hypocritexposer
Well-known member
By Sarah Palin
I had the privilege of coming of age during the era
of Ronald Reagan. I like to think of him as America's
lifeguard. As a teenager, Ronald Reagan saved 77 l
ives as a lifeguard on the Rock River, which ran
through his hometown of Dixon, Ill. The day he was
inaugurated in 1981, a local radio announcer
famously declared, "The Rock River flows for you
tonight, Mr. President."
The image of the lifeguard seems to represent what
Reagan was to America and to the freedom-loving
people of the world. He lifted our country up at a
time when we were in the depths of economic,
cultural and spiritual malaise. We were told that we
must accept that the era of American greatness was
over; but with his optimism and common sense,
President Reagan held up a mirror to the American
soul to remind us of our exceptionalism.
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Reagan saw that 'we are all
patriots'
HOUSE SPEAKER JOHN BOEHNER: A man who shaped
our times
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN: An 'unshakable faith' in America
MITT ROMNEY: A legacy of optimism, strength
SAM DONALDSON: My respect for Reagan only grew
LEON ARON: His moral leadership won the Cold War
LOU CANNON: He 'tempered conviction with
compromise'
EDWIN MEESE: His vision revived the spirit of
America
Reagan showed us that despite a deep recession,
there could still be morning in America. He could
speak to the economic troubles facing ordinary
Americans because he understood what it was like
to live through a Great Depression where families
scraped to get by. And yet, he saw us recover from
our Great Depression, and under his leadership we
experienced the greatest peacetime economic boom
in our history. He could speak to our fears that our
years as a superpower were over, because he
understood what it was like to see America at war
and really fear that we might lose. And yet, he saw
us win two world wars, and under his leadership we
won the Cold War without firing a single shot.
Reagan's belief in American greatness was rooted in
historic fact, not blind optimism. He was a sunny
optimist because he knew that our best days are yet
to come.
Today, when we hear the worry in the voices of
Americans wondering where the jobs will be for our
children and grandchildren and wondering if the
world will be safe and prosperous in the years to
come, we should remember Reagan's faith in our
inherent heroism and greatness. When we see
people around the globe looking to the White House
for leadership, we should remember Reagan's steel
spine. He understood America's purpose in this
world and what we need to do to secure liberty. As
Margaret Thatcher said of him, "He sought to mend
America's wounded spirit, to restore the strength of
the free world, and to free the slaves of
communism." He sought those things and he
succeeded.
This year, as we celebrate the centennial of Reagan's
birth, let's remember the lifeguard from the Rock
River who rescued us with his optimism and
common sense. We need more lifeguards like him.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2011-01-23-ronald-reagan-sarah-palin_N.htm