Expressing Sorrow and Gratitude to the Reagan Family

EXPRESSING SORROW AND GRATITUDE TO THE REAGAN FAMILY -- (House of Representatives - June 09, 2004)

(Mr. MARIO DIAZ-BALART of Florida asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. MARIO DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I am here to really just first express my sorrow and my gratitude to the Reagan family.

Through President Reagan's optimism and courage and strength, he carried this country from a state of what some people said was a state of malaise to further greatness. He understood and never apologized for his understanding that the United States was a source of good around the world, a source of freedom around the world.

I recall when he said his famous remark about the evil empire how all of the experts said he could not say that, that he was wrong, that they were not bad. Well, he was right, and he tried and fought hard and worked hard to spread freedom across the globe, to strengthen the United States and, therefore, also strengthen our allies to spread freedom.

He succeeded by tearing down the Berlin Wall, by tearing down the evil empire, by spreading freedom to millions of people around the globe.

Mr. Speaker, I am here again in awe of the life of President Ronald Reagan, his achievements, his success in spreading freedom, his success in making this country what it is today. The greatness that we have achieved today, in great part, is due to the optimism, the greatness, the spirit of Ronald Reagan. We can never thank him enough.