President Reagan, center, and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., left, meet with members of Congress at the White House on Jan. 26, 1988.
HALT:HaltingArkansasLiberalswithTruth.com
Heroes like John McCain made it possible for us to win the cold war. Reagan gives one of his finest speeches concerning the cold war in 1964.
I remember watching the news every night in the late 1960’s about the Vietnam war and praying for the safety of my uncle who was deployed. Reagan had some strong feelings about fighting communism and he eventually was able to a have a big part in bringing down communism in Russia and the eastern block. Now we have a world that only has 5 communist countries left. Much better than the world that Reagan came to know in 1981 when he took office.
When we came home, we were eager to meet the Reagans to thank them for their concern. But more than gratitude drew us to them. We were drawn to them because they were among the few prominent Americans who did not subscribe to the then-fashionable notion that America had entered her inevitable decline.
We came home to a country that had lost a war and the best sense of itself; a country beset by social and economic problems. Assassinations, riots, scandals, contempt for political, religious and educational institutions gave the appearance that we had become a dysfunctional society. Patriotism was sneered at, the military scorned. And the world anticipated the collapse of our global influence. The great, robust, confident Republic that had given its name to the last century seemed exhausted.
Ronald Reagan believed differently. He possessed an unshakable faith in America’s greatness, past and future, that proved more durable than the prevailing political sentiments of the time. And his confidence was a tonic to men who had come home eager to put the war behind us and for the country to do likewise.
Our country has a long and honorable history. A lost war or any other calamity should not destroy our confidence or weaken our purpose. We were a good country before Vietnam, and we are a good country after Vietnam. In all of history, you cannot find a better one. Of that, Ronald Reagan was supremely confident, and he became president to prove it.
His was a faith that shouted at tyrants to “tear down this wall.” Such faith, such patriotism requires a great deal of love to profess. And I will always revere him for it.
When walls were all I had for a world, I learned about a man whose love of freedom gave me hope in a desolate place. His faith honored us, as it honored all Americans, as it honored all freedom-loving people. Let us honor his memory by holding his faith as our own, and let us, too, tear down walls to freedom. That is what Americans do when they believe in themselves.
Sen. John McCain of Arizona was the 2008 Republican presidential nominee.
President Ronald Reagan’s 100th birthday anniversary
- “Teddy Bears” were so named when Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt (1858-1919) refused to shoot a small bear cub one day. The incident was reported in the news, which inspired a toy manufacture to come out with the cute stuffed animals.a
- George Washington never lived in the White House. The capital was actually located in Philadelphia and other cities when Washington was president. He is also the only president who didn’t represent a political party.b
The Daily Hatch 
Comments
.
Ray-gun created the highest unemployment rate we have yet experienced since Hoover did the honors in the 1930s.
.
Why do you continue to say on the Arkansas Blog that I don’t approve comments? I always approve comments unless bad language is used.
Elwood, I follow you on the Arkansas Times Blog. Thank you for taking time to put a comment in here. I really do appreciate it.
If you click on “taxes” on the side bar you will come to over a dozen articles I have written on the laffer curve which I know that you are aware of since Reagan made such a big deal out of the Laffer curve. It was a major key to Reagan’s success.
You have just inspired me to start a series that shows how cutting the top marginal rate on the federal income tax usually results in an expanded economy and lower unemployment. That is exactly what happened during the Reagan years.
Arthur Laffer has noted, “Prior to the tax cut, the economy was choking on high inflation, high Interest rates, and high unemployment. All three of these economic bellwethers dropped sharply after the tax cuts. The unemployment rate, which peaked at 9.7 percent in 1982, began a steady decline, reaching 7.0 percent by 1986 and 5.3 percent when Reagan left office in January 1989.”
By the way your assertion is correct. Reagan’s unemployment figure in 1982 of 9.7% is the largest since the depression (23.6% in 1932). I respect you for your accuracy and research.