Thursday, February 4, 2010

WHAT AMERICA NEEDS

We need rebirth of the American tradition of leadership at every level of government and in private life as well. The United States of America is unique in world history because it has a genius for leaders -- many leaders -- on many levels.
My view of government places trust not in one person or one party, but in those values that transcend persons and parties. The trust is where it belongs--in the people. The responsibility to live up to that trust is where it belongs, in their elected leaders. That kind of relationship, between the people and their elected leaders, is a special kind of compact.

I pledge to restore to the federal government the capacity to do the people's work without dominating their lives. pledge to you a government that will not only work well, but wisely; its ability to act tempered by prudence and its willingness to do good balanced by the knowledge that government is never more dangerous than when our desire to have it help us blinds us to its great power to harm us.
High taxes, we are told, are somehow good for us,…..

Large amounts of oil and natural gas lay beneath our land and off our shores, untouched because the present administration seems to believe the American people would rather see more regulation, taxes and controls than more energy.
We are going to put an end to the notion that the American taxpayer exists to fund the federal government

We know only too well that war comes not when the forces of freedom are strong, but when they are weak. It is then that tyrants are tempted.
We simply cannot learn these lessons the hard way again without risking our destruction.

In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem. From time to time we've been tempted to believe that society has become too complex to be managed by self-rule, that government by an elite group is superior to government for, by, and of the people. Well, if no one among us is capable of governing himself, then who among us has the capacity to govern someone else? All of us together, in and out of government, must bear the burden. The solutions we seek must be equitable, with no one group singled out to pay a higher price.

We hear much of special interest groups. Well, our concern must be for a special interest group that has been too long neglected. It knows no sectional boundaries or ethnic and racial divisions, and it crosses political party lines. It is made up of men and women who raise our food, patrol our streets, man our mines and factories, teach our children, keep our homes, and heal us when we're sick--professionals, industrialists, shopkeepers, clerks, cabbies, and truck drivers. They are, in short, "we the people," this breed called Americans.

We are a nation that has a government--not the other way around. And this makes us special among the nations of the Earth. Our government has no power except that granted it by the people.

All of us need to be reminded that the federal government did not create the states; the states created the federal government…… Government can and must provide opportunity, not smother it; foster productivity, not stifle it.


I did not write these words but I do agree totally with them. These words were spoken at a time that this country was in about as sad of a shape as it is today. There were Americans being held hostage by a third rate nation and today America is being held hostage by not only that third rate nation but a bevy of others who see us as weak and with a leader who will not respond with all the strength that this nation holds. The country was torn by high interest rates, high gasoline prices high unemployment, and a crumbling economy much similar to today’s debacle where we find ourselves in a crumbling economy and all that the administration in charge today can think about is spending more money that they don’t have.

Today we do not have the leadership that can move a nation as it was moved in the months and years following these words. The only hope that we have today is that “We the People” will be able to speak strongly and loudly enough to make our wants and wishes known to those who are currently in charge and let them know that under no circumstances will we taken for granted.

We need to emphasize the words spoken and they should be posted on every door of the Congress and the Senate. They should become the platform for 2012 and the person nominated should be dedicated to upholding the truths spoken here.

“We are a nation that has a government--not the other way around. And this makes us special among the nations of the Earth. Our government has no power except that granted it by the people.
All of us need to be reminded that the federal government did not create the states; the states created the federal government…… Government can and must provide opportunity, not smother it; foster productivity, not stifle it.” Ronald Reagan  February 6, 1911– June 5, 2004

For those of you who do not remember, these words were spoken by Ronald Reagan during his acceptance speech and in his inaugural address in 1980 and 1981. We celebrate his birthday in just two days and I felt this an appropriate time to remind us of his words and his deeds. 

 

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

I also plan to salute him, Ticker. A great man; our problem is that we don't have enough true conservatives like Reagan. The GOP has been moving steadily to the left ever since Lincoln, and Reagan actually moved us to the right of Lincoln. This "kinder gentler" crap has most republicans fooled into thinking socialism is okay. Case in point: everyone is going 'ga ga' for Scott Brown, who is a McCain socialist.

We are in trouble, my friend. I'm thinking we ought to just go ahead and die while we still can ... before government regulates it.

Semper Fi

Mustang

Ticker said...

I ain't plannin on going anywhere anytime soon my friend. I plan on staying around and making life miserable for liberals.

Scott Brown, like any other current politician will have his part to play in how this country turns out. He can stay pretty much a centrist, which is where I would define him on most issues and on a few he is almost as conservative as I am. He will have to satisfy the voters in MA if he plans on accomplishing anything more than being a short termer. If he fails in that we can look for another Dem of the likeness of his opponent in the last election. Folks in MA are not as conservative as they are in the south but they dang sure are independent cusses as was shown in the election of Brown. I expected better of McCain but was sorely disappointed. I supported him because there were too many unanswered questions and too many red flags flying about the current occupier of the WH.
If you remember Reagan was an old time Democrat with very conservative fiscal leanings. He had some other leanings that some didn't agree with in the Republican party but he was smart enough to do what the people elected him to do and not try to cram crap down folks throats. He gets a lot of flack for not doing more and the Dems hate him because his ideas worked when they were coupled with SPENDING CUTS. Heck even Bill Clinton with the encouragement of the Reps was for spending cuts , unfortunately his party moved him in the wrong direction.

SPENDING HAS GOT TO STOP. It's a real simple answer to our problems.

Chuck said...

Thanks for stopping by my humble blog.

“We are a nation that has a government--not the other way around.

A man of great quotes.

Now we have a blank teleprompter inhabiting the WH.

Ticker said...

Great blog Chuck. I've added you to my favorites. Come back and visit anytime.Comments are always welcome.

Always On Watch said...

How well I recall this speech!

While I love the portion highlighted, I also love this part:

We hear much of special interest groups. Well, our concern must be for a special interest group that has been too long neglected. It knows no sectional boundaries or ethnic and racial divisions, and it crosses political party lines. It is made up of men and women who raise our food, patrol our streets, man our mines and factories, teach our children, keep our homes, and heal us when we're sick--professionals, industrialists, shopkeepers, clerks, cabbies, and truck drivers. They are, in short, "we the people," this breed called Americans.

How we need a President today who puts American interests first!

Great post, Ticker. And a wonderful tribute to a wonderful man.

Always On Watch said...

Ticker,
I stumbled across this on blog rounds this morning and thought you might be interested (emphases mine):

Adapted from Reagan, In His Own Hand: The Writings of Ronald Reagan that Reveal His Revolutionary Vision for America:

Right now ... I'm looking down on a busy city at rush hour. The streets below are twin ribbons of sparkling red and white.

I wonder about the people in those cars, who they are, what they do, what they are thinking about as they head for the warmth of home and family. Come to think of it, I've met them - oh, maybe not those particular individuals, but still I feel I know them. Some of our social planners refer to them as "the masses" which only proves they don't know them. I've been privileged to meet people all over this land in the special kind of way you meet them when you are campaigning. They are not "the masses," or as the elitists would have it - "the common man." They are very uncommon. Individuals each with his or her own hopes and dreams, plans and problems, and the kind of quiet courage that makes this whole country run better than just about any other place on earth.

January 27, 1978

Anonymous said...

Ticker, if we're lucky, we may one day have another leader like President Reagan. I doubt we have such in any of the current selection. Maybe a combination of two of them, but no single individual stands out as another "Reagan" in what I've seen.

Our nation isn't"doomed" as so many would say, but I think we are entering a "rebirth", and I hope it is like the original birth, free. None of our 'rulers" seem to get it, and if we are to be truly FREE, all of them will have to be replaced with more "common" individuals, who seek to serve, before being served.

JMO,

Old Rose

Brenda Bowers said...

I loved Reagan and his ideas. He did much for the country but unfortunately was not able to reduce the size of our government during his terms in office. In fact, the size of government and cost of government grew under him.
We sometimes forget this when we claim to need another Reagan. What we need is another Reagan who does what he says he wants to do! BB