The sorry state of the economy and international involvement in hopeless wars is blamed on George W. Bush, but they came out of the policies established by Ronald Reagan. It was Reagan who brought back utopian free market economics that had always failed when attempted in the past. Huge tax cuts for the top income bracket led to the rise of Wall Street into control of the economy and the emasculation of manufacturing, along with declining incomes for the majority. It was Reagan who tripled defense spending and built an armed force of no use in winning the Cold War that was subsequently employed in an attempt at world dominance through military power. It was Reagan who sold the theory that government was always inept, leading to disrespect for government and fumbling leadership incapable of dealing with our mounting problems. Reagan also brought in fundamentalist religious groups and neo-conservative militarists lacking any sense for governing. The Republican Party was made over into a propaganda organization with no interest in the truth and no solutions other than ever more tax cuts.