Ronald Reagan's Legacy

Ronald Reagan's Legacy

Rep. Boozman's Column for the Week of June 14, 2004

"In closing, let me thank you, the American people, for giving me the great honor of allowing me to serve as your president. When the Lord calls me home, whenever that may be, I will leave the greatest love for this country of ours and eternal optimism for its future.

I now begin the journey that will lead me into the sunset of my life. I know that for America there will always be a bright dawn ahead."

- Ronald Wilson Reagan
November 5, 1994

When Ronald Reagan was sworn into office, America was going through a crisis of confidence. Still stinging from the Watergate scandal, a hostage crisis and a sluggish economy, we were looking for someone to pick us up and shake off our national malaise. We were looking for someone with a positive vision for our country, and the wherewithal to make that vision a reality. That someone was Ronald Reagan.

President Reagan's vision of what Americans could accomplish was unique. His faith in the spirit of the American people created an optimistic outlook that restored hope in our country and created the Reagan Doctrine of actively spreading democracy throughout the world. He remained certain that people everywhere longed for the basic values of a democratic society. There was no doubt in his mind that freedom was the birthright of every human being.

President Reagan's refusal to accept moral equivalence between the communist Soviet Union and free nations like the United States gave us the courage that was necessary to win the Cold War. He steadfastly believed that appeasement and containment would not win the Cold War. He knew there was real danger in a nuclear superpower fixated on world conquest. And while many doubted him, he understood that the danger of communism must be met head-on. The courage to stand-by those convictions ultimately lead to the demise of the Soviet Union and freedom for millions of people who may never have experienced it had Ronald Reagan not been president.

By lifting the "Iron Curtain," President Reagan not only freed a nation of people from tyranny, but he also restored America's image in the world. This in turn, rejuvenated the American spirit and restored confidence in our nation.

President Reagan gave us direction in a time where our nation seemed lost. He was a simple, modest man who had the ability to inspire a nation and the courage to lead through conviction. He gave us faith and taught us all that America truly could be "a shining city on a hill." This is greatest legacy that Ronald Reagan would leave for the country that he loved so dearly, a legacy that will continue to inspire us all long after he is gone.