One of Reagan’s finest speeches
Forty-five years ago yesterday, Ronald Reagan gave a televised speech that laid out much of what today’s conservatives believe, and not a few things we have forgotten and need to remember. Watch or read the whole speech here.
A couple of things in it particularly caught my eye:
1. Not too long ago, two friends of mine were talking to a Cuban refugee, a businessman who had escaped from Castro, and in the midst of his story one of my friends turned to the other and said, “We don’t know how lucky we are.” And the Cuban stopped and said, “How lucky you are? I had someplace to escape to.” And in that sentence he told us the entire story. If we lose freedom here, there’s no place to escape to. This is the last stand on earth.
In four and a half years in Europe, I realized that there were plenty of places there for liberals to flee and find the kind of government they want, if they were ever to make good on threats to “leave the U.S. if _______ is elected.” But there isn’t anywhere else for similarly discouraged conservatives to go. Indeed, this is still the place to which discouraged conservatives in Europe and elsewhere in the world look. This is truly the last stand on earth. And that matters because of the next quote:
2. But beyond that, “the full power of centralized government”—this was the very thing the Founding Fathers sought to minimize. They knew that governments don’t control things. A government can’t control the economy without controlling people. And they know when a government sets out to do that, it must use force and coercion to achieve its purpose. They also knew, those Founding Fathers, that outside of its legitimate functions, government does nothing as well or as economically as the private sector of the economy.
This is as good a summary of what conservatives oppose about today’s power grabs in Washington or other world capitals — from people whom Reagan dubbed “a little intellectual elite in a far-distant capitol” — as any that exists.
If you have time, watch or read the entire speech.
Thanks to Erick Erickson of RedState and Peach Pundit for reminding us of this anniversary (even if I’m a day late in noticing his reminder).
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114 comments Add your comment
Diane
October 29th, 2009
12:39 am
This country so desparately needs another President just like Ronald Reagan.
TnGelding
October 29th, 2009
6:12 am
David Axelfraud
October 28th, 2009
4:18 pm
That’s a lot of responsibility for 9 months. He’s a miracle worker!
Have we been attacked…yet?
TnGelding
October 29th, 2009
6:31 am
jconservative
October 28th, 2009
4:48 pm
Jimmy Carter?
Kyle Wingfield
October 29th, 2009
9:31 am
Just a note that all comments are going to moderation for now…I’m trying to see if we can limit that to only the post about the mayor’s race. In the meantime, thanks for your patience.
David Axelfraud
October 29th, 2009
9:53 am
TnGelding writes: That’s a lot of responsibility for 9 months. He’s a miracle worker!
Have we been attacked…yet?
Nope, Bush made sure that the military would take out as many Islamic Jihadist as they could before a democrat got in office. Just wait though, we were attacked 5 times under the last Democrat administration. It will happen again.
David Axelfraud
October 29th, 2009
9:54 am
dbm, your thoughts on religion turning in to communism is a bit retarded. Religious people do not look to government for control of their lives. They turn to GOD.
David Axelfraud
October 29th, 2009
9:56 am
samuel must be psychic since he assumes that I am a white southern man who hates black people. Nothing like an idiot liberal who lives off his parents money! You gals are great. You can’t make your own living so you live off mommy and daddy.
JF McNamara
October 29th, 2009
10:18 am
Michael H. Smith,
Please re-read what I wrote. You didn’t fully comprehend it.
1. I only mentioned religion because Republicans tend to be intolerant of any religion other than Christianity. They want it included in schools and some want to teach it in schools. The Pilgrims came to America to flee religious persecution and the founders made sure we have religious freedom. Would religious freedom really exist in a country run the Republican way, or would you only be free to worship Christianity?
Frankly, I could care less if you worship Zeus. I’m more religiously tolerant than most Republicans I know.
2. If you read what I wrote without bias, you’ll clearly see that I don’t want left or right. In fact, I even state that I want a mixture of both ideas.
dbm
October 29th, 2009
10:35 am
number1ninja
October 28th, 2009
7:53 pm
You obviously don’t understand Ayn Rand.
dbm
October 29th, 2009
10:38 am
David Axelfraud
October 29th, 2009
9:54 am
There are different kinds of religious people. There are also people who are influenced by religion without being religious.
TnGelding
October 29th, 2009
3:39 pm
David Axelfraud
October 29th, 2009
9:53 am
Bush left the military much weaker than when he took office and for every Jihadist he killed at least 10 more came alive.
samuel
October 29th, 2009
6:16 pm
David Axelfraud, I repeat everything I said in my previous post except that you’re a bitter white Southern(probably) WOMAN.
Michael H. Smith
October 29th, 2009
6:57 pm
JF McNamara
I fear for religious freedoms more so under this now Democrat ran country than I do under the Republicans. Though I’m not a Republican, certainly a conservative and like many others realize the only way my religious beliefs can ever be assured is for all the religions, which I may even strongly disagree with, can exist in a peaceful plurality. I say again, Christianity in this country suffers by far more public scorn unjustly than any other major known religion. If some of the things that appears on these blog were said of Islam or Judaism the hue and cry would be deafening and the AJC censors would move immediately in removing the bigoted content.
The intolerant bias is on your part from what I read of your writing not the on Republicans.
Nevertheless I remain committed to, as my comment states, not only a mixture of both but a plurality of all religions including the right of absence thereofas the first amendment of the U. S. Constitution so mandates, which requires no political parties. In speaking to political parties Jefferson said it best: If I could not go to heaven but with a [political] party, I would not go there at all.
As to the left or right of it, as Reagan once said there is no left or right, only up or down. Though I can’t agree entirely with Reagan’s understanding of the political latitudes resting in his statement I certainly agree completely with his view of longitude applied to all things.
David Axelfraud
October 30th, 2009
10:21 pm
samuel, if I’m a bitter old southern white woman then I can assume that you are a two headed albino Pakistani heroin dealer.