Ronald Reagan 1911-2004

I am absolutely flabbergasted by the outpouring of fond emotion for a Republican President. This weekend I have learned a lot about the man. Reagan was the first President I every voted for. Back then it was for purely selfish reasons, I was in the Navy and he was promising to give us raises. Sounded good to me.

So, what were Reagan's accomplishments:

Reagan ended the Cold War. Back in 1980, a rumor in the military was predicting the fall of communism in Russia sometime after 2005. Reagan's military spending bankrupted Russia by 1989. Those 16 years may not seem like much to those of us in the USA, but to those on the other side of the Wall it is an eternity.

Reagan gave the USA it's pride back. America was reeling from memories from Vietnam, the Iranian Hostage fiasco, the Oil Embargo, the impotent Carter Administration and other events which left Americans feeling vulnerable and weak. Reagan re-infused the country with a sense of Patriotism and strength. Reagan did not want just Republicans to be Patriots, he wanted all Americans to love their country and have pride in it again. There was a time when Americans rallied around the flag without regard to their political leanings. That is no longer true, for whatever reason they have, many fringe liberals see patriotism as the same thing as Nationalism or Nazism. Their loss.

Reagan made the first attempt to end Big government. Tax cuts, what a unique idea! The Federal Government was not established to do all of the micro-management of people’s lives that the liberals want it to do. I personally believe that if they want that level of government in their lives there are plenty of other counties that are socialist enough for them. The USA was established as a republic and it should remain that way. BTW a deficit after a tax cut is not the tax cut's fault, it is the politician's because they did not cut enough out of the budget.

Reagan was one of the first to understand that Religion and Morality were under attack in America. His speeches were continually pointing out that Religion, Morality and Politics were intertwined and historically part of the fabric of American life. He would be very saddened to see the immorality of many liberal causes and politicians and also the constant attacks on Christianity by the liberals (ACLU) too.

Many of the pundits have mentioned parallels between Reagan and GWB. I see them and I believe that the efforts of both of these courageous men will be remembered as historic and important turning points for the US.