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The Right Hook, a weekly segment which covers the machinations of the right wing, from the Republican Party to the Tea Party Patriots, and beyond. By Chris Bennett

Last Sunday was the 100th birthday of Ronald Wilson Reagan. Lifeguard, Hollywood actor, California governor, president, and now full-blown conservative icon. Though Reagan is now lionized by conservatives as an anti-tax zealot, the reality is that Reagan raised taxes at least 11 times as president. In the budget-battles of the 80’s, Reagan faced fierce resistance to cutting Social Security and middle class benefits. So, he sought the path of least resistance. He cut social services which increased homelessness in America. This was devastating to lower income Americans, and only produced a modest reduction in the overall deficit. Then, as now, the big dollars went to the Pentagon. Reagan’s Pentagon build-up dwarfed any budgetary savings, and he wound up tripling the budget deficit. As for human rights and freedoms, Reagan’s legacy is a mixed bag. He once vetoed a comprehensive anti-Apartheid act, but he did effectively grant amnesty to millions of undocumented immigrants here in the U.S. Reagan showed himself to be a nimble political operator with a sunny disposition.

Now, with the radical Tea Party seeking to repeal constitutional amendments, and corporations fueling a takeover of American-style democracy, Reagan’s legacy is proving to be more dangerous than the man himself ever was. That Teflon’s still holding up pretty good. For further proof that Arizona’s gun nuts are running the asylum, there’s House Bill 2583. Sponsored by erstwhile Birther, Representative Judy Burges, HB 2583 creates a loophole for gun murderers. It says that if a person is involved in an act of deadly physical force, and the person promptly reports the act to the appropriate authority– as in a Nine One One call for example– then the person’s statement is not admissible in a criminal prosecution, or a civil suit. And here’s the kicker: those statements are not public records, and “shall not be disclosed to the public in any manner.” Why on earth would anyone propose such a thing? Well, Arizona’s gun carriers want to be able kill people in so-called self-defense and escape prosecution. HB 2583 basically says, after the bodies have hit the floor, just be sure to call the proper authorities to come dispose of the corpses.

Speaking of corpses, if Senator Richard Shelby of Alabama has his way, you’ll be able to keep working right up until you die. Yesterday, Shelby, the top Republican on the banking committee told a breakfast gathering for the Institute for Education how he’d handle the budget deficit. Shelby’s plan is to “up [the retirement] age every several years.” Dan Froomkin, writing for Huffington Post reports that cutting entitlements is very much on the 76-year old senator’s mind. Shelby, referring to his sons’ doubts about the Social Security trust fund said “they want their money now.” Which is not the point. Shelby’s sons will no doubt have plenty of money and their very own trust fund later. According to the New York Times, Senator Shelby has made anywhere from $9 million to $32 million in his other career as an insurance executive and landlord. Beyond Shelby’s own sons not wanting to contribute to the trust fund, Social Security is a safety net for all Americans, especially our most vulnerable. It’s for people who do the real work in this country– such as building the apartment complexes that Shelby once financed with a $5 million loan from Freddie Mac– and I know it’s a surprise, so keep your eyes on the road. But yes, Shelby was on the Senate’s banking committee at the time.