Idaho Delegation Pays Tribute to Reagan

Idaho Delegation Pays Tribute to Reagan
- Former President a Man of Conviction and Sincerity

Washington, D.C. - "Somebody asked me how it feels to be leaving Washington for a visit to Idaho...it's a little like coming home to old friends after a trip through the Twilight Zone...I haven't forgotten the 66-percent and the 72-percent majorities the Gem State gave me in 1980 and 1984. And all I can say is: Thank you, Idaho!" These words were spoken by one of the greatest leaders the United States has ever had. A humble man with a vision of the world and the future of this country that would not be dimmed or daunted by ideological threat, Ronald Wilson Reagan was an everyone's President. He came to Idaho in October 1985 to campaign for former Idaho Senator Steve Symms. His speech that afternoon prompts at least two observations: First, Ronald Reagan was a man of foresight. Second, in some ways our world has changed very little in two decades.

"Unemployment is down...last month 378,000 more people found jobs in America. America is back because we discarded wrongheaded solutions that relied on big government, high taxes, and more federal regulation. Instead, we put power back in the [hands] of the people." "Any time, now and then, if you see someone in uniform you might want to say hello and tell them how proud we are. We're building an America that is confident and proud, where every citizen enjoys the fruits of peace and prosperity. I know that our greatest days are still ahead. There's no limit to what free men and women can do, and there's no limit to how far America can go." President Reagan was an unabashed patriot. He was profoundly convinced of the ability of the United States to provide the hope of freedom to those enslaved by totalitarianism and communism. He was not afraid to stand up to tyranny and aggression. In a nationally-broadcast radio address following the bombing of Libya, President Reagan made his stance unequivocal. "I warned that there should be no place on Earth where terrorists can rest and train and practice their deadly skills, I meant it. I said that we should act with others, if possible, and alone, if necessary, to insure that terrorists have no sanctuary anywhere.
Tonight we have. When our citizens are abused or attacked anywhere in the world, we will respond in self-defense. If necessary, we will do it again."

At home, President Reagan believed that big government, high taxes and excessive federal regulation were the enemy of a prosperous and improving America, and he was right. History has confirmed that when you allow people to keep more of their own money, the economy grows and the overall standard of living improves.

He knew that when it comes to most aspects of our lives, business does a better job than government of providing goods and services. The tax cuts enacted last year re-invigorated a stalled economy. Job growth numbers from 1985 sound remarkably familiar: In May 2004, 248,000 jobs were created. Since August 2003, the economy has created more than 1.4 million new jobs.

Arguably, the full measure of a person comes not necessarily in the words of friends, but in the sentiments of an adversary. Upon hearing of Reagan's death, Mikhail Gorbachev, former Soviet Premier, penned a letter published in the New York Times: "I don't know whether we would have been able to agree and to insist on the implementation of our agreements with a different person at the helm of American government. True, Reagan was a man of the right. But, while adhering to his convictions, with which one could agree or disagree, he was not dogmatic; he was looking for negotiations and cooperation. And this was the most important thing to me: He had the trust of the American people."
Ronald Reagan was a man of conviction. A man of reason. A man of sincerity. A man willing to listen. A man of humble beginnings and a sense of humor strong enough even to withstand the pain of an assassin's bullet. A great man, a great leader and, very simply, an American.