God bless Ronald Reagan 

By Carol Devine-Molin
web posted June 7, 2004

The death of our nation's 40th President, Ronald Reagan, has
been bittersweet. It's been lovely to see the old news clips, hear
the recollections of those who knew him and worked with him,
and to reflect on his amazing accomplishments. However,
Reagan's bout with Alzheimer's disease dealt him a considerable
blow, relegating him to a sort of limbo over the past few years
with one foot tied to this world and the other foot ensconced in
eternity. For that reason, Americans who adored Reagan are
sanguine that he's finally passed away and is at peace in the
presence of the Lord – But we conservatives miss him terribly,
and have missed him throughout the course of his illness.
Looking back more than twenty years ago, a beleaguered nation
turned to Ronald Reagan who redefined the landscape of
America and the world in wonderful ways. For that, Reagan will
go down in history among the ranks of truly great Presidents of
the United States.

What will the school children be taught about Reagan?
Invariably, they'll learn that Reagan won the Cold War without
firing a shot, and that he was the father of the modern
conservative movement. As to the former, Reagan had no
qualms about dubbing the Soviet Union an "evil empire" and
challenging Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to "tear down this
wall", of course referring to the infamous Berlin Wall – Reagan
understood that communism was a failed ideology and that the
Soviet Union would ultimately be relegated to the "ash-heap of
history." Moreover, Reagan was committed to hastening the
demise of the extensive Soviet empire.

By touting America's missile defense research and development
program (coined the Strategic Defense Initiative, colloquially
known as the "Star Wars" program), Reagan smartly lured the
Soviet Union into an ever-expanding arms race that helped
break its back. The concept of Mutually Assured Destruction
(MAD) was being systematically eliminated in favor of an entirely
new paradigm. But this posturing represented much more than a
power-struggle between the US and the Soviet Union. In
essence, Reagan cared about people – He sought to bring down
the "evil empire" and free people from the yoke of Soviet
oppression. Likewise, President George W.Bush is also
dedicated to the cause of freedom for those living under despotic
regimes. Ronald Reagan set the right tone for the era of modern
conservatism – Clearly, the Republican Party is more concerned
with freedom, democratization and human rights throughout the
globe than the Democratic Party that only engages in elaborate
lip service to such issues.

Ronald Reagan's infectious optimism and conservative
philosophy captured the imagination of many Americans and
transformed the Republican Party into a true national party. To
this day, we Republicans often refer to ourselves as
"Reaganites." When Reagan campaigned for the presidency, the
cold war with the Soviet Union was in full-swing and our national
economy was in tatters – Americans endured high
unemployment, double-digit inflation and tremendous interest
rates and tax rates, which were all part and parcel of Carter-era
"stagflation."

In short, things were incredibly wretched for the average
American. When Ronald Reagan was elected to office, he was a
man-on-a-mission to tackle America's major problems and
armed with his core principles. As destiny would have it,
President Reagan was the right man, at the right time in history –
America is often blessed in that way. The year was 1980, and
the glory days of the Republican Party would ensue. Reagan's
tax cuts spurred an economic boon, as he had anticipated. The
federal tax rate peaked at 70 percent when Reagan entered
office in early 1981, and the highest rate in the code was 33
percent upon his departure in 1989.

Ronald Reagan was a "big picture" type of guy, not a person
obsessed with minutia and micromanaging. He had a limited
agenda, but a crucial agenda, that involved: a) cutting marginal
tax rates for the purpose of unleashing a simulative effect upon
the economy, b) reining in the size and scope of government, c)
creating a first class, technologically advanced military, and d)
dismantling the "Evil Empire" that plagued millions and posed a
worldwide threat. Looking back, Reagan largely succeeded in
enacting his agenda, although admittedly he was not able to curb
government spending. Certainly, the Soviet Union was
successfully overcome as a consequence of Reagan's "Peace
through Strength" policies, thus ending the "cold war" era.
Moreover, Reagan ensured that our military was rebuilt and that
our economy was thriving.
 
Many Republicans will remember Ronald Reagan fondly for his
personal attributes as well as his notable accomplishments. He
clearly exuded moral courage, humor, optimism, integrity,
kindness and personal charisma. But unknown to many, Reagan
was also a man of deep religious faith. That said, I have no doubt
that he was carrying out the Lord's work while he was among us.

Carol Devine-Molin is a regular contributor to several online
magazines.

Enter Stage Right -- http://www.enterstageright.com