THE REAGAN LEGACY AND TODAY'S REPUBLICANS - THE SUNDAY COMMENTARY
This Friday January 20th commemorates the 25th anniversary of the beginning of the Presidency of Ronald Wilson Reagan the 40th President of the United States. We are participating along with many other bloggers in celebrating the memory of this great man and the , "shining city on a hill, " that was and is Reagan's America. First allow me the opportunity to express some personal thoughts concerning President Reagan. I had the opportunity to live under both the Reagan California Governorship and his Presidency. So in very many ways President Reagan was a part of my life from my childhood since I was 10 years old when he was elected Governor. Upon his passing on June 5, 2004 I felt as if a member of my family had gone and have ever since. My political ideals and beliefs were nurtured by the President and I found my conservatism because of him. Through his words and actions as both Governor and President I found the core of my beliefs and the optimism to always find the greatness of America and even in the darkest times the ability to always see the light of freedom and liberty shine in our great land. His ability to always find the good in people and his belief that the citizens of this country are its strength and with Americans all things are possible will forever shape this nation. Never did a negative thought or a criticism of who we are as a nation come from his lips. He always saw the best in us and had the ability to bring out the best. President Reagan was truly a GREAT American in every sense of the word and his love and belief in America will always shine in the annuls of American history.
President Reagan was the father of the conservative movement and left that legacy as the true core of the Republican Party. When he took office January 20, 1981 America was in a sad state of affairs. His predecessor, Jimmy Carter had decimated the military and through his economic programs we were suffering an inflation rate of more than 20%. Throughout the world America was seen as weak and unable to defend our interests which gave rise to the Iran hostage crises which lasted throughout the last year and a quarter of Carter's Presidency. We as a nation under Carter had been told in speech after speech that the best days of America were behind us and that we must get accustomed to a lesser way of life and Soviet dominance in the world. Reagan neither believed nor accepted this. He brought with him a confidence and optimism in America that gave us as Americans the will to once again proudly wave the flag. His economic programs which centered around less government and giving the people their own money through tax cuts rebuilt a failing economy and we experienced what was up until that time the largest growth in the economy since WWII. He called the Soviet Union , "the evil empire, " and though highly criticized stood strong against communist expansionism and in 1989 the fall of the Soviet Union was the result.
Today's Republicans envolk his name and make claim to the Reagan legacy but do they truly follow his example ? From a military standpoint the answer is yes. Though there are times when some in the Republican Party are guilty of flip-flopping on defense as a whole the Reagan philosophy of a strong defense and using that defense to better our national interests and security is still at the core of the Republican Party. President Bush is very much in the Reagan mold when it comes to protecting our nation. Economically though is very much a different matter. President Reagan believed that government could not solve our problems because, "government was the problem." He understood that government was the servant of the people not the oppressor of the people. He believed in less government involvement and regulation and more incentive for business and the individual to shape their own lives with as little government intervention as possible. He believed in less spending, smaller government and tax cuts which created greater government revenue because as the people worked and spent the economy grew which in turn created revenue. The idea of tax cuts is still part of the Republican agenda but less government has fallen by the wayside. I will admit that in the last few months the majority and the President have come around somewhat but to emulate Reagan they still have quite a way to go. For President Bush and the House and Senate Republicans to follow the Reagan example then spending must decrease, entitlements are not and never will be the answer and the growth of government must be reversed. When it comes to government Reagan understood that less is more which is something that today's Republicans have forgotten.The, "shining city on a hill, " that President Reagan believed was America still exists though some of its glimmer is tarnished with out of control spending. Patriotism is strong and the belief that we are the true hope for liberty in a world filled with despots and dictators who oppress their land into submission is as true today as it was with Reagan and before. Does Reagan's America still work ? Of course it does. His legacy to us will always shine through each of us as we believe in who we are and never take for granted the freedom and liberty that make us the great nation that we are. He new as we all should that once freedom is taken for granted it is then that we lose it. President Reagan said it best, " Freedom is a fragile thing and is never more than one generation away from extinction. It is not ours by inheritance; it must be fought for and defended constantly by each generation, for it comes only once to a people. Those who have known freedom, and then lost it, have never known it again." Thank you President Reagan for everything!
Ken Taylor
President Reagan was the father of the conservative movement and left that legacy as the true core of the Republican Party. When he took office January 20, 1981 America was in a sad state of affairs. His predecessor, Jimmy Carter had decimated the military and through his economic programs we were suffering an inflation rate of more than 20%. Throughout the world America was seen as weak and unable to defend our interests which gave rise to the Iran hostage crises which lasted throughout the last year and a quarter of Carter's Presidency. We as a nation under Carter had been told in speech after speech that the best days of America were behind us and that we must get accustomed to a lesser way of life and Soviet dominance in the world. Reagan neither believed nor accepted this. He brought with him a confidence and optimism in America that gave us as Americans the will to once again proudly wave the flag. His economic programs which centered around less government and giving the people their own money through tax cuts rebuilt a failing economy and we experienced what was up until that time the largest growth in the economy since WWII. He called the Soviet Union , "the evil empire, " and though highly criticized stood strong against communist expansionism and in 1989 the fall of the Soviet Union was the result.
Today's Republicans envolk his name and make claim to the Reagan legacy but do they truly follow his example ? From a military standpoint the answer is yes. Though there are times when some in the Republican Party are guilty of flip-flopping on defense as a whole the Reagan philosophy of a strong defense and using that defense to better our national interests and security is still at the core of the Republican Party. President Bush is very much in the Reagan mold when it comes to protecting our nation. Economically though is very much a different matter. President Reagan believed that government could not solve our problems because, "government was the problem." He understood that government was the servant of the people not the oppressor of the people. He believed in less government involvement and regulation and more incentive for business and the individual to shape their own lives with as little government intervention as possible. He believed in less spending, smaller government and tax cuts which created greater government revenue because as the people worked and spent the economy grew which in turn created revenue. The idea of tax cuts is still part of the Republican agenda but less government has fallen by the wayside. I will admit that in the last few months the majority and the President have come around somewhat but to emulate Reagan they still have quite a way to go. For President Bush and the House and Senate Republicans to follow the Reagan example then spending must decrease, entitlements are not and never will be the answer and the growth of government must be reversed. When it comes to government Reagan understood that less is more which is something that today's Republicans have forgotten.The, "shining city on a hill, " that President Reagan believed was America still exists though some of its glimmer is tarnished with out of control spending. Patriotism is strong and the belief that we are the true hope for liberty in a world filled with despots and dictators who oppress their land into submission is as true today as it was with Reagan and before. Does Reagan's America still work ? Of course it does. His legacy to us will always shine through each of us as we believe in who we are and never take for granted the freedom and liberty that make us the great nation that we are. He new as we all should that once freedom is taken for granted it is then that we lose it. President Reagan said it best, " Freedom is a fragile thing and is never more than one generation away from extinction. It is not ours by inheritance; it must be fought for and defended constantly by each generation, for it comes only once to a people. Those who have known freedom, and then lost it, have never known it again." Thank you President Reagan for everything!
Ken Taylor
posted by The Liberal Lie The Conservative Truth | 8:48 AM
1 Comments:
reagan was a pimp
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