Happy 100th - Ronald Reagan

Although late in the day, I would like to acknowledge what would have been the 100th birthday of that great American, Ronald Wilson Reagan today. For my part, his legacy consists of two important strands. First, he refused to accept the inevitably of communist triumph. People forget that up to that time, communism had greatly expanded the portion of the globe it controlled, and many of our ruling elite felt that its triumph was foreordained. Reagan recognized that communism was very fragile and would come apart eventually if challenged. His push for "star wars" and the manner in which he challenged the Soviet Union contributed to its eventual demise. The world is a vastly better place for it. We should never forget the hundreds of millions who have died due to the scourge of communism.

Second, Reagan understood that a simplified tax code with low rates would encourage economic growth. Further, although he did not roll back the regulatory state, he stabilized its growth. The certainty that business faced also contributed to growth. He did this in spite of a Democrat controlled Congress. He reached out to Dan Rostenkowski, Chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, to craft a bipartisan revision to the tax code that benefited America.

Thank you Ronald Reagan, we miss you.

I leave you with excerpts from his famous speech in 1964 at the Republican National Convention that nominated another great American, Barry Goldwater.