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Congratulations to the Boy Scouts of America as they celebrate their 100th anniversary. As a long time member of the Boy Scouts I know firsthand the value of this fine organization. I belong to Troop 5 in the Caddo Area Council and am also a member of the order of the Arrow Akela Wahinipay Lodge 232. Over the years I have had the opportunity to be involved in many of the activities of the BSA.

The Boy Scouts of America was officially incorporated on February 8, 1910. Just a hundred years ago, America was a far different country. We earned an average of $750 a year, and paid a little more than 30 cents for a gallon of milk. Of course, our national debt was only a billion dollars. Times sure have changed. But the Boy Scouts have remained a constant in America’s life.

From the inception of the Scouting movement, Scouts have been urged to “Do a Good Turn Daily.” That’s not a bad philosophy for each of us to try to follow. Scouting helps provide our nation with strong, healthy leaders. Perhaps that is why eleven of the twelve men to walk on the moon were Scouts. I hope that each of you will join me in congratulating the Boy Scouts of America as they celebrate their 100th anniversary. We need the positive influence of the BSA now more than ever.

The President spoke at 9:02 P.M. from the Oval Office at the White House. The address was broadcast live on nationwide radio and television.
January 11, 1989

This is the 34th time I'll speak to you from the Oval Office and the last. We've been together 8 years now, and soon it'll be time for me to go. But before I do, I wanted to share some thoughts, some of which I've been saving for a long time.

It's been the honor of my life to be your President. So many of you have written the past few weeks to say thanks, but I could say as much to you. Nancy and I are grateful for the opportunity you gave us to serve.

One of the things about the Presidency is that you're always somewhat apart. You spent a lot of time going by too fast in a car someone else is driving, and seeing the people through tinted glass--the parents holding up a child, and the wave you saw too late and couldn't return. And so many times I wanted to stop and reach out from behind the glass, and connect. Well, maybe I can do a little of that tonight.

People ask how I feel about leaving. And the fact is, "parting is such sweet sorrow." The sweet part is California and the ranch and freedom. The sorrow--the goodbyes, of course, and leaving this beautiful place.

You know, down the hall and up the stairs from this office is the part of the White House where the President and his family live. There are a few favorite windows I have up there that I like to stand and look out of early in the morning. The view is over the grounds here to the Washington Monument, and then the Mall and the Jefferson Memorial. But on mornings when the humidity is low, you can see past the Jefferson to the river, the Potomac, and the Virginia shore. Someone said that's the view Lincoln had when he saw the smoke rising from the Battle of Bull Run. I see more prosaic things: the grass on the banks, the morning traffic as people make their way to work, now and then a sailboat on the river.

I've been thinking a bit at that window. I've been reflecting on what the past 8 years have meant and mean. And the image that comes to mind like a refrain is a nautical one--a small story about a big ship, and a refugee, and a sailor. It was back in the early eighties, at the height of the boat people. And the sailor was hard at work on the carrier Midway, which was patrolling the South China Sea. The sailor, like most American servicemen, was young, smart, and fiercely observant. The crew spied on the horizon a leaky little boat. And crammed inside were refugees from Indochina hoping to get to America. The Midway sent a small launch to bring them to the ship and safety. As the refugees made their way through the choppy seas, one spied the sailor on deck, and stood up, and called out to him. He yelled, "Hello, American sailor. Hello, freedom man."

A small moment with a big meaning, a moment the sailor, who wrote it in a letter, couldn't get out of his mind. And, when I saw it, neither could I. Because that's what it was to be an American in the 1980's. We stood, again, for freedom. I know we always have, but in the past few years the world again--and in a way, we ourselves--rediscovered it.

It's been quite a journey this decade, and we held together through some stormy seas. And at the end, together, we are reaching our destination.
The fact is, from Grenada to the Washington and Moscow summits, from the recession of '81 to '82, to the expansion that began in late '82 and continues to this day, we've made a difference. The way I see it, there were two great triumphs, two things that I'm proudest of. One is the economic recovery, in which the people of America created--and filled--19 million new jobs. The other is the recovery of our morale. America is respected again in the world and looked to for leadership.

Something that happened to me a few years ago reflects some of this. It was back in 1981, and I was attending my first big economic summit, which was held that year in Canada. The meeting place rotates among the member countries. The opening meeting was a formal dinner of the heads of government of the seven industrialized nations. Now, I sat there like the new kid in school and listened, and it was all Francois this and Helmut that. They dropped titles and spoke to one another on a first-name basis. Well, at one point I sort of leaned in and said, "My name's Ron." Well, in that same year, we began the actions we felt would ignite an economic comeback--cut taxes and regulation, started to cut spending. And soon the recovery began.

Two years later, another economic summit with pretty much the same cast. At the big opening meeting we all got together, and all of a sudden, just for a moment, I saw that everyone was just sitting there looking at me. And then one of them broke the silence. "Tell us about the American miracle," he said.

Well, back in 1980, when I was running for President, it was all so different. Some pundits said our programs would result in catastrophe. Our views on foreign affairs would cause war. Our plans for the economy would cause inflation to soar and bring about economic collapse. I even remember one highly respected economist saying, back in 1982, that "The engines of economic growth have shut down here, and they're likely to stay that way for years to come." Well, he and the other opinion leaders were wrong. The fact is what they call "radical" was really "right." What they called "dangerous" was just "desperately needed."

And in all of that time I won a nickname, "The Great Communicator." But I never thought it was my style or the words I used that made a difference: it was the content. I wasn't a great communicator, but I communicated great things, and they didn't spring full bloom from my brow, they came from the heart of a great nation--from our experience, our wisdom, and our belief in the principles that have guided us for two centuries. They called it the Reagan revolution. Well, I'll accept that, but for me it always seemed more like the great rediscovery, a rediscovery of our values and our common sense.

Common sense told us that when you put a big tax on something, the people will produce less of it. So, we cut the people's tax rates, and the people produced more than ever before. The economy bloomed like a plant that had been cut back and could now grow quicker and stronger. Our economic program brought about the longest peacetime expansion in our history: real family income up, the poverty rate down, entrepreneurship booming, and an explosion in research and new technology. We're exporting more than ever because American industry became more competitive, and at the same time, we summoned the national will to knock down protectionist walls abroad instead of erecting them at home.

Common sense also told us that to preserve the peace, we'd have to become strong again after years of weakness and confusion. So, we rebuilt our defenses, and this New Year we toasted the new peacefulness around the globe. Not only have the superpowers actually begun to reduce their stockpiles of nuclear weapons--and hope for even more progress is bright--but the regional conflicts that rack the globe are also beginning to cease. The Persian Gulf is no longer a war zone. The Soviets are leaving Afghanistan. The Vietnamese are preparing to pull out of Cambodia, and an American-mediated accord will soon send 50,000 Cuban troops home from Angola.

The lesson of all this was, of course, that because we're a great nation, our challenges seem complex. It will always be this way. But as long as we remember our first principles and believe in ourselves, the future will always be ours. And something else we learned: Once you begin a great movement, there's no telling where it will end. We meant to change a nation, and instead, we changed a world.

Countries across the globe are turning to free markets and free speech and turning away from the ideologies of the past. For them, the great rediscovery of the 1980's has been that, lo and behold, the moral way of government is the practical way of government: Democracy, the profoundly good, is also the profoundly productive.

When you've got to the point when you can celebrate the anniversaries of your 39th birthday, you can sit back sometimes, review your life, and see it flowing before you. For me there was a fork in the river, and it was right in the middle of my life. I never meant to go into politics. It wasn't my intention when I was young. But I was raised to believe you had to pay your way for the blessings bestowed on you. I was happy with my career in the entertainment world, but I ultimately went into politics because I wanted to protect something precious.

Ours was the first revolution in the history of mankind that truly reversed the course of government, and with three little words: "We the People." "We the People" tell the government what to do; it doesn't tell us. "We the People" are the driver; the government is the car. And we decide where it should go, and by what route, and how fast. Almost all the world's constitutions are documents in which governments tell the people what their privileges are. Our Constitution is a document in which "We the People" tell the government what it is allowed to do. "We the People" are free. This belief has been the underlying basis for everything I've tried to do these past 8 years.

But back in the 1960's, when I began, it seemed to me that we'd begun reversing the order of things--that through more and more rules and regulations and confiscatory taxes, the government was taking more of our money, more of our options, and more of our freedom. I went into politics in part to put up my hand and say, "Stop." I was a citizen politician, and it seemed the right thing for a citizen to do.

I think we have stopped a lot of what needed stopping. And I hope we have once again reminded people that man is not free unless government is limited. There's a clear cause and effect here that is as neat and predictable as a law of physics: As government expands, liberty contracts.
Nothing is less free than pure communism--and yet we have, the past few years, forged a satisfying new closeness with the Soviet Union. I've been asked if this isn't a gamble, and my answer is no, because we're basing our actions not on words but deeds. The detente of the 1970's was based not on actions but promises. They'd promise to treat their own people and the people of the world better. But the gulag was still the gulag, and the state was still expansionist, and they still waged proxy wars in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

Well, this time, so far, it's different. President Gorbachev has brought about some internal democratic reforms and begun the withdrawal from Afghanistan. He has also freed prisoners whose names I've given him every time we've met.

But life has a way of reminding you of big things through small incidents. Once, during the heady days of the Moscow summit, Nancy and I decided to break off from the entourage one afternoon to visit the shops on Arbat Street--that's a little street just off Moscow's main shopping area. Even though our visit was a surprise, every Russian there immediately recognized us and called out our names and reached for our hands. We were just about swept away by the warmth. You could almost feel the possibilities in all that joy. But within seconds, a KGB detail pushed their way toward us and began pushing and shoving the people in the crowd. It was an interesting moment. It reminded me that while the man on the street in the Soviet Union yearns for peace, the government is Communist. And those who run it are Communists, and that means we and they view such issues as freedom and human rights very differently.

We must keep up our guard, but we must also continue to work together to lessen and eliminate tension and mistrust. My view is that President Gorbachev is different from previous Soviet leaders. I think he knows some of the things wrong with his society and is trying to fix them. We wish him well. And we'll continue to work to make sure that the Soviet Union that eventually emerges from this process is a less threatening one. What it all boils down to is this: I want the new closeness to continue. And it will, as long as we make it clear that we will continue to act in a certain way as long as they continue to act in a helpful manner. If and when they don't, at first pull your punches. If they persist, pull the plug. It's still trust but verify. It's still play, but cut the cards. It's still watch closely. And don't be afraid to see what you see.

I've been asked if I have any regrets. Well, I do. The deficit is one. I've been talking a great deal about that lately, but tonight isn't for arguments, and I'm going to hold my tongue. But an observation: I've had my share of victories in the Congress, but what few people noticed is that I never won anything you didn't win for me. They never saw my troops, they never saw Reagan's regiments, the American people. You won every battle with every call you made and letter you wrote demanding action. Well, action is still needed. If we're to finish the job. Reagan's regiments will have to become the Bush brigades. Soon he'll be the chief, and he'll need you every bit as much as I did.

Finally, there is a great tradition of warnings in Presidential farewells, and I've got one that's been on my mind for some time. But oddly enough, it starts with one of the things I'm proudest of in the past 8 years: the resurgence of national pride that I called the new patriotism. This national feeling is good, but it won't count for much, and it won't last unless it's grounded in thoughtfulness and knowledge.

An informed patriotism is what we want. And are we doing a good enough job teaching our children what America is and what she represents in the long history of the world? Those of us who are over 35 or so years of age grew up in a different America. We were taught, very directly, what it means to be an American. And we absorbed, almost in the air, a love of country and an appreciation of its institutions. If you didn't get these things from your family, you got them from the neighborhood, from the father down the street who fought in Korea or the family who lost someone at Anzio. Or you could get a sense of patriotism from school. And if all else failed, you could get a sense of patriotism from the popular culture. The movies celebrated democratic values and implicitly reinforced the idea that America was special. TV was like that, too, through the mid-sixties.

But now, we're about to enter the nineties, and some things have changed. Younger parents aren't sure that an unambivalent appreciation of America is the right thing to teach modern children. And as for those who create the popular culture, well-grounded patriotism is no longer the style. Our spirit is back, but we haven't reinstitutionalized it. We've got to do a better job of getting across that America is freedom--freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of enterprise. And freedom is special and rare. It's fragile; it needs [protection].

So, we've got to teach history based not on what's in fashion but what's important--why the Pilgrims came here, who Jimmy Doolittle was, and what those 30 seconds over Tokyo meant. You know, 4 years ago on the 40th anniversary of D-Day, I read a letter from a young woman writing to her late father, who'd fought on Omaha Beach. Her name was Lisa Zanatta Henn, and she said, "We will always remember, we will never forget what the boys of Normandy did." Well, let's help her keep her word. If we forget what we did, we won't know who we are. I'm warning of an eradication of the American memory that could result, ultimately, in an erosion of the American spirit. Let's start with some basics: more attention to American history and a greater emphasis on civic ritual.

And let me offer lesson number one about America: All great change in America begins at the dinner table. So, tomorrow night in the kitchen, I hope the talking begins. And children, if your parents haven't been teaching you what it means to be an American, let 'em know and nail 'em on it. That would be a very American thing to do.

And that's about all I have to say tonight, except for one thing. The past few days when I've been at that window upstairs, I've thought a bit of the "shining city upon a hill." The phrase comes from John Winthrop, who wrote it to describe the America he imagined. What he imagined was important because he was an early Pilgrim, an early freedom man. He journeyed here on what today we'd call a little wooden boat; and like the other Pilgrims, he was looking for a home that would be free. I've spoken of the shining city all my political life, but I don't know if I ever quite communicated what I saw when I said it. But in my mind it was a tall, proud city built on rocks stronger than oceans, windswept, God-blessed, and teeming with people of all kinds living in harmony and peace; a city with free ports that hummed with commerce and creativity. And if there had to be city walls, the walls had doors and the doors were open to anyone with the will and the heart to get here. That's how I saw it, and see it still.

And how stands the city on this winter night? More prosperous, more secure, and happier than it was 8 years ago. But more than that: After 200 years, two centuries, she still stands strong and true on the granite ridge, and her glow has held steady no matter what storm. And she's still a beacon, still a magnet for all who must have freedom, for all the pilgrims from all the lost places who are hurtling through the darkness, toward home.

We've done our part. And as I walk off into the city streets, a final word to the men and women of the Reagan revolution, the men and women across America who for 8 years did the work that brought America back. My friends: We did it. We weren't just marking time. We made a difference. We made the city stronger, we made the city freer, and we left her in good hands. All in all, not bad, not bad at all.

And so, goodbye, God bless you, and God bless the United States of America.

Richard Valentine, Jr. - Colorado
In this overly complex world, Ronald Reagan was able to navigate a simple path through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, rightly dividing the truth between good and evil - seeing the end to the Cold War and delivering us from that evil. Though many pine for your leadership I am certain your desire is for each one of us to stop looking for you and step up and take on this challenge as you did and God will raise up the leadership as right for our times as you were for yours.

Ruby King Gerisch – Belton, South Carolina
I just couldn't believe that an old B movie actor was running for Gov. of CA. That was probably the worst thought that I ever had. What a wonderful legacy we have in the life of President Ronald Reagan. This is a time that we all need to look to his wisdom for truth and guidance. He was a true American who loved his God, his family, and his country. I thank God for the gift of President Reagan.

Dave Ball
His love for his country, his optimism "It's always morning in America", his firm commitment to core conservative and common sense traditional values and smaller government. "Government isn't the answer, it's the problem!" Sure wish he was in charge now.

Patricia Bache – Washington State
I remember his inauguration on January 20 and the freeing of American hostages, the premonition I knew would be true. Ronald Reagan, a true patriot, freeing his compatriots. God Bless him and his family

Clyde Selvidge
I served in the US Army Security Agency as a communications intelligence Watch NCO during President Reagan's terms in office. It was simply inspiring to see the map of the world changing from Red (communist) to Blue (free) as his support and policies helped to reverse the situation of the world for the better.

Jerry Carroll
Perhaps the best statement I can make on the life of Ronald Reagan regards the effect he has on myself, and the United States to this day. When I see a video replay of one of his speeches, it's as if I am hearing from an old friend. I feel comforted knowing that his confidence in the American spirit, will see the country through good times and bad. I believe his presidency and beliefs are still a driving force in the lives of those of us lucky enough to have lived during his time in office. No doubt, he is still with us in our efforts to bring the United States back on the right course. I miss him.

EJK
I absolutely adored President Ronald Reagan. I thought he was a wonderful President and represented our nation with dignity and grace. He was strong when he needed to be, and gentle when he needed to be. He was a good and decent man and I was extremely proud to have him as my president. God Bless Ronald Reagan and his wonderful legacy. I miss him, too.

Ken and Judy Crawford - Florida
WHAT RONALD REAGAN MEANT TO ME;
After the turmoil of the Nixon years, I was a somewhat wide eyed recent college graduate who had voted for President Nixon but was looking for a “new beginning”. I lived in Overland Park, Kansas, a suburb of Kansas City, where the 1976 convention was to be held. I had the great fortune to attend a campaign stop and met Ronald Reagan. He was a person bigger than life who I believed could convince America that America’s best years were still ahead. He was a leader we needed. Unfortunately Ronald Reagan was not nominated and President Carter was elected.
America had a second chance in 1980 and fortunately America spoke to elect Ronald Reagan. Over the last 30 years this is what President Reagan meant to me:
1. He proved to me that the most important quality of a President is leadership.
2. I came to the conclusion I do not care if a President has a Harvard Education, but rather that he understands the people he serves.
3. Lawyers are not always the best public servant.

Terry F. Kirby

I can recall the day the election results were announced I was in a work meeting, and the entire room was ecstatic. This was only my 2nd election as a voter when he first won. I believe his presidency helped shape me as a person today, and my interest in politics. It was an real pleasure to be able to volunteer during his first run to drop pamphlets door to door in Fremont NE where I grew up and lived at the time.

No other politician since has really got as much of my attention until Governor Huckabee ran in 2008.

Todd VanDerwerken

His election in 1980 was the first Presidential election I was able to vote in; having just entered the Air Force delayed enlisted program in October; I had a vested interest in the outcome of this election.

And having just spent the previous 4 years under uninspiring leadership in President Carter and the Iran hostage situation and the huge failure of Eagle Claw; we needed a leader who could give our country hope and inspiration, and Reagan was the man. He set the tone in his First Inaugural Address by saying, "In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem."

He was a leader who knew how to get his message across, he knew what was best for America as a whole; not just a certain populous, he stood up for America and didn’t apologize for our policies or for capitalism, presented a strong military as a deterrent to the communist of the world.

Proof of this was his re-election in 1984 where he took 49 states and 525 electoral votes; winning the popular vote 59% to 41%. Here in Nebraska he took over 70% of the vote.

Ronald Reagan was the eternal optimist; always saw America as the ‘bright shinning city on the hill’. But more then that in reading the ‘I love you Ronnie’ book he was a man who truly loved his wife and show her everyday, no matter the weight that was on his shoulders, he took time to let Nancy know his feelings.

In my opinion Governor Huckabee is the closest thing to Reagan we have ever seen.

James R. Haack

Americans resonated with Ronald Reagan's firm convictions and approachable personality. I recall living in Independence, MO around 1985 or '86 when Reagan was to give an outdoor speech at the courthouse that afternoon. It was a blazing hot summer day. In spite of having to go through metal detectors and security checkpoints, crowds showed up as the entry points opened at 10:00 a.m. By arriving at 10:30 a.m. I ended up standing near the back of the massive crowd for nearly five hours, squeezed up against people in over 90 degree heat, able to take only two distant photos of Reagan. Even with a telephoto lens, he still looked like a dot. But his speech electrified the crowd! The hope he gave our nation was not mere rhetoric. He backed it up with firm and decisive action, strengthening our economy, our national defense, and especially our moral commitment to the sanctity of human life. By the way, I still have those two photos!

Ronald Reagan -- "We must act today in order to preserve tomorrow." In Ronald Reagan's first Inaugural Address he states: "You and I, as individuals, can, by borrowing, live beyond our means, but for only a limited period of time. Why, then, should we think that collectively, as a nation, we are not bound by that same limitation? We must act today in order to preserve tomorrow. And let there be no misunderstanding--we are going to begin to act, beginning today."

I like that: "We must act today in order to preserve tomorrow." How about you? Beginning today......

Jimi Whitten
To me, he represented common sense in government - something we have not seen since he left.

Sheila Freeman
A President to have been proud of....a man of great respect.....even as an actor he had respect.....

Doc Holiday
I totally agree with Mr. Whitten. President Reagan was by far the the best president we have had in my 63 years of life. I cannot even think of him as a politician. He was a true Statesman, a Christian gentleman and God only knows what condition this country would be in now, if it were not for his common-sense leadership we had for such a short period of time. We can only hope and pray that soon we can elect a president that has President Reagan as his or her role model.

In Liberty
Doc Jaggars

Lillian Moug
we need him back to straighten out this mess. he needs to spiritually twist an ear.

Merlyn Votaw
I think he was probably the last president even good enough to put in the history books. Wish we had more like him

Sharon Hemmstra, Arizona
Remembering Ronald Reagan - the 80's. The music. The events. Ronald Reagan was strong and confident. He installed that same strength and confidence in the American people. Even though the nuclear threat was still around, there was a lot of hope. I don't think we would have been as hopeful or strong without him.

Patricia Fagerstrom, Gilbert Arizona
When Barry Goldwater was running for President, Reagan spoke at a gathering of Goldwater supporters and at a rally in Chico, California. A group of us drove together from the town of Paradise, CA. to attend. On the way back home we discussed what a great candidate for a political office Reagan would make. I have never forgotten that day. I doubt that any of us envisioned that one day he would be President of the United States.

Benjamin, Arizona
President Reagan was my American Hero while I was a kid. I loved the way he inspired us as a nation, the way he loved this country, and provided real leadership you could trust. President Reagan is the standard I look for in whom I would support to be our future presidents. He was such a gifted speaker, stood strong on his beliefs that reflected the same values that most American cherish and live by, and he voiced and fought for the founding principles that has built our nation to be a great and good nation. Recently, I have listed to so many of his past speeches on DVD particularly his farewell address to the nation and I marvel at how prophetic his farewell address was back then in regards to us today. President Reagan loved America and We The People of the United States of America deeply love and miss President Reagan (A Great American President).

Linda Rae George, Arizona
What I remember the most about Ronald Reagan is his gentle spirit and his grace. I felt safe and secure with him as our president, because I trusted him and knew without a doubt that he was sincere and cared deeply for this country. I kind of felt like my grandpa and grandma were taking care of the country. He was a great man.

Minda, Tempe, AZ
I remember having a blast during President Reagan's tenure in office. I was in my twenties and had a decent job and wasn't taxed to death so I had a lot of money to spend however I wanted. Everyone in the lower middle class neighborhood that I lived and grew up in were doing quite well. The Country's mood overall was patriotic and we got to witness the fall of the Berlin wall, in no small Thanks to President Reagan and his gift of speaking from the heart. I can still tear up when I watch his videos on YouTube.

Belinda Szmytke
My most poignant memory of Ronald Reagan happened on the night he won his first Presidential election, and I heard the announcement over the radio. I was literally shaking with joy, knowing in my heart that he would bring our country back to greatness. It was my first ever chance to vote in the Presidential election, and I so believed in him. He had so many great and true one-liners about government, but these three little words have always stuck with me: Peace through Strength.
God rest you, President Reagan - I miss you so much.

R. George Dunne

Nothing will ever top the day when President Reagan stood at the Berlin wall and said, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this Wall!", except maybe when the USA starts going by the Constitution again and enacts the FairTax!!!

The days leading up to when the Berlin Wall fell were intense. What Ronald Reagan set in motion became a celestial battle of which has yet to be surpassed since: The Eastern block prayer warrior in his 44th day of fasting; Liberty Marches in near every Nation; prayers coming from all corners of the Earth..

Ronald Reagan knew who We the People are and took the Truth past the Old controlling Media. The Nation changed in one Generation. His words ring today as that of Founding Fathers Wisdom.

Let us honor President Reagan and our Ancestors by Respecting the Constitution~

Ronald Reagan, "Let us resolve that young Americans will always find there is a city of hope in a country that is free...and let us resolve they will say of our day and our generation, we did keep the faith with our God, that we did act worthy of ourselves, that we did protect and pass on lovingly that shining City on a Hill."

Julie Foster

To sit back hoping that someday, some way, someone will make things right is to go on feeding the crocodile, hoping he will eat you last - but eat you he will. Ronald Reagan

I feel like I and my family are the first course on the progressive's meal. This administration and its Congress looks for anyone who has been successful, or wealthy, or owns a business, or cherishes freedom. We are the first course and can sense the teeth it is about to sink in our hide. Consider the death tax. Congress has levied a 55 percent death penalty on all estates in excess of 7 million dollars, beginning in 2011. Taxes were paid in full on this money. But the greedy progressive crocodile isn't satisfied. When it's done chomping on the wealthy, it will move on to the rest of the populace. The same holds true for freedom of religion, freedom of assembly, and the freedom to arms. What we need to remember is we gave these grinning crocodiles the right to reign over us. We can vote them out of office. When we do, I'm celebrating the restoration of my right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness with a new pair of alligator boots.

 Shirley, Indiana

I was five years old when he was elected. I remember my mother trying to point out to me what a strong leader and anchor he was for our country during a very dangerous time in our history. She would get so upset at me for joining in with those that made satirical fun of him. I actually did a pretty good impersonation of him. It took the passing of time for me to realize what my mom was telling me was true. I didn't understand what was going on around me during those years between age five and thirteen. As I got older, started my family and became politically active, I began to realize what an important place in history we were in and what a key part Ronald Reagan had played in it. I do remember listening to him on television and knowing that even though I didn't understand exactly what he was talking about all the time, I knew he was telling me the truth. That same palpable genuineness is what I have always sought when deciding on a presidential candidate. He set the bar very high for all who have and will follow him. So, in that way, Ronald Reagan will always live on in America...He demonstrated character, honor, strength and integrity, and gave us something to always shoot for. He reminded us that we are the shining city on a hill. He reminded us that our best days are ahead of us. No President will ever fill his chair in the Oval Office, but thankfully all who follow him in that office have his example to draw from.

Winona Lake, Indiana

Ronald Reagan - just the name invokes great emotion and wonderful memories. Unfortunately I never had the chance to vote for President Reagan as my age did not permit it, but I truly remember him as my president. He was a father-like figure to all Americans. He was endearing. Even now, just the sound of his voice brings emotion and remembrance of wonderful days gone by. He was a man of all the people. He said what he meant and he meant what he said and he acted on it. Even though there was not always peace during his 8 years as president, when he spoke his words brought peace and calm to the hearts of the American people. I did not understand many of the issues of the day as I was young, but I knew that I could rest peacefully and go to school in a nation that was safe and protected to the best extent possible because of our leader of deep conviction in the White House.

Susan Elaine Carr

I have the deepest of respect for President Ronald Reagan.I don't believe America really appreciated him at the time like it should have.I don't think we realized at the time just how great of a president he was.We didn't FULLY APPRECIATE him for his greatness until after he was gone.This country needs another like him now!!! He was a president that set a true example of what a true American should be and also set an example that our children could look up to with pride and parents didn't have to be ashamed or leery of their children imitating him.He was a president that the whole country could be proud of.

He was president and yet he was also one of the people.He was never too haughty to shake the hand of a plain man on the street or bow down to talk to a child.He was a man of honor and justice. A president loved by the people and who loved the people in return.A good actor and even a greater president.A friend to the friendless, a man who cared so deeply for others outside of his own world that he could not stand the thought of others being in bondage.He was not just a talker.He was a doer.He cared not only about Americans but about all mankind thus the words that he spoke to Mikhail S.Gorbachev,the Soviet leader......"Mr. Gorbachev--TEAR DOWN THIS WALL!" regarding the Berlin wall which was seperating families and loved ones for years. President Reagan was not only a very good man but he was a very brave man. A man to be greatly remembered by all Americans whether Republican or Democrat. In my own opinion, he was one of the greatest Presidents America has ever had.

A president to make America proud.

Jill Anderson
As long as Ronald Reagan was the president you felt like your country was in good hands. You could sense the deep pride and love for his country in this great leader. He was presidential in every sense of the word and he commanded great respect. I was thankful for his strong conservative values. Truly one of the greats and what more can I say!

Cheryl Mann- Nichols
He is honest and continued his career as an actor, and led a positive family life keeping work life balance!

Diana Christensen
his honest straightforward talk about hard stuff to talk about

Mike Anthony Fernald Sr
Honesty, good moral values, Join his son Michael Reagan Support the Fair Tax :O}

Jim Cover
Government is not the solution to the problem - government is the problem

Steve Hamlin
Ronald Reagan was a man of honor! He appreciated the position of the President to the point that he always wore his suit coat in the Oval Office because he realized that was our office not his!