but they will go away. They will go away because we as Americans have the capacity now, as we’ve had in the past, to do whatever needs to be done to preserve this last and greatest bastion of freedom.
In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem. From time to time we’ve been tempted to believe that society has become too complex to be managed by self-rule, that government by an elite group is superior to government for, by, and of the people. Well, if no one among us is capable of governing himself, then who among us has the capacity to govern someone else? All of us together, in and out of government, must bear the burden. The solutions we seek must be equitable, with no one group singled out to pay a higher price.
We hear much of special interest groups. Well, our concern must be for a special interest group that has been too long neglected. It knows no sectional boundaries or ethnic and racial divisions, and it crosses political party lines. It is made up of men and women who raise our food, patrol our streets, man our mines and factories, teach our children, keep our homes, and heal us when we’re sick—professionals, industrialists, shopkeepers, clerks, cabbies, and truck drivers. They are, in short, “We the people,” this breed called Americans.”
Reagan said, “…Government is the problem…”, but it was part of a longer sentence and speech, with more words in it, in which he makes his point more clear.
Reagan cherished the individual, such is a good liberal position in the vein of Jefferson, Jackson, or even a 1920’s Republican, but he never implied that the answer was to literally dismantle the government (nor did he govern that way).
Reagan spent much of his life in government, so he obviously wasn’t fully opposed to it, he simply thought that big government solutions weren’t generally the answer, specifically regarding economics (we can’t act like there wasn’t times when he did indeed use big government without batting an eye such as for the purposes of military or drug wars).
All this to say, the quote is real, but it is often misquoted and misremembered. The quote had specific meaning that applied to specific times, and thus it should be remembered in context (not truncated to “government doesn’t work” and then used to support any anti-government ideology).
Author: Thomas DeMichele
Thomas DeMichele is the content creator behind ObamaCareFacts.com, FactMyth.com, CryptocurrencyFacts.com, and other DogMediaSolutions.com and Massive Dog properties. He also contributes to MakerDAO and other cryptocurrency-based projects. Tom's focus in all...
Wow, I’m the first to comment in 2021! Let’s hope this thread stays alive. It’s important for history to continue to be broken down and debated among the masses. Why? Because it helps us learn from each other. We are all molded from our upbringing, experiences and our willingness to seek knowledge and not be spoon-fed by big business/uni-party propaganda outlets masquerading as news outlets. The fact that you have made it to this page means you are seeking out the truth – clap-clap-clap.
We forget that America’s Constitution was drafted and framed by flawed humans who (like us) lived every day of their life battling their own evil nature they were born into. Reagan was a Democrat who switched parties for the convenience of big business and the elites he represented. He was the start of what we now know as the uni-party. He was a great orator who spoke truth to the masses just as they wanted to hear but history, just like it does with every politician, has exposed his great lie. The numbers don’t lie. Average government and citizen debt and spending has grown while personal income has stayed stagnant since Reagan’s presidency.
However, this only sheds light on the fact that citizens seek the path of least resistance rather than the path of truth. In other words, if people would take the time to read history, learn the intent of our forefather’s arguments in their individual debates over why they should ask their states’ citizens to fight for their revolution against tyranny, they would learn that no man is without evil nature and only a few make noble decisions for the good of all vs the good of a select few. And this is why empires fall eventually. People get used to being fat, dumb and happy and will choose whatever helps them continue being so – rather than what is good for all. There is no perfect solution other than that which comes from a collection of morally grounded individuals who recognize that we are only a generation away from losing a republic that was built to allow the masses to choose who governs them. God forbid the need, that the generation following the loss of our Republic will quickly realize just what our founding forefather’s intended. Big business and tyrants who run them are the kings and queens of history that will do anything in their power to retain their wealth and power at the expense of the population they want to rule over! Chew on that fat.
The vast majority of people Only remember ” then government is the problem” the Vast Majority. Thus this statement is probably The Most DAMAGING thing ever done to our country. The fact that Regan and his people & government did this Most Serious DAMAGE is a thing that needs to be condemed!!! No one cares that it may have been part of a larger speech, it is the thing that has caused Most Serious Damage to our country.
Who wrote this statement!! Anyone knows it was nit Regan himself. Whoever did write it should be condemned and his memory blackened in our history!!!
You are moronic bumpkin. Must be a millennial – a cohort possessed of the singular honor of concurrently being the most educated and ignorant generation in American history.
Utter encased baked fake cover tripe.. My favorite? godsaint ronny was against the (idiotic) war on drugs… push leeeease kook… Now you can falsify Nancy’s intent on her BS war on drugs. Ronnygod was the lead in for the corporate (inept) take over of the US… governing body..
All thought it only 4 words that do an injustice to the context of the the preceding sentences it carries with a power that say unfortunately conveys to people that government does not work and that is where the Tea Party stands. The challenge is no where does he state what the role of government should be or who it should be held responsible for. It is easy to say I a am small government conservative so what does that mean? Government for who, by who, to what means? John Locke would say the people have right to change their government if it is not representing the Laws of Natural Rights then they are representing select special interest. Madison and Jefferson believed in the key ideas: “All men are created equal,” “inalienable rights,” “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” Notice the first word is ALL not some so limited government leads to just some men representing some of the people. So opportunity for a few and no duty to help those in need.
Agree, we can look to later Reagan to lines like “if you seek peace… if you seek liberalization… tear down this wall”, but we are better off looking to the old Republicans like Lincoln and Teddy.
LINCOLN:
“I am not a Know-Nothing… How could I be? How can any one who abhors the oppression of Negroes be in favor of degrading classes of white people? Our progress in degeneracy appears to me pretty rapid. As a nation we began by declaring ‘all men are created equal.’ We now practically read it, ‘ all men are created equal, except Negroes.’ When the Know-Nothings get control, it will read, ‘all men are created equal, except Negroes, and foreigners, and Catholics.’ When it comes to this I should prefer emigrating to some country where they make no pretense of loving liberty—to Russia, for example, where despotism can be taken pure and without the base alloy of hypocrisy.”
Teddy (in his Progressive Party, New Nationalist, Platform):
Political parties exist to secure responsible government and to execute the will of the people.
From these great tasks both of the old parties have turned aside. Instead of instruments to promote the general welfare, they have become the tools of corrupt interests which use them impartially to serve their selfish purposes. Behind the ostensible government sits enthroned an invisible government owing no allegiance and acknowledging no responsibility to the people.
To destroy this invisible government, to dissolve the unholy alliance between corrupt business and corrupt politics is the first task of the statesmanship of the day.
The deliberate betrayal of its trust by the Republican party, the fatal incapacity of the Democratic party to deal with the new issues of the new time, have compelled the people to forge a new instrument of government through which to give effect to their will in laws and institutions.
Unhampered by tradition, uncorrupted by power, undismayed by the magnitude of the task, the new party offers itself as the instrument of the people to sweep away old abuses, to build a new and nobler commonwealth.
President Reagan said it exactly. I think you are living in a dream world. Not a professional, but you should really seek help. When words you hear are not the words you hear there may be some appropriate intervention. Perhaps your family will help you. Just get help.
So, upon reflection I’ve made this a little clearer. Reagan said those words, but they were part of a longer sentence that seems to be very frequently taken out of context.
Here is what he said.
“In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem. From time to time we’ve been tempted to believe that society has become too complex to be managed by self-rule, that government by an elite group is superior to government for, by, and of the people. Well, if no one among us is capable of governing himself, then who among us has the capacity to govern someone else? All of us together, in and out of government, must bear the burden. The solutions we seek must be equitable, with no one group singled out to pay a higher price….
Now, so there will be no misunderstanding, it’s not my intention to do away with government. It is rather to make it work–work with us, not over us; to stand by our side, not ride on our back. Government can and must provide opportunity, not smother it; foster productivity, not stifle it.”
This is from Reagan’s first Inaugural Address January 20, 1981. Not only did he change his tune a bit as the years went on, he also literally doesn’t just say “government is the problem – period”. He goes on for a full speech about exactly what he means.
Honestly, Reagan doesn’t really support the idea that a Democrat or Republican can “make America great” by using government, but nor does he support the idea that we can just tear it all down. Regardless, I’ve heard countless people misquote Reagan to fit their politic motive (hence the page).
So, I may be crazy, but it is the type of crazy who reads old speeches by Reagan and then writes about them. Not the kind that doesn’t know what they are saying.
See first video. The problem is Republicans took this as fact and when combined with the Laffer Curve went about destroying the American social contract. The current result is President Trump. A nation can only create so many losers in a Democracy before they overwhelm the political system. Be careful what you wish for.
Can only hope we get another President like Ronald Regan or Donald Trump in 2024…..and if they come into office with the intention of reducing the enormity and numerous overlapping and unproductive layers of government, the Washington establishment (swamp) will certainly be quick to label them as a nut-job. Doesn’t matter how successful or how well liked you have been up to then. As soon as you get into office, the Washington scum will begin stating that there needs to be a family intervention. Remember Pelosi praying for Trump and calling for a family intervention. Flailing arms Pelosi should have moved out of Washington long ago.
He did not say it verbatim, but he is often quoted it as saying it verbatim. So, in one phrase “he did not say it”.
This page is aiming to clarify what was said exactly and what was meant. Seems too easy to twist the quote into the idea that Reagan believed that Government didn’t work in general. I have in my life heard “government doesn’t work” often and just as often I hear it attributed to Reagan… but that isn’t what Reagan meant for me… and not sure that is what history shows us from that era. Just consider the S&L crisis.
Bill W Did not vote.
Wow, I’m the first to comment in 2021! Let’s hope this thread stays alive. It’s important for history to continue to be broken down and debated among the masses. Why? Because it helps us learn from each other. We are all molded from our upbringing, experiences and our willingness to seek knowledge and not be spoon-fed by big business/uni-party propaganda outlets masquerading as news outlets. The fact that you have made it to this page means you are seeking out the truth – clap-clap-clap.
We forget that America’s Constitution was drafted and framed by flawed humans who (like us) lived every day of their life battling their own evil nature they were born into. Reagan was a Democrat who switched parties for the convenience of big business and the elites he represented. He was the start of what we now know as the uni-party. He was a great orator who spoke truth to the masses just as they wanted to hear but history, just like it does with every politician, has exposed his great lie. The numbers don’t lie. Average government and citizen debt and spending has grown while personal income has stayed stagnant since Reagan’s presidency.
However, this only sheds light on the fact that citizens seek the path of least resistance rather than the path of truth. In other words, if people would take the time to read history, learn the intent of our forefather’s arguments in their individual debates over why they should ask their states’ citizens to fight for their revolution against tyranny, they would learn that no man is without evil nature and only a few make noble decisions for the good of all vs the good of a select few. And this is why empires fall eventually. People get used to being fat, dumb and happy and will choose whatever helps them continue being so – rather than what is good for all. There is no perfect solution other than that which comes from a collection of morally grounded individuals who recognize that we are only a generation away from losing a republic that was built to allow the masses to choose who governs them. God forbid the need, that the generation following the loss of our Republic will quickly realize just what our founding forefather’s intended. Big business and tyrants who run them are the kings and queens of history that will do anything in their power to retain their wealth and power at the expense of the population they want to rule over! Chew on that fat.
gf Ball Did not vote.
The vast majority of people Only remember ” then government is the problem” the Vast Majority. Thus this statement is probably The Most DAMAGING thing ever done to our country. The fact that Regan and his people & government did this Most Serious DAMAGE is a thing that needs to be condemed!!! No one cares that it may have been part of a larger speech, it is the thing that has caused Most Serious Damage to our country.
Who wrote this statement!! Anyone knows it was nit Regan himself. Whoever did write it should be condemned and his memory blackened in our history!!!
Harry Callahan Did not vote.
You are moronic bumpkin. Must be a millennial – a cohort possessed of the singular honor of concurrently being the most educated and ignorant generation in American history.
Eric Karlovic Did not vote.
Reagan was using this line long before the 1980’s. Here’s him using it in 1975 on Carson:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftaWfxk-QxM
Thomas DeMicheleThe Author Did not vote.
Really interesting, good find.
wanderlost Supports this as a Fact.
So in other words… Yes, he DID say that. Thanks for clarifying that.
Thomas DeMicheleThe Author Did not vote.
Indeed, the quote is generally used out of context. The idea of this page is to clarify what he actually said in context vs. the meme version.
Pete Dooley Supports this as a Fact.
Utter encased baked fake cover tripe.. My favorite? godsaint ronny was against the (idiotic) war on drugs… push leeeease kook… Now you can falsify Nancy’s intent on her BS war on drugs. Ronnygod was the lead in for the corporate (inept) take over of the US… governing body..
John D Rodgers Did not vote.
All thought it only 4 words that do an injustice to the context of the the preceding sentences it carries with a power that say unfortunately conveys to people that government does not work and that is where the Tea Party stands. The challenge is no where does he state what the role of government should be or who it should be held responsible for. It is easy to say I a am small government conservative so what does that mean? Government for who, by who, to what means? John Locke would say the people have right to change their government if it is not representing the Laws of Natural Rights then they are representing select special interest. Madison and Jefferson believed in the key ideas: “All men are created equal,” “inalienable rights,” “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” Notice the first word is ALL not some so limited government leads to just some men representing some of the people. So opportunity for a few and no duty to help those in need.
Thomas DeMicheleThe Author Did not vote.
Agree, we can look to later Reagan to lines like “if you seek peace… if you seek liberalization… tear down this wall”, but we are better off looking to the old Republicans like Lincoln and Teddy.
LINCOLN:
“I am not a Know-Nothing… How could I be? How can any one who abhors the oppression of Negroes be in favor of degrading classes of white people? Our progress in degeneracy appears to me pretty rapid. As a nation we began by declaring ‘all men are created equal.’ We now practically read it, ‘ all men are created equal, except Negroes.’ When the Know-Nothings get control, it will read, ‘all men are created equal, except Negroes, and foreigners, and Catholics.’ When it comes to this I should prefer emigrating to some country where they make no pretense of loving liberty—to Russia, for example, where despotism can be taken pure and without the base alloy of hypocrisy.”
http://www.abrahamlincolnonline.org/lincoln/speeches/speed.htm
Teddy (in his Progressive Party, New Nationalist, Platform):
Political parties exist to secure responsible government and to execute the will of the people.
From these great tasks both of the old parties have turned aside. Instead of instruments to promote the general welfare, they have become the tools of corrupt interests which use them impartially to serve their selfish purposes. Behind the ostensible government sits enthroned an invisible government owing no allegiance and acknowledging no responsibility to the people.
To destroy this invisible government, to dissolve the unholy alliance between corrupt business and corrupt politics is the first task of the statesmanship of the day.
The deliberate betrayal of its trust by the Republican party, the fatal incapacity of the Democratic party to deal with the new issues of the new time, have compelled the people to forge a new instrument of government through which to give effect to their will in laws and institutions.
Unhampered by tradition, uncorrupted by power, undismayed by the magnitude of the task, the new party offers itself as the instrument of the people to sweep away old abuses, to build a new and nobler commonwealth.
http://teachingamericanhistory.org/library/document/progressive-platform-of-1912/
Matthew Dunn Did not vote.
President Reagan said it exactly. I think you are living in a dream world. Not a professional, but you should really seek help. When words you hear are not the words you hear there may be some appropriate intervention. Perhaps your family will help you. Just get help.
Thomas DeMicheleThe Author Did not vote.
😀
So, upon reflection I’ve made this a little clearer. Reagan said those words, but they were part of a longer sentence that seems to be very frequently taken out of context.
Here is what he said.
“In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem. From time to time we’ve been tempted to believe that society has become too complex to be managed by self-rule, that government by an elite group is superior to government for, by, and of the people. Well, if no one among us is capable of governing himself, then who among us has the capacity to govern someone else? All of us together, in and out of government, must bear the burden. The solutions we seek must be equitable, with no one group singled out to pay a higher price….
Now, so there will be no misunderstanding, it’s not my intention to do away with government. It is rather to make it work–work with us, not over us; to stand by our side, not ride on our back. Government can and must provide opportunity, not smother it; foster productivity, not stifle it.”
This is from Reagan’s first Inaugural Address January 20, 1981. Not only did he change his tune a bit as the years went on, he also literally doesn’t just say “government is the problem – period”. He goes on for a full speech about exactly what he means.
Honestly, Reagan doesn’t really support the idea that a Democrat or Republican can “make America great” by using government, but nor does he support the idea that we can just tear it all down. Regardless, I’ve heard countless people misquote Reagan to fit their politic motive (hence the page).
So, I may be crazy, but it is the type of crazy who reads old speeches by Reagan and then writes about them. Not the kind that doesn’t know what they are saying.
Jim Did not vote.
See first video. The problem is Republicans took this as fact and when combined with the Laffer Curve went about destroying the American social contract. The current result is President Trump. A nation can only create so many losers in a Democracy before they overwhelm the political system. Be careful what you wish for.
Rick Metzgar Did not vote.
Can only hope we get another President like Ronald Regan or Donald Trump in 2024…..and if they come into office with the intention of reducing the enormity and numerous overlapping and unproductive layers of government, the Washington establishment (swamp) will certainly be quick to label them as a nut-job. Doesn’t matter how successful or how well liked you have been up to then. As soon as you get into office, the Washington scum will begin stating that there needs to be a family intervention. Remember Pelosi praying for Trump and calling for a family intervention. Flailing arms Pelosi should have moved out of Washington long ago.
Bob McCormick Did not vote.
Did he say it, or didn’t he? Talk about nuance….?
Thomas DeMicheleThe Author Did not vote.
He did not say it verbatim, but he is often quoted it as saying it verbatim. So, in one phrase “he did not say it”.
This page is aiming to clarify what was said exactly and what was meant. Seems too easy to twist the quote into the idea that Reagan believed that Government didn’t work in general. I have in my life heard “government doesn’t work” often and just as often I hear it attributed to Reagan… but that isn’t what Reagan meant for me… and not sure that is what history shows us from that era. Just consider the S&L crisis.
http://factmyth.com/the-2007-2009-financial-crisis-explained/