Under which of Reagan's "Principles," woul we position the 1986 Amnesty?
Like with his original stance on abortion as Governor of California...he admitted it was a mistake.
And the huge Deficits?
You mean the ones under the Democrat controlled House? Shall we talk about the nearly two decade long economic wave of prosperity that Regan's policies created despite Tip O'Neill and company?
The $2 trillion increase in GDP during his tenure.
The decline in the poverty level
The 69% increase in fiscal year Federal receipts when he was in office?
You sound just like Trump did when he was an invited speak on behalf of the House Democrats when he trashed Reagan's tax cuts and compared his policies to those of Russia.
As a soldier, certainly you would recognize the vital importance of winning, as per Reagan's push to end the Cold War, fortunately by WINNING it.
Reagan won it by increasing the size of the military and investing in MilTech that forced the USSR into bankruptcy. One of his first acts as Commander in Chief was to across the board raise our wages to the equivalent of our civilian counterparts and made sure we were paid well (by 1980's standards).
The 600 ship Navy (real count: 594 by 1987).
Congress right now has rejected 3 times this Administration's effort to mothball a carrier 25 years early. We've gotten legit raise in the last three years...no increase to the size of any of the branches of the Armed Forces meanwhile we've got a very modernized Russian military taking over huge chunks of their former SSR's encouraged by Trump's repeated threats to pull out of NATO.
China is executing a takeover of the entire South China Sea with a 500 mile exclusion zone and we're watching it happen and doing nothing about it.
Reagan won because he didn't just talk about winning he executed and implemented polices and plans to ensure we won the Cold War.
We're in Cold War 2.0 right now and all we're responding with is hot air and bluster.
I recognize the vital importance...I'm not sure if you do. It takes more than just saying "winning" to actually do just that.
As for the first part of your question...I suggest you read the Constitution, The Bill of Rights and the Declaration if Independence.
If that kind of reading is too heavy for you...pull up youTube and watch "A Time For Choosing". Or maybe read some William F. Buckley or study Barry Goldwater.