America Is Capable of Rising to the Challenge
The month of February is home to the birthdays of two Presidents whose likeness is on Mount Rushmore in South Dakota. This year, we observe President's Day on February 21st, which is one day before George Washington's birthday and nine days after Abraham Lincoln's.
Last week would also have been Ronald Reagan's 100thbirthday. To quote Ronald Reagan, "Thomas Jefferson once said, 'We should never judge a president by his age, only by his works.' And ever since he told me that, I stopped worrying."
Reagan's accomplishments were many. He grew the economy, cut taxes, strengthened the military, brought back America's confidence and won the cold war. It's no wonder then that Americans consistently rate him as one of our greatest Presidents.
Ronald Reagan had a way of making Americans think about the role of government in their lives while also making them laugh. He once compared government to a baby -- both have insatiable appetites at one end and no responsibility at the other.
Reagan succinctly summarized the government's view of the economy, "if it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate. And it if it stops moving, subsidize it." That is still true today over 20 years later.
The Fortieth President of the United States believed that America was a shining city upon a hill. I believe that, too. We have many challenges as a nation, but we should never forget that this is a great nation capable of rising to those challenges. Now is our time to rise to those challenges.
Sincerely,
