alifornia. For example, here is a passage which explains Reagan's fiscal policy when he took over in Sacramento (following Democrat Pat Brown's run in the office):
Our efforts to 'squeeze, cut, and trim' reduced the state's rate of spending substantially, we had had only six months to close the deficit before the new fiscal year, and [Reagan] realized this wasn't going to be long enough to deal with the fiscal mess left by the Brown administration. We hired a team of independent auditors who documented for the people how bad the mess was, and then [Reagan] went on television and said I had no choice but to ask for a tax increase. It was not an enjoyable speech to make. I'd campaigned on a promise to keep the lid on taxes [Emphasis added] (165).
That passage shows that, even as governor, Reagan wanted to balance the state's budget. He said he made a lot of cuts in spending and that a lot of people hated him for it. But this example shows readers Ronald Reagan's "let's make government smaller" and also helps readers understand how this attitude was reflected during his presidency, when he continued to talk about cutting po
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