Mourning the Passing of President Ronald Reagan

MOURNING THE PASSING OF PRESIDENT RONALD REAGAN -- (House of Representatives - June 08, 2004)

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to the order of the House of today and as designee of the majority leader, I call up the resolution (H. Res. 664) mourning the passing of President Ronald Reagan and celebrating his service to the people of the United States and his leadership in promoting the cause of freedom for all the people of the world, and ask for its immediate consideration.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend from California, our dean, Chairman Lewis, our able chairman of the Subcommittee on Defense, for yielding me this time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to one of the greatest Presidents in the history of our Nation, Ronald Wilson Reagan, the 40th President of the United States.

He was a leader when our country needed it most, at a time when many Americans, including myself, had found ourselves disaffected by politics. His optimism gave our Nation the confidence and motivation to resume its place as a world leader.

I well remember the 1970s after President Nixon's resignation and the pessimism that followed, when many Americans disassociated themselves from public service. Ronald Reagan came onto the Presidential scene and reminded us that the "best was yet to come," that we are not to blame for the world's problems; and yet, as a great Nation, we had a place of responsibility and a role to play.

President Reagan believed, as our Declaration of Independence states, all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Additionally, he knew better than most that strength comes from within, from the people. Therefore, first and foremost, Reagan used his first term as President to bring these rights back to Americans starting with what was then known as Reaganomics.

He sought to restore America to the people by giving them back control of their pocketbooks. Uncle Sam was put on a diet of lower taxes, sound money and fewer regulations, allowing us the benefits of hard work. By the time that Reagan left office, only two income brackets existed, with a top rate of 28 percent, compared to the 14 income brackets, with the top rate of 70 percent, that existed when he took office. Additionally, government was scaled back and red tape eliminated, allowing Americans to take care of themselves. As Reagan was apt to say. "Government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem."

He saw the rebuilding of America's military. After years of low morale and interest in the armed services, President Reagan made a return to the pre-Vietnam days of faith and professional appeal in our military. As Commander in Chief, he oversaw the largest peacetime buildup of military spending in history, leading to the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War. His revolutionary policies regarding investment in military technology, good training, and pay laid the foundation for a strong military that later claimed victory in Operation Desert Storm and continues to protect our national security well into the 21st century and, now, in the war on terror.

Ronald Reagan lived a life worth living. He saw both the birth and death of Communism. He won the hearts of Americans and world leaders. How? He believed in peace through strength, and he lived his convictions based on experience, intuition, and love of life.

I will end with one of my favorite quotes: "Above all, we must realize that no arsenal, no weapon in the arsenal of the world is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women."

Thank you, President Reagan. May God bless you and your family, and may God bless America.