President Reagan's regime in 1981-1989 was a typical example of massive greed, corruption, rampant individualism, and selfishness of politicians, investors, and government officials who have seized, manipulated and squandered resources at a national level for their own benefit. It was the era when accumulating wealth became a national obsession. Instead of seeking individual rights and civic obligations for the common good, everyone seemed to care about their own needs first. Individualism was so powerful that every citizen closed himself in the solitude of his own heart. But all of this was the result of Reagan's contempt for government and his glorification of self-interest. Officials placed personal gains before public interest (Boyer, 980, p.404). The cloud of opportunity and greed overrode federal obligations. By the end of Reagan's term, 138 administration officials had been convicted of corruption charges. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Ideally, the get-rich-quick era saw corporate takeovers, highly leveraged takeovers, and junk bond millionaires risk prison after being convicted of white-collar crimes. Sterner commented that the era had the most selfish generation in the United States. Key concerns that emerged included deceptive pricing, increased military spending, inflated labor costs, and Pentagon procurement abuses. Federal agencies like the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) were so corrupt to the point that its top officials propagated fraudulent contracts worth millions to “politically connected” developers and consultants. The Wedtech Company, for example, won $250 million in no-bid minority contracts, but ended up collapsing and being declared bankrupt after its insiders faced numerous scandals. Attorney General Edwin Meese was also accused of accepting bribes and falsifying tax returns. Individualism has also paralyzed investments. Big deal makers made headlines and ruled Wall Street. The torrent of mergers has resulted in hostile takeovers by riders. High interest rates in the late 1970s pushed S&Ls to raise prices to attract deposits even as their capital was tied up in low-interest mortgages. As evident from the above, individualism corrupted the legacy of Reagan's presidency and he ultimately declared that all he wanted to see was a country where someone could get rich..