Farewell, Mr. Reagan Articles / Opinions and Editorials Date: Jun 07, 2004 - 05:34 PM Dear friends, On this day, we said good-bye to one of our greatest Presidents. I admit I'm a bit younger than most of you, so my recollection of him in office is limited to smaller things like jellybeans, his forcefulness in response to foreign threats, and his warmth to whomever he was speaking. I also remember September 1985, when I was fortunate enough to hold hands with his wife Nancy as we marched the old Capitol grounds, I wearing my green "Just Say No" t-shirt for the occasion. As I try and put the passing of Mr. Reagan (the second President serving in my lifetime that I was aware of in any real sense, and the first one I knew enough about to know I liked him) into perspective, I find myself reading over his old speeches. I can find none that resonate with me more than the speech he gave on California and the Problem of Government Growth, delivered on January 5, 1967. " To a number of us, this is a first and hence a solemn and momentous occasion, and yet, on the broad page of state and national history, what is taking place here is almost commonplace routine. We are participating in the orderly transfer of administrative authority by direction of the people. And this is the simple magic which makes a commonplace routine a near miracle to many of the world's inhabitants: the continuing fact that the people, by democratic process, can delegate this power, yet retain custody of it. ---- READ ON ---- Perhaps you and I have lived with this miracle too long to be properly appreciative. Freedom is a fragile thing and is never more than one generation away from extinction, It is not ours by inheritance; it must be fought for and defended constantly by each generation, for it comes only once to a people. Those who have known freedom and then lost it have never known it again. Knowing this, it is hard to explain those who even today would question the people's capacity for self-rule. Will they answer this: if no one among us is capable of governing himself, then who among us has the capacity to govern someone else? Using the temporary authority granted by the people, an increasing number lately have sought to control the means of production, as if this could be done without eventually controlling those who produce. Always this is explained as necessary to the people's welfare. But, "The deterioration of every government begins with the decay of the principle upon which it was founded" [Montesquieu]. This is as true today as it was when it was written in 1748. Government is the people's business, and every man, woman and child becomes a shareholder with the first penny of tax paid. With all the profound wording of the Constitution, probably the most meaningful words are the first three: "We, the People." Those of us here today who have been elected to constitutional office or legislative position are in that three-word phrase. We are of the people, chosen by them to see that no permanent structure of government ever encroaches on freedom or assumes a power beyond that freely granted by the people. We stand between the taxpayer and the taxspender. It is inconceivable to me that anyone could accept this delegated authority without asking God's help. I pray that we who legislate and administer will be granted wisdom and strength beyond our own limited power; that with Divine guidance we can avoid easy expedients, as we work to build a state where liberty under law and justice can triumph, where compassion can govern, and wherein the people can participate and prosper because of their government and not in spite of it." Thank you for letting me share my thoughts, and God bless you. June 5 2004 This article comes from LibertyBoard.org http://www.libertyboard.org/ The URL for this story is: http://www.libertyboard.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=76