Today Ronald Reagan would have been 96 years old. It’s hard to believe that it has been nearly 3 years since the 40th President of the US went on to his eternal reward, and about 10 years since he ceased going out in public as his battle with Alzheimer’s.
Keep in mind as I begin this piece that I was the kid back in 1980, while in 4th Grade at Pesson Elementary School in New Iberia, LA that lead the cheers of “Carter stinks!” during recess on the day of our school’s mock Presidential election. Of course this also came at the dismay of Ms. Latiolais, the on-duty teacher for that day who was a lefty leftover from the hippy days…she didn’t think so much of my fanfare. So, with that being said, I am without a doubt a fan of Ronald Reagan and I do consider him the greatest President of the 20th century and the prototype for any future Republican Presidential candidates in the future.
Ronald Wilson Reagan has been known as a lifeguard, a radio announcer, an actor, a Governor and ultimately President of these great United States of America. He was born on Feb. 6, 1911 in Tampico, IL to parents John Edward Reagan and Nelle Clyde Wilson. He went on to Eureka College where he majored in economics and sociology before becoming a baseball announcer for the Cubs in Davenport, IA.
Prior to starting his movie career President Reagan served as a reserve officer in the Army beginning in 1935 and was called up for war duty in 1941 before being disqualified due to an astigmatism. This lead to being assigned to the First Motion Picture Unit of the US Air Force where he no doubt picked up the acting bug.
He was married twice, first to actress Jane Wyman who he had two children with, Maureen and Christine (who died as a child) and adopted a son Michael who is now a conservative radio talk show host and author. He then married Nancy Davis, who he remained with until his death in 2004 and had two children with her, Pattie and Ron.
As President he was known for being tough on defense in reaction to the Soviet Empire’s desire to spread communism world wide. He often referred to them as “The Evil Empire” and believed in “Peace through strength.”
He was a physical conservative and quickly called for tax cuts when he took office in 1980 with a greatly declining economy after 4 years of Jimmy Carter comedy of errors. In fact, during his 1980 campaign, Ronald Reagan once said, “Recession is you’re your neighbor loses his job. Depression is when you lose yours. And recover is when Jimmy Carter loses his.”
Although he has often been maligned for making the rich richer and the poor poorer, his tax cuts boosted the US economy and would have made a more dramatic impact if the democrats under the leadership of Tip O’Neil (D-MA) would have made the spending cuts the President asked for. Instead the democrat controlled congress continued with their abuse of power and spent money like it wasn’t theirs…and truth be told, it wasn’t.
In spite of this, President Reagan was able to say on July 8, 1987, in light of his soon to be ending tenure in the White House, that “We’ve polished up the American dream.”
President Reagan was also a champion of traditional conservative values and was one of the greatest voices for the pro-life movement in 1980’s. Referencing the horrific Supreme Court ruling that we now know as Roe v. Wade, President Reagan said, “Make no mistake, abortion-on-demand is not a right granted by the Constitution. No serious scholar, including one disposed to agree with the Court's result, has argued that the framers of the Constitution intended to create such a right.” His ultimate desire was to see this ruling overturned and said, “As we continue to work to overturn Roe v. Wade, we must also continue to lay the groundwork for a society in which abortion is not the accepted answer to unwanted pregnancy. Pro-life people have already taken heroic steps, often at great personal sacrifice, to provide for unwed mothers.”
Few men in the history of our great nation have had the impact that I believe Ronald Reagan has in terms of building the political landscape. He took the ground work laid by Barry Goldwater and the conservative movement, redefined it and laid the groundwork for what the modern day Republican party SHOULD (not does, but should) look like.
As I wrap up this tribute, I want to just close with a few more quips and quotes from the one I consider “The Great One”.
Government does not solve problems; it subsidizes them.
And that, in my view, is what the whole controversy comes down to. Are you entitled to the fruits of your own labor or does government have some presumptive right to spend and spend and spend?
I have wondered at times about what the Ten Commandments would have looked like if Moses had run them through the US Congress.
The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I’m from the government and I’m here to help.
Sometimes, I can’t help but feel the First Amendment is being turned on its head. Because ask yourselves: Can it really be true that the First Amendment can permit Nazis and Ku Klux Klansmen to march on public property, advocate the extermination of people of the Jewish faith and the subjugation of blacks, while the same amendment forbids our children from saying a prayer in school?
Nations crumble from within when the citizenry asks of government those things which the citizenry might better provide for itself.
Faith in God, patriotism, freedom, the love of freedom, family, work, neighborhood -- the heart and soul of America's past and the promise of her future. If we stand together and live up to these principles, we will not fail.
As for the enemies of freedom, those who are potential adversaries, they will be reminded that peace is the highest aspiration of the American people. We will negotiate for it, sacrifice for it; we will not surrender for it--now or ever.
My whole family were Democrats. As a matter of fact, I had an uncle who won a medal once for never having missed voting in an election for fifteen years…and he’d been dead for fourteen.
And finally, possibly my favorite quote from Ronald Reagan…
If we ever forget that we are one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under.
