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A Fitting Tribute to Ronald Reagan
On this national day of mourning, the United States recognizes the passing of an American who, without question, influenced the direction of the late 20th century.Ronald Wilson Reagan was perhaps the least likely of world leaders, but at the same time he exemplified the American notion that any native-born citizen could be elected to this nation's highest office.Coming from a background far less privileged than both current contenders for the presidency, Reagan started as a radio announcer before moving on to movies. As his film career ebbed, Reagan moved into the then-new medium of television and served a spokesman and pitchman for General Electric before entering politics. Twice elected California governor, Reagan also twice unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for president before being named the GOP nominee in 1980, that year besting incumbent Jimmy Carter -- at age 69. He was the oldest man ever elected president -- and four years later won a second term in a landslide. When Reagan visited Powers Auditorium as a Skeggs lecturer in 1978, he spoke on one of the principal themes that he carried through his two successful presidential campaigns, the size and scope of government, arguing that the cost of government had become a drag on the economy. "We have somehow forgotten that government has a built-in tendency to grow," he said in his address, reported in The Vindicator. Two years later, as a presidential candidate, Reagan toured the closed Campbell Works of Youngstown Sheet & Tube -- an appearance that drew both supporters and protestors, including one steel worker who charged that the visit was "politically motivated to take advantage of a depressed area," according to reports. There he talked about a program of incentives, including one to spur capital investment, to aid the American steel industry. "The United States is the only major industrial nation in the world that doesn't make enough steel to meet its own needs," Reagan said.Now, on this sad day and in the days to come, as the nation remembers a president who pointed to the vision of a shining city on a hill, we must beware of those who would exploit Reagan's memory for their own gain, political and otherwise -- a concern all too real in this presidential election year. The optimism Reagan projected appealed to voters disillusioned by the specters of Vietnam, Watergate and the Iranian hostage crisis that seemed to symbolize America's helplessness rather than its determination. Operating in an environment that, looking back, seems far less partisan than today's, even those who opposed Reagan's positions on the size and role of government and his approach toward dealing with the Soviet Union found themselves liking Reagan on a personal level. In the months and years to follow, the impact of Reagan's presidency -- the blemishes as well as the bright spots -- will continue to be debated, as it rightly should. While the accomplishments of Reagan's tenure deserve recognition, his supporters do this country and its citizens no good with attempts to airbrush history. As Reagan's role in history is debated, efforts to memorialize the late president are the subject of sometimes intense discussion, with proposals ranging from putting his image on currency to carving his face into Mount Rushmore. (It should be remembered that a monument to Reagan on the National Mall is prohibited for 25 years after his death -- according to a law signed by Reagan himself.) Most appropriately, Reagan's wife, Nancy -- who came out in opposition to a proposal to replace one of Reagan's heroes, Franklin Roosevelt, on the dime -- is continuing his legacy in ways he might have found surprising. She is now advocating in favor of stem cell research as a means of finding cures for diseases such as Alzheimer's, from which her husband suffered for 10 years, a position contrary to many who describe themselves as conservatives. Though not always happily, Reagan on occasion found himself confronted with facts that conflicted with his vision, and had to change his own position on an issue. A champion of cutting taxes, Reagan eventually bent to economic reality when the numbers used to justify the 1981 tax cuts proved to be optimistic. As a tribute to the legacy of predecessor he so admired, President George W. Bush should quickly bend to reality, reverse the restrictions he placed three years ago on stem cell research, and adopt the position supported by two-thirds of the Senate and nearly half of the House of Representatives. That would be a far more enduring tribute to the 40th president than naming a highway or a building after Reagan, and also one that would have great meaning for generations to come."