Surviving the Reagan budget cuts. A thought for today.

Near start of the Reagan Presidency, lots of budget cuts, similar to now. Being outside professional circles (I was working as a janitor) I thought I was more immune to the cuts. My informal art could continue.

Back then, before the internet, there was a funky network of artists who sent things to one another in the mail. There were shows that usually had no jury, so it could be a free for all of free thinking.

The network was informally called The Mail Art Network.

It does still exist today and many of the participants participate in social media, as well, these days.

Here is a copy of a collage I sent out to some show, or something (I forgot) with Reagan trying to pull the plug Mail Art which was basically powered by hobbyists; so to speak.

Cornucopia of creativity dumping out mail art while Reagan asking Nancy, his wife, where the plug is to pull the plug.

I've scanned much of my vast collection of crude, political cartoon like, collages from past years. Above is one from early 1980s.

Some of the artists were behind the Iron Curtain in countries, like Poland (Back then) behind the curtain. Things were starting to loosen up behind the Iron Curtain back in those days. Homemade postcard a Mail Artist sent me, from early 1990s related to the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Another somewhat related memory.

I remember when Reagan fired the Air Controllers. Their union PATCO had endorsed Reagan for president back in 1980; talk about voting against one's self interest.

He fired them after they went on strike for better working conditions during his presidency. He was trying to keep to his budget cutting promises.

Other unions said they wondered where was PATCO, when they needed support. Most other unions endorsed Carter instead of Reagan. The air control system did survive, however, during all that turmoil.