[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 81 (Monday, June 14, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1109]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            MOURNING THE PASSING OF PRESIDENT RONALD REAGAN

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. ANNE M. NORTHUP

                              of kentucky

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 8, 2004

  Mrs. NORTHUP. Mr. Speaker, last week our nation honored the life of 
one of the most beloved, and most important, presidents of the 
twentieth century. During the 1980s, President Reagan did what many 
considered the impossible.
  As we faced great challenges at home and abroad, he helped us believe 
that it was ``morning in America,'' and that we would overcome our 
difficulties. With the will of the nation behind him, President 
Reagan's steadfast leadership led to the defeat of communism and a 
robust economic recovery.
  When President Reagan took office a quarter century ago, communism 
was on the march, threatening to bring the free world to its knees. But 
President Reagan's policy of ``peace through strength'' starved the 
Soviet bloc and made it safe for freedom to flourish in new nations. 
``No weapon in the arsenals of the world is so formidable as the will 
of free men and women,'' he said.
  Here at home, our country was in the worst recession since the Great 
Depression, with high unemployment, inflation, and interest rates. But 
President Reagan trusted the entrepreneurial spirit and cut taxes from 
70 to 28 percent, creating 19 million new jobs and twenty years of 
growth. His economic policies formed the foundation upon which American 
families prosper. ``We believe that no power of government is as 
formidable a force for good as the creativity and entrepreneurial drive 
of the American people,'' he said.
  By rallying the will of our country, by reminding us of our 
remarkable abilities--of what it means to be Americans, President 
Reagan reunited us as a confident and hopeful nation. And with a 
focused vision, he set us on a course that preserved our liberty and 
allowed our domestic economy to prosper again.
  In life, President Reagan was a guiding light for our nation. Even 
when times were tough, he rejected the idea that America's best days 
were past, insisting that there is no limit to what our nation and our 
people can endure--or accomplish. And he was right.
  Today we face a new enemy of liberty, in the war on terror. It is my 
hope, Mr. Speaker, that the confident optimism and clear vision that 
President Reagan gave to this nation will light our path.
  May God bless President Ronald Reagan.

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