[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 73 (Monday, June 6, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6079-S6080]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



               First Anniversary of Ronald Reagan's Death

  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, yesterday marked the first anniversary of 
the passing of President Ronald Wilson Reagan, the 40th President of 
the United States. I will take a moment to reflect very briefly on his 
extraordinary life and on his leadership that changed history.
  Ronald Reagan was raised in a small town, and it was those small-town 
roots that never, ever left him. As he explained when he grew up in a 
small town, reflecting on those small-town roots, in his words:

       You get to know people as individuals, not as blocs or 
     members of special interest groups. You discover that despite 
     their differences, most people have a lot in common: . . . 
     [W]e all want freedom and liberty, peace, love and security, 
     a good home, and a chance to worship God in our own way; we 
     all want the chance to get ahead and make our children's 
     lives better than our own.

  Ronald Reagan believed that the Government should serve the people. 
He believed that America's strength came from creativity, ingenuity, 
and productivity of the people, not the plans of Government bureaucrats 
or the theories of intellectual elites. This core belief guided 
everything he did, everything he said.
  When he came to office, the American economy was in shambles. 
Inflation was in double digits. Interest rates were soaring. The 
American worker was demoralized. He set about slashing Federal income 
taxes and cutting burdensome regulations. It was his mission to free 
the American worker and unleash the American entrepreneur. His sweeping 
tax reforms overhauled the Tax Code and removed 6 million taxpayers 
from the tax rolls. By the time he left, it was morning in America. 
President Reagan believed in the aspirations and dignity of the 
individual. As he said in his second inaugural address, there are no 
limits to growth in human progress when men and women are free to 
follow their dreams.
  He reminded the American people that economic liberty and human 
freedom were two sides of the same coin. He reminded the world that 
freedom is the birthright of all peoples. Some call it the Reagan 
Revolution. Others call

[[Page S6080]]

it the Reagan Restoration. I prefer the latter.
  The man from Dixon--lifeguard, radio announcer, actor, Governor, 
father, adoring husband, President of the United States--restored not 
only our confidence but our fundamental understanding of the source of 
America's greatness: each and every one of us striving to realize the 
American dream.
  In his 1982 State of the Union Address, President Reagan told the 
Nation:

       We do not have to turn to our history books for heroes. 
     They're all around us.

  To the freedom fighters in the former Soviet Union to his fellow 
citizens here at home, Ronald Wilson Reagan was one of those real life 
heroes who brought hope, freedom, and opportunity to millions.
  I yield the floor and I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the order for the 
quorum call be rescinded.
  I ask unanimous consent to speak in morning business for up to 20 
minutes.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.