Campy's Editorial Page
My Hero...
President Ronald Wilson Reagan: 1911-2004
Image courtesy of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation, all rights reserved.
June 7th, 2004
By: Matt McGowan
June 5th, 2004 saw the passing of the 40th President of the United States, Ronald Reagan. A man of great compassion, resolve, wisdom and insight, he led our nation out of darkness and into the light of a new morning.
When I learned of President Reagan's death this past weekend, I knew I had to write something about him, because he has been one of the most influential people in my life. But when I first sat down to write, I quickly hit a wall. What can I say about such a great man? Where do I begin?
Though I can vaguely remember Jimmy Carter, as a child of the '80's Ronald Reagan was the first President I really knew. To me at that time, Reagan was not Reaganomics; he was not "The Great Communicator"; he was not a champion of the American Taxpayer; he was simply The President. Little did I know at that time how much he would come to influence me, both politically and personally.
Ronald Reagan was the eternal optimist at a time when our country needed optimism the most. He was called the "The Great Communicator"; though it wasn't his style or the terminology he used that made his speeches great, it was the content. As he himself was fond of saying, "I wasn't a great communicator, but I communicated great things."
How right he was.
President Reagan came to the national stage at a time when America, following the debacles of Vietnam, Watergate, and economic recession, was at it's lowest and told us that we were poised for a new era of freedom, a true Golden Age, if only we believed in ourselves and were true to our Founders' hopes for the republic. He knew that the best hope for America was not it's government, but it's people.
He made us believe, once again, that 'We the People' could do anything we set our minds to. He reminded us that "We the People' tell the government what to do; it doesn't tell us. 'We the People' are the driver; the government is the car. We decide where it should go, and by what route, and how fast." He was fond of pointing out that "almost all the world's constitutions are documents in which governments tell the people what their privileges are. Our Constitution is a document in which 'We the People' tell the government what it is allowed to do. 'We the People' are free."
His fiscal policies led to an economic boom unequalled in American history; one that continues to this very day. His policies of a strong national defense and less government, coupled with his optimistic nature helped restore our national pride, yet he reminded us that "the resurgence of national pride....won't count for much, and it won't last unless it's grounded in thoughtfulness and knowledge." He inspired many of us to pay more attention to American history and civic ritual, and to become more involved in politics both locally and nationally.
Yet he was so much more to so many people. The courage and toughness he showed after an assassination attempt nearly took his life inspired Americans and filled us with a pride in our president we had not felt in a long time. His grace and compassion during the Challenger Space Shuttle disaster helped ease the suffering of a heartbroken nation and helped us kids to understand. His commitment to "peace through strength" helped bring an evil empire to it's knees and led to democratic reform sweeping across Germany, Eastern Europe and Asia.
When I think about it, we children of the '80's were truly fortunate, for it is truly a great blessing to have formed one's idea of "The President" with the image of Ronald Reagan. For us, he will never die; he's timeless, definitive, enduring. He appealed to our best hopes, not our worst fears, to our confidence rather than our doubts. He helped us discover our love for this country, our eternal optimism for its future, and gave us an example of everything we should expect our country's President to be. And we are grateful.
Thank you very much, Mr. President, we are a better country for your service. May God Bless you and grant you peace.
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