The Wisdom of Reagan
I joined the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation as a charter member of some kind a few months ago. I wanted to be involved during the year of Reagan’s Centennial Birthday Celebration (Feb 6, 2011).
Anyway, as part of the membership I receive various publications throughout the year. The most recent was a schedule of upcoming events at the Reagan Library related to The President’s 100th Birthday. On the flip side of the newsletter was this quote, which I thought was appropriate to post today, given the times we live in.
Our Government has no power except that granted by the people. It is time to check and reverse the growth of government, which shows signs of having grown beyond the consent of the governed.
It is my intention to curb the size and influence of the federal establishment and to demand recognition of the distinction between the powers granted to the federal government and those reserved to the states or to the people. All of us need to be reminded that the federal government did not create the states. The states created the federal government.
Reagan’s First Inaugural Address – Jan 20, 1981
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
-Bruce (GayPatriot)
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But how do we translate that into ‘Liberal-ease’?
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A funny observation: Even though the European Union claims to be ‘Federalist’, there are still very different standards of ‘National Health Care’ across Europe. ObamaCare wants to take the United States past what Democrats call “our ignorant past” and surpass the health care standards in Europe. Obama hopes to standardize health care across all American states.
Shouldn’t the separate American states establish their own health care plans before they attempt to ‘commonize’ the coverage?
Should Europeans really be calling Americans “backward”, for their resistance to dictatorial mandates?
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Comment by gastorgrab — November 14, 2010 @ 4:21 pm - November 14, 2010
I would say that in the last ten years or so (and of course the last two especially), our government has become cancerous in its out-of-control growth, and the degree to which it saps the economy’s strength.
Saying that is a controversial with progressives – even including the occasional Republican self-professed “moderate” or “progressive”. But I don’t care. It’s the truth, and one that needs to be said, precisely because some would rather it weren’t said.
Comment by ILoveCapitalism — November 14, 2010 @ 6:13 pm - November 14, 2010
P.S. If I’m not mistaken, the 1981 Inaugural was also the one where Reagan famously said:
Comment by ILoveCapitalism — November 14, 2010 @ 6:37 pm - November 14, 2010
[...] Ronald Reagan’s first inaugural address, via Gay Patriot: Our Government has no power except that granted by the people. It is time to check and reverse [...]
Pingback by Quote of the Day, evening edition, Reagan special « Public Secrets — November 14, 2010 @ 9:26 pm - November 14, 2010
Hey, I came across something very intriguing, now that you bring up the passage of time and old messages becoming relevant. What about the messages that cease to be relevant, practically overnight? Mull on this:
http://colorfulconservative.blogspot.com/2010/11/oh-and-about-those-midterm-elections.html
About Reagan, I am a proud member of the Memorial Library and plan to go do some writing up there tomorrow! Anyone who cares to join me, I’ll be the one with a laptop wearing a black T-shirt.
Comment by Coco — November 15, 2010 @ 12:34 am - November 15, 2010
You want the Liberal version?
No Government = No Police = You Dead because you pissed me off.
END OF STORY
Comment by toyotabedzrock — November 15, 2010 @ 1:57 am - November 15, 2010
How much longer before ASS shows up to tell us how it’s his right to demand money from others to fund his existence?
Comment by ThatGayConservative — November 15, 2010 @ 6:12 am - November 15, 2010
That quote is kind of ironic, given that Reagan grew the size of the federal deficit by orders of magnitude more than those before him. Remember star wars? LOL
http://www.kowaldesign.com/budget/
Comment by ben — November 15, 2010 @ 7:37 am - November 15, 2010
Funny, this is very close to the RINO version.
Comment by Heliotrope — November 15, 2010 @ 9:23 am - November 15, 2010
Heliotrope, the other day I noticed an individual whom we each enjoy, complaining that people on this blog didn’t respect his “moderate beliefs”. I think that was the phrase, and thought of you when I read it. I mean, what is a “moderate belief”? How does one go about believing a thing… moderately? I didn’t know such gradations were possible. I didn’t want to get into it with him, but felt it couldn’t have escaped your eye.
Comment by ILoveCapitalism — November 15, 2010 @ 10:45 am - November 15, 2010
It didn’t. I try not to be moderately married, moderately dependable, moderately honest, moderately thoughtful, moderately supportive, moderately faithful, moderately empathetic, moderately consistent, moderately principled.
However, when I buy a car, I know I will play “compromise” games. I know that sometimes the risk of “better” means that “good” is the better choice. These are the treaties we learn to make in order to accomplish greater things. But I do not know of any compromise rules in basketball, baseball, football, soccer, tennis, etc. It is what it is and you move on.
Either the illegal alien is illegal or there is no such thing as an illegal alien. How do you compromise with illegal or pregnant or dead?
Compromise is the art of applying positions on the slippery slope.
Comment by Heliotrope — November 15, 2010 @ 1:08 pm - November 15, 2010
Bruce, be sure to click over to see some “lost” footage of Reagan on Santa Barbara’s KEYT-TV:
Even the Reagan Library has asked for a copy of this.
Comment by Eric in Chicago — November 15, 2010 @ 1:40 pm - November 15, 2010
Bruce, unlike some raggers in your comment section, at least you’ve been responsible in using Ron Reagan quotes, in context, on point. Same is true for Dan.
Outside of Jefferson or Lincoln, I think Reagan is the guy most often quoted out of context, off point, and easily demonstrating the quoter doesn’t have a clue to what Reagan intended, implied, or spoke.
I had forgotten about his centenary next year –I thought we’d already celebrated that event while he was still in the WH? Big cake, hundreds of candles, Nancy in red, Deaver at the ready knife in hand… that rings a bell… maybe not.
It’ll be great event, though. It is the very best presidential library to date –stunning and inspiring place.
Are there plans for a GP blogcast from the festivities? Maybe a GP luncheon nearby at Viva la Pasta? Not too early to plan.
Comment by Michigan-Matt — November 15, 2010 @ 2:05 pm - November 15, 2010
Yes, Reagan raised taxes 6 times and tripled the national defecit, thus checking and reversing the growth of government.
Comment by AJ — November 15, 2010 @ 2:20 pm - November 15, 2010
Not so much when you consider that Reagan cut the Federal Register by, at least, 40,000 pages. It’s, what, over 80,000 pages now? And let’s not forget the almost 30% expansion of GDP and 18 million new jobs.
And let’s not forget that during the decade of greed, charitable giving grew at a 55% annual rate, higher than the previous 25 years. I dare say that it was probably higher than it is now in Obamaville.
Comment by ThatGayConservative — November 16, 2010 @ 6:29 am - November 16, 2010
Even though I was, at the time, a Democrat, I voted for Reagan both times. I was less sophisticated about politics then than I am now (in 1980 I was a freshman in college), but I liked the fact that he seemed to know he was a human being, and not a god. That we were electing him because he could relate to us as fellow human beings.
That may not be very sophisticated, but it may be wiser than a lot of what passes for punditry in politics. President Reagan grasped certain essential principles, such as the fact that elected officials work for the people rather than the other way around, and the fact that the money we earn is rightly ours — not the government’s.
He was derided as a simpleton. But perhaps he knew all a president really needs to know.
Comment by Lori Heine — November 17, 2010 @ 2:11 pm - November 17, 2010