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President Reagan inspired Americans
People in Jackson County joined with those across the state and nation in remembering our 40th president, Ronald Reagan, following his death Saturday.
While we didn’t always agree with Reagan’s policies, we admired his most important asset – his ability to inspire Americans. Our oldest president had a grandfatherly charm that made his countrymen feel at ease, even in troubling times. He was called The Great Communicator for a reason.
A conservative Republican, Reagan worked with a Democratic majority in the House of Representatives throughout his presidency but still managed to push through his economic program, including the largest tax cut in the country’s history. His ability to sell Congress on his programs carried over to the American people, and Reagan left office with the highest approval rating of any president since Franklin Roosevelt.
Reagan will be remembered for the booming economy during much of his presidency, but we believe his greatest accomplishment was in foreign policy. Reagan stood up to the Soviet Union, and his resolve helped the United States win the Cold War, making our country and the world a safer place.
The Reagan years weren’t perfect. They brought the Iran-Contra Affair and soaring federal deficits. But in the eyes of the American people, Reagan’s successes far outweighed his failures.
Perhaps that’s because, as Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry said, when 5 p.m. came Reagan didn’t consider folks to be Democrats or Republicans when 5 p.m. came. He considered us all Americans.
That’s the way it’s supposed to be.
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