[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 9]
[Senate]
[Pages 11598-11600]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               TRIBUTE TO FORMER PRESIDENT RONALD REAGAN

  Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, as the whole world knows by now, America

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and the world lost a great man, Ronald Reagan, last Saturday. After 
battling Alzheimer's disease for the last 10 years, he finally 
succumbed and left this life for the next.
  This week, in this Senate, on television, in the newspapers, and all 
around the world we will hear people talking of their memories of this 
great man and what a difference he made in this country and to freedom-
loving people all around the world. I offer a few of my own comments in 
that regard out of respect for him and his family and the great example 
he was for all who believe in freedom, hope, and opportunity.
  Ronald Reagan, perhaps during his entire political career, was 
underestimated. He was written off by some as an actor or by some as a 
nice man but maybe not particularly effective. Because he was a man of 
good humor who loved a good joke, some thought he could not and should 
not be taken seriously.
  The fact is, Ronald Reagan demonstrated for everyone how a serious 
person--that is, someone who believes deeply in their principles, 
indeed in the principles upon which this country was founded, and who 
is willing to put themselves out in the public domain and to argue and 
fight, sometimes to lose but sometimes to win, in advocacy of those 
principles--Ronald Reagan reminded us that a good man, indeed a kind 
human being, a gentle person, a loving husband and father, can also 
survive in this sometimes difficult, some might even say ugly, world of 
electoral politics.
  In many ways, his death gives another reason to remember that 
politics today seems in many ways to become personal, so adversarial. 
Indeed, it need not be. There is no reason why individuals cannot 
disagree about public policy and differing points of view. There is no 
reason they cannot do that without becoming personal and hurtful.
  I believe it was Margaret Thatcher who once said that a person who 
reverts to name-calling simply has run out of anything else to say. 
Indeed, what we ought to be focused on is the policies we believe are 
in the best interests of the American people and avoid the sort of 
personal acrimony and hurt which too often seems a characteristic of 
our modern politics.
  Ronald Reagan taught us you can be a successful politician, you can 
rise to the greatest heights in our system--indeed, to be the leader of 
the free world--and still keep your good humor, still treat every 
person with dignity and respect, and still show the milk of human 
kindness to others.
  The one thing that made Ronald Reagan such an attractive person in 
public life was his basic principles. Indeed, there are some who 
underestimated him his entire political career. What they failed to 
appreciate was the power of his convictions and the ideals for which he 
stood. One of those convictions was putting people first. Ronald Reagan 
said putting people first has always been America's secret weapon. It 
is the way we have kept the spirit of our revolution alive, a spirit 
that drives us to dream and dare, and to take great risks for a greater 
good.
  I know Ronald Reagan has been touted as a great man. I believe he was 
a great man. But he never considered himself to be a great man, merely 
a man committed to great ideas.
  He also was sometimes criticized for being too much of a dreamer, but 
he made no apologies about that. He said:

       There's no question I am an idealist, which is another way 
     of saying I am an American.

  But when I think of the policies of the Reagan administration and the 
successes of what some have called the ``Reagan Revolution,'' but which 
I think in many ways was not revolutionary as much as it was a 
restoration of our basic principles upon which this country was 
founded, I think of the fall of communism and the subsequent liberation 
of tens of millions of people who had known nothing other than 
oppression and tyranny and dictatorship, and, also, the resurgence of 
the American economy.
  First, so far as his role in the fall of communism, although he was a 
genial, friendly, humor-loving optimist, he was a hardnosed realist 
when it came to the terrible impact and consequences of communism on 
people across this globe. Indeed, he knew it was important for us to 
maintain a strong military and made no apologies when it came to the 
importance of peace through strength, not going hat in hand to our 
allies or our enemies asking them to do us a favor but recognizing that 
America has a unique role in the world as the one remaining superpower, 
after the fall of the Soviet Union, and recognizing the failure of 
communism as an alternative to freedom and democracy.
  But it was, in large part, his commitment to rebuilding our military 
and peace through strength and hardnosed negotiating across the 
conference table with various opponents of our country and leaders of 
other countries that caused freedom to reign for tens of millions of 
people who had never known freedom due to the fall of communism.
  The other thing he believed in was the freedom here at home. He 
believed that big government was the enemy of individual freedom, and 
that if, in fact, we were going to be able to continue to enjoy the 
kind of prosperity and opportunity that has been synonymous with 
America, we needed to get a handle on big government. Indeed, when 
Ronald Reagan became President, it is hard to believe now, but the 
highest marginal income tax rate was 70 percent. By the time he left 
office, it was 28 percent. Today it stands at 35 percent.
  But Ronald Reagan understood, as all Americans understand--all folks 
outside of Washington especially understand--that in order to grow the 
economy you do not tax it more, you cut taxes, because only then can 
you provide the incentive for the individual American worker to work 
hard, save their money, invest their money, perhaps in their small 
business, and then create jobs and opportunity for others who may not 
have those jobs or that opportunity. It was by growing the economy, by 
providing that incentive for work and investment and savings and risk 
taking that we have all been the beneficiaries of that new economic 
freedom was brought in, in modern times, by Ronald Reagan's leadership.
  Most of all, I think my memories of Ronald Reagan center around his 
call for us to believe in ourselves once again, to believe in America 
again, and believe in the ideals we all identify with this great 
country of ours. America is different from virtually every other 
country in the world in that it was founded on ideals, on an ideal of 
liberty and justice for all, something not shared by any other country 
in the world that was formed or based on history or collective 
experience. But, of course, our country was formed on the basis of 
these ideals, and Ronald Reagan believed in them fervently and, more 
importantly, he fought for them, even against those who suggested that 
perhaps it was not possible for America to be great again.
  There were those who suggested that somehow America's greatest days 
were behind us. Ronald Reagan never believed that. He always believed 
America's greatest days lay ahead of us. And indeed they do, even 
today.
  He understood and preached, perhaps better than anyone, that big 
government and high taxes are the enemy of individual freedom, that 
smaller government and lower taxes would be an incentive to work and 
savings.
  I mentioned a moment ago his belief in the individual initiative of 
risk takers, of entrepreneurs, of those who would take the risks, make 
the investment, and create jobs for the American people. At one point 
he said:

       Too often entrepreneurs are forgotten heroes. We rarely 
     hear about them. But look into the heart of America, and you 
     will see them. They are the owners of that store down the 
     street, the faithful who support our churches, schools, and 
     communities, the brave people everywhere who produce our 
     goods, feed a hungry world, and keep our homes and families 
     warm while they invest in the future to build a better 
     America.

  Now, those who only saw the genial, friendly, humor-loving side of 
Ronald Reagan did not know the entire man. As I mentioned, behind that 
genial countenance was a man of strong principle and a man as tough as 
they come. For example, when the air traffic controllers defied a back-
to-work order, he fired them, emphasizing the fact that

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the greater good is always paramount and more important than special 
interests.
  Of course, he survived an assassin's bullets with great humor, 
telling his wife, ``Honey, I forgot to duck,'' and expressing to his 
physicians, the ones who saved his life in the emergency room: ``I hope 
you're all Republicans.''
  With every fearsome challenge he encountered in life, he met it with 
good humor, humanity, kindness, and optimism in a way that inspired and 
continues to inspire the American people, which, to me, will be one of 
his greatest legacies.
  He also taught us that politics can be a noble calling. 
Unfortunately, today, it seems that is forgotten too often and people 
ask: How in the world can you be involved in politics and be a good 
person? How can you believe in doing the right thing and be involved in 
politics since it is all about getting reelected and raising money and 
a fight for power? But, indeed, Ronald Reagan exemplified the fact that 
a good person, with strong convictions, committed to great ideals and 
the principles upon which this country was founded, can be successful 
in life and in politics, which, indeed, he was as the leader of the 
free world.
  Mr. President, as the Nation grieves with his family, we also 
celebrate the life of this great man, a quintessential American whose 
hopes and dreams knew no bounds.
  Ronald Reagan loved America, and America loved him back.
  I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mrs. Dole). The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. BURNS. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent the order for the 
quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. BURNS. Madam President, I come to the floor today after receiving 
the news over the weekend of the passing of President Reagan. I see 
today these young folks called pages who work for us on the floor of 
the U.S. Senate. They will be here this week during a very historic 
period. Here are young people who never met President Reagan. They have 
never seen him give a speech live, nor have had conversations with him, 
and never really will be able to hold the man in their hearts like some 
of us who were inspired to go into political life by his words and by 
the example that he set for political life. It is too bad they didn't 
get to do that. But that is not their fault.
  This week, we will be celebrating his life. He will come to this 
town, and there will be a lot of recollections from those who knew him. 
I did not get to serve with him because he left the Presidency the same 
year that I was elected to the Senate. I came here under the Presidency 
of President George Herbert Walker Bush.
  One of the photographs of which I am most fond, of the President and 
me, one I shall cherish to the end of my life, was taken in 1982 when 
he came to Billings, MT. We had a little bit to do with that meeting. I 
think it was the first personal meeting I ever had with the President. 
You could tell from the way he carried himself, the way he walked, the 
way he spoke, the way he treated people, the handshake, that he was not 
only the Commander in Chief and President of the United States, but he 
was also a man of the people. He had Midwestern roots--Illinois, the 
great prairies. He was successful in Hollywood. He was a successful 
broadcaster. He was of an age, at the time he was called to political 
life, that basically everyone said he was too old. Yet he went on to 
serve two terms.
  You may not have agreed with everything he stood for, but you didn't 
ever have any problem figuring out where he stood. He never wavered. He 
was the same the day he left office as the day he came into office. 
That example probably put into public life a lot of us who never 
thought of it.
  I can remember something that happened in 1988, when I ran. In this 
political life, they said you have to come back to Washington, DC, and 
you have to have your picture taken with President Reagan. They gave me 
the date to be here. I said: I am sorry, I can't be there that date.
  They reminded me and said: This is the White House calling. This is 
the date.
  I said that I wasn't concerned about what color their house was, but 
on that date I happened to have an auction. I am an auctioneer. I had 
to make a living first, in 1988.
  So that conversation closed. Then all at once, the political director 
called up. I explained the same thing to him. I said: It is not that 
important, no big deal. I am busy, he is busy, we have a date, they 
didn't jibe, so we will move on.
  Well, as it turned out, even the President called. He said: I 
understand about auctions, once you have one advertised. You go ahead 
and have the auction.
  That surprised me a lot. He was something. He was one of those who 
really won the cold war without firing a shot. And the chemistry 
between him and Prime Minister Thatcher of England was one of an 
unbelievable partnership. They stood alone against the world on the 
deployment of tactical nuclear weapons as a deterrent to the aggression 
of a country that he called evil. You see, he had come to the 
Presidency knowing that about communism. He knew it for what it was--
degrading, dehumanizing. There was no upward mobility, no chance of any 
individual ever attaining any kind of freedom--either economically or 
politically. There was no opportunity to take their own talents and go 
into the field of their endeavor. He understood communism for what it 
was and he said: This cancer has to go.
  As a result, through his steadfast leadership--and I know there were 
lonely times with decisions that he made--he brought down the Berlin 
Wall without a shot being fired.
  We honor him. This should be a week of celebration of a life--a life 
in the history of this country that will live as long as the country 
lives, as long as free men want to breathe. His name will be 
remembered. He has made his mark.
  At that first meeting in Billings, I was sitting on a horse, and we 
were getting ready to take him into a building. There were two others 
who were supposed to escort the stagecoach. I can remember him saying: 
You know, the rowels on those spurs aren't very big. And I said: You 
don't need a big rowel if you have a spirited horse. He said: I 
understand that.
  We will celebrate this man's life this week. We named a post office 
in Billings, MT 59105, after Ronald Reagan this year. I am proud of 
that.
  But what a gifted man he was, the way he could communicate, the way 
he could touch people, the time he gave to this country for which we 
should be very thankful. He wasn't a perfect man. I haven't seen one 
yet who didn't have a few bruises, scars, marks, bumps, warts, and 
such. But he was an American, and he was an American who took those 
principles to heart. He lived them every day he drew breath--while he 
was in the White House and after he left the White House.
  Mr. President, we welcome you back to Washington this week to 
celebrate your life and your contribution to this great country. We 
say, Thank you.
  I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Cornyn). The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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