Sunday, June 06, 2004
Remembering Ronald Reagan
One of my favorite stories about the past President was told to me by his budget director James Miller. Mr. Miller recalled that he was in the middle of a budget fight with Congress. In a meeting with the President he said he was worried because he could not see a way out of their differences in opinion. He expressed that the battle was so fierce that the government may have to be shutdown. At this the President said to Mr. Miller, "Don't worry about it. Go ahead and shut it down. Let's see if anyone notices."
My wife and I spoke over the weekend about how we never appreciated him when he was President. Our politics had not yet changed and we were both still liberals. My wife had worked hard on Jimmy Carter's re-election and was devastated the night he lost in a landslide.
I remember attending Reagan's inauguration, standing on crowded Constitution Ave in the cold listening to his speech which was piped over loud speakers so we could all hear. In it he talked about people we come in contact with everyday who work behind counters just trying to earn a living. He called them heroes for their efforts to support themselves and their families. This is how I remember it. Now let's look at the exact words and see how close I am:
"We have every right to dream heroic dreams. Those who say that we are in a time when there are no heroes just don't know where to look. You can see heroes every day going in and out of factory gates. Others, a handful in number, produce enough food to feed all of us and then the world beyond. You meet heroes across a counter and they are on both sides of that counter. There are entrepreneurs with faith in themselves and faith in an idea who create new jobs, new wealth and opportunity. They are individuals and families whose taxes support the Government and whose voluntary gifts support church, charity, culture, art, and education. Their patriotism is quiet but deep. Their values sustain our national life.
I have used the words "they" and "their" in speaking of these heroes. I could say "you" and "your" because I am addressing the heroes of whom I speak, you, the citizens of this blessed land. Your dreams, your hopes, your goals are going to be the dreams, the hopes, and the goals of this administration, so help me God."
I had recently read "Atlas Shrugged" and the above words come right out of this book. During Reagan's presidency I read an article in the New York Times listing the many people working for the administration who had been influenced by Ayn Rand. My views were changing.
PermaLink | 7:56 AM |
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My wife and I spoke over the weekend about how we never appreciated him when he was President. Our politics had not yet changed and we were both still liberals. My wife had worked hard on Jimmy Carter's re-election and was devastated the night he lost in a landslide.
I remember attending Reagan's inauguration, standing on crowded Constitution Ave in the cold listening to his speech which was piped over loud speakers so we could all hear. In it he talked about people we come in contact with everyday who work behind counters just trying to earn a living. He called them heroes for their efforts to support themselves and their families. This is how I remember it. Now let's look at the exact words and see how close I am:
"We have every right to dream heroic dreams. Those who say that we are in a time when there are no heroes just don't know where to look. You can see heroes every day going in and out of factory gates. Others, a handful in number, produce enough food to feed all of us and then the world beyond. You meet heroes across a counter and they are on both sides of that counter. There are entrepreneurs with faith in themselves and faith in an idea who create new jobs, new wealth and opportunity. They are individuals and families whose taxes support the Government and whose voluntary gifts support church, charity, culture, art, and education. Their patriotism is quiet but deep. Their values sustain our national life.
I have used the words "they" and "their" in speaking of these heroes. I could say "you" and "your" because I am addressing the heroes of whom I speak, you, the citizens of this blessed land. Your dreams, your hopes, your goals are going to be the dreams, the hopes, and the goals of this administration, so help me God."
I had recently read "Atlas Shrugged" and the above words come right out of this book. During Reagan's presidency I read an article in the New York Times listing the many people working for the administration who had been influenced by Ayn Rand. My views were changing.
PermaLink | 7:56 AM |
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