Ronald Reagan: 100 Years by the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation

Ronald Reagan: 100 Years


by Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation


February 6, 2011 was the 100 year anniversary of President Ronald Reagan’s birth in Tampico, Illinois. Reagan’s story is an inspiring one of someone who came from poverty but believed in the American dream taking it all the way to the White House. He inspired millions and moved a Nation from a state of lethargy and paralysis to one of leadership and action to spread democracy and freedom across the world. Young people today have a brighter future than they would have had if it were not for Reagan’s faith in God and love for the American Dream. It is difficult for a young person (and some of us who were there) to imagine what the world would have been like if Ronald Reagan was not elected President. However, we know what the world was like before Ronald Reagan became President, and we know that the direction our nation’s history was changed for the better because of his leadership. In spite of opponents to Reagan’s ideology, the evidence is manifest. 

I have always appreciated what the conservative columnist George F. Will stated about Ronald Reagan’s accomplishments: “If you seek his monument look around at what you don't see. You don't see the Berlin Wall. You don't see the Iron curtain from Stetin to Trieste.” When Reagan came to the White House, the Soviet Union was on the march and the United States and fallen into a policy called “Mutually Assured Destruction”. The acronym for this policy is exactly what Reagan thought of it—MAD. He sought to reduce the threat of nuclear annihilation during the Cold War and remove this constant threat of doom hanging over our futures. He knew there would be challenges for the United States in the future, but this challenge had to be met effectively or there might not have been a future. Modern critics try to discredit his accomplishments on the world stage; however, the feebleness of their attacks is manifest with all the monuments erected to Reagan in areas once controlled by hostile forces to Democracy and the United States. For example, two satellite nations of the former Soviet Union erected statues of Ronald Reagan one in Warsaw, Poland and another in Budapest, Hungary in 2011. The restored country of Georgia which rose out of the ashes of the Soviet Union erected a statue in honor of Ronald Reagan in their city of Tiblisi in November 2011. Additional statues have been erected in London, England in July 2011 and another one in Washington DC in November 2011 at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. These are just a few of the tributes of respect others had for President Ronald Reagan. 

I always appreciated Ronald Reagan’s “Peace Through Strength” principle in ending the failed policies of dealing with global communism. He explained his foreign policy very concisely and clearly—“Our defense policy is based on a very simple premise: The United States will not start fights. We will not be the first to use aggression. We will not seek to occupy other lands or control other peoples. Our strategy is defensive; our aim is to protect the peace by ensuring that no adversaries ever conclude they could best us in a war of their choosing.” (Ronald Reagan: 100 Years, p. 173). Ronald Reagan supported the Strategic Defense Initiative and the effort to build a protective shield to protect nations from nuclear missiles of rogue nations built on their destruction of others. The trends in countries such as Iran show the foresight and wisdom of this vision. 

Ronald Reagan: 100 Years is a beautifully bound book in tribute to the unique man. It covers his life from his beginnings in Tampico, Illinois to his final resting place in Simi Valley, California at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. I received this book as a gift and was so impressed with its quality, photographs, writing that I read the entire volume with great satisfaction. I was surprised to read just how busy he was when he left the Presidency. Of course not everything went perfectly during the 1980s; even Ronald Reagan confessed this. There were things he wanted to accomplish that he was unable to do; e.g., balanced budget amendment, line-item veto, term limits for Congress and the removal of term limits for Presidents (excluding himself). Some seem to forget the Executive Branch is but one branch of three in our Federal Government and fail to realize that the Congress is the Legislative Branch. When Reagan came to power, the Congress was more opposed to his views than supportive. He was able to often bring them to his way of thinking and achieve great things with the support of the American people who helped persuade their elective officials of Reagan’s policies. There is a reason that Ronald Reagan has become the “gold standard” for modern Presidents. This volume is a great reminder or educational tool to explain why so many Americans hold Ronald Reagan in great esteem to this very day. If you are looking for a special book for an admirer of Ronald Reagan or an introduction to this great man, then this book is a great place to start. The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation has produced an exemplary tribute to this great man.